Oliver Haslam

iPhone Owners Are More Loyal Than Android Owners

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 25, 2011

We love our iPhones here at iDB, and even if we do play with an Android or Windows Phone 7 device here and there, we always come back to our iDevices without fail.

According to a new study by research firm GfK, we're not the only ones captivated by our fruity phones. The report claims that of the survey's 4,500 participants across Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, China, the United States, and Japan, 84% of current iPhone owners said they would buy another iPhone in the next twelve months.

That number drops to a comparatively low 60% for Android users...

FastPdfKit: First Siri-Controlled App Hits the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple's Siri is certainly the hot property these days, and it is at its best when in the hands of hackers who create tools like SiriProxy. Offering a way of making Siri interact with pretty much anything on a network, SiriProxy has opened doors left and right, and now app developers are getting in on the action.

FastPdfKit, an app now available on the App Store, claims to be the first to offer Siri integration using SiriProxy. More accurately, FastPdfKit's developer, MobFarm, is the first to spend the time to create the commands required to interact with its app, but we'll let them off with their bold claim just this once.

The result is the ability to ask Siri to complete in-app tasks, such as paging forward or searching for text. The app even has a party trick, with Siri on an iPhone 4S being able to control the FastPdfKit app on an iPad...

Siri Proxy Makes Starting Your Car With Your Voice a Reality

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 25, 2011

A few days ago we told you about one clever fellow who had found a way to create a 'Siri proxy,' allowing him to intercept Siri commands. This, in theory, makes Siri compatible with just about anything with an API, and the original proof of concept demonstrated Siri controlling a thermostat.

Now it seems that proof of concept has become something of an arms race, with likeminded individuals now making Siri connect with all manner of things, the latest being an automobile.

Using a Viper car system, an individual was able to instruct Siri to lock and unlock the car's doors, as well as start and stop the engine. Super cool, indeed...

The App Store’s First Subscription-Based Game Gets Pulled After One Day

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 24, 2011

It may have only been made available yesterday, but the first subscription-based iOS game service has already been pulled from the App Store with no explanation.

Big Fish Games had its app approved by Apple which, according to initial reports, offered subscription-based gaming for $6.99 per month. The app allowed the streaming of games from Big Fish Games' servers right to an iPad, with Apple taking their usual 30% cut of the revenues.

While Big Fish Games' seemed rather happy with themselves for being the first to offer games with a monthly subscription on iOS, it turns out that Apple isn't so keen, with the app now gone from the App Store...

iCloud Apple ID Security Flaw Plaguing Some Users

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 8, 2017

One of iOS 5's marquee features is the ability to backup and restore devices from iCloud without the need for iTunes or any of those pesky wires. Let's be frank, we've all got hundreds of those little white USB cables, but can we find one when we need it? We know we never can!

As is so often the case with such new and ambitious services as iCloud, it appears that the process is not without its problems, more specifically, problems surrounding a possible security risk.

According to Electronista, there appears to be a real issue that could potentially reveal the Apple IDs of random users...

New $250 iPhone Case Features Three Rotating Camera Lenses

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 22, 2011

Not only does Apple make a fortune from its iPhones, iPads, and anything else with a lower-case "i," but it also spawned thousands of awesome accessories. The iPhone especially has seen some interesting accessories come its way, and "interesting" is probably the best way to describe this particular case.

Weighing in at $250 and sporting three rotatable lenses, the Lens Dial is perhaps more than a normal case, but it is also one of the more whacky.

The Lens Dial, carved from aircraft-grade aluminum, packs the three lenses shown in the picture, allowing photographic types to take all kinds of images using the iPhone's built-in shooter...

iOS 5 Causing Loss of Wi-Fi Connectivity For Some Users

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Apple's introduction of iOS 5 has been accompanied by plenty of problems. Launched alongside the iPhone 4S, iOS 5 has been blamed for all kinds of things, but most prominently a considerable loss of battery performance.

Apple may have another potential problem on its hands, with reports beginning to crop up of iOS 5 devices struggling to connect to Wi-Fi networks. Even when a iOS 5 device does join a Wi-Fi network, users are reporting flakey connections that constantly drop.

As with the infamous battery problems that have plagued the newest release of Apple's mobile OS, this issue appears to span across all of Apple's 'i' products, and not just the new iPhone 4S...

AT&T iPhone 3GS Price Bump is Meant to Prevent Fraud

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 22, 2011

Since AT&T increased the price of the iPhone 3GS from a bargainous FREE to the perplexing $0.99, we've all been asking the same question: Why? When Apple announced the iPhone 4S, they made a point of repricing the iPhone 3GS as a free option.

Why would AT&T take the unusual step or increasing the price of a handset that Apple itself had declared would be free, and increase it by just a dollar? Strange indeed.

The move was perhaps not as strange as we originally thought. One forum member claiming to work for AT&T believes they may have the answer, and it's all about stopping fraudsters from stealing handsets...

Amazon’s Kindle Fire All Set to be 2nd Only to the iPad

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated December 17, 2017

The iPad may have had it all its own way since its initial inception last year, but if a new survey is to be believed, then it may finally have some real competition in the form of Amazon's Kindle Fire.

New data from ChangeWave Research points to Amazon's first entry into the tablet market being the second most popular tablet on the market, behind, you guessed it, Apple's iPad.

A November survey of 3,043 people yielded the insight which shows that 22% of those questioned planned on picking up the 7" Kindle Fire, with 65% aiming to pick up an iPad. Third choice, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, could only garner 4% of the interest...

90% of the Money Spent on Mobile Apps Comes From the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 21, 2011

With the iPad coming under scrutiny as the competition begins its latest assault on Apple's tablet dominance, new figures suggest that the iPad may still be the best bet for those looking to make a living out of making tablet-based apps.

Piper Jaffray Senior Research Analyst Gene Munster has written in a research note released Monday that Apple's iPad still accounts for between 85% and 90% of the money spent on mobile applications.

The news comes as Android moves into a new era thanks to the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, the release which Google hopes will combine the tablet and smartphone software in a way similar to the iPad and iPhone. Munster's claims show that Android may still be suffering from an old issue: Android users just don't seem to buy apps as much as iOS users...

Use Your iPhone’s Personal Hotspot to Wi-Fi Sync Your iDevices On the Go

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 20, 2011

While iOS 5 brought many new features that we had all been wanting, Wi-Fi syncing is probably one of the most desired features on the list. Using a white USB cable to sync an iDevice to iTunes is without a doubt one of the most irritating things of the pre-iOS 5 world.

But what if you are out and about and want to sync your iDevice, and you've done away with those syncing cables for good? Well, there is one way to sync your iDevice with a Mac that doesn't require a cable or a Wi-Fi router. You can actually use your iPhone's Personal Hotspot feature...

Sent is a Gmail App for iPhone that Gets Things Right, But Not Perfect

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

It seems like iOS Gmail apps are a little bit like London buses: you wait an hour for one, and then three come along at once. Two notable Gmail apps have entered the App Store as of late.

Gmail users rejoiced when Google finally brought an official Gmail app to the App Store, but after downloading the app, it was clear that the bug-laden effort wasn't what it should be. Google pulled it and eventually made it available again after fixing some of the more glaring bugs. That said, it's still not great, and is missing some features that we hope Google will eventually get around to adding.

A new app to join the Gmail fray goes by the name of "Sent," and while it is indeed a more native experience than Google's solution, the app doesn't get everything right...