Oliver Haslam

Increase T-Mobile LTE download speeds on iPhone 5 thanks to a hacked carrier update

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

T-Mobile subscribers are still getting used to having access to the iPhone, and those with existing AT&T unlocked iPhone 5 received a carrier update to add LTE support for T-Mobile's frequency. Unfortunately, that's not all it did.

Turns out that update may have also limited the bandwidth available to T-Mobile customers using one of those unlocked handsets, leaving them with something of a gimped LTE service. Bummer, right?

Well, remember the guy that worked out how jailbroken iPhone users could enable T-Mobile's LTE before the aforementioned carrier update? That same clever man has also worked out how to give T-Mobile the bandwidth you'd expect from one of the hottest LTE handsets on the market. And you don't even need to be jailbroken for it to work...

Tadaa may be the upmarket Instagram we’ve been looking for

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Instagram may be the top dog when it comes to fancy photo sharing, and it may have Facebook behind it to make sure it stays there, but it's not all been plain sailing. Instagram's had more than its fair share of privacy issues, and its own terms of service have been less than clear on who owns the photos posted to it.

Such goings on have led many to at least consider dumping Instagram, but where do you go instead? We've wondered that too, and Tadaa may be a good alternative especially when its latest update is taken into account.

If you've ever wanted an up market Instagram, then we might just have something right up your street...

Apple was right, widgets just ain’t cool

Oliver Haslam ∙ April 5, 2013

Without a doubt, one of the biggest differences between iOS and Android is its fundamental handling of information. Google decided to allow widgets onto a phone's Home screen so that, theoretically, users would have the information they need right at their fingertips. Apple, on the other hand, has doggedly stuck to its guns over the years, with iOS remaining a collection of app icons rather than live widgets.

Over the years there have been plenty of arguments amongst those in the tech community as to which was the best way to go. Android users will repeatedly point to widgets as one of the main reasons they prefer their phones over the iPhone or even one of the Windows Phone handsets. Sitting halfway between iOS and Android, Windows Phone features live tiles that offer up information from the phone's Home screen a la widgets, but that's just not enough for some. It's widgets or nothing, man, and that's the way it is.

But iOS users can have their cake and eat it. They can have widgets on their home screens just like Android users, whilst still having that iPhone they so love. But the real question is: should they? Even if they should, I'd argue that fewer people actually would than we might think...

YourTube update for iOS 6 now available in Cydia

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

If you're a YouTube user, or dare we say "power user," then you're no doubt already acutely aware of YourTube. A jailbreak tweak from the folks over at CocoaNuts, YourTube takes the already impressive YouTube app and turns it into the app Google would no doubt like it to be, if it wasn't for all manner of licensing issues!

Amongst other features, YourTube allows users to download their YouTube videos for playback later, with adjustable quality settings and the option to have the downloaded files added to their iPhone's built-in media apps. Oh, and they'll get synced back to your computer that way, too.

That's just scratching the surface of what YourTube can do, so here's a handy bullet point list of features for your easy perusal...

Palm Top Theater gives your iPhone that 3D display you’ve always wanted (or not)

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 10, 2013

3D was certainly the buzzword of yesteryear, with Android phone makers scrambling to make their handsets take advantage of all manner of 3D technologies with the aim of standing out from the crowd. Apple didn't make the jump to 3D with either the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5, but that doesn't mean some people don't still want it or indeed that it might happen in the future.

With SXSW going on in Austin, there are always some funky little gadgets on show, and the Palm Top Theater certainly falls into that category.

If you've ever wanted things to jump out of your iPhone's screen, then you'll want to read on...

Firefox is not coming to iOS until Apple changes its ways, company exec says

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated August 30, 2023

Fans of Mozilla's Firefox web browser may be hoping to use their browser of choice on iOS, but according to Mozilla, that may not be possible anytime soon.

Mozilla has lifted the lid on the reason that it has yet to port the popular Firefox to Apple's mobile platform and, unsurprisingly, it's all down to Apple's tight control over how things are done on its devices according to Jay Sullivan, the company’s Vice President.

Currently, all third-party web browsers that run on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch have to use Apple’s UIWebView component which is inherently slower than the Nitro used by the company's own Safari browser. Mozilla says that it will only bring Firefox to iOS when that limitation is removed, and Apple seems in no rush to do that...

“In a Minute” lets you be very particular about when you’re reminded about things

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 11, 2013

If you're a heavy user of Apple's Reminders app, then you'll quite possibly have nudged up against one particular issue that some find irritating while others will likely have never even noticed.

The issue in question is Apple's assumption that people will only want to set reminders in five minute increments, meaning you can't set a reminder for 09:13, for example, unless you're creating the reminder with Siri's help. It might not sound like much, but if you want to manually set a few reminders to alert inside a five minute window, then you're out of luck.

That is, unless you install a new jailbreak tweak that popped up in Cydia today...

TeleSound: the sound messenger that sends audio Emojis

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

As we've said time and time again, we're huge fans of Kickstarter here at iDB, but everyone once in a while something pops up on our radar that makes us question the wisdom of making it easy for people to build and sell almost anything.

Take TeleSound as a prime example. With a goal of $100,000 and nearly a month to reach it, TeleSound is a little accessory that turns Emoji icons into audio, making it easy for your friends to not only send you silly little pictures, but to also annoy your cat in the process.

Is this uninhibited invention at its finest, and are we just getting old and boring? You be the judge...

iTap: Keep your iPhone power on tap

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 26, 2013

There's nothing more boring than an iPhone wall charger. It's a plug, and it charges things when a USB cable is attached to it. That's about as glamorous as it gets. Until now.

Meet iTap, the latest and greatest thing in the world of charging. It quite literally keeps electricity on tap. Well, not a real tap. That would just be silly! The photo above should be able to sell the idea of the iTap much more successfully than any text we can put together, it is a tap plugged into a wall after all...

Apple wins patent for new automatically adjusting screen brightness technology

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 24, 2013

It's well known that Apple likes to throw as many patent applications at the wall as possible, with the belief that at least some will stick. The latest to receive the seal of approval from the powers that be is patent number US8358273, or "Portable media device with power-managed display," as its friends know it.

The patent features a new technology that will control the screen brightness of a piece of equipment such as an iPhone or iPad based on the type of content being displayed. Currently, devices set the screen brightness based on the amount of ambient light. Apple's recently approved patent changes all that.

As far as screen brightness technology goes, this is actually rather interesting...

Pirates download wrong Installous from the App Store, then complain about it

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

Installous, the pirate app store that allowed those so inclined to download iOS apps for free may already be long gone, but that hasn't stopped plenty of people downloading it from the App Store. Or at least, they thought they had.

See, there's a new Installous in town, and it's by a developer called Larisa Flora. It's not the Installous you're thinking of though – this one's a game which involves gears and colors, apparently.

What it's not, is a way of ripping off developers. And people are not happy at all...

Buffer launches new iOS and web apps making social media truly timeless

Oliver Haslam ∙ December 13, 2012

Buffer has lived on the App Store for twelve months now, after being a web-only affair until then. A year after its iOS debut, the folks at Buffer have given the service an overhaul, giving the iOS app a fresh lick of paint in the process.

Originally born as a way of scheduling Tweets for publishing at a later date or time, Buffer has now expanded its scope to take in more of the social media landscape. Both Facebook and LinkedIn are now present in Buffer's list of supported networks, and the newly redesigned iOS and web apps are gorgeous (and they weren't too bad before).

If you've ever needed to schedule a tweet, Facebook update or LinkedIn post, then you'll want to check out Buffer now even more than before...