Oliver Haslam

Amazon Skirts the App Store by Launching Kindle Store Web App For the iPad

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Amazon has launched a new web interface for its Kindle store, completely bypassing Apple's in-app purchasing system for items that are bought through App Store apps.

The original Kindle app for iOS included links to its own Kindle web store. Apple took offence to this move by Amazon, leading to Amazon removing the links for fear of having the entire app pulled from the App Store for violating Apple's guidelines. From that point on, anyone wanting to buy Kindle books on an iOS device had to reach the store manually, with no mention of it inside the Kindle app.

Check out the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 for iPhone and iPad

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 10, 2012

If you're a gadget freak, then the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is going to blow your socks off, just like the first version did twelve months ago.

Shown off at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the AR.Drone 2.0 takes what was already a super cool and easy to fly iPhone-controlled quadricopter, and somehow manages to make it even more amazing. Featuring a new 720p HD camera and new flying aids, the 2.0 release of our favorite flying machine just took iPhone-related toys to the next level while keeping it just one step ahead of the competition.

Oh, and it now works with the iPad, too...

New iCade Models Shown Off at CES 2012

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 9, 2012

We're big fans of the Ion Audio iCade here at iDB, so when we heard that the company had announced three new models, we took notice!

Building on the huge popularity of the original iPad-supporting iCade, these three new models build on what has already been done, while bringing the magic of iCade to the iPhone and iPod touch at the same time.

If you're a fan of arcade games and own an iOS device, then Ion Audio has you covered with an arcade stick solution...

Microsoft Admits that Windows Phone 7 Was a Response to the iPhone

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 9, 2012

Microsoft has for the first time admitted that it completely redesigned its Windows Phone 7 smartphone operating system because of the way Apple had changed the market with the iPhone's release back in 2007.

Speaking to The New York Times, Microsoft's Jim Belfiore admitted that Apple "created a sea change" when the iPhone was introduced, and that Microsoft was forced to come up with something unique in order to compete with Apple's new smartphone.

In December 2008 a team at Microsoft sat down and, after a marathon seven-hour meeting, decided that the only course of action was to complete redesign their mobile OS from the ground up. The result is the Windows Phone 7 we see today...

Netflix Goes Live in the UK App Store

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 9, 2012

The revolution has begun, and this time it will be televised. Well, more streamed than anything, but why let accuracy get in the way of a good opening line?

Netflix today launched its video on-demand service in the United Kingdom, which in turn means that Brits can now watch movies and TV shows via the service on their iPads, iPhones, iPod touches and Apple TVs, along with the myriad other solutions that US users have been enjoying for years.

UK customers can receive a free trial for one month, and then they are expected to stump up £5.99 ($9.30) per month after that, which compares favorably with the $9.99 fee for Americans...

Developer Shows How iOS Handles Multitasking [Video]

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 9, 2012

Everyone seems to be talking about iOS and how it handles it's own particular brand of multitasking right now, and things have gotten rather heated.

With many high-profile developers and commentators reiterating that iOS handles multitasking fine just by itself, and some Apple Geniuses seemingly adamant that running apps should be closed manually in order to free up memory, one developer has been particularly outspoken. Fraser Speirs has already written a lengthy blog post on the subject, but now he has released an even longer video explaining just how iOS handles memory usage when multitasking.

The upshot? It turns out that iOS is actually pretty darned clever...

Apple Set for Legal Battle over iBook Piracy in China

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 10, 2017

As if Apple's lawyers don't have enough on their plate right now, it appears that they will soon be needing to hop on a plane and head to China, with a new legal bruhaha brewing.

Apple is now being asked for $1.88 million dollars, with a collection of Chinese authors claiming that 37 of their works are being distributed illegally on the iBookstore – Apple's Kindle competitor.

As if to add insult to injury, Apple has been taking its customary 30% of all sales in the store, effectively receiving money thanks to pirated materials...

iOS Developer Bypasses the App Store and Sells Games on eBay

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

If there was ever any proof needed that the App Store is not always laced with gold and rainbows, then this is surely it!

Disappointed with the attention that two of its games were receiving, both the paid for and free versions of Cannon Collision, LLLo Inc. has made the source code and all associated graphics available via auction using the ever-popular eBay.

With the paid-for version of Cannon Collision currently retailing for a dollar, and the free version sporting ads, if anyone is looking to get their feet wet in the world of iOS games development, then this might be a place to start.

iPhone 4S Still Top-Seller for Sprint, Verizon and AT&T During December

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

December was another great month for iPhone sales, according to research by Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley and his crack team of number crunchers, with all three major US carriers seeing the new iPhone 4S top their sales charts.

Two months after its initial release on Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon, the iPhone 4S is still the best-seller for all three of the carriers that offer the handset in the United States, with two Android phones helping make up the top three, the Samsung Galaxy S II and the newer Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Less surprisingly, the top-selling tablet device in the United States was the iPad 2, with the cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire being its nearest competitor. We expect the tablet landscape to alter during 2012 however, with more Android and Windows 8 machines offering more competition for Apple's device...

iPhone Usage Dropped Almost 5% During December

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 7, 2012

Despite what is sure to be a record-breaking month for Apple's iPhone sales, it appears that the handset's usage share may have actually fallen by almost 5%, if new figures are to be believed.

Advertising network Chikita has released data based on the number of ad impressions across its network while highlighting the top smartphone makers in the arena, with the iPhone seeing a reduction in its share during December.

The big gains came from Android-loving HTC and Samsung during the same period...

Rumor: iPad 3 to Arrive in March with iPad 4 Joining in October

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 6, 2012

There's no outrunning the rumor-mill, especially when the world is expecting a new iPhone or iPad just around the corner. While we're barely coming down after the whole iPhone 5 craziness that surrounded the iPhone 4S release, it's fair to say that we are now well and truly in iPad-silly season.

That said, we never expected to hear something like this report. According to the infamous Digitimes, Apple could be set to bring an iPad 3 to market as soon as March, only to follow that up with the release of the iPad 4 seven months later in October.

Citing component suppliers, Digitimes believes that the two-pronged attack is designed to stave off the impending influx of both new Android tablets and the release of Windows 8 machines later in the year.

Here’s a Steve Jobs-Inspired iPhone SJ Concept

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Antonio De Rosa has come up with yet another awesome iPhone concept, a handset he called the iPhone SJ because it was inspired by the late Steve Jobs.

Shown off in all its glory at De Rosa's ADR Studio website, the concept takes the existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S body and reinvents it, creating a gorgeous concept that even Jony Ive himself would be pleased to call his own.

While the specs are not the biggest thing here, De Rosa speculates that the concept could come packed with a dual-core A6 chip and a 10 megapixel camera. That's probably not too far from what we would expect Apple to put inside the iPhone 5...