iPhone News Updated

Apple Uses Santa to Soft-Sell Siri [VIDEO]

Apple’s new iPhone spot does an unusual thing for an advertisement: It doesn’t mention the iPhone at all. In fact, it’s a commercial for the iPhone 4S’s digital assistant, Siri, but notice the word “Siri” isn’t mentioned, either.

Poor Santa — he has 3.7 billion appointments.

It must be nice to be able to sell your product without even naming it. Apple is indeed in a unique position right now. But after using Siri often when I first got an iPhone 4S, I find myself not using it much anymore. Do you think it has long-term staying power, or is it merely a gimmick used to sell new the iPhone 4S?

[Thanks: http://mashable.com]

iPhone 4S battles Android in Consumer Reports tests

Thinking about getting that special someone a new phone for Christmas? A slick, fancy smartphone could score you big points, but which one is best?

With all the buzz, Apple’s iPhone 4S tops a lot of lists this holiday season, but is it worth it? Consumer Reports testers say it is a great phone. It’s faster than the iPhone 4, and the improved camera takes better photos.

Another perk is the voice-activated personal assistant, Siri, which works well and even has a sense of humor. Ask it for the meaning of life, and here’s the response you get: “I can’t answer that now, but give me some time to write a very long play in which nothing happens.”

Even with all that, Consumer Reports says plenty of other smartphones perform just as well, or even better, than the iPhone 4S.

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