mQuickDo Brings App Switching to the iPhone (+10 Promo Codes)

by Sebastien on Sep 8, 2009

When I first heard and tried mQuickDo, I wasn’t really impressed at all. First, the description didn’t highlight the real benefits of this application because the developers sell it as a “virtual home and power buttons for the iPhone”. What the hell does that mean? Exactly! I tried mQuickDo and was very confused about what it did and how it worked. I quickly gave up on this app without giving it much more thoughts.

Then last week I read an article by fellow iPhone blogger Patrick Jordan at JAIB. Patrick’s article described mQuickDo as what it really is: an app switcher for the iPhone. This is what really made me think twice about this app, and ultimately led me to give it another shot.

Originally, mQuickDo lets you set up gestures to perform predefined actions (ie. slide left to right to close an opened application; or slide right to left to shut off the phone, etc…) but to be honest with you, I think this is kinda useless.

The real power and most exciting feature about mQuickDo is the App Switcher. As its name suggests, the app switcher allows you to quickly switch between apps. You have to tweak the settings to customize the gestures to trigger the app switching, but once you got it to work properly, this is a real time-saver.

I have to admit that it takes time to get used to some of the gestures. To make it easier, I set up mQuickDo to launch the app switcher for all the predefined gestures, which means I am not using any of the other features of mQuickDo, but as I said above, I find them useless anyways.

It’s hard to explain what mQuickDo actually does but this demo will show exactly how it works.

As you can see, the app switcher feature is pretty awesome. Add Backgrounder to this and you actually get a productivity booster that will allow you to multi-task and really get the most out of your iPhone.

mQuickDo is available from Cydia and comes with a 3-day trial period. After that, it will cost you $7.99 if you want to keep it. Although a little pricey, I still think mQuickDo is a must-have application and it undoubtedly makes it in my Top 10 list of favorite applications.

The developers of mQuickDo were kind enough to provide us with 10 promo codes for our loyal blog readers.

How to Win

You have to do 2 things to win one of the 10 promo codes:

10 winners will be randomly selected and will be notified on Twitter sometimes next week.

Good luck :)

 

Tweetie’s “Secure Connection Failed” Is Driving Me Nuts

by Sebastien on Sep 7, 2009

I am a big Twitter user and I do most of my tweeting using Tweetie, which is my favorite Twitter app for iPhone. Recently I’ve been getting the same error more and more often and it’s getting very annoying: Secure Connection Failed.

I dug a bit into the problem and found out that I am not the only one having this Secure Connection Failed issue. Tweetie’s account on Twitter says that “it’s a problem on Twitter’s end, they’re tracking it down now” and they suggest that anyone who gets this error sends their IP address to contact@atebits.com.

First, I don’t believe the problem is on Twitter’s end. If it was, other iPhone Twitter app would have the same issue. Second, how am I supposed to email them my IP address when the problem mostly appears over 3G, which means I have a different IP address every time I make a data connection?

This problem has been going on for the past few weeks and it seems it’s getting worse. It’s really disappointing that Ate Bits, the developers of Tweetie, are not taking a more proactive role in this matter. I don’t expect much from a free app, but when I pay $3 for an application, I expect it to work flawlessly.

Have you guys encountered this issue as well? If you don’t use Tweetie, what Twitter application do you use? Is your iPhone jailbroken?

Update: Looking a the reactions on Twitter, it is clear that this problem also appears on other Twitter apps. My apologies to Ate Bits for thinking they were not doing their best. The problems does seem to come from Twitter itself after all.

 

Weekly Wrapup: Apple, MMS, Cool Themes, and More…

by Sebastien on Sep 6, 2009

If you missed any of the articles we posted this week, here is a quick wrapup for you.

Apple taking crap from everyone

It seems that I’m not the only one getting tired of Apple. I recommend you read the full article and watch the video.

New iPod coming up

Apple has finally confirmed the long-rumored event to be held on September 9, in San Francisco.

10 original and beautiful iPhone themes

Within the past few weeks, I have been selecting several beautiful and original iPhone themes that I’d like to share with you today.

How to rob and Apple Store in 31 seconds

23 MacBook Pro, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod Touch stolen in 31 seconds. You think you can do better?

It’s official, MMS coming to the iPhone on September 25

According to a press release, we should get MMS on September 25.

Too much iPhone is hurting me (and others)

For the last few months, I’ve noticed a slight pain in my right hand (the hand I use to hold my iPhone).

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2009/08/31/apple-under-fire/
 

My iPhone is Crippling Me

by Sebastien on Sep 5, 2009

I use my iPhone all day. From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, I probably have my iPhone in my hand for at least 3-4 hours. That includes reading the news several times throughout the day, replying to urgent emails, Twittering, etc… I guess it’s worth noting that I rarely use my iPhone as a phone. I am not much of a phone guy.

For the last few months, I’ve noticed a slight pain in my right hand (the hand I use to hold my iPhone). It’s getting to the point where I had to buy a wrist brace, which helps a lot but doesn’t solve the problem.

This will sound a little intense to the casual iPhone user but I’m sure (I hope) some of you will have the same problem. If so, what are you doing about it?

 

MMS Finally Coming to the iPhone On September 25

by Sebastien on Sep 4, 2009

Ladies and gentleman, after months of waiting and bitching, AT&T is finally bringing MMS to the iPhone masses. According to a press release, we should get MMS on September 25.

We know many of our iPhone customers are eager for an update on our rollout schedule for Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). We’ve been working for the past several months to prepare our systems and network to ensure the best possible experience with MMS when it launches – and that launch date is: September 25 for iPhone 3G and 3GS customers. MMS will be enabled through a software update on that day.

Ok, so I was half right in my prediction. I said MMS would come via a firmware update around September 10. Well, close enough…

Now as you notice MMS will be only available for iPhone 3G and 3GS. If you have an iPhone 2G, then screw you! No seriously, if you have a first generation iPhone, you can still use this hack to enable MMS.

As for tethering… What tethering? AT&T didn’t deem it necessary to make any announcement and I guess it still plans to make this feature available “at a later date” which may be anytime between now and the end of times…

How do you feel about that?

 

How to Rob an Apple Store in 31 Seconds or Less

by Sebastien on Sep 3, 2009

This looks like the video of a SWAT team in action! 31 seconds is all it took to these 5 bandits to steal not less than 23 MacBook Pro, 14 iPhones and 9 iPod Touch. As often in these cases, the security guard appeared to be completely useless.

If you have any info about the guys who did this, you can call the police at 856-983-1118 or the confidential tip line at 856-988-4699. Now if you really know who did this, maybe you can hook me up with a cheap MacBook Pro? I’m kidding…

 

10 Beautiful and Original iPhone Themes

by Sebastien on Sep 2, 2009

One of the main reasons to jailbreak your iPhone is that it allows you to add custom themes and make it stand out from the crowd of blend and boring iPhones out there. Using WinterBoard you can customize the look of your iPhone, including icons, wallpaper, dock, etc… You can literally spend hours creating and tweaking themes to make them unique, and original.

Within the past few weeks, I have been selecting several beautiful and original iPhone themes that I’d like to share with you today. More after the break… Read More

 

New iPod to be Unveiled Next Week?

by Sebastien on Sep 1, 2009

Apple has finally confirmed the long-rumored event to be held on September 9, in San Francisco. The image above is the “official” image used on the invitations sent out by Apple. For some reason, I haven’t received my invite yet. I assume it was lost in the mail ;)

Last week, I predicted that a new iPod will be unveiled at this event and that Apple will make firmware 3.1 available. I also predicted that MMS will be available around that time.

I’d like to hear what YOU would like Apple to announce at this event? A new iPhone? A tablet? A spaceship?

 
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