Oliver Haslam

Foxconn closes iPhone 5 plant after mass brawl

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 24, 2012

Apple's relationship with Foxconn is already under scrutiny, but the iPhone maker is set to be posed yet more questions about working conditions after the news that a 2,000 person brawl erupted at one of its factories.

The Taiyuan facility was closed by Foxconn after a fight broke out about an apparently non-work related matter. Reports suggest that things escalated however once guards and factory workers began to fight.

Reports also suggest that around 40 people have been injured as a result of the disturbance...

AT&T awards young girl $20,000 for creating anti-texting while driving app

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 22, 2012

We all know these days that sending text messages while driving is a pretty bad idea. Raising awareness of the risks is always a worthwhile exercise though, and doing just that is what has earned one 11-year old girl a cool $20,000.

As part of a hackathon last month, the young lady created a concept mobile app that hopes to raise awareness for the "It Can Wait" campaign. This led AT&T to award the prize of $20k for the creation.

Not bad for a kid...

iOS 6 adoption rate twice as fast as iOS 5 after two days

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Despite claims by some that iOS 6 is less than a stellar update, it seems Apple's latest release of its mobile operating system is being adopted quickly by users of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.

New figures released to Techcrunch by analytics firm Apsalar, show that iOS 6 is proving more and more popular as time progresses, with the adoption rate after two full days of availability being a healthy 20%. That's up 5 points from after day one.

Perhaps more telling is the fact that iOS 6 sees an adoption rate of double that seen by iOS 5 after the same period...

Starbucks to update its iOS app for Passbook by month’s end

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

Been wondering when you would be able to take your shiny new iPhone into a Starbucks and use Passbook to pay for your grande skinny vanilla latte? Well, wonder no more.

We've just spied a Twitter update from the company itself in which we learn that an iOS 6 compatible version of the app, complete with Passbook support, will be with us by the end of the month!

What's more, Starbucks even added a little bit of geekery to proceedings by signing off with a spot of binary code, just for the lolz...

NYPD: Register your iPhone and we’ll track it down faster

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

There is nothing worse than having your property stolen, whether that be an iPhone, an iPad or anything else. Getting it back may not repair all the damage, but it certainly goes some way to helping.

If you went to New York's 5th Avenue flagship Apple Store, then you may have seen some of the cities finest, the NYPD, suggesting that new iPhone owners register their latest purchases with them. The reason? To help get hardware back to the rightful owners should the need arise.

In a day and age where Find My iPhone has already proven to be hugely popular in helping to retrieve stolen property, there's no reason not to add another string to your iPhone-retrieving bow...

O2 employee hunted over $240,000 worth of stolen iPhone 5

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 21, 2012

Today may be the big day for many awaiting Apple's iPhone 5, but buyers at one of UK carrier's O2 stores were left disappointed after £150,000 (around $240,000) worth of iPhone 5 were stolen before they could be handed out to eager purchasers.

The O2 store, located in London, had 252 brand new iPhone 5 handsets go missing around 1:30am, with the authorities hunting a man in connection with the theft.

A 23 year-old O2 worker is believed to be the man behind the disappearing iPhones, with cash from the store's safe also missing, according to reports...

Apple updates iCloud for Windows to version 2.0

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 20, 2012

A fan of Apple's iCloud but happen to be tied to Microsoft's Windows? No problem, because Apple has just updated its iCloud for Windows app to version 2.0, just in time for the iPhone 5.

With iCloud offering syncing capabilities across iOS devices as well as Macs, Windows users need not be left in the cold thanks to Apple's software which seeks to bring the iCloud features to those not sporting a Mac.

The release, bringing iCloud for Windows up to version 2.0, brings iOS 6 compatibility to the game just in time for the next generation iPhone to be unleashed upon the masses...

Kickstarter foldable iPhone keyboard pushes all the right buttons

Oliver Haslam ∙ July 8, 2012

We've brought you plenty of Kickstarter projects over the years. Some iPhone related, some iPad related, and a few of them have been keyboards, too. This particular keyboard though has something of a party trick, with the Spike iPhone case and keyboard combination allowing owners to fold the buttons around to the back for when they are not in use.

Costing around $50 for the premium model, the case and keyboard combo needs to reach $75,000 in order to be fully funded, and is expected to begin shipping around October time.

Don't worry though, you've still got 34 days in order to get your pledge in...

File sharing just turned professional with Agora Briefcase

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Sharing files is nothing new. In fact, it has been around since the birth of the internet and has even managed to change the course of an entire industry in the case of the music business. Sharing files across multiple devices and people is an important part of our lives, and the iPad is now part of that.

While Dropbox is undoubtedly extremely useful for most of us, Mighty Mack decided that keeping sharing important files and documents amongst professionals needed to offer something a little different, and that's when Agora Briefcase was born.

Made specifically with professional use cases in mind, Agora Briefcase helps people who just don't quite fit into the Dropbox way of doing things...

HTC vows to fill its patent vault to aid its battle with Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 14, 2012

Once was a time when companies would do battle at the tills, but those days are now long gone. Nowadays however, it seems battles in the courtroom are much more commonplace than good old product lines butting heads, fighting it out for the customer's hard earned money.

HTC, in the middle of a legal spat with iPhone maker Apple, is about to take to the patent office in order to gain the upper hand over the company that is also going after the likes of Samsung.

The news that HTC will be fleshing out its patent portfolio comes after chairwoman Cher Wang vowed that the company would file more patents for its technology in order to protect itself from Apple's own legal shenanigans...

Libon Voicefeed is like Google Voice for those who can’t use Google Voice

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 28, 2017

Google Voice is an exceptional tool, but the problem is that it just isn't available worldwide. If, like some of the iDB team, you happen to have the audacity to live outside the United States, then you are completely out of luck.

While Google promises that Google Voice is indeed on its way beyond American borders, there are alternatives out there that do the same thing, and if you're an iPhone owner, one of those alternatives is Libon Voicefeed from developer Orange Vallee.

A free download from the App Store and compatible with a wide range of mobile phone carriers across the world, Libon Voicefeed plugs the hole left by Google's reluctance, or inability, to bring Voice to the world. And it does a very good job of it, too...

Spending time with Kickstarter’s Touchtype iPad & keyboard case

Oliver Haslam ∙ June 6, 2012

Not too long ago we told you about a new Kickstarter project that caught our eye. Called the Touchtype, the project offered up a new type of iPad case that really piqued our interest.

More than just an iPad case, the Touchtype promised to offer a safe home for not just your tablet, but also an accompanying Apple wireless keyboard. If you've ever wanted to leave your hefty MacBook Pro at home when popping down to the coffee shop to do a little work, then the Touchtype aimed to make using your iPad for work a real possibility.

The thing is, and as we have all witnessed before, Kickstarter projects all look great when asking for money, but what about the finished article? We have been lucky enough to spend some time with a shipping version of the Touchtype, and we don't think you'll be disappointed...