Oliver Haslam

Three Awesome Siri Tips for Your iPhone 4S

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 15, 2011

We've all spent a day or two with our iPhone 4S handsets, and we've been merrily chatting away with Siri, our new best friend. During those chats we've discovered one or two useful little tips that you may not be aware of that can make everyone's use or Siri a little more fun.

Siri, for those who've been hiding in a cupboard or shipwrecked on a desert island, is Apple's latest innovation to come to the iPhone. The idea is to give users their very own digital assistant, which really boils down to voice-activated commands. It is, of course, a little more interesting than that, and the way users can talk to their iPhones in real-world language is, at times, a sight to behold.

Let's get onto the tips...

Siri Isn’t as Awesome For Users Outside of the US

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

The stand-out iPhone 4S feature has to be Siri, Apple's take on the virtual assistant. There's something to be said for asking your iPhone questions or issuing commands, and having it go off and do the work.

Unfortunately, it appears that not everyone can experience the full magic of Siri, with some aspects of the digital AI not available for those of us outside the United States...

What it Means to Have an Unlocked iPhone 4S on Sprint and Verizon

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 14, 2011

There has been some confusion as of late over just how both Sprint and Verizon are handling the unlocking of the SIM card slots inside their iPhone 4S handsets. Initial reports, beginning with Macworld, stated that Sprint's hardware would come pre-unlocked, and Verizon's could be unlocked by the carrier assuming the customer's account is in good standing, and at least 60 days old.

From there, things all got a bit murky, at least on the Sprint front. While Macworld apparently had it spot on with regards to Verizon, it seems their guy at Sprint wasn't telling the full story. Yes, the SIM slot on the iPhone 4S can be unlocked, but it wouldn't actually be unlocked from minute one. Or, rather, it would, but then won't.

Yep, it makes perfect sense...

Apple is Not Going to Let You Merge Apple IDs

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 13, 2011

We've been hearing murmurings that Apple was considering giving users a way to merge two separate Apple ID for a month or so now, but it appears that any hopes of those coming dreams coming to fruition have just been dashed to pieces.

With Apple launching iCloud to the public over the last few days, many had been wondering if the rumors were true, and if Apple was going to offer a way for users to consolidate multiple Apple IDs into one "super" account. This would have been perfect for households who want just one iTunes bill, one master account, but multiple IDs associated with it.

Alas, Apple now says that's not going to happen...

Apple Releases iOS 5 to the Public, Update Available Now

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 12, 2011

Apple today made iOS 5 available to the public, with the update now being pushed out via iTunes for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

The update, first previewed back in June, has seen 7 betas seeded to iOS developers, as well as the final GM release after last week's "Let's Talk iPhone" event.

Offering more changes than we care to list (we've already done that once), this is the biggest revamp of iOS to date...

iTunes in the Cloud Launching Internationally Right Now

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 12, 2011

Back when Apple first announced iCloud, and the subsequent beta, one of the new features to make the biggest splash was iTunes in the Cloud. Up until that point, if an iTunes customer bought a song and deleted it they were stuck with no option but to either call Apple support and try to sweet talk them into issuing a refund or replacement track, or to simply stump up the cash all over again.

With iTunes in the Cloud, that was no-longer the case. Now, a new Purchased section in iTunes lists all bought music as well as apps and books, and the world is a better place for it.

Unfortunately, while books and apps found their way outside the US, music did not. Until now...

iOS 5 Will Remove Multi-Touch Gestures From Your Original iPad

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 12, 2011

We're afraid it's not all good news today. With the entire iPhone, iPad and iPod touch-owning public eagerly awaiting the public release of iOS 5, all is not rosy on the iOS front, especially if you happen to be a proud owner of the first-generation iPad.

If you've grown comfortable with the multi-touch gestures Apple added earlier this year to the iPad, you're going to be in for a shock when your iPad restarts after installing iOS 5, for those same gestures will be gone. Lost forever...

Travelers Will Want to Consider the iPhone 4S on Verizon or Sprint [Updated]

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 12, 2011

We already knew that the iPhone 4S was going to be the first world phone to come out of the Apple labs, and that meant that both GSM and CDMA handset flavors would roam on the networks of international carriers. This was good news, meaning that customers of both Verizon and Sprint could now take their handsets abroad and continue to use them.

Now, there's even better news for those customers, with Macworld discovering that they might actually have an advantage over AT&T (and all other GSM carriers across the planet), thanks to the unlocked SIM slot on the CDMA iPhone 4S...

Magic Land Island is First Facebook Game to Take Advantage of Project Spartan

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 11, 2011

Facebook's infamous Project Spartan, the company's HTML5 app store, went live yesterday as part of the update to the Facebook mobile web site, iPhone app and new iPad app. As part of that silent release – no fanfare, no CEO on a stage, no sweaty Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook gaming giant "wooga" launched the new platform's first game, Magic Land Island.

While the game itself is mildly interesting, it's the technology aspect that is worth noting, and wooga's CTO, Philipp Moeser, seems particularly excited about the possibilities afforded by mobile HTML5 applications...

T-Mobile Extends Its Reach to iOS

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

T-Mobile may have not got in on the iPhone 4S action as many had predicted, but that hasn't stopped the carrier from reaching for a little bit of the iOS pie with its Bobsled app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Android phones also get in on the fun.

Bobsled is T-Mobile's VoIP service that lets users make phone calls over the internet (much like Skype). While Bobsled was originally a Facebook app, now it's creeping out into the world of the App Store and beyond...

Your iPhone 4 Case May Not Fit Your iPhone 4S After All

Oliver Haslam ∙ October 10, 2011

One of the disappointments many people felt when Apple announced the iPhone 4S was the lack of a redesigned chassis. After so many rumors of a new design, many were unhappy that Apple had decided to stick with the iPhone 4 design we're all familiar with.

We all consoled ourselves with the fact that our existing iPhone 4 accessories and cases would fit the new iPhone 4S, but it seems that might not be the case (if you'll pardon the pun!) after all...

Microsoft: The iPhone Doesn’t Give Enough Choice and Android is Chaotic

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

Those crazy folks at Microsoft seem quite keen on this new release of Windows Phone 7 they've been working on, and with good reason. Windows Phone 7.5, or "Mango," is starting to find its way onto new and old handsets alike, and people seem rather taken with the changes the Microsoft has made.

With that success behind him, Windows Phone boss Andy Lees spoke to The Seattle Times, and he couldn't help dissing Apple and Google while upholding Windows Phone as the best option out there for consumers...