Oliver Haslam

Apple tells Amazon China to pull the iPad off its online store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 25, 2016

Apple has seemingly told Amazon China to pull the iPad from sale in the country, according to a report from MIC Gadget.

The news comes as Apple is in the midst of a trademark battle in the region, with display maker Proview claiming to own said trademark for use inside China. Interestingly, Proview also claims to have had no knowledge of Apple's latest move, stating that the company had not requested Apple remove the iPad from sale in Beijing, which is where Amazon is located.

Unsurprisingly, Apple is currently refusing to comment on the situation...

Why Apple won’t give the iPhone or iPad an LTE radio. Yet.

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 15, 2012

Right, I'm going to come right out and say this before I go any further: I'm going to get a lot of stick for this, and the rest of the iDB team thinks that I've lost my mind, but I'm going to write this anyway. I don't think the iPad or iPhone is going to get an LTE radio. At least, not yet.

Now I know this flies in the face of what we are being told by just about everyone, including a very recent article by the Wall Street Journal. The general consensus is that Apple will indeed bring an iPad 3 to market during the coming weeks, and that said iPad 3 will be the first Apple device to come packed with an LTE radio for hooking up to super-fast 4G networks.

I, however, think you're all wrong. Here's why...

Apple granted 19 new patents covering switches, Airplane Mode and more

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 15, 2012

Apple is known for throwing as many patents onto the wall as possible with the aim of getting at least a few to stick. That has never been more true than since the arrival of the iOS platform with iPads and iPhones seeing more than their fair share of patent applications.

Now the US Patent and Trademark Office has laid out nineteen new patents which have been granted to Apple, and while some are Mac related, others have a distinctly iOS bent to them.

One such patent covers something that we all take for granted - the Airplane Mode feature that is built into all iOS devices, and is a God-send if you happen to use an old FM-transmitter with an iPhone...

UK TV company ITV warns Apple against calling new television the iTV

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 12, 2012

Any search of the internet for "Apple iTV" will serve plenty of results about Apple's supposedly impending release of an Apple television. It's a rumor that just won't die, but it's one that's not entirely new.

In fact, the suggestion that Apple may release an "iTV" back in 2010 left UK broadcaster ITV with little choice but to write to the Cupertino outfit outlining its stance on the name. Put simply, Apple can't use it. At least, not in the UK.

Now the story is rearing its head thanks to a report by the Telegraph, with ITV presumably still not all that keen on Apple stealing its name...

Apple TV supplies slowing ahead of possible refresh

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 12, 2012

You can't beat a bit of detective work on a Sunday morning, and that's exactly what 9to5Mac did this weekend. While rumors of an Apple branded television are very much in vogue right now, the old warhorse the Apple TV is is becoming even more left out than it already was.

The question 9to5Mac poses is whether the humble Apple TV is set for an update soon, and the evidence certainly suggests that it might actually be the case, thanks to a bit a nosey around various online retailers and the help of an anonymous tipster...

German court dismisses Motorola 3G-related lawsuit against Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 10, 2012

A German court has today ruled that Apple does not infringe upon patents held by Motorola which pertain to 3G/UMTS technology.

Motorola had claimed that Apple's iPad and iPhone infringed upon patents held by the company. Judge Andreas Voss of the Mannheim Regional Court today ruled that Motorola did not present conclusive evidence of any infringement taking place and as such decided not to award an injunction.

The ruling relates to claim 9 of European Patent 1053613, entitled "Code and System for Generating a Complex Pseudonoise Sequence for Processing a Code Division Multiple Access [CDMA] Signal." Snappy title indeed...

iOS overtakes Mac OS in web traffic stakes

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

With Apple shifting more and more iPhones and iPads by the day, and the iPod touch merrily trundling along in the shadows, it doesn't take a genius to realize that iOS is becoming a real player in just about every market. With so many people browsing the web on their tablets and smartphones, all running iOS, how long will it be before they overtake the Mac in web traffic share?

Well, according to ad company Chitika, that time has already arrived...

AT&T throttles customers who use 2GB of data but takes on new 3GB capped-users

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

AT&T has had a tumultuous relationship with its own customers over the last few years, with issues stemming from its lack of network capacity being exacerbated by the hugely popular iPhone being an exclusive handset to the carrier.

Data has tended to be one of the biggest sticking points for many, the lack of ability to make a phone call not withstanding. The recent change of AT&T's data plans has only managed to muddy the waters somewhat, and now things are getting even more confusing with the news that the carrier is throttling users who are on the old unlimited data plan and use 2GB of data per month.

The obvious question now is simple: why is AT&T throttling users who use 2GB of data but continues to accept new users on the updated 3GB limit plan? No, we don't know either...

New Waze GPS app crowd sources data and works hands-free

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 9, 2012

Israeli startup Waze has released an update for its iOS GPS navigation app, adding hands-free crowd sourcing to its arsenal.

There are already plenty of GPS navigation apps on the App Store with TomTom being one of our favorites, but Waze is a little bit different in that it uses crowd sourcing as a means of measuring traffic congestion and accidents. The reliance on humans reporting such issues is both its strong and its weak point.

While the use of real people to build a map of what is really going on should make for a more accurate navigational experience, it also means that the service just plain fails to work if people don't take the time to check in. This latest update should help alleviate that particular issue...

Amazon goes on the offensive with new Kindle Fire ad

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated June 25, 2017

Amazon has gone on the offensive in the company's battle for tablet supremacy by taking a price-powered swipe at its only real competition - the iPad.

The ad, which follows similar Kindle ads we have seen by showing a young lady in a bikini reading a book, shows both the new Kindle e-reader and the Android-powered Kindle Fire in use, while taking a stab at the iPad's lofty price.

Needless to say Amazon's iPad alternatives come up trumps in the new 30-second spot, with one poor chap finding himself shot down in more than one way when he approaches the woman in question...

Apple set to announce iPad 3 first week in March

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 9, 2012

We're undoubtedly nearing the announcement of whatever Apple has up its sleeve for the next generation iPad, and now new claims suggest we're just a few short weeks away from the big day.

John Paczkowski of AllThingsD now believes that Apple will hold a press event first week in March, with the iPad 3/iPad 2S/iPad Super Epic Edition being made available for purchase soon after. If the iPad 2 release is any kind of indicator, we wouldn't expect to have to wait any longer than two weeks from the announcement before queuing up to buy one.

As is always the case, Apple refused to comment on the speculation, though it is an open secret that the next generation iPad is very much on the horizon...

New Vonage iOS App Promises 30% Lower Rates Than Skype

Oliver Haslam ∙ February 8, 2012

Vonage has come out fighting in its ongoing battle with the king of VoIP, Skype. The company has just released a new iOS app along with a low calling rate that is sure to put the frighteners on Skype.

Available to download for free right now, the Vonage app allows VoIP calls between Vonage users across iOS and Android as well as cheap calls to traditional landlines, too.

Vonage claims to be 70% cheaper than traditional telcos, and 30% cheaper than Skype...