iPhone 4S

Siri vs. Microsoft’s Tellme Voice Control Feature

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Microsoft and its chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie have been taking a lot of smack over the past couple of days. Mundie made some controversial comments regarding Apple's new Siri feature during a recent interview with Forbes Magazine.

The executive claimed that Microsoft has had Siri-like technology on its Windows Phone platform for over a year, and that Apple's success with it has been the result of "good marketing." But the two systems are miles apart, and here's a video to prove it...

China Telecom Gearing Up for iPhone 4S Launch

Cody Lee ∙ November 25, 2011

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently gave the iPhone 4S the go-ahead for a launch in the largest nation on earth. The decision gave the green light to several major Chinese carriers to start offering the device, including China Telecom.

With over 120 million mobile subscribers, China Telecom is bigger than any single US carrier, and it's never had the iPhone. So, you can see why anticipation is building for the operator to start carrying Apple's latest, and most popular, handset...

FastPdfKit: First Siri-Controlled App Hits the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple's Siri is certainly the hot property these days, and it is at its best when in the hands of hackers who create tools like SiriProxy. Offering a way of making Siri interact with pretty much anything on a network, SiriProxy has opened doors left and right, and now app developers are getting in on the action.

FastPdfKit, an app now available on the App Store, claims to be the first to offer Siri integration using SiriProxy. More accurately, FastPdfKit's developer, MobFarm, is the first to spend the time to create the commands required to interact with its app, but we'll let them off with their bold claim just this once.

The result is the ability to ask Siri to complete in-app tasks, such as paging forward or searching for text. The app even has a party trick, with Siri on an iPhone 4S being able to control the FastPdfKit app on an iPad...

Siri Proxy Makes Starting Your Car With Your Voice a Reality

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 25, 2011

A few days ago we told you about one clever fellow who had found a way to create a 'Siri proxy,' allowing him to intercept Siri commands. This, in theory, makes Siri compatible with just about anything with an API, and the original proof of concept demonstrated Siri controlling a thermostat.

Now it seems that proof of concept has become something of an arms race, with likeminded individuals now making Siri connect with all manner of things, the latest being an automobile.

Using a Viper car system, an individual was able to instruct Siri to lock and unlock the car's doors, as well as start and stop the engine. Super cool, indeed...

Infinity Blade 2 Trailer Shows Off Amazing Graphics

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2023

During a highly anticipated media event last month, Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S. Although the handset looks similar to its predecessor, it includes a number of internal changes. Among those changes is the addition of the A5 dual core processor.

To show off the iPhone 4S' performance capibilities, Apple demoed the upcoming Infinity Blade 2 title from Epic games. The original Infinity Blade was a hit, and set the bar for in-game graphics. Well its successor doesn't just raise the bar, it smashes it...

Microsoft: We’ve Had Siri for Over a Year!

Cody Lee ∙ November 23, 2011

Since Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S last month, everyone has been talking about one thing: Siri. The lovable assistant is the product of over 40 years of artificial intelligence research and the US CALO program (Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes).

Siri isn't apparently exclusive to Apple's handset. Microsoft's chief strategy and research officer Craig Mundie recently told Forbes that Microsoft has had similar voice control tech on its Windows Phone platform for more than a year!

We know, we didn't see that one coming either...

New Samsung TV Ad Takes a Stab at iPhone Users

Cody Lee ∙ November 22, 2011

Apple and Samsung have been involved in quite the court battle over the last 6 months. Apple accused Samsung of copying the trademarked design of its products, and since then, the two companies have been in and out of court.

Now it looks like the war is about to spill out into the advertising arena. Although companies have taken shots at Apple's popular smartphone in commercials before, none of them compare to the Korean manufacturer's latest TV spot...

New $250 iPhone Case Features Three Rotating Camera Lenses

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 22, 2011

Not only does Apple make a fortune from its iPhones, iPads, and anything else with a lower-case "i," but it also spawned thousands of awesome accessories. The iPhone especially has seen some interesting accessories come its way, and "interesting" is probably the best way to describe this particular case.

Weighing in at $250 and sporting three rotatable lenses, the Lens Dial is perhaps more than a normal case, but it is also one of the more whacky.

The Lens Dial, carved from aircraft-grade aluminum, packs the three lenses shown in the picture, allowing photographic types to take all kinds of images using the iPhone's built-in shooter...

How to Send Group Messages and Emails With Siri

Cody Lee ∙ November 22, 2011

Now that folks have had over a month to play with the new iPhone 4S, more and more Siri tips are starting to surface. Siri can do so many things that new commands are constantly being discovered.

Earlier today we told you how to use Siri to see planes flying above you using Wolfram Alpha's database. Now we've come across a tip that lets you use the assistant to send group text messages and emails...

A Helpful Explanation of How Siri Works and Why a Port Can’t Be Released

Alex Heath ∙ November 22, 2011

Ever since rumors of an impending Siri port started circulating, non-iPhone 4S owners have been wondering why Siri can't be made available on older iDevices. We've seen video of hackers running Siri on the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, iPhone 3GS, and even video of Siri controlling random devices, like a thermostat.

While these specific instances show that Siri can indeed run on non-4S devices, publicly distributing Siri poses a whole other set of problems. The complex system that Apple's servers use to authenticate with Siri on the iPhone 4S is one of the main reasons that a Siri port can't be made available to everyone at the moment.

iOS 5 Causing Loss of Wi-Fi Connectivity For Some Users

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Apple's introduction of iOS 5 has been accompanied by plenty of problems. Launched alongside the iPhone 4S, iOS 5 has been blamed for all kinds of things, but most prominently a considerable loss of battery performance.

Apple may have another potential problem on its hands, with reports beginning to crop up of iOS 5 devices struggling to connect to Wi-Fi networks. Even when a iOS 5 device does join a Wi-Fi network, users are reporting flakey connections that constantly drop.

As with the infamous battery problems that have plagued the newest release of Apple's mobile OS, this issue appears to span across all of Apple's 'i' products, and not just the new iPhone 4S...

Siri Can Tell You If a Plane is Flying Above Your Head

Alex Heath ∙ November 22, 2011

File this one under "crazy things that Siri can do." Apparently, thanks to the magic of Wolfram Alpha, Siri on the iPhone 4S is able to give you flight path trajectories. The real kicker is that Siri can use your iPhone's GPS data to determine if there are planes currently flying about your area.

Now you have a new way to see if your friend is ready to get picked up at the airport!