4S

The iPhone 4S is now available to retail-store customers "by reservation only," an indication that the hot-selling phone is likely in short supply. Apple has asked would-be buyers to use a reservation system to request a unit the night before before heading to the company's retail stores.

The new system, picked up by MacRumors earlier today, lets buyers pick out one of Apple's 18 iPhone 4S variants, then request that the company holds the unit so they can come in to complete the purchase. The system doesn't open up each day until 9 p.m. … Read more

Siri may be most at home on the brand new iPhone 4S, but she's up for a little adventure and willing to explore other iOS devices--if you're willing to port her over, at least.

Since the new iPhone and its integrated voice assistant were introduced two weeks ago, there's been talk about getting it up and running on other iOS gadgets, including the iPad and of course, the plain old vanilla iPhone 4.

At first it wasn't looking too good, based on early experiments attempting the portage using an iPod Touch and the Gold Master build of iOS 5. A few of the Apple hacker genius-types out there appealed for patience--just wait until we actually get our hands on the new iPhone, they told us.

They were right, kind of.… Read more

Phone carriers will soon warn you of impending overages in real time, the iPhone 4S doubles sales of the previous model, and BlackBerry offers apps to make up for services outage last wee

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Three days after the launch of the iPhone 4S, some users are still running into problems gettings its Siri voice assistant feature to work.

Numerous users on Twitter continue to report that the feature is experiencing connection errors when commands are issued. As before, affected users are saying that the problems are occurring even while they're connected to Wi-Fi, or have 3G coverage, suggesting the issue may lie on Apple's end.

Siri is an iPhone 4S exclusive feature, giving users the capability to talk into their phone to do things like check the weather, set alarms, and search the Web. The feature requires the use of a Wi-Fi or 3G network since it taps into Apple's servers to process and return the commands as soon as they're issued.

The service began experiencing problems on launch day last Friday, with users saying the feature could not connect. Tests on CNET's own iPhone 4S unit could not reproduce the problem, however CNET readers noted in comments on our original story that they too were having issues. Additionally, a now 10-page Apple support forum thread has users experiencing hiccups throughout the weekend. … Read more

Apple isn't the only company touting strong smartphone sales today.

Samsung announced this morning that it has sold 30 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones worldwide since the line's launch in 2010. According to the company, it has sold nearly 20 million Galaxy S units, making that handset the fastest-selling smartphone it has ever launched. Sales of the Galaxy S II have reached more than 10 million since its launch earlier this year, the company said.

Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy S II are two of the more impressive Android-based smartphones on the market. The … Read more

In addition to announcing stellar iPhone 4S sales, Apple also revealed today that iOS 5 and iCloud are off to a running start.

According to the company, 25 million people are already using iOS 5, even though this version of the mobile operating system launched just last week. In addition, Apple's iCloud, a cloud-based data service, has added 20 million users in less than a week.

Although the iOS 5 user numbers are impressive, Apple's success with iCloud is most notable, considering that it's an entirely new product. The service allows users to sync and store content … Read more

The iPhone 4S had a huge weekend on store shelves--or more precisely, leaping off store shelves.

Apple said today that it sold 4 million iPhone 4S units worldwide between Friday and Sunday. According to Apple senior vice president for worldwide product marketing, Phil Schiller, that figure is "more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days." Last year, Apple announced that it sold 1.7 million iPhone 4 units in the smartphone's first weekend of availability.

That said, it's worth noting that at least in the U.S., the iPhone 4S had a … Read more

Samsung just isn't willing to go down without a fight.

After losing an important patent battle with Apple in Australia last week, the company has now fired back with Apple's new iPhone 4S in its crosshairs.

Samsung today filed an injunction request in an Australia court, saying that Apple's iPhone 4S, which launched on Friday, violates wireless patents it holds. According to ZDNet Australia, a CNET sister site, Samsung argues that Apple's new smartphone (in addition to the iPhone 4 and iPad 2) violate three patents in Australia. In a similar suit filed today in Japan, … Read more

When your wife tells you that she "hates meat packing," should you be suspicious?

This question seems to have consumed one new iPhone 4S owner, as he pondered whether his beloved always told him the truth.

According to this unnamed New York man's posting to a MacRumors forum, he was one of the privileged who managed to get his hands on an iPhone 4S.

You might have heard of these new machines. They come equipped with a highly intelligent companion called Siri. They also give you the opportunity to load an app called "Find My Friends". … Read more