Oliver Haslam

How to Use Evernote with Siri on the iPhone 4S

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Few will argue that Siri is mind-bogglingly great when it works. Speaking right into your iPhone and having it do your bidding is about as awesome as it gets, but it does have some limitations.

Not being able to tell Siri to interact with third-party apps is one such limitation, and it is the reason that many have sought ways to get around the restriction. You can use SMS to update Twitter and Facebook, and it has also led to Evernote blogging about an easy way to use Siri with the popular service.

If you're an Evernote user, you'll want to give this a try...

AT&T’s iPhone Dominance on the Decline, Sprint Cannibalizing Verizon

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 9, 2011

With more carriers offering the iPhone than ever before, it is glaringly obvious that AT&T's share of iPhone customers has to be on the decline, but by how much?

New research carried out by Localytics offers an insight into just which carriers US buyers sided with when deciding to buy an iPhone, with the iPhone 4S launch seeing Sprint join the fray. While AT&T's share of the iPhone market has fallen slightly, Sprint is starting to put a dent into Verizon's former customer base...

Introducing the iHome iP4 iPhone Boombox, For Those That Missed the 80s

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 9, 2011

Every so often something comes across our radar that requires a double-take. Rarely, it requires even further attentions because, well, we just can't quite believe our eyes.

The iHome iP4 fits that bill rather nicely, while offering the world's most ugliest iPhone speaker dock in the process. The kicker? The iP4 will set you back a whopping $199.99, should you desire to purchase a boombox for your iPhone...

How to Manually Backup Your iDevice to iCloud

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 8, 2011

We love iCloud here at iDB, and we love backups, too. That said, it isn't really surprising that we're huge fans of the ability to backup our iDevices to iCloud.

It has been said before that the best backup strategy is the one you can set and forget. That's where iCloud comes into its own, with backups being done automatically each night, so long as the device is plugged in.

There are times when you might want to be absolutely sure that the backup in the cloud is up to date, and Apple has thought of that, too. Here is a quick guide that shows you just how to manually perform an iCloud backup...

Consumer Reports Recommends the iPhone 4S, We Do Not Recommend Consumer Reports

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Remember how Consumer Reports refused to recommend the iPhone 4 because of its infamous reception problems? Now, the influential magazine has given the iPhone 4S a different diagnosis, coming to a rather different conclusion.

Consumer Reports is being considerably nicer to Apple's latest iPhone, saying that it does not suffer from any of the antenna-related reception issues that plagued its predecessor.

As a result of the improved antenna found in the iPhone 4S, Consumer Reports is now willing to let bygones be bygones, and is happy to list the handset as a "recommended device." But that's not all...

The i+Case Aluminum Bumper Adds a Touch of Class to Your iPhone

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 6, 2011

We're big fans of Kickstarter here at iDB. If there's a great iPhone, iPad, or iPod accessory to be had, the chances are it has originated from one of the numerous extremely clever guys and gals who are looking for a way to get a project underway on Kickstarter.

One of those projects is the i+Case, an aluminum bumper turned case that we think adds a touch of class to any iPhone 4 or 4S. Hey, it's got to be better than one of Apple's rubber band bumpers, right?

Apple Loses Chief of Security Over Lost iPhone Prototype

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 5, 2011

Those paying attention will no doubt remember the story about one unlucky fellow who received a visit from the police, along with a team of security personnel from Apple. Well, it turns out that the fallout from that visit isn't yet over, with Apple losing its Vice President of Global Security over the matter.

Apple allegedly lost yet another iPhone prototype recently, and using the power of Find My iPhone they decided it was in the possession of a Bernal Heights resident. Apple and the San Francisco Police then rolled up to the guy's house and asked for it back. Apple's security team even offered to buy it back, but alas, the man in question didn't have it...

Angry Birds Reaches 500 Million Downloads Worldwide

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 3, 2011

It seems we just can't get enough of those Angry Birds, with developer Rovio announcing that the game has been downloaded a whopping 500 million times worldwide.

The half a billion downloads are made up of the three Angry Birds games currently available: Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, and Angry Birds Seasons.

Key to the game's success is its cross-platform nature, with Angry Birds available to download on most platforms you could care to name, with iOS, Android, web, Mac, and Windows all present, and versions also set to come to the Nokia Asha 300 and 303 phones...

WhatsApp Now Sending 1 Billion Messages a Day, Gives iMessage a Mountain to Climb

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 3, 2011

WhatsApp, one of the most loved cross-platform messaging services, has reached a real milestone, with the news that its collection of apps are sending 1 billion messages per day.

Covering iOS, Android, and just about every other mobile platform out there, WhatsApp has one massive advantage over the likes of BlackBerry Messenger and iMessage, and that's its cross-platform roots...

iOS 5 Tip: Restore Recently Closed Tabs on the iPad

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 3, 2011

When Apple announced that iOS 5 for the iPad was going to feature proper tabbed browsing, the tablet-using world rejoiced. Safari worked well before, but there is just no substitute for good, old fashioned tabbed browsing.

Now iOS 5 has found its way into millions of hands worldwide, some handy little tips and tricks are starting to pop up for our iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, and one in particular caught our eyes.

Hidden inside Mobile Safari on the iPad, you'll find a little-known feature that will allow you to re-open recently closed tabs, all without having to go digging through your History...

Why The iPhone 4 Siri Port Hasn’t Been Released Yet

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated December 28, 2016

It's the hot button topic on the internet right now, but nobody really knows the answer to the burning question: where is the hack that will get Siri working on an iPhone 4?

We've seen video of it working thanks to chpwn and Steve Troughton-Smith, but the pair has been reluctant to make the hack available to us, the non-paying public.

In a blog post today, chpwn has sought to clear things up by explaining why the port hasn't been made publicly available, and as we suspected, it all comes down to copyright...