iPhone 4S on sale in UK, Siri has problems

The iPhone 4S is on sale today, but with one Siri-ous drawback — UK folk trying out voice-controlled service Siri can’t look up local stuff.

Siri is a voice-control feature that lets you ask the 4S questions, such as, “Do I need an umbrella today?” Siri is designed to be a bit cleverer than most voice control — which handles voice commands such as “Call Billy Bob” — and can look up shops, places and other stuff that are near you.

At least it can in the US. Here in the UK, Siri’s local maps and look-ups don’t work yet. That’s because Apple doesn’t have a deal with a UK-focused provider of local information.

In the US, the service is powered by Yell. Come on Yell, Yelp, Qype and Wupe (we made that last one up) pull your finger out and do a deal with Apple so we can start barking orders at Siri.

Until Siri gets some UK love, you can still look up local services using good old-fashioned Google Maps.

Did you head out early to get your 4S? Have you given Siri a try? Share your first impressions in the comments or on our Facebook page.

Our full review of the 4S will be live later today, so keep it CNET UK for all the details. In the meantime, take a look inside the iPhone 4S, check out our up-to-the-minute iPhone 4S price comparison, and try out our super-handy iOS 5 and iCloud how-to guide.

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