Oliver Haslam

iDB holiday gift guide: Oliver’s picks

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Now I'm not sure if you folks have noticed, but we're currently hurtling towards Christmas. It's not so much crept up on us as jumped out from behind a pillar, pulled a funny face and shouted "oogabooga" at the top of its lungs. Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time to get those gifts sorted out.

If you're much more organized than my good self, then you're probably reading this with a decidedly smug grin on your face sipping on some egg nog, but if like me you just can't bring yourself to do Christmas shopping until the week in which the day actually occurs then you may just be sat panicking at the thought of coming up with some gift ideas.

And that's where we come in.

Moving into the post-PC era

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Ever since the first iPad was introduced by Steve Jobs way back in 2010 there has been the argument about whether it is just there to be a media consumption device, or can actually be used for what PC users seem to be so determined to call 'real work.'

Steve Jobs knew, or at least he hoped that iPads would eventually replace computers as we know them. When launching the first iPad he spoke of his new tablet as a car, and the computers that came before it as trucks.

I'm trying to think of a good analogy. When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them.

He knew the transition wouldn't be easy, and he was right.

Is the new iMac with Retina 5K display the best Mac you can get?

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

The Mac Pro's days of being Apple's biggest and baddest Mac may be numbered, even with that redesign that everyone either loves or hates. Whether it looks like a trash can or not, the Mac Pro has always been the most desirable Mac on the market.

Well, it was.

When Apple showed the new iMac with Retina 5K display to the world everything changed. Not only does the new iMac boast that gorgeous 5K screen, but while that would once be its only claim to fame, the new iMac is more than a one trick pony. The new iMac has plenty of bite to go with its bark.

Speaking of the event, did anyone notice the graphic Apple flashed a couple of times that showed its product line up from the Apple Watch up to the new iMac? Did you notice what was conspicuous by its absence? If the Apple Watch is the beginning of Apple's new product lineup, you would expect the Mac Pro to be at the other end. But it wasn't.

Telling?

Prompt 2 review: the best SSH client for iOS

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The iPad can't be used for real work, can it?

Even after all this time, there is still some debate about whether the iPad can be used as a real computer. I'd argue that even the iPhone can prevent me from having to pick up one of my Macs, especially now we have the larger screens courtesy of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

To me though, it's not so much about the hardware, but rather the software that runs on it that will decide whether any iOS device is up to the task. The App Store is littered with word processors of all kinds, apps for shoving numbers into spreadsheets and even plenty of software that will help you give a presentation on a projector. That's all well and good, but for me real work starts with a command line and an FTP server. Thankfully, Panic has my back on both counts.

Both Transmit and Prompt have been born out of the hard work that goes on inside Panic, and the latter has received a hefty update very recently indeed. So hefty in fact that this new 2.0 version is a whole new app that requires purchasing all over again and at $9.99, it's not the cheapest app on the App Store.

But it is one of the best.

iOS 8’s battery shaming is a double-edged sword

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 24, 2014

As is always the case every time a new iPhone is released, or a major iteration of its software pops up on Apple's servers, the planet goes into meltdown about battery life. It's almost as predictable as Apple's iPhone release schedule, and it's getting old.

I was already pondering how Apple's newly released iOS 8 was performing for people when I read iMore's post covering its new battery shaming feature. Rene does a great job explaining how iOS 8 monitors app usage and then plots out a percentage of the battery drain that app has caused. The reasons for that drain are plenty, and the important thing to remember is that they're not all bad.

Three days with the iPhone 6

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

The months leading to the announcement of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus seemed to drag on and on, but the week following flew by. Within seven short days of reserving my iPhone 6 at my local Apple Store, I had it in my hands. It's here. And it's lovely.

Backing up for a second, it's worth noting that I wasn't one of those people that was hankering for a new iPhone. I certainly wasn't desperate for one that was a great deal larger than my iPhone 5. That phone had been with me for two years, day in and day out. It felt like part of the family, and I'll almost miss it now it's gone.

It's gone because I took advantage of my two-year contract's expiration in order to get a new iPhone. More specifically, a 64GB Space Grey iPhone 6.

This isn't a review, by the way. It's a largely incoherent collection of thoughts after a weekend with what will probably be Apple's best selling iPhone ever. There are plenty of awesome reviews out there if that's your cup of tea.

So let's get started with my story.

Automation favorite Launch Center Pro 2.3 released with IFTTT integration & more

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

In the burgeoning world of iOS automation, Launch Center Pro is king. What may initially look like just a grid of icons soon turns into a world of never-ending possibilities as soon as you scratch away the surface of an app that has become the center of many iOS users' workflows. In short, Launch Center Pro is the app to install on your iPhone or indeed, iPad.

So when it was announced that a new version was in the works, Launch Center Pro 2.3, everyone took notice. Today, that update is finally in the App Store for all to enjoy and, if we're being honest, they could have easily sold this as a 3.0 release, rather than the 2.3 moniker it has taken on.

If you crave new ways to make your iOS device the true center of your digital and online life, then you're going to love the new Launch Center Pro, complete with IFTTT integration and more...

Quickminder: create reminders with no fuss, no muss

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Reminder apps are fast becoming the new Twitter app in that it seems everyone is having a go at making one, and the App Store is full to the brim with both some great alternatives to the stock iOS solution. Unfortunately, it's also littered with some downright poor ones.

A reminder app is a very personal choice, too. Some people will love one app while others will declare another to be the one and only app to use for making sure you don't forget things. While we're fans of the likes of Omnifocus and Things, it's safe to say that both apps can sometimes be overkill for many, and downright madness for others.

Which means that reminder apps can still thrive in an area dominated by the two aforementioned apps along with a handful of smaller solutions. One of our new favorites, quickminder, has found a niche for itself thanks to its blazing speed and luscious looks. And yes, that's their lack of capitalization, not ours.

Review: the iQi wireless iPhone charger

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Wireless charging has long been one of technology's Holy Grails. Being able to charge your devices without them having to be tethered to a power outlet would undoubtedly change the way we work, but seeing as we're still quite some ways away from having electricity beamed to our smartphones and tablets, we'll have to make do with the next best thing - charging plates.

Many phones support what they like to call wireless charging, but as the pedantic amongst us would point point out, that's not strictly accurate. After all, that charging plate still needs a wire! Get beyond that hangup though, and wireless charging is actually pretty cool even in its current state. Putting your tablet or smartphone on a pad and having it start charging is impressive enough, but unfortunately Apple still isn't up for it. Neither the iPad nor iPhone support wireless charging out of the box, and existing third-party solutions need big cases that come with the required technology built-in, which is far from ideal. Wireless charging should get out of the way, not make itself unmissable.

Enter the iQi wireless charging adapter...

How to get 3GB of free OneDrive storage (and how to fix it if it doesn’t work)

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 24, 2014

As part of Microsoft's rebranding of its SkyDrive cloud storage solution to the arguably much better "OneDrive," the Redmond firm has set about something of a charm offensive. In an attempt to try and take users away from the hugely awesome Dropbox, Microsoft has already given away 100GB of free storage to the first 100,000 people to sign into the new OneDrive, but if you weren't in on that action then fear not, because you can also snag 3GB of space for absolutely nothing. And that's on top of the 7GB that they offer up right out of the gate.

In order to get your slice of the free cloud-based pie, all you need to do is install one of Microsoft's OneDrive mobile apps – the iOS one, preferably – and enable one little feature. In all honesty it's a feature you're going to want to enable anyway, because Microsoft is giving away 3GB of free storage to anyone that turns on automatic uploading of their Camera Roll.

Now you may be saying the same thing that we said. Why would you want to do that if you already use Dropbox? Well, here's why...

With iOS 7, are we seeing a less confident, more malleable Apple?

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Time was once when Apple was infamous for not giving its users choice. Steve Jobs himself famously said that consumers didn't know what they wanted, and that it was Apple's job to tell them, and he was often right. It was this confidence, some may say arrogance, that made Apple so sure of its designs. So absolutely convinced that it was on the right path. And arguably, it's why it has been so successful over the last ten or so years.

But things are changing inside Apple. Since Steve Jobs' death and the handing over of the reigns to the unflappable Tim Cook, Apple has been going through something of a metamorphosis, and everyone has seen how the company has changed. Countless people have written about how Apple isn't the same company since its co-founder and visionary left it to somewhat more pragmatic minds, and the evidence that they're right simply keeps on mounting.

That syncing feeling: why don’t iPad and iPhone versions of the same game share game progress often enough?

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 15, 2018

Games are fun. Judging by both the paid-for and free app charts in the App Store, they're also extremely popular. A look at the top-grossing apps on the iPad shows that 9 of the top 10 (in the UK store) are games. The odd one out is a newspaper, oddly enough. If you look outside the top 10 list, the trend continues throughout the chart.

With gaming clearly so popular on the iPad, and indeed the iPhone, developers are rightly beginning to throw considerable resources at creating some truly impressive iOS games. The likes of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Oceanhorn are effectively console or handheld games that run on a smartphone or tablet. Both are a far cry from the games we used to play on our mobile devices. Does anyone remember Snake on the Nokia phones of old? Ahh, fond memories indeed.

For all the increased attention that game development on iOS has received over the last couple of years, and with both big names and smaller independent developers bringing some excellent titles to the platform, there is still something lacking. We're being treated to games that look absolutely stunning on the latest hardware and voice acting as well as story building have both improved dramatically of late, but there's one issue remaining. One that's become all too apparent to me as I've started playing games on an iPad mini (with Retina display, of course) as well as my iPhone. That issue is syncing.

The syncing of game progress, to be precise...