Siri Only Obeys Samuel L. Jackson

➡ One Foot Tsunami: Over-Promise and Under-Deliver
A great post that looks at the new Siri ads.

HOW SIRI INTERPRETS IT WHEN I SAY “REMIND ME TO PUT THE GAZPACHO ON ICE IN AN HOUR”:

• Put the spot show on ice
• Put the spots on Icenhour
• Put tickets botulinum2"

The most recent run of iPhone adds featuring Siri seem are some of the worst Apple has ever put out there. They rub me the wrong way. They don't make me proud that I own the product. They actually slightly embarrass me. Don't even get me started on the Zoey Deschenel one.

I rarely use Siri. When I've tried, she has given me less than stellar results. Apparantly if you are a movie star she obeys your commends flawlessly... or does she?

The 4 inch iPhone Rumors

9 to 5 Mac: 4 inch iPhone Rumors

I'm a big fan of seeing a larger screen iPhone coming out this fall. I'm not a fan of it staying the exact same width and just making it taller. That won't make it any easier or more comfortable to type on. But all the rumors seem to be pointing to that as the path Apple is taking. Rumors are just rumors. We won't know until they announce it.

Google Currents news reader

Yesterday we got an updated Flipboard that will work on the iPhone. In timely fashion today Google releases its fancy news reader known as Google Currents. So far I'm not buying it. I expected more. It isn't as pretty as I thought it would be. The Google search app on the iPad is really good and I use it all the time. I don't see where Currents fits in. From what I can tell Flipboard still blows it away if you are looking to read online content on the iPad.

The gist of Currents is simple: it’s a clean, touch-friendly way to consume your favorite blogs and news sites on your phone and/or tablet. And it looks good — much better, in fact, than most of Google’s other applications."

That quote is from the techcruch article, and I would disagree with it.  Currents promised to be those things, and that is what we expected, however I don't think the finished product delivers. Maybe they rushed it out so Flipboard didn't have a chance to lock in all those iPhone users before Google even had a chance. There is definitely a lot of room for future improvements.

Flipboard for iPhone

I've heard it was coming for a while now and today they finally released the iPhone version of one of my favorite iPad apps. Here is a quote from the blog post from Flipboard.  

The moment so many Flipboard readers have asked for is here: Now you can get Flipboard for iPhone. It’s got everything you know and love about Flipboard, but now designed especially for the way you use your iPhone."

The app looks cool for sure, however it comes nowhere close to offering the utility of the iPad app. I haven't used it a ton, so maybe I haven't seen all the cool stuff it can do. I don't find the idea of reading articles on the iPhone all that appealing. It is good to browse headlines and catch up on quick news, but I have never been a fan of reading longer content on the small screen. The cramped real-estate also takes away that cool magazine feel that the iPad app has.  Still, it is a pretty slick looking app for the iPhone; one of the prettier ones I've ever seen.  Trying to use it just like I use the iPad app probably isn't the most optimal scenario. Maybe if I keep using it I will find more utility. It seems like it might be cool for flipping through pictures. 

The Heat Is On

This past week has been a hot one here in Arkansas.  I definitely haven't been spending much time outside lately.   Thursday I mowed the lawn.  There was a storm a brewin'  which cooled it off quite a bit.  Don't get me wrong, it was still hot.  It doesn't take me very long to mow our grass, but it was by far the most time I had spent outside in over a week.

Lately I have been sitting in the AC and watching a lot of sports.  We have the world cup going on, last week was the NBA finals and the US Open golf tournament.  Now Wimbledon has started up, and next week will be the first stage of the Tour de France.  For some strange reason I feel the need to follow all major sporting events.  It isn't even that I necessarily enjoy watching it.  I didn't watch any NBA games all season, but I felt compelled to watch the finals.  I have never played, nor expressed an interest in soccer my entire life.  However, I am checking on world cup standings and looking forward to when matches are on in time-slots I can watch.