Is Amazon looking to take on Siri with takeover of Yap?

Amazon.com is trying to take a bite out of Apple's iPad sales by undercutting the iPad on price. But it might soon be looking to take on Apple in voice recognition technology.

The Seattle online retail giant and maker of the upcoming $200 Kindle Fire tablet, according to some public records digging done by the CLT Blog and The Atlantic, may have purchased a Charlotte-based voice recognition company called Yap Inc..

Officials at Amazon were unavailable for comment on Wednesday about its reported purchase of Yap, but according to an SEC filing first found by the CLT Blog, Yap was purchased by a company called Dion Acquisition Sub Inc. After the purchase was complete, the company took the name of Yap Inc. again.

So how does Amazon fit into all this? According to the CLT Blog and The Atlantic, the Seattle address listed for the new Yap Inc. belongs to Amazon.

Yap produced a now discontinued voicemail app for Apple's iPhone and phones running Google's Android operating system that would transcribe voice messages into text, much like Google Voice does for its users.

Does this mean a Siri-like feature could be headed to the future generations of Kindle Fire tablets? Or maybe even entirely new Amazon products such as gadgets that could work with TVs or even a smartphone?

At this point, it's all speculation, but Amazon is making waves with the Kindle Fire, and it surely isn't going to want to get left behind if Apple's Siri technology ends up on the iPad or even an Apple TV -- two gateways for consumers to buy music, movies, books and apps from Apple's online storefronts. After all, Amazon is first and foremost a retailer.

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Photo: Amazon CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos holds the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet on Sept. 28, 2011 in New York City. Credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Images

iPhone 4S problem: Battery, now Siri; some users try DIY fixes

Apple has confirmed that there are iPhone 4S problems -- battery issues -- and that they will be fixed ... in a few weeks. Now adding to users' frustration: Siri, the voice assistant feature on the iPhone 4s is reportedly down.

Just a "small number of customers" have complained about the battery life issue, the company says, so they'll just have to swallow their frustration, find their own fix or stick close to electrical outlets. 

A statement from Apple on Wednesday said "a few bugs" had been found that were causing the battery power drain, and "we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks."

Meanwhile, tech websites were reporting an apparent outage of Siri on Thursday. The new voice assistant feature went out about 11 a.m. Pacific time, according to VentureBeat. No word yet on whether that has been fixed.

TechCrunch reports: "It looks like Siri is experiencing an extended outage, according to several tipsters, tweets, and our own internal tests." The site notes that the feature is a Beta product -- but such a highly touted feature that an extended outage is reason to sit up and take notice.

VentureBeat says Siri is no simple tool: "When you ask Siri what the weather is like in Nashville, Tenn., it plays an elaborate game of telephone with a main database that has the information, and then updates you with the answer."

Anyway, while iPhone 4S users are awaiting their various fixes from Apple, they're apparently trying the DIY method for the battery issue

TechNewsWorld says "one of the minor fixes users have found success with is turning off the feature that automatically adjusts to new time zone." The theory is that the iOS 5 GPS feature is constantly trying to fix on the time zone that the user is in, thus sucking battery life.

"Corrupted contact data" may be at the root of the problem, says VentureBeat: "Clearing the contacts data and re-uploading it has fixed the battery drain problem" for some.

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Photo: The iPhone 4S. Credit: Kimihiro Hoshino / AFP/Getty Images