Apple today unveiled their much-hyped new iPhone, the iPhone 4S. Those people hoping for an iPhone 5 with a major overhaul were disappointed, as Apple decided to simply upgrade the current iPhone 4 with a faster processor and other ease-of-use conveniences (plus availability on Sprint). The big new feature is voice-activated software called "Siri" — but is it enough to get you talking?

Technically, the major difference in the new 4S is the A5 processor, which is the same one used in the iPad2 and is twice as fast as the one currently in the iPhone. Battery life is now eight hours of continuous talk, and they have attempted to clear up the phone's antenna issues, as well as made it a World Phone, meaning it can switch from national networks to international ones. The camera also got an upgrade and its capabilities. The new Iphone’s camera sports 8 megapixels, offering 60 percent more pixels than the previous version, and it can shoot video in HD at 1080P quality.

So what's all this about voice recognition and voice control? Now you can ask your phone “Do I need a raincoat today?” The phone will reply, “It sure looks like rain” and pull up the weather forecast. It can find you restaurants, read you (and let you reply to) your texts, schedule events on your calendar, and save you GPS-oriented reminders (i.e. remind you to do something when you get to a certain locatiON). This will definitely come in handy when you're out partying and can hit a button to ask your phone to find you late-night munchies.

Overall the unveiling of the new iPhone was pretty underwhelming, with most people expecting the 5 and especially so many months after their usual late-June, early-July iPhone releases. Pricing on the new phone is the same as the old ones starting at $200 with a two-year contract and working its way up from there. The old iPhone 4 is now just $99, and the iPhone 3GS is now free with a two-year contract.
The iPhone 4S will hit stores October 14.