Oliver Haslam

The iPad 3 Wishlist

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

The iPad 3 hysteria is reaching a fever pitch, and even I am getting swept up in the excitement. So much so that I just sat down and made a short list of the things I would most like to see Apple add to its next tablet device.

Before I unleash my list upon the unsuspecting masses, I must reiterate that I do know that some of these are never going to happen, but that's kind of the fun of a wishlist, right? Asking for things that would be mind-bendlingly awesome but are almost impossible, or just highly improbable.

With that out of the way, onwards we go to my iPad 3 feature wishlist...

Apple Patent Suggests New Thinner Batteries on the Way

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

A new Apple patent application to be released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest that our future MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and iPads could get even thinner thanks to improved batteries.

When building a portable device one of the most important parts is the battery. Too small and your device will not have enough power to last a reasonable length of time. Too big and you risk making the device too large as well as making it unnecessarily heavy.

This new patent application shows that Apple is well aware of the need for improved battery technology, and it seems it might be on to something...

German Court Scuppers Samsung’s 3G Patent Lawsuit Against Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

With Samsung and Apple locked in the middle of so many lawsuits these days, it can be difficult to keep up, but the latest movement in the saga sees the Korean smartphone maker receive a black-eye after a German court rejected one of its patent claims.

Samsung had claimed that Apple infringed upon one of its patents which pertained to 3G/UMTS technology and took the matter to the German courts. One of seven such claimed infringements, this one in particular has met an early death, with Germany's Mannheim Regional Court rejecting Samsung's claim of patent infringement.

Judge Andreas Voss made the decision although the reasons for it are currently a little opaque, with FOSS Patents left to venture a guess...

Siri Patent Hints at More to Come from Apple’s Digital Assistant

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 19, 2012

If you've been reading the various editorials that we have been publishing of late then you'll probably already know that not all of us here at iDB are big fans of Siri. While some see it as a real paradigm shift, others think it has fallen short of its potential.

A new patent application may give an insight into where Siri could go from its current beta state however, and things look set to improve.

One possibility to come out of the patent is one which could see Siri, or software like it, react to external events and take appropriate action upon them...

AT&T Announces New Data Plans

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 18, 2012

AT&T announced today new data plans for customers who take out contracts starting this coming Sunday.

The new plans replace the existing $15 and $25 plans and are built to reflect the increased amount of data AT&T's customers are apparently using. Existing customers can keep their existing plans should they wish, and all new contracts taken out from Sunday will automatically use the new plans, according to the carrier...

iPads Being Switched for Clay at Some Canadian Retail Outlets

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

As is the case with any desirable piece of technology, the iPad has been the unfortunate subject of more than a few scams in its time, and a new one has come to light in Canada recently.

According to reports, some unlucky buyers have picked up new iPad 2 units from some Best Buy, Future Shop, Walmart and London Drugs stores only to find that the boxes do not actually contain iPads as expected, but rather a giant grey slab of modelling clay.

It's not even a nice color...

Should the iPhone Mute Switch Really Mute Everything?

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 18, 2012

Right now it seems everyone who's ever laid eyes on an iPhone is in the middle of a giant discussion about the same thing, and it's showing no sign of abating.

The discussion of which I speak is, predictably, the one revolving around the behavior of the infamous mute switch on Apple's iPhone. Namely: should it mute everything, or should certain alerts still sound as normal?

This discussion recently came to the fore after one unfortunate fellow found himself the center of attention during a music event in which his iPhone decided to cheerfully sound an alarm, despite the handset being supposedly muted. The result? The whole performance was halted. Oops...

Samsung Wants Apple to Reveal Its Contract with Qualcomm

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

Samsung has requested details of the contract between iPad and iPhone maker Apple and the company which provides the chipsets for those machines, Qualcomm.

With Samsung currently locked in a legal battle with Apple over the Cupertino firm's possible patent infringement, the nature of the deal between them and Qualcomm could leave Apple almost immune from Samsung's claims.

If Qualcomm has licensed its technology to Apple directly then the company effectively has the same deal as Samsung, meaning "Apple's buying Qualcomm chips is as good as paying for the patents" and neutralizing any litigation in the process...

What AT&T’s Data Throttling Means to its Customers

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 17, 2012

You probably remember how AT&T last year began throttling the top 5% of its data users with the aim of offering a more stable data connection to the rest of its users, but what does that actually mean in the real world?

While AT&T no-longer offers an unlimited plan there are plenty of iPhone users who have been allowed to keep their old unlimited plan as part of their upgrades only to receive an SMS saying they have been throttled. The question is, what does that throttling actually mean?

AppAdvice decided to put that to the test, and they've compiled a video showing the affects a throttled AT&T 3G connection can have on the most basic of iPhone tasks...

Add Calling and Messaging Shortcuts to Your Home Screen with QuickContact

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 17, 2012

The current trend of finding ways to get icons on an iOS device's Home screen with the intent of creating shortcuts for actions is nothing new. It was originally one of the big jailbreak advantages, and now it's back. This time, you don't need to jailbreak anything.

QuickContact is the latest in a long line of apps that offer the user a way to create shortcuts on the Home screen, and now sending SMS messages and making phone calls are the order of the day.

The best part about this is the fact it's not actually an app at all, but rather a web app.

NES Controller Made to Work with iCade-Enabled Games

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 17, 2012

There are few things cooler than playing old arcade games on an iPad, but playing them with on an iPad using a NES controller is certainly one of them.

That's exactly what blogger and DIY-er Paul Rickards did, and the results are pretty impressive, to say the least.

Using some LEGO and a little bit of magic, Rickards can now play iCade-enabled games using one of Nintendo's old NES controllers, just as those of us old enough to remember the golden age of gaming would have in the olden days...

iOS Battery Update: iOS 5.1 Beta 3

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 16, 2012

A week after the release of iOS 5.1 beta 3 the biggest question that seems to be getting asked repeatedly is one that we have become accustomed to ever since the release of iOS 5, back in October. Yes, you guessed it – is the battery life any better yet?

We have been talking about battery life in iOS quite a bit since the issue first reared its ugly head, and we've discovered that it isn't just an iPhone 4S issue, but rather something Apple changed in iOS 5. Since then the company has issued a full update in iOS 5.0.1 and a series of iOS 5.1 betas, but has the latest improved things any? Can we expect to get back to iOS 4.x-levels of battery life?

Well, no, not really...