Oliver Haslam

Watch the iPad 3 event in iTunes, or on your Apple TV now

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 8, 2012

If you're anything like us, and if you're reading this you probably are, then you're the kind of person who likes to kick back with a coffee and enjoy a good Apple event in all its glory. That means on a big-screen TV, not hunched over a MacBook screen.

Now you can see the announcement of the iPad 3, sorry, new iPad, on a screen large enough to do it justice, with Apple now making the event available to download via iTunes.

That also means, dear friends, that you can also check the event out on your Apple TV. Like we did. Twice...

US Air Force places $9 million order for 18,000 iPads

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 27, 2017

The iPad is already being used in the cockpits of American Airlines aircraft, and soon it will be given pride of place aboard US Air Force planes, too.

We told you recently how the United States Air Force was looking into a bulk purchase of tablets, and it appears that Apple's iPad has been chosen to replace weighty in-flight manuals and other documentation aboard C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster aircrafts.

The order, potentially reaching 18,000 iPads, is worth $9.36m to Executive Technology Inc., a Phoenix-based computer services company...

Apple rounds on critics by claiming over 500,000 US jobs are tied to its products

Oliver Haslam ∙ March 2, 2012

Apple has been the subject of much ire and speculation over its perceived lack of support for the United States and its scarcity of jobs, but now the company is hitting back with a few choice numbers it believes shows that the opposite is in fact, true.

Apple notoriously gets all its products from Foxconn in China, with Brazil now also becoming a source for all those devices with an Apple logo on the back. This has led to Apple being on the receiving end of much bad press over labor conditions at Foxconn's factories as well as the question being raised of why doesn't Apple build its products on US soil.

But as Apple is keen to point out, the iPhone and iPad maker does actually have its fingers in many US-based pies, creating and sustaining over 500,000 jobs in the process...

The AudiOffice dock turns an iPad or iPhone into an office phone

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 29, 2012

It turns out that there are more things being announced at Mobile World Congress than just hundreds of new cookie-cutter Android phones, and some of them are even pretty interesting. Some of those are iPhone accessories, with one in particular catching our eye.

The AudiOffice dock from Invoxia not only looks absolutely gorgeous, but it also fulfills a real purpose, especially if you're a business type who finds themselves tethered to their desk.

What the AudiOffice offers is actually pretty simple: it turns an iPhone or iPad into a desktop office phone, complete with corded handset and speakerphone options...

The BlackBerry loses another government agency to the iPhone

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 29, 2012

Research In Motion is having a bit of a hard time of late. Their BlackBerry brand of smartphones are seeing slower sales than the Canadian firm is accustomed to, and the company's PlayBook tablet is floundering at best.

Business across the globe are dropping BlackBerry as their smartphone handset and business software provider in droves, and now it appears that there is another nail being driven into the RIM coffin, with the news that The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is dropping BlackBerry in favor of the iPhone.

The ATF's Chief Information Office claims that the agency is going to "delete the BlackBerry form the mix," which cannot be good reading for RIM's latest CEO...

Apple working on “adaptive streaming” for audio

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 28, 2012

Apple is currently working on a new file format for its iCloud service, according to reports.

Writing for The Guardian, Charles Arthur cites sources with "inside knowledge" and claims that Apple is set to bring a new format to the music world which will allow for adaptive streaming of music from iCloud, with the quality being altered depending on the playback method.

Apple's iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match both rely on music being stored on servers owned by the technology company. Being able to alter the music quality as it is being distributed could potentially save in bandwidth costs for the end user...

Swedish company claims to have a swipe patent that is used by Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 28, 2012

While Apple seems all too keen on taking to the courts in order to protect its patents, it appears that it may be in the back foot in a new battle that has yet to even begin.

A Swedish firm claims to be in possession of a patent which relates to horizontal swiping and gliding, with Apple's slide-to-unlock gesture being one such example.

The firm, called Neonode, claims to have received the relevant patent during January of this year, and its head of IP, Yossi Shain, says that companies such as Sony and Barnes & Noble are already licensees...

Tim Cook thinks Apple and Facebook could work together more

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Apple's iOS and Mac integration with Twitter is a relatively new thing, and one that has had impressive results for the social network with reports of a 25% increase in sign-ups coming after the release of iOS 5. While Twitter is currently the only social network tied into iOS, that may not always be the case.

During a shareholder's meeting today, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted that the company could become closer to Twitter's largest rivals, Facebook, and that he has personally always thought the two could work more closely.

The news will come as music to the ears of Mark Zuckerberg and his band of cronies, with any link to Apple being a veritable gold mine these days...

Microsoft pits Windows Phone 7 against iPhone in “Windows Phone Challenge”

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 23, 2012

Microsoft is taking a leaf out of Samsung's playbook by going on the offensive in the battle for smartphone supremacy. With Windows Phone 7 not quite setting the world on fire with huge sales figures and just a 2% market share, Microsoft has apparently decided to go after the competition with a new ad campaign.

Posted to the Windows Phone Facebook page, the new push pits Windows Phone 7 against various other smartphones, including the iPhone, across a range of uses and applications. The premise is that Microsoft's WP7 evangelist Ben Rudolph is offering $100 to anyone who can perform tasks faster on their own handsets than he can on his Windows Phone.

As is to be expected, he's not handed over any money yet...

Twitter updates its iPhone app to bring back much wanted features

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Twitter today updated its iPhone app, adding new features and more importantly returning old ones to their former glories.

The release, bringing the version number up to 4.1, adds improvements such as better Direct Message handling and improved image quality, but without doubt the two most important features aren't new at all - Twitter has now returned swipe shortcuts and the ability to copy text to its iPhone app.

Both features were removed in a recent app update, much to the annoyance of the app's users and causing many to jump ship to third-party alternatives such as Tweetbot which recently reached a milestone of its own...

The difference between an Apple TV and an Apple Television

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 21, 2012

All the talk these days – at least before all the iPad 3 rumors took over – has been about the much anticipated Apple Television. Apple has certainly not announced anything, and some of us still are not convinced that Apple needs to enter a crowded market, but those rumors just keep on coming.

I'm one of those that just doesn't see why Apple needs to bring a television to market, especially considering there are already hundreds of TV manufacturers in the space that are all scrambling for market share. If Apple is to make an impact, then it needs to offer something that nobody else can. Something that differentiates.

The Apple TV that we currently know and love is a sign that Apple doesn't yet take the home entertainment business seriously. Famously called a "hobby," the Apple TV is a box that is full of potential yet seems almost held back. Almost neutered...

Chinese Customs tells Proview that banning Chinese iPad exports would be difficult

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 15, 2012

Apple's latest legal hiccup, this time with display maker Proview, looked set to escalate into all-out war when the plaintiff suggested a ban on the importing and exporting of iPads in China. The latest on the situation may serve to calm fears in Cupertino however, with the news that such a move may not be easy to execute according to Reuters.

A full ban on the iPad would obviously prove disastrous for Apple, with the device being manufactured in China. A ban on exporting the tablet would effectively shut iPad sales down across the globe.

Thankfully for us, though not so much for Proview, Chinese customs authorities are erring on the side of caution, suggesting that a ban may be too difficult to enforce due to Apple's huge popularity...