Google Search App Brings Siri-Competitor to iPhone

Google has given its iOS app a new search feature that squares it directly at Apple's Siri. Google even calls it the "most advanced voice search" on iOS. Google gives a number of examples of how the service can be used.

- "What does Yankee Stadium look like?" Google will show you hundreds of pictures instantly. - "Play me a trailer of the upcoming James Bond movie." The trailer starts playing immediately right within Google Search. -"When does daylight savings time end?" The answer will appear above the search results, so you can set your clock without having to click on a link. -"Who’s in the cast of The Office?" See a complete cast list and find out who made you crack up last night.

The service feels notably faster than Siri, recognizing words as they are spoken rather than all at once in the end. It even works on devices that aren't supported by Siri. One commenter on Hacker News confirms that the voice search works on his iPhone 4.

Google Search for iOS is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple Sells Out of Remaining Launch Day iPad Mini Pre-Order Stock

While Apple sold out of white iPad mini pre-order stock in just minutes on Friday, supplies of the black models held out quite bit longer for those in the United States where Apple was showing greatest availability.


Availability of the black models in the U.S. online store began to slip on Saturday, when shipping dates for the 16 GB Wi-Fi model moved to two weeks. The 32 GB and 64 GB models have now followed suit, and all Wi-Fi iPad mini models are now being quoted two-week shipping estimates. Apple is still quoting its original "Mid November" estimate for cellular-capable models in the U.S., with other countries seeing "Late November" estimates.

The iPad mini will officially launch this Friday, November 2. For those who were not able place pre-orders in time, Apple's retail stores will begin sales at 8:00 AM on Friday.

Apple's fourth-generation iPad is also launching on Friday under a similar schedule that will see cellular-capable models delayed until mid-to-late November. New pre-orders for Wi-Fi iPad models are currently seeing shipping estimates of one week in many countries, with some seeing two-week estimates.

Steve Jobs' Yacht 'Venus' Launched in the Netherlands

Earlier this year, it was revealed that French designer Philippe Starck was working with Dutch shipbuilder Feadship on a new yacht for the family of Steve Jobs. The yacht had been mentioned in Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs as a project he had been working on since 2009, but the ship was not completed before his death last year.


Dutch site One More Thing now reports [Google translation] that the ship, christened "Venus", has officially launched, with Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs and their three children participating in the event.



Photo from @basvanderploeg
The aluminum-hulled ship is said to be 70-80 meters in length and features seven 27-inch iMacs lined up in the wheelhouse to help run the controls.