Oliver Haslam

Do Unread Notification Numbers on Your iPhone Drive You Insane?

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 16, 2012

Our iPhones are constantly demanding our attention with little bings, bongs and flashy lights. Apple's addition of Notification Center in iOS 5 has only heightened the need to keep your iPhone's notifications in check, but just how much so?

I sit here now, looking at an iPhone homescreen with no less than ten, yes ten different little red bubbles telling me there is something I need to do. Something that apparently needs my attention before the world falls into some kind of disorganized chaos that can only result in it falling off its axis.

Or something like that...

Batman’s iPad-Inspired Bike is Awesome!

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

All kinds of weird and wonderful things pop up at CES, and this year's event was no different. Possibly the most off-the-wall thing we've come across has to be this custom bike, put together by Mark Abate.

If Batman had a bike made that featured an iPad and two LCD panels where the mirrors used to be, then we are fairly certain this is what it would look like! If neon lights and huge speakers aren't enough to get your juices flowing, just look at the size of those tires...

Why I’m a Fan of Technology, Not Just Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 14, 2012

This year's CES seems to have raised an interesting question, and it's one that I've pondered myself on occasion. It's an issue that often comes around whenever there is a trade show that Apple does not attend, so that's basically all of them these days.

Take the recent CES as an example. Apple has not attended, and that has led many Apple blogs and fans to take a dim view upon anything and everything that has taken place. What it boils down to is this: if Apple doesn't do it, it must be rubbish. Pointless, even. Why would anyone be even remotely interested?

So the question is this: why do some people seem to be such diehard Apple fans, or even that awful term "fanboys," that they just cannot seem to appreciate anything that comes out of a company that doesn't have a half-eaten fruit on its masthead...

App Store Apps Now Show “Quick Look” Previews in iTunes

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 14, 2012

Apple's iTunes is far from ideal as a home for the App Store, but we've made do with it for so long that it just sort of feels like home. Apple has made a subtle change to the way iTunes displays app information on a computer.

Until now, the only way to see an app's description was to click it and wait for iTunes to refresh itself and display the app's own page. Now things are a little less clunky, with a new preview option added to app listings.

Easily Pair Your iPhone With Your Mac’s Keyboard

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 10, 2017

If you are the kind of person who likes to use a real keyboard with your iPhone or iPod touch every once in a while, you'll probably be acutely aware just how much of a pain it can be to have to manually pair your device with the keyboard every time you use it.

Obviously, that situation only crops up if you use your keyboard with a computer as well. But what if you could just plug your iPhone in and have it connect with one keystroke. No pairing, no messing.

A new keyboard from Matias offers just that...

Mole Kart is a Mario Kart Clone That Won’t Last Long in the App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. We love Mario Kart as much as anyone, we grew up with it in various incarnations across all manner of devices, which is why this is even more maddening.

Mole Kart, available for download from Apple's App Store right now, is what can best be described as a Mario Kart clone. That is, it's basically Mario Kart, but without the buttery smooth animations and Nintendo charm. We are not talking about Mole Kart being similar in that it's karts racing around a track, either. Mole Kart is so similar to Mario Kart that if you have played the Wii version of the game then you'll already know the tracks involved in this iOS clone.

It's that much of a rip-off...

Use Your iPad as a Board Game With GameChanger

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

The iPad has more than a few accessories already, but we've not seen one quite like this and, to be honest, we don't really know what to think about it.

Shown off at this year's CES, the GameChanger by Identity Games gives gamers a way to turn a $500 iPad into a board game, which sounds both awesome and incredibly boring at the same time. The idea is simple: use the board as the main game board with the iPad providing digital interaction, either asking questions or providing other uses.

The iPad connects to the GameChanger using its dock connector, giving the game board a connection with allows it to feed information back to the tablet. This allows the game app to tailor the experience according to where pieces are on the game board, for example...

Shazam Player iPhone App Adds a Touch of Lyrics to Your Music

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Shazam made its name as a music recognition engine, helping users find tracks based on the music that was being played at a club, on TV, or just about anywhere. The software was one of the first in the App Store, and certainly one of the biggest success stories of its generation.

As the years have passed the app has seen new features added, and the download numbers have continued to increase. Now the team behind that app has released a new, improved music solution called Shazam Player, and we're going to go ahead and assume it's going to be just as popular as its older brother.

Shazam Player is built to completely replace the iOS music player, taking over music playback duties and adding in that Shazam magic, with social aspects thrown in for good measure.

Sony to Bring Music Unlimited Service to iOS

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 11, 2012

Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, and even iTunes itself could be set to get some new competition later this quarter, according to Venturebeat, with the news that Sony is set to join the already burgeoning music streaming market with a new iOS app in the works.

Sony's "Music Unlimited" service offers music lovers a way to listen to tracks using a subscription model, with streaming music being the order of the day. The iOS app that is expected to be released during the next three months will support offline playback via caching, just as the competition does, negating the need for a constant internet connection.

The Music Unlimited service currently comes in two monthly flavors: a $3.99 basic option and a $9.99 premium one, with the latter offering unlimited playback and more advanced features...

TomTom’s New App Uses Twitter and Facebook to Help You Navigate

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

TomTom is obviously one of the biggest players in the navigation business, and with standalone devices selling alongside the company's mobile apps, it's also one of the most dominant.

Not happy to rest on its laurels, TomTom has been showing off a new version of its popular iOS app at this year's CES, and it's a little different. Namely, this incarnation uses social networks like never before, with Twitter and Facebook being used to actually help with navigation.

Version 1.10 of the current TomTom apps will take in the new social features, with abilities such as navigating to recent checkins on a network being added throughout the app. Notifications of expected arrival times and more can also be shared the other way, keeping your friends and family up to date on proceedings...

Call of Duty Elite For iOS Now Available for Download

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

If you're a Call of Duty Elite subscriber and happen to have an iPhone, then today is a big day for you, because Activision's accompanying iPhone app has now made its way to the App Store.

Call of Duty fans will be able to check their career stats, formulate strategies, and change weapon loudouts on the fly, all from the comfort of their iPhone.

The free Call of Duty Elite app allows gamers to make alterations that can be pushed straight into the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game, meaning players are always ready for action.

After 3 Months of Siri, Do You Actually Use It?

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 10, 2012

With the latest news that Apple may be bringing at least the dictation part of Siri to other iOS devices in iOS 5.1, I got to thinking how much I actually use Siri on my iPhone 4S. The answer is both surprising and yet unsurprising at the same time.

When Apple first launched the iPhone 4S, Siri was hailed as a technological marvel; a real way of interacting with a device using the power of our voices in a way that resembled real language, not a set of canned commands that needed to be spoken in the right order. The theory was great, but it hasn't really panned out yet.