Question for you iPhone/Siri users

whisper

whisper

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Messages
466
I'm toying with the idea of getting a 4S, coming from a Dinc which I've had for 18 mo. or so. One of the main draws for me is the high quality display and camera - taking and viewing pics and videos is a big part of my daily smartphone use. I also have an iMac at home so I have music and videos in iTunes and could sync with mail, calendar, etc.

There are parts of Android I really like - widgets for instance. I'm trying to decide if I could live without some of these things and if Siri might help compensate. For instance, can anyone tell me if you can use Siri to adjust phone settings, like "Turn on bluetooth", "Turn ringer off" or "Turn on WiFi"? Or is it pretty much dumb to it's own internal guts? The thought of launching the settings app and then digging into a series of menus to accomplish such easy tasks is not appealing, to say the least.

Even better, anyone know if there is an app (or a built-in function) that can adjust settings based on location (kind of like Motorola's "smart actions")? If not, I guess you could have Siri remind you to do certain things when you arrive at a certain location, right? Am I dreaming by envisioning the following exchange:

Siri: You've arrived at work, turn your ringer off and switch on WiFi
Me: Thanks, can you please do those things?
Siri: Sure, all set.

If I have to spend 2 minutes digging into settings menus to accomplish what the reminder tells me - I think I'm going to get annoyed. Very annoyed.

Thanks everyone. I almost got the 4S yesterday and then couldn't decide. I wish I could test it for a week before signing the 2 year contract extension:D
 
Maybe one day... but not today.

Here's a list of actions Siri can do:

Initiate calls
Find friends/family members (relies on find my friends account)
Play music
Send texts/emails
Create notes
Create calendar entries
Set alarms
Get directions
Get answers to factual questions
Search the internet

Pretty much the same as Google Voice Actions except that GVA doesn't talk back.
 
whisper said:
I'm toying with the idea of getting a 4S, coming from a Dinc which I've had for 18 mo. or so. One of the main draws for me is the high quality display and camera - taking and viewing pics and videos is a big part of my daily smartphone use. I also have an iMac at home so I have music and videos in iTunes and could sync with mail, calendar, etc.

There are parts of Android I really like - widgets for instance. I'm trying to decide if I could live without some of these things and if Siri might help compensate. For instance, can anyone tell me if you can use Siri to adjust phone settings, like "Turn on bluetooth", "Turn ringer off" or "Turn on WiFi"? Or is it pretty much dumb to it's own internal guts? The thought of launching the settings app and then digging into a series of menus to accomplish such easy tasks is not appealing, to say the least.

Even better, anyone know if there is an app (or a built-in function) that can adjust settings based on location (kind of like Motorola's "smart actions")? If not, I guess you could have Siri remind you to do certain things when you arrive at a certain location, right? Am I dreaming by envisioning the following exchange:

Siri: You've arrived at work, turn your ringer off and switch on WiFi
Me: Thanks, can you please do those things?
Siri: Sure, all set.

If I have to spend 2 minutes digging into settings menus to accomplish what the reminder tells me - I think I'm going to get annoyed. Very annoyed.

Thanks everyone. I almost got the 4S yesterday and then couldn't decide. I wish I could test it for a week before signing the 2 year contract extension:D
Click to expand...

Most of what you want to do (with siri) is possible if you're jailbroken. Check out SiriToggles, VoiceUtils, AssistantExtensions, etc

As for widgets, yes, but again... only jailbroken. They're not displayed on the home screen though like on android (well, you CAN do it but it gets crowded). They're now notification center widgets.

Notification-Center.jpg


just for example.

If you buy soon, chances are the phone will come pre-loaded with iOS5.0.1 which you can jailbreak untethered. For 5.1, you can only get a JB if you're on an A4 or lower device.
 
Thanks for the reply! So, the great Siri can tell you the meaning of life but can't do something as basic as turning your phone volume down. Kind of disappointing if you ask me. Seems like this Siri thing is more about gimmicks and smoke/mirrors than actually having a solid integration into the phone. Not that Android has anything better, but at least there's widgets;)

Another question for you 4/4S users - I know if you ask Siri for directions it will use the built in Maps app. What do you do if you want turn-by-turn? I found an app called Waze that does free turn-by-turn navigation and a review here. Can anyone vouch for this or something similar/better?

I don't know, I do like the 4S and seems a lot of people are happy. Just not sure I'm going to adapt after being on Android. Cameras and displays on the Maxx and Gnex may not be quite as good, but it's not like they're terrible...
 
whisper said:
Thanks for the reply! So, the great Siri can tell you the meaning of life but can't do something as basic as turning your phone volume down. Kind of disappointing if you ask me. Seems like this Siri thing is more about gimmicks and smoke/mirrors than actually having a solid integration into the phone. Not that Android has anything better, but at least there's widgets;)

Another question for you 4/4S users - I know if you ask Siri for directions it will use the built in Maps app. What do you do if you want turn-by-turn? I found an app called Waze that does free turn-by-turn navigation and a review here. Can anyone vouch for this or something similar/better?

I don't know, I do like the 4S and seems a lot of people are happy. Just not sure I'm going to adapt after being on Android. Cameras and displays on the Maxx and Gnex may not be quite as good, but it's not like they're terrible...
Click to expand...

The only turn by turn I've used on iOS is the TomTom app, which IMHO, is worth every penny.

All the maps are stored locally, which eats up quite a bit of disk space (over 1GB for north america) but on the flip side, it doesn't eat up your data. It's probably the best GPS app I've used.

No idea about asking siri or using google maps.
 
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dr.stevil said:
Most of what you want to do (with siri) is possible if you're jailbroken. Check out SiriToggles, VoiceUtils, AssistantExtensions, etc

As for widgets, yes, but again... only jailbroken. They're not displayed on the home screen though like on android (well, you CAN do it but it gets crowded). They're now notification center widgets.

Notification-Center.jpg


just for example.

If you buy soon, chances are the phone will come pre-loaded with iOS5.0.1 which you can jailbreak untethered. For 5.1, you can only get a JB if you're on an A4 or lower device.
Click to expand...

Holy smokes, that's awesome:D I'm an iPhone n00b and honestly know very little about iOS, expect what Apple TV ads tell me. Is it true you can jailbreak the 4S with basically a single click using Absinthe? I do have the requisite iMac running OSX. Is there anything you sacrifice, such as loss of compatibility with any Apps or other Apple services (iTunes match, iCloud, etc.)? Is there any way to prevent your phone updating to the next OS automatically (which I assume would undo your JB)? On Android, you just get the next OTA update whenever it's available. I could see this happening at some point after jailbreaking my iPhone and then being mighty annoyed.
 
yeah, JB'ing is VERY simple these days. Just follow the onscreen directions and you'll be fine.

You sacrifice nothing by jailbreaking, although sometimes waiting for a new JB can be a little painful. The only thing I would suggest is reading up on how Apple now signs the current FW and why it's impossible to downgrade (at the moment) once they stop signing said firmware. It's easy to mess up and lose your JB these days.

Some apps do check to see if your phone is Jailbroken, but there is a cydia hack that 'fools' those apps.

As for upgrading, it wont automatically do it for you. As long as you don't tell it to update, you're totally fine. As a matter of fact, there is a hack that turns off OTA updates all together, so to avoid accidentially do it.
 
Hmm, this is extremely enlightening. Is there any way I could confirm, when I'm buying my iPhone, that it will be preloaded with iOS 5.0.1 and not 5.1? Would it make a difference if I buy it at a Verizon store versus Apple store, etc.? I was planning on the Verizon store so I can get my extra "loyalty discount" - hey, it's 30 bucks:)
 
whisper said:
Hmm, this is extremely enlightening. Is there any way I could confirm, when I'm buying my iPhone, that it will be preloaded with iOS 5.0.1 and not 5.1? Would it make a difference if I buy it at a Verizon store versus Apple store, etc.? I was planning on the Verizon store so I can get my extra "loyalty discount" - hey, it's 30 bucks:)
Click to expand...

Not that I know of. however, if Verizon gives you 30 days to return it you can always check and if it's on 5.1, just return it for a white/black one :D. Keep doing so until you get it on 5.0.1 lol There might be a way to check it via the serial number on the box, but I'm not sure.

Realistically though, if you buy one it should be on 5.0.1.

5.1 has only been out for a week (in non-beta form). You should probably hurry though... you never know when they'll start shipping with 5.1

edit: If you decide on an iPhone, enjoy and welcome. It's a great OS with great hardware. You wont be disappointed :) If you have any other questions, just ask.
 
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I'm going to swing by the Verizon store after work today. I was there yesterday and they seemed pretty helpful. Anyone think it would be out of line to simply ask them which OS version is installed on the 4S's they have in stock? Jailbreaking might not be in Apple's favor but I don't think Verizon should care - obviously if you screw up your phone they might not want to take it back, but simply asking about the OS seems reasonable. Well, that's my plan anyway.
 
whisper said:
I'm going to swing by the Verizon store after work today. I was there yesterday and they seemed pretty helpful. Anyone think it would be out of line to simply ask them which OS version is installed on the 4S's they have in stock? Jailbreaking might not be in Apple's favor but I don't think Verizon should care - obviously if you screw up your phone they might not want to take it back, but simply asking about the OS seems reasonable. Well, that's my plan anyway.
Click to expand...

It's not out of line at all, IMO. They might not be able to tell you though. AFAIK, they're all shrink wrapped so neither you nor them will be able to tell until you open it and check it under the settings app.

You can probably ask for the oldest one that they have though (or ask the last time they got a shipment in). If it's within the last week, it may or may-not have the latest OS installed depending on when they were built/assembled.

I would just verify their return policy and take advantage of it :D
 
dr.stevil said:
It's not out of line at all, IMO. They might not be able to tell you though. AFAIK, they're all shrink wrapped so neither you nor them will be able to tell until you open it and check it under the settings app.

You can probably ask for the oldest one that they have though (or ask the last time they got a shipment in). If it's within the last week, it may or may-not have the latest OS installed depending on when they were built/assembled.

I would just verify their return policy and take advantage of it :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, seems reasonable. I'll ask about the OS and try to joke around a little to lighten the mood. Maybe they can at least tell me when they got their last shipment. Is it completely impossible that a JB could be developed for iOS 5.1, or just that it hasn't been done yet? I know people have been jailbreaking their iPhones for years, so it seems crazy that all of the sudden it would be strictly impossible to figure out how to accommodate the new OS version. Just a thought.
 
whisper said:
Yeah, seems reasonable. I'll ask about the OS and try to joke around a little to lighten the mood. Maybe they can at least tell me when they got their last shipment. Is it completely impossible that a JB could be developed for iOS 5.1, or just that it hasn't been done yet? I know people have been jailbreaking their iPhones for years, so it seems crazy that all of the sudden it would be strictly impossible to figure out how to accommodate the new OS version. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

No, it's not impossible. As a matter of fact, it's inevitable that a JB will be released for 5.1 on A5 devices, but it might be a while. It took 4 months when iOS5 was released until we saw a public JB.

The A4 chips, unlike the A5's, had a flaw in the design/bootrom that allowed them to always be exploited (geohots limera1n and the devteams SHAtter exploits), although it takes a 'user land' (software based) exploit to untether the device. In earlier devices, there was either no security in place to prevent this or the bootroms also contained flaws that allowed them to be exploited (3Gs)

Unfortunately, this exploit doesn't exist in the A5 devices (iPad2/4s), so it's a lot more complex than it is for older devices.

With previous firmware (iOS 4.x), apple used signed keys to verify and allow you to restore firmware. Some crafty people figured this out and were able to intercept those keys and redirect itunes to a phony server where said keys were hosted and thus, people were able to downgrade. In iOS 5 though, this is no longer the case. Once Apple stops signing a firmware, that's it... you can no longer restore it. I really hope someone figures out a way around this soon.
 
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dr.stevil said:
No, it's not impossible. As a matter of fact, it's inevitable that a JB will be released for 5.1 on A5 devices, but it might be a while. It took 4 months when iOS5 was released until we saw a public JB.

The A4 chips, unlike the A5's, had a flaw in the design/bootrom that allowed them to always be exploited (geohots limera1n and the devteams SHAtter exploits), although it takes a 'user land' exploit to untether the device. In earlier devices, there was either no security in place to prevent this or the bootroms also contained flaws that allowed them to be exploited (3Gs)

Unfortunately, this exploit doesn't exist in the A5 devices (iPad2/4s), so it's a lot more complex than it is for older devices.

With previous firmware (iOS 4.x), apple used signed keys to verify and allow you to restore firmware. Some crafty people figured this out and were able to intercept those keys and redirect itunes to a phony server where said keys were hosted and thus, people were able to downgrade. In iOS 5 though, this is no longer the case. Once Apple stops signing a firmware, that's it... you can no longer restore it. I really hope someone figures out a way around this soon.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks - I guess worst case I get stuck with iOS 5.1 and then wait. But if the store confirms that all the iPhones are brand new within the last week, I might just take a pas then instead of risking it. The JB tweaks look awesome, can't beleive I didn't look into those until now. Kind of funny I've been running Android for 18 months and never really bothered into rooting, custom ROMs, etc. - arguably the BEST part about being in the Android community. Now I'm ready to JB an iPhone I haven't even purchased yet - but most people buy the iPhone just because it's clean/simple and no need to worry about that stuff:) I guess that's just how I roll.
 
Well I got stuck at work a little late and had to be home by 6:00 tonight. I still managed to swing by the Verizon store and talked to the guys there for a few minutes. The 4S's on display were running 5.0.1 and they said most of them in stock would probably have 5.0 or 5.0.1. I was about to pull the trigger thinking I could pay, sign the contract and walk out with the new phone in the box. Apparently, when you buy the iPhone at Verizon they have to open it and do the activation in-store. I didn't have time for the whole process so I had to leave empty handed.

At this moment, my plan is to head back at 9 am sharp tomorrow morning when the store opens and take care of it. I'm assuming between this evening and 9 am tomorrow they won't suddenly have all new inventory loaded with 5.1. They said they had plenty of 4S's in the back. I just have to make sure they don't upgrade me to 5.1 in the store:roll eyes:

Edit: Just read that iOS 5.1 is not shipping pre-installed on apple devices until March 16th, even though it's been available for download since March 7th. Means anything they have in stock as of right now should NOT have 5.1. I will put up a serious fuss if they try to update it for me. Aside from the JB issue, there are already complaints of battery drain which I'll just argue I do not want to deal with.

Edit #2: Went this morning and picked up the 4S. It came with 5.0.1. I guess I know what I'll be doing when I get home tonight:D
 
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Amazing success. Downloaded Absinthe on my Mac and jailbreaked that sucker in under 5 min. So far I've got SBSettings and SiriToggles installed. These two alone already make the 4S so much better. Not sure how I made it through the day without them:p

Any way to ensure that the phone will not update to 5.1 on its own? It seems like you have to authorize/agree to it, but I'm still a little paranoid. A setting somewhere to disable any/all updating would be nice if it exists.

Think I'll get some music on this baby and download some of my old apps. Before I got my Dinc I also had an iPod touch and had a bunch of apps. Kinda psyched I can use 'em again:) Plenty of time for more tweaking later! Cannot thank everyone enough for all the great advice. I knew nothing about this yesterday morning and now I'm fully equipped:D
 
So what is your honest opinion of the jailbreak 4S vs Rooted Android so far ? Is the small screen an issue ? Does Siri work as good as advertised ? With jailbreak can you really customize the phone now ?
 
Zorachus said:
So what is your honest opinion of the jailbreak 4S vs Rooted Android so far ? Is the small screen an issue ? Does Siri work as good as advertised ? With jailbreak can you really customize the phone now ?
Click to expand...

Well, so far I'm loving my jailbreaked 4S. I'm coming off a HTC Dinc which I never took the time to root. That was a great phone especially in the beginning, but it became more sluggish after each update to Android OS. The gingerbread update last fall completely wrecked the phone and cost me two weeks in troubleshooting, two hard resets and finally a replacement phone. In part I got excited about moving to the iPhone just to get away from the splintered world of Android for a while, where each device and manufacturer seem to have their own benefits/flaws and quirks.

As much as I wanted to try the 4S, I was holding back because of what I perceived to be a few missing features in iOS - widgets, access to the file system, smooth/transparent integration with google (mail, calendar) and even live wallpapers are some examples. Jailbreaking seems to allow these features into iOS using any number of tweaks and addons which you can download from Cydia with relative ease. So far I've been able to get my essential widgets back to toggle phone settings (wifi, bluetooth, etc.) and can also tell Siri to do all those things for me. This is just the tip of a giant iceberg. You want live wallpapers, no problem (although battery may suffer). Custom themes are available, you can even make iOS look like Android OS if you really want to. Want to use FaceTime over 3G, add panorama mode to the camera app, or copy files directly to/from the device without messing around in iTunes - no problem. These are just a few things I found in the last day (haven't used most of them yet but the weekend's coming up...). The extent of added functionality and customization seems to be extremely broad.

The smaller screen isn't an issue for me since it's very similar to my Dinc, and I was used to it. If you're coming off something bigger you might miss the real estate. However, I've gotta say the retina display is pretty nice. I still zoom in on certain things, but the pixel density makes even the smallest text clearly readable without straining. Colors and visibility in daylight are also very, very good. The quality of the display almost makes up for being a little smaller. It's a big step up from the lower res AMOLED display on my Dinc, I'll say that much.

Haven't done too much with Siri yet, but I'm already using the SiriToggles functionality. This morning I got into my car and said "turn on bluetooth". A couple seconds later I was connected. You can also say things like "launch maps app" and it'll pull it right up. SiriToggles seems like one of the best tweaks and brings functionality that really should have been there to begin with.

If you set up your google account using Exchange, instead of the tempting "Gmail" option, you will get very smooth integration. Push notifications are identical to what I had on my Dinc. Last night I had both phones turned on, the iPhone was on 3G and the Dinc was on wifi (it didn't have service anymore). I sent myself a test email and it pushed to both phones at the exact same moment. All your google contacts are pulled into the contacts app and stay in sync. Calendars too. And from there, you can use iCloud to sync with other desktop applications on Mac or PC. I'm not missing anything from Android here.

This was a great move for me - I feel I have the best of both worlds. I wish the 4S had LTE but I spend a lot of time at work/home and have wifi. My monthly data use over 3G is usually under 1GB. Others may find the lack of 4G LTE to be a deal breaker, but that's a personal choice you'll have to decide. Personally I am very happy with it.
 
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