New Apple Siri ads feature John Malkovich

After helping Samuel Jackson get dinner ready for a date and Zooey Deschanel slack off on a rainy day, Apple's Siri personal assistant is shown in a series of ads keeping John Malkovich company. The two adverts, Life and Joke are a bit odd, strange like a Far Side comic strip. Notice that iPhone is only mentioned once and that the ads focus on Siri's capabilities and her eloquence. These ads are not likely to be shown in Canada as some of the location-based features and commands (i.e. where can I get poutine in Toronto?) aren't yet enabled outside of the USA. Personally, I am waiting for the Betty White meets Siri commercial.

Bitplay's SNAP case turns iPhone into a point and shoot camera

The iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S have arguably the best smartphone cameras in the market. The wide availability of various photography and image editing apps on iOS also makes these smartphones ideal everyday cameras. Bitplay recently introduced their SNAP line of iPhone cases which really put the iPhone's camera front and centre.

Bitplay's SNAP cases are available in black, white and silver (which is two-toned and more like vintage cameras) but the effect isn't purely cosmetic. These cases come with a working shutter button. Bitplay SNAP sells for $49 and is availabe from Dynamism.com

The Apple Beat: Jonathan Ive gets Knighted in Buckingham Palace

Sir Jonathan Ive: His team's best work is yet to come

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Award winning industrial designer and Executive Vice President of Apple Design, Jonathan Ive received his knighthood recently in Buckingham Palace. Ive is credited for being Apple's resident design genius, the man whose string of successful designs like the iMac, iBook, iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air, iPad and AppleTV are considered iconic products widely copied by Apple's competitors.

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Griffin and Crayola want you to design your own iPhone case

Griffin Technology and Crayola announced the availability of Crayola Case Creator, a protective case and app combo that lets users create one-of-a-kind cases for iPhone and iPod touch. Crayola Case Creator includes a clear protective hard shell case that protects users’ iOS devices while showcasing their artwork. Users can snap a photo or grab one from their photo album and turn it into a customized case. The free Case Creator app lets the imagination soar; children can add, resize and manipulate digital stickers to photos, or draw in Doodle mode with the app’s built-in crayons, paints and pens.

All artwork from the Crayola Case Creator app can be printed on included perforated inserts, sized and shaped to fit the clear case. And each creation can be saved to a gallery, e-mailed or shared to Facebook. Crayola Case Creator is now available for $29.99 from www.GriffinTechnology.com, and the Crayola Case Creator App is a free download from Apple’s App Store at www.itunes.apple.com. To view the entire lineup of Griffin and Crayola products visit www.griffintechnology.com/crayola.