Siri "What can you actually DO?"

I am the person that used to have an iPhone, back in the days of the 3G version.  I loved it, I really found it to be the most elegant portable computer that I had ever used, coming from a long history of a variety of Palms (or PalmPilots as they were when I enjoyed them).

For a number of reasons I then decided to move away and try a Blackberry.  The argument for this was that the battery lasted over a day, I wanted a smartphone that didn't distract me with the ability to fiddle about on various apps and also BBM.

Well, over the months I've had it, I gradually found my Blackberry experience in terminal decline.  Too many things about it began to annoy me, on a regular basis. So I am now considering going back to an iPhone.

But I don't think it will be an iPhone 4s. I'm starting to weigh my decision against cost and the "good enough" factor.  The iPhone 4s has a better camera and lens and is able to shoot in HD.  But the iPhone 4 has a good enough camera, a good enough lens and can shoot in 720p video which, yep, again is good enough.  Even six months ago people were still raving about how high-end the iPhone 4 was. Please someone tell me what suddenly changed?

Which brings me on to the other marketing reason compelling people to buy the 4s - Siri.

Marco defends it in this post. But taking a wider and UK-centric view, I fail to see how it can be anything other than an (albeit very cool) gimmick at present.  In the UK it cannot yet find you your nearest restaurant or other item, because this service hasn't been rolled out as it has been stateside.  Yes it can send texts, add diary entries etc, which is all well and good, but it's not a good enough reason for me to spend £130 extra on. Also, if you dictate a text and Siri get's it wrong, which Marco states is at about a 50% hit rate, AFAIK you can either repeat the whole message, or edit it manually, with a digit...

Here are the current cost comparisons of the iPhone4 and iPhone4s from O2 (as of 27-1-12)

The iPhone 4S is a lovely piece of kit.  Siri hints at a brilliant piece of software in the future.

The iPhone can already be a brilliant tool in the charity fundraiser's arsenal - I'm sure if I do take the plunge that there will be a future post on this very subject, but for me, the best value is still the iPhone4.