Following up on the iPhone 4S Christmas commercial showing Santa using Siri, Apple has released two additional TV commercials promoting Siri, the voice-activated virtual assistant. Like previous commercials, Apple highlights the ability of Siri to be helpful with your life’s daily tasks, such as finding out locations, setting reminders and maybe inspiring a future musician.

These ads are available to watch on Apple’s website, but we’ve embedded them below for your convenience, of course.

Siri: “Road Trip”

The first ad is titled “Road Trip,” and shows a lovely couple planning a trip with Siri—from finding out the best route and the nearest gas stations to learning how big the Grand Canyon is to searching for the best barbecue and finding out about rodeos along the way.

Siri: “Rock God”

The second ad is titled “Rock God,” and features a young teenager seeking the assistance of Siri in showing where to buy a guitar, how to play certain songs, suggesting names for his band, sending messages to his friends about when and where to practice, and calling him “Rock God.”

Ah, March, when people who otherwise have no interest in college hoops suddenly become fans because 1.) it gives them an excuse to blow off work that most bosses understand, and 2.) it allows them to follow a bracket tournament. And who doesn’t love a good bracket tournament? Well, many, I’d expect, but PocketBracket 2012 isn’t for them. It’s for all of you who know where Villanova is.

PocketBracket 2012 allows fans to create unlimited NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament brackets, organize pools, and follow tournament games directly from your iPhone or iPod touch.

Brackets are automatically scored and ranked. Users can create and join pools to compete among friends, family, and co-workers. Follow the tournament games and scores with up-to-the minute scoring. PocketBracket is the only March Madness application to offer all of these features in one application and across multiple platforms.

PocketBracket 2012 is available on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices. This year’s version includes several new features such as a real-time tournament bracket and GameTalk. PocketBracket prides itself on including additional features in response to user feedback. PocketBracket plans to release an upgrade including support for iPad and a free HTML5 web app that allows users to create a tournament bracket in the coming weeks.

The 2012 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament data won’t be available until Selection Sunday, March 11, at 8:15pm ET, but you can test drive it using the 2011 data until then. On March 11, PocketBracket will automatically update and remove your sample brackets so you are ready for March Madness. You can then set up your pool(s) and invite people to participate via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.

PocketBracket 2012 is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and requires iOS 5.0 or later. It’s available now in the App Store for $0.99.

Product [PocketBracket 2012]

This week on the Free Apps Roundup: It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which means you’re probably out spending all of your extra money on stuff you probably don’t need. That’s okay, you can still get some apps for free. This week there’s a new free online multiplayer Battlefield game from EA. And I found a plethora of limited time freebies. So get to it.

Free:

• Battlefield 3: Aftershock – Get ready for the aftershock with this free multiplayer map courtesy of EA and Act of Valor. It’s team multiplayer with some pretty great graphics optimized for iOS. You have the choice of four weapons with an unlockable fifth bonus weapon.

Free for a limited time:

• The Moogies – iOS devices are great because it doesn’t matter how old you are, they’re just fun. Here’s one for the kids in your life. The app lets 2-6 year olds call any of the 9 moogies and hear them talk in their babble language. There’s even a parrot that mimics what you say. There are no ads, in app purchases or any other reason to hold your kids back from this one…unless your kids are super smart; then give them a calculator. It’s never too early.
• TapShot – Camera.app is a great for the basics, but if you want a more customized app, this may be just what you need. It’s a fully customizable gesture based camera app. So the way this works is that you can assign actions to things like swipes. Gestures are meant to replace buttons. Well, everything other than the volume down button, which allows you to take photos in burst mode. There’s even face detection built in.
• Trial Xtreme 2 HD – This game uses the cutting edge NVIDIA PhysX engine to give you great graphics while you’re performing some awesome motorcycle stunts. There are 32 levels in 5 challenging environments. There are hundreds of obstacles to avoid with the intuitive tilt control system. Max out your score and beat your friends on GameCenter.
• Trial Xtreme 2 – Here’s the iPhone version.
• Iron Commando Pro – It’s the year 2046. Obviously, aliens have invaded and they aren’t exactly friendly. Bruce Willis won’t be around that long, so can you think of anyone better than you to save the world? Nope. So get to it on this 2D side scroller platformer.
• Star Rover HD – One of the coolest things you can do with an iOS device is use it to view the rest of the universe. This app does exactly that for your iPad. It’s a planetarium app with over 120,000 stars, 88 constellations and more. And yes, you can lift your iPad into the air and replicate what you should be seeing just like all of the other astronomy apps.
• Kinoptic – One of my favorite things from the Harry Potter movies is the way the “still” pictures move. This app helps you do that by making images that have “minor and repeated movements.” You’ll need to have an internet connection and create an account to make use of the app though.
• Incredible Snowboard – This game reminds me a lot of the snowboarding games that I used to play on N64. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a lot out of this game, but it looks like it could be a fun distraction.
• Cut the Buttons – I’ve always liked buttons, but let’s be honest; they never seem to be as secure as you’d really like them to be. And there’s one thing that’s sure to make them even less secure—you with a pair of scissors in the study. Unlike Fruit Ninja, you are required to use two fingers in this game. It’s pretty intuitive actually, just use the scissors like normal. Just don’t cut the buttons that are held on by bolts. Now that’s a button!
• Solitair Spin – This game is like Mahjong with playing cards instead of tiles. There are over 500 levels across three games modes. It’s a great way to waste time.

Vintage Apple

Schreer’s cases span several well-loved product lines, starting with the original Macintosh all-in-one.  The Retro Macintosh features the beloved rainbow Apple logo, beige plastic, and a variety of ports including old-school SCSI and couple DIN connectors.  The Classic iMac hearkens back to the second incarnation of the famous all-in-one that saved Apple back in the late ’90s, with five “lickable” rainbow colors to choose from and even some pinstripe plastic for extra schmaltzy “remember when?” moments.  Other retro designs include an iPod and G4 ‘Graphite” Power Macintosh design.

Other Designs

Should vintage Apple not be the look you desire, Schreer makes a number of other incredible cases. The cases are of the hard-plastic variety, but use a tromp l’oleil printing method to achieve three-dimensional realism – the leather and burled walnut look like real leather and woodgrain. The non-Apple designs span several ancient civilizations themes, including an accurate rendering of the Rosetta Stone, an imprint of the Aztec Calendar, and a Mayan relief carving. Several fantasy themes are available for the non historically-minded, like Chinese Dragons, Elvish Ranger, and Chain Mail; nods to the popular TV show Lost include a Dharma Initiative logo case and a photo-realistic rendering of the Hatch.

All Schreer cases offer full access to all ports and switches, and are compatible with both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The designs are printed deep into the plastic shell cases so they resist fading or scratching away, which is a good thing because these cases are sure to draw comment. Most are $45 plus shipping and handling, with payment handled via PayPal (Schreer does accept credit cards through PayPal). Since the nostalgia Apple cases have been getting some coverage in the blogosphere, they have gone temporarily out of stock, but be sure to check back often. Any one of these cases is a guaranteed conversation starter, especially if you manage to find a real vintage Mac user (and not one of the newbies who joined during Apple’s ‘Aqua’ phase)!

Product [Schreer Delights]

Apple has been teasing users/developers with their iOS 5.1 betas for weeks and weeks now, causing many to wonder when will users get the opportunity to download the latest iOS software onto their mobile devices. Now, reports are surfacing that Apple’s iOS 5.1 software update will be released publicly about one month from today. Leaks of operator profiles set to be sent out to various iPhone carriers point directly towards a March 9th release date.

According to YourDailyMac, those profiles were aimed towards the mobile operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden, and the updates aim to ensure network compatibility with the new iOS version. The report stated that, “Since iOS updates are normally rolled out at the same time worldwide, so everyone should expect iOS 5.1 to become available next month.”

For a while now, Apple’s iOS 5.1 has remained in a beta testing mode. Based on several leaks from the iOS 5.1 beta, it will include upgrades and bug fixes and also promises to bring support for additional languages to the Siri software on the iPhone 4S. Let’s see if the iOS 5.1 update will finally resolve the bug issue that’s been plaguing iOS owners when it comes to the battery drain on the iPhone.

Many bloggers are speculating that if those dates are accurate,t Apple could be paving the way for the March release date of the next generation of the iPad 3. Apple has been known to unveil new iDevice products alongside new iOS update. So, its possible Apple was holding out on this update to time up nicely with the launch of the iPad 3.

When Apple decides to rolled out with this iOS 5.1 update, it will be fully compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 3G/4G, iPad, and iPad 2.

Via [Your Daily Mac]

Tweetbot 2.0 boasts new features such as inline image previews, opening links within the app, Readability integration, and UI improvements. Tweetbot for iPad includes all of the iPhone/iPod touch app’s features with a beautiful yet simple interface to match.

Both Tweetbot versions are available on the App Store now for $2.99 each.

Product [Tweetbot]

Consider it a tough day when you sneeze so hard that your very soul is hurled out of your body. Consider it even tougher when you learn the only way to get it back is to scare the various citizens of Monster Town. Sound like a fun game concept? It is, but that’s not this game. That’s Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove for Nintendo 3DS. This is Gabrielle’s Monster Match for iOS, a universal app match-style game that manages to retain the charm of its predecessor despite its more basic gameplay.

What is it?

Gabrielle’s Monster Match is another grid-based tapping game where you try to line up various icons in rows or columns of four to make them disappear. Unlike most games of this ilk, however, the board starts out largely empty here, with four more icons added each time you don’t set up a match. When the board fills up completely (or time runs out), you lose.

How does it work?

At the beginning of each level, you’re given your task: get a 2x combo in 60 seconds, remove seven icons at once in 90s seconds, etc. Some of the tasks can be quite difficult, while others are easily overcome, but all require a certain degree of strategy. You can move the icons pretty much anywhere on the screen provided the launch and/or landing squares are not blocked off.

To the right of the main grid is a column that shows the next four icons to hit the screen. Although you don’t know where on the grid they’ll land, you’ll at least know what they will be and can plan accordingly. If you manage to line up four similar icons, they will clear off and you’ll get to go again without having four more icons dumped on the grid. It’s therefore best to not focus on just one icon at a time. The more open you can be with your strategy, the longer you’ll be able to keep the board open.

Is it contagious?

Gabrielle’s Monster Match is cute fun, yes. The three game modes—Time Trial, Quest and Endless—will keep you playing after you’ve completed all the levels (only five of which are available in the free version). Although Monster Match doesn’t do much to further Gabrielle’s character or endear her to the player (you learn about her only through storybook pages that are unlocked as you complete levels), the charm of the design and music is carried through.

Fans of Gabrielle should enjoy the trip back to the familiar faces of Monster Town, even if the gameplay is radically different from its rhythm based predecessor. But you needn’t have any idea of who Gabrielle is to have fun with Monster Match. The puzzles are varied enough to keep things interesting, and challenging enough to make you feel rewarded upon completion.

Oh, but one boneheaded thing about the game; the ads remain even after you’ve paid for the full version. Not cool, Natsume…not cool at all.

Category: Puzzle/arcade game
Developer: Natsume, Inc.
Cost: Free – first five levels; $0.99 – full game
Download: Gabrielle’s Monster Match

Dave Morin, CEO of Path, has apologized today for his company’s actions in this matter, and assured users within his apology that Path is committed to protecting its users’ privacy.

Morin’s statement on the issue follows:

We made a mistake. Over the last couple of days users brought to light an issue concerning how we handle your personal information on Path, specifically the transmission and storage of your phone contacts. As our mission is to build the world’s first personal network, a trusted place for you to journal and share life with close friends and family, we take the storage and transmission of your personal information very, very seriously.

Path fixed the privacy concern behind this through an update to its iOS app, which is now available in the App Store, bringing Path up to version 2.0.6. This update allows users to opt-in or opt-out of having their address book contact information stored on Path’s servers, and gives users the ability to opt-out later by emailing the company at service@path.com and asking them to remove the data from their servers. All address book contact information that had been stored prior to this update has also been erased from Path’s servers, so you can be assured your data is no longer in their hands unless you opt-in upon launching the new Path version.

Via [9to5 Mac]

Mass Effect Infiltrator will give players an increased “Galactic Readiness rating,” an element used in the game’s “Galaxy at War” system which ties into the console’s multiplayer component. Playing the iOS tie-in will also allow players the chance to earn exclusive weaponry, another reason Mass Effect 3 fans should purchase the iOS tie-in.

Mass Effect Infiltrator should be available on the App Store very soon, as Mass Effect 3 is just about a month away from release.

Via [TUAW]

AirPlay mirroring is a very cool iOS feature, although its major downside is its limitation to iDevices such as the iPad and Apple TV. Even though the app is merely a prototype for now, it will be a huge step forward for AirPlay mirroring once it’s released, either on the Mac App Store as Stanfill is hoping for or even elsewhere unofficially should Apple turn it down once it’s ready. As of now, only the iPhone 4S and iPad support its AirPlay mirroring technology. However, more iDevices are expected to be supported soon, and best of all, jailbreaking is not a requirement for use.

Look out for further details on Hacksugar from Napkin Studio as development progresses and a public release gets closer. Let’s hope Apple takes the high road and allows this into the Mac App Store once it’s ready, as Stanfill surely deserves it for his hard work in bringing us this amazing new AirPlay implementation.

Via [TUAW]