Siri And The Great Firewall of China

Siri rocks as far as its potential goes.  And while I'm not exactly sure of most of the details of how it works, I think we can safely say that it has a lot to do with servers in data centers that Apple maintains.  Query something and it gets to a gateway, gets crunched, and spits the answer back out to the user.

Okay, how would this work in parts of the world where the iPhone is very popular like China where there is a lot of censorship going on?  You know, the Great Firewall of China.

Most of our readers kind of take these things for granted.  Whether in China, Iran, any other place where free flow of information is frowned up, to put it mildly, how would Siri work?  To my mind, this could be the first time where Apple will have to decide if it has to clamp down on services or information to avoid getting on the bad side of Beijing.

One might say that Apple knows a thing or two about control information.  It does and it is quite good at it.  Walled ecosystem and corporate information lock-downs aside, Apple really has never not limited access to Facebook, Google, or Twitter.  Apple has been known to make things difficult for competitors but playing hard ball is something totally different from just shutting out information, which is what China does.

So, when the iPhone 4S launches in China, I get the feeling that Siri will not be available.  Not because Siri isn't available in most countries.  Rather, China will bar Siri from entering China altogether.

Let's See, One Million Plus Something Equals Four Million iPhones

Apple announced that it has sold 4 million iPhones over the weekend, besting the 1.7 million iPhones it sold last year.  I have a couple of comments and questions about that.

First comment.  Wow.  Second comment.  Insanely Great!

Now some questions.  Are all these iPhone 4S or a mix of 3G and 4?  And compared to the iPhone 4 that went on sale last year, we know there are more carriers but how about markets?

From Apple's press release, it appears this 4 million figure is iPhone 4S only.  So, this is huge.  iPhone 4S only figure. I think Apple came out with this figure so early on because it wanted to dispel any notion that the 4S is a disappointment.  And this is precedent for this.

When the 3GS came out, I did not think it was going to sell beyond some minimal growth due to added international carriers. But then, the 3GS did not generate the initial disappointments that bloggers and tech pundits, who had been perpetuating rumors, fabricated.

So, the 4S is definitely a hit.  And 4 million sold, I don't know if this is also a lowered figure from Apple actually moved.  Think about it.  Apple likes to surprise on the upside when it announces earnings.  Personally, I think Apple sold a lot more than the 4 million they reported.

Another question.  Does the 4 million figure include the 1 million pre-orders?  I think it probably does.

From a mobile experience stand point, I think Siri has been the main draw for the 4S more than just the speed factor.  I think people coming over to the 4S and those pre-iPhone 4 upgraders will be very happy with the speed and "just works" iOS.  However, it'll be Siri, which is still in beta, that has caught the imagination of users.

iOS 5: Weather App Allows Location Update

One other new feature I like is that in the Weather app, there is a new feature called "current location".  It's able to figure out via Location Services where you are and provide you with the current location.  If you enable that, the location if where you're at appears in Notification Center.

A lot of times, I'm pretty much just around town but in different parts.  And where I live in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles, the weather can change pretty dramatically from one location to another.

And especially if you're traveling, you probably want to know if before you head out of the hotel what the weather is going to be like.  Local Weather helps.  Of course, if you have the iPhone 4S, you can simply ask Siri which is quicker.

But having Location Weather in the Notification Center is a nice touch.

iOS 5: Notification Center, Setting It Up

The Notification Center in iOS 5 is one of the newest improvements that Apple made to the mobile experience.  Having said that, a few people still cannot figure out just what it is and how to access it.

It's easy but Apple did not seem to have done a good job explain all this to users, just like we had to do with iMessage for you.

First when you're in the locked screen, you'll get notifications from messages, e-mails, or other push alerts.  You've seen that in iOS 4.  Nothing too new there.  I never got e-mail alerts in iOS 4 but I'm getting them now in iOS 5.  So, maybe that's an improvement.

That isn't the NC.  The NC can be assessed as a pulled-down page when you move a finger from the top of the screen (I usually placed my finger where the time is) and swipe down.  Try it.

Cool, eh?  You might see the weather there and stocks.  Here is a screen shot of mine.  I currently do no have any notifications there since I cleared them all.  You might see more in yours.  So, that's the first step.

Here is how you access the notification center settings.

• Go to Settings.

• Under Settings, select Notifications.  If you've upgraded from another iOS version to iOS 5, you'll notice that iOS 5 no longer gives you the option to turn off receiving notifications.  

• Apple has provided some preset notifications.  Weather, mail, phone, messages are among a few.  You can go through each of them and decide if you want to get notifications from them.  If you scroll down, you'll also notice some apps with their notifications turned off.  You can turn them on if you like.

• Another thing you can do is order them in the way you like them to appear. In mine, the weather is a the top.  Maybe you want your messages to appear first.  Cool.  Apple lets you do just.  Simply hit edit.  You'll see that the appearance is different.  Now, place a finger in the app that you like to move, hold it, and  you'll be able to order them up or down.  When you're finished, hit done.
• Also, you can personalize and select the appearance of notification of each app.  There is the old way which is called "Alerts" or the new one called "banners".  Or you can select none at all and simply visit Notification Center.

Having these new featurse are very nice.  However, I figure they're a drain on the battery.  There are a few mentions, not many, that the battery life on the iPhone 4S is shorter than the iPhone 4.  I don't see it so far and I wonder what version of iOS they're running.  I would not be surprised if Apple will release an update that will allow iOS 5 to extend the battery life.  

And though I do like receiving my sports updates, when the battery is low, I would like to have the option of turning off notification updates.  At least with Location Services, the option to turn that off is still there.

Maybe Apple will let users turn off notifications in a future update.

Fun Weekend Musing: Evaluating Mobile Needs For An Apocalypse

I have come up with one way to help mobile users decide if their current mobile needs are enough. We now live in a culture where mobile computing and experiences are very much a part of our lives.

It does not matter if you're rich or poor, use it for personal or work. Mobile needs are the same for just about everyone: student, a wide range or profession, fathers and mothers, just about anyone.

Everyone. So how do you know if what you have now is enough? Maybe you've got a low-end Android. Maybe you just upgraded to the iPhone 4S. Or perhaps, you are waiting for the Nexus Prime but the Galaxy S II is already for sale.

Then consider this: if the world ends tomorrow, is your device going to be enough to serve your mobile needs? And how will you make that evaluation?

Now we need to have a few allowances in such a scenario. We will assume power will be on as will wireless access. But everything else is literally falling apart. Perhaps, roaming gangs are in the streets. Maybe the undead have taken over. Or it could be Black Death II in the making.

Does your platform have the necessary apps to help you maneuver through the dangers of lawlessness? Is there an app to help you escape from a mob of zombies? Maybe those dozens of zombie games are a good place to start.

And then there is the thing about having a good camera. Suppose you're tapped by your neighbors to do some recon. You take your mobile with you. The GSII and the new 4S both have 8MP cameras. Which camera is better and has the best editing apps. And what about taking videos? And if you're not ready to upgrade, is the 3- or 5MP camera your mobile device have good enough for such a task?

One would assume that we all want the latest and the greatest. True in most situations but we also have developed emotional attachments to our mobile gears and sown times are not willing to give it up so readily because there is something shinier at the Apple stores, Best Buys, or on sale at Amazon.

So ask yourself this: is your mobile ready to help you get through the end times - help you, your family, and friends in the process.

Oh, Google Voice, Did You Not Anticipate Apple Creating Issues?

Google Voice is an indispensible tool for me.  I use it to field calls, screen calls, and, most importantly, I use the SMS feature because I refuse to pay the wireless provider money for sending text that cost them almost nothing.

Well, after the release of iPhone 4S, the Google Voice app stopped working.  Crash, crash, crash.  So, if you're like me and on iPhone 4S, well, then, chances are that your app will not work and have not been working.  This was also confirmed by this Electronista post.

However, it seems to function perfectly on the iPhone 4 with iOS 5.  Anyway, hopefully, Google works this out.  Initially, I was gonna get set to blame Apple for this but I am not sure Google is really out of the woods as far as the blame goes.

We'll just have to see how quickly Google turns this around.  The GV app has been pulled and is no longer available.

Source:  Electronista.

Really? Less Than 3.5 Million Honeycomb Tablets In The Wild? This Is Google's Fault

According to Slashgear, there is only 3.4 million tablets in use running with Google's current officially sanctioned Android OS, Honeycomb.  Can that be?

Reading About Sprint Users Getting iPhones Makes Me Sad For T-Mobile

I’ve been a T-Mobile subscriber nearly a decade. I’ve had a fantastic relationship with them. I was formerly with AT&T until they irked (I wanted to use a stronger language but I changed it because I really like Greenjava to be a family friendly site) off a lot of folks. I just could not stand them any longer.

I was so happy when they received the G1, the very first Android device which I continue to use and cherish to this day. And I thought maybe two or three years down the line, I could get an iPhone that runs on T-Mobile’s 3G network. Surely, Apple would not keep the exclusive with the hated AT&T network for years and years, right?

More At Greenjava.

Where Are Verizon Wireless' iPhone Brag?

No doubt Apple had a great week with the pre-sale figure of 1 million iPhone 4S sold and a fantastic Friday today with AT&T doubling the already iPhone 4 activations and Sprint recording best-ever day.  As an Apple fan, you are heartened by this.

Okay, good.  Ahem, Verizon, you go next.  Tell us how crazy your iPhone sales have been today.  Go ahead.  The stage is yours.

Hello?  Verizon?  Hey, there.  Come on.  Don't be shy.

Not the best ever?  Second best?  Second best is okay.  I bought one, pre-ordered it.  That's one that I know of.  There were other folks I'm sure.

What?  You're too good for us?  WTF!?

Seriously, I can wait to find out the final score between the three.  I'm sure Sprint with its fantastic sales won't be close to what AT&T has.  I just want to know how close VZW's iPhone activations come to AT&T's.

You have to keep in mind that AT&T has an advantage neither  Sprint or VZW has:  free iPhone 3GS.  It's a two year old iPhone but remember, it was the second best selling smartphone, bested only by its sibling, the iPhone 4.

This blog is composed using dictation on iPhone 4S

Hello everyone. This blog is composed using the dictation feature on the iPhone five using iPhone 4S.

As you can see, it is pretty accurate. I try to compose message earlier using the iPhone 4S speaker. It was not as accurate as using the headset.

For those of us who have the iPhone 4S, I think we should all try to use the dictation feature more often. Why's that? The reason is because I think with Siri, Apple is going to Really revolutionize how we interact with computers. Using Siri, it is only the beginning. Using dictation to compose our messages and emails, it is only the beginning.

Obviously Apple has a long way to go before the AI in iOS 5 or future iOS can really become our digital assistant.

Earlier I try to see if Siri can launch applications. It was not able to. However, I know didn't ability for users to launch applications with the mat or on and iOS device is going to be a very important feature and I think it will come rather quickly.

Right now Siri is in beta testing. I am sure by the time Siri gets out of beta there will be a few additional features it can perform.

The most important feature that I like Siri to have is the ability to launch apps. More than that I like the dictation feature to also be built into other applications. I am talking more than just dictations. I want to be able to issue commands in other apps.

Example, after I launched the foursquare app, I like to be able to check in simply by speaking. Or if I am Facebook, I like to be able to say "update status" and then be able to dictate what my status is.

Those are just two examples that I quickly thought of while I was using Siri. I am sure the engineering team at Apple has already thought of these things. And no doubt we will some day get these features.

I am certain that as you use Siri you will think of other examples that Siri can make the mobile experience better.

Note: I have to make some corrections to this post by dictating. I am sure just like Siri, the dictation feature will be improved over time. However it beats having to tap out the whole post.

Sent from my iPhone