We think we smell a Siri meme brewing on YouTube, lo these many months after she was i-born. Yesterday we brought you this, and today we find a new short film called 'Psycho Siri,' which after a slow start (we're impatient these days, forgive), takes Siri's creepy little voice to all new horror-movie levels. more ›

Aside from speculation that Steve Jobs' last initiative as CEO of the revered technology company was to finally conquer the clunky interfaces of television and the usual "when does it come out?" rumors about the next version of the iPad, news out of Cupertino in the wake of Jobs' passing seems calmer than the usual feverish flood of fanboyism. So, just imagine for a moment the gloss of disappointment in the eyes of hardware fetishists everywhere when AllThingsD broke the news that this month's big announcement from Apple will focus on (snooze) iBooks, publishing and possibly advertising as well. more ›

So, you and/or a bunch of people you know probably bought an iPhone 4S in the last couple of days, and/or you upgraded to iOS 5, which means that by now you've heard about Siri, the voice-activated robot that Apple has created to perform tasks and answer questions like "what is the meaning of life?" Naturally, there's already a Tumblr blog devoted to "Shit Siri Says," which provides insight into what happens, for example, when you ask Siri if she likes anal sex. (Answer: She suggests you stop messing with your phone and get back to work.) more ›

A thief at Stonestown Galleria made off with a woman's iPhone after nabbing it right out of her hands while she shopped Wednesday evening. But the thief didn't get too far with it. Bay City News reports, via the Appeal, that the thief hopped on a Muni bus where he started gloating about about his misdemeanor. more ›

In a bid to generate heat for the iPhone 4S launch, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and his Segway were first in line at the Apple Los Gatos store. He was one of about five people in line around 2 p.m. Thursday. AP reports: "With the new device going on sale Friday, Wozniak said that even though he has two new phones on the way, he plans on staying overnight outside the store." more ›

Last night in Dolores Park, a smattering of citizens gathered at an iPhone vigil for the late Steve Jobs. "Consider it a celebration of innovation rather than of any one man," noted the official Dolores Park Facebook page. more ›

Apple has their big event today, with CEO Tim Cook taking the wheel on this one by making the big announcement. (This will be the first time former CEO Steve Jobs failed to unleash a new phone.) Prepare yourselves to be bombarded with iPhone 5 news and "I'm soooo getting one!" Facebook status updates. Ars Technica, gdgt and Engadget will all be liveblogging, if that's how you choose to spend your morning. (And yes, holier-than-thou Sprint customers, there will be a model for your carrier.) more ›

Well thank god. Are we the only ones whose iPhone 3's are on their last legs, constantly crashing the minute we open up the Map app? Yeah, we thought not. And so it is with pleasure that we relay the news that Apple has announced the unveiling of the next generation of the iPhone (which will probably be the iPhone 5, but could be called the iPhone 4-something) on October 4. And the man who'll be doing the unveiling will be new CEO Tim Cook, in his first big product intro. more ›

Well now this is awkward for Apple: for the second year in a row, an engineer from the tech company has apparently lost a prototype of next-generation product at a Bay Area drinking establishment. This time the watering hole in question is Cava 22, a local margaritas, mariachis and free chips joint on 22nd Street in the Mission. CNET reports: more ›

Remember that whole kerfuffle over the lost and subsequently stolen/unreturned iPhone 4 prototype, which an Apple engineer left at the bar Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City on March, 2010? You may recall that the guy who found the phone subsequently sold it to Gizmodo for $5K, and that Gizmodo editor Jason Chen subsequently had his computers seized by police. Well, now the case is hitting the courts, and we find that the two dudes who negotiated the sale, Brian Hogan, 22, of Redwood City and Sage Wallower, 28, of Emeryville, are being charged with misdemeanors and could face a year in jail, but Chen and Gizmodo are getting off scott-free after citing their First Amendment rights. more ›

This seems totally inevitable, but the country that brought you many millions of knockoff Louis Vuitton purses and fake Rolex watches now features multiple fake Apple Stores. As the AP reports today, the stores look a lot like real Apple stores, with very Apple-like posters, blond wood display tables, and salespeople in blue logo t-shirts with those same white, necklace nametags. more ›

After June's WWDC failed to deliver any special phone gadgetry, we're now hearing word that Apple will launch the iPhone 5 in September. Probably. The new phone will allegedly come equipped with a stronger chip and a better camera, among other marvels of modern technology. "The device will include the A5 processor, the more powerful chip that Apple added to the iPad 2 earlier this year, along with an 8-megapixel camera, up from the 5-megapixel model in the iPhone 4, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details aren’t public," reports Bloomberg. more ›

In all likelihood, Apple won't announce a new iPhone at next week's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) at Moscone Center. An odd move since this could be "the first June since the iPhone launched in 2007 that it won't have a next-generation phone to show off." Apple's instead plans to unveil its next-generations software, Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, an operating system for the iPad and iPhone; and something zzz-worthy called iCloud, Apple’s MobileMe-like cloud offering. more ›

Debunking locker room stereotypes, we're getting word that the black iPhone isn't as big as the white iPhone (the latter of which recently became available at your nearest Apple store). NBC Bay Area reports: "The white iPhone 4 is finally out and guess what? Just like the black one, it sold out (at least in China and Hong Kong). This is a smartphone that's 10-months-old we're talking about. One last thing: it's also a hair thicker thicker — your old iPhone 4 case might be screwed." According to AppleInsider, the white iPhone 4 is 0.2mm thicker than the black one. So, there you have it. [NBC] more ›

While it's only available in pilot neighborhoods equipped with the new smart parking meters and sensors at the moment, SFPark started pushing out real-time parking availability data today. A brief look at the Google map mashup the SFMTA put together on SFPark.org shows that now would be a terrible time to look for parking in the Financial District, but if you're headed out to the Mission for lunch, there should be plenty of spaces for you bus-averse, petrol sippers to park your vehicles along Valencia. Ed Lee and other city officials reportedly debuted the corresponding iPhone app [iTunes link] this morning at City Hall, so vehicle owners with iPhones will want to snag that before circling the block in Hayes Valley a third time. Better yet, have the guy riding shotgun handle that. You're distracted as it is. [KRON4] more ›

First, elderly rock 'n' roller Bon Jovi gives Steve Jobs grief over allegedly killing the craft of album listening - which, pipe down, Jon Bon - now customers are complaining that their rotten kids were amassing hundreds of dollars worth of charges due to the iPhone and iPad's 15-minute password-free timer for the App Store. more ›

Here's a little bait for all the Apple-hating commenters: That little company down in Cupertino that used to just make funny looking computers is planning on releasing the next generation of iPhone, the iPhone 5, by summer. Rumors swirling about the Apple-obsessed blogosphere say that a Chinese supplier confirms that Apple is ordering a shit ton of silvery aluminum backings for the phone, signaling that the new model will look more like the iPad 2 than the iPhone 4. As Business Insider points out, the move away from the squarer iPhone 4 design makes sense given all those problems people had with it, including Antennagate. more ›

If you've been living in iPhone-less shame while patiently awaiting Apple's wonder device to become compatible with your big red wireless carrier you'll probably want to check the price tag on those fancy data plans before you sign your life away for the next two years. According to Verizon, as reported on the Chronicle, unlimited voice and text will run you $60, tack on $30 per month for data and you're looking at $90 a month - the same you're paying on Verizon right now if you're working with some Android or other smartphone hardware. more ›

A new study by Atlanta-based AIS Media says that a full 27% use Facebook while on the toilet (or, less advisably, while standing at urinals), a figure which only tells us that at least half of you are probably also doing some kind of texting/Angry-Birds-playing while relieving yourselves. Says Thomas Harpointner, CEO of AIS Media, "The results underscore the proliferation of consumer social media usage and their strong need to stay connected. For businesses and brands, social media offers an opportunity to engage potential customers like never before." Yeah, you hear that brands? Now's your chance to market to us even while we shit. [AdAge] more ›

While en route downtown via a Muni train bus last night, a man was robbed of his smartphone after two men brandished a gun. According to SF Weekly, "The two men got onto the bus and sat next to the victim, and started 'small talk' with the man, buttering him up by complimenting his phone." When the victim tried to put his phone away, the two meanies showed off their gun, which prompted the guy to hand over his phone. The two men swiftly took off after the, ahem, "iRobbery." [SFW] more ›

Muni Diaries brings out attention to Atomic Tom performing a ditty on a NYC subway using their phones. Yes, it's New York City-based. Calm thyself. But, with the use of iPhones, it's also Cupertino-based. more ›

The Business Times reports today that AT&T is pleased with themselves and "proud of the network [they] have built", as they continue to beef up their data network in San Francisco -- which is ground zero for network failures, dropped calls, and dead zones in the world of the iPhone. This follows on an earlier report about all the money AT&T says they're investing to upgrade their local networks, but still doesn't clarify where, exactly, the money's being spent, or how much improvement iPhone users can expect by "the end of the year," when said upgrades are supposed to be complete. more ›

Red Devil Lounge owner Jay Siegan sent us this shot of the marquee outside his Polk Street nightclub. Well played, sir. more ›

Today's Business Journal notes that AT&T has already invested $1.1 billion this year to upgrade wireless (and wired) networks across California, which has included 100 new cell sites, 25 antennas in "high-traffic areas," and 35 separate 3G upgrades. So how come we couldn't get the internet to work on our iPhone all Labor Day weekend long? [SFBJ] more ›

A new study apparently says that teenagers are losing their hearing at a rate 1/3 higher than in years past, however very little data or backup information is given in this ABC 7 report on the topic. more ›

And again with the phone news, but this is kind of big: The Library of Congress ruled today that iPhone users should be allowed to "jailbreak" their phone and download unauthorized applications, revising an earlier rule from 1998 that permitted companies to impose such restrictions. The new rules are part of a group announced today -- something that Library of Congress' Copyright Office does every three years or so. more ›

Due to poor reception on the new iPhone 4, angry customers are hitting Apple with legal action "Apple is engulfed in at least four different federal lawsuits over reception problems with its new iPhone, as customers and their attorneys race to build class-action cases against the company," Valleywag reports. "Angry customers, meanwhile, are reportedly swarming lawyers." Yikes. Is it really that bad, iPhone 4 users? (Like, worse than 3G reception?) According to Steve Jobs, these are just rumors. When one customer sent the Apple an angrily desperate email about their lack of reception, Jobs replied, "You are getting all worked up over a few days of rumors. Calm down." more ›

The proliferation of smart phones and iPads has been causing AT&T's urban networks some strain, namely "dropped calls, slow downloads and other problems," but the company announced today that it completed an upgrade of the New York City network. They opened up more room on the airwaves for their 3G network there, and a similar upgrade is still to come in S.F. [AP] more ›

San Francisco's iPhone 4 frenzy is underway. more ›