Mike Schnier

Winocm developing iOS 6.X to iOS 5.1.1 downgrade, includes A5+ devices

Winocm tweeted today that he was working on a method for downgrading from iOS 6 to 5.1.1 that will work on all devices. This is noteworthy as downgrades on most A5+ devices were either difficult, in the case of the iPad 2, or not possible in Redsn0w once Apple stopped signing the iOS 5 firmware.

Winocm is known for his work in PS3 firmware hacking and contributes tweaks such as CameraConnector to Cydia under the name 'rms'. Winocm seems to be working on a lot of projects: A day before the downgrade tweet, Winocm posted a video of linux booting up on an iPhone 4 to YouTube (pictured above)...

ZodTTD resumes work on n64ios

If you're an avid retro gamer like myself, you probably snagged the $1.99 preview build of n64iOS on Cydia, hoping to enjoy classic titles. Unfortunately, in it's current state, the N64 emulator for iOS is more of a tech demo than a working emulator. Although games run at near-playable speeds on hardware as old as the iPhone 4, the many graphical glitches combined with the jumbled control scheme make most games unplayable.

Shortly after the emulator was last updated in May, ZodTTD posted on Twitter that there would be an update which would revamp the entire UI, including the ROM manager and the wonky controls. Since then, there has been no new release of n64iOS. That may be changing soon: According to a recent conversation with Will Strafach, ZodTTD is once again working on n64iOS.

Don’t want crowdsourced reviews? Scoopt lets your closest friends share their recommendations

Want to find restaurants and bars you'll like but are tired of getting reviews that the stores likely posted themselves? The problem with traditional crowdsourcing is the service tends to be anonymous, and you will get reviews from people who don't necessarily share your tastes.

Scoopt has a different crowdsourcing philosophy. It's an app that is designed to help you connect "with your favorite people's favorite places". Instead of comprehensive reviews from strangers, Scoopt gives you quick recommendations from friends you trust...

How to write longer tweets with TweetAmplius

Do you have lots of contacts in Twitter, but aren't crazy about limiting your tweets to 140 characters? Do you you use tweet expander services and URL shorteners, and find they're more hassle than they're worth?

TweetAmplius is a jailbreak tweak that takes your plus-sized tweets and automatically runs them through Pastie, Instapaper, and the URL shortener 'is.gd'. The tweak plugs into the official Twitter app, as well as Tweetbot, if you prefer. TweetAmplius provides a seamless long tweet experience in iOS...

Jailbreak developer says 7 out of 8 users pirated his Remote Messages app

Remote Messages is a jailbreak tweak that allows users to access full SMS and iMessage functionality on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S from a desktop browser. It's a clever utility that allows the iPhone to run as a server, which creates a chat window front-end on desktop browsers. This front-end comes complete with support for profile pictures, attachments, and Emoji icons, as well as for sending and receiving texts. This utility is especially handy if you like to have your phone connected to a stereo away from your desk or if you prefer typing with a full keyboard and screen.

Unfortunately, it seems the $4.99 app is mostly popular with pirates. According to a Reddit thread by the developer, 7 out of 8 installs of Remote Messages are pirated copies...

How to install MAME ROMs on a non-jailbroken device with Gridlee

As we reported on Saturday, Gridlee is a freeware arcade game from 1982 which was re-released on the iTunes App Store by David Loureiro. This would have been unremarkable, if Gridlee was a straight port from the source code and if it wasn't actually powered by an up-to-date and fully featured version of MAME4iOS Reloaded.

This means if you have a program capable of tunneling into the iOS file-system through USB, you can once again have a working version of MAME on a non-jailbroken device, complete with your own ROM images. As I can't think of anyone who would legitimately want to play Gridlee on an iPad, this was likely an intentional attempt to sneak the emulator back into the App Store, so we're guessing Apple won't be hosting the file for too long. Grab it while you can...

Quipio adds artistic quotes to iPhone photos in under 60 seconds

You've probably seen beautifully captioned photos floating around Facebook and Tumblr, and thought you'd try your hand at making some of your own. The problem with making typography look good over a photo is it takes a bit of effort and design sense, so it's not for everybody. Or so we thought.

Quipio is a recently released app that allows users to make their own captions for their photos. If you just have some idea you'd like to share, Quipio can also take up to 400 characters of text and turn it into a simple piece of word art in less than a minute...

Pin Lock screen reminders to a non-jailbroken iPhone with ‘Task Paper’

We know that some of our readers who updated to iOS 6, or those of you who upgraded to the iPhone 5, get annoyed when we feature jailbreak tweaks. In for each article about tweaks we get at least one comment along the lines of, "Why are you covering tweaks when there's no jailbreak!?!" It's totally understandable, since you can't take advantage of all the awesome tweaks we've showcased. Lucky for you, the clever developers at Renegade Apps have found a way to add functionality to the Lock screen without relying on MobileSubstrate.

Task Paper (not to be confused with the similarly named TaskPaper) is a to-do list app, available in iTunes, that allows users to create persistent Lock screen reminders through generated wallpapers. These wallpapers provide functionality similar to the Reminders+ tweak, all without a jailbreak...

Joypad Legacy turns your iPhone into a retro game controller for Mac and PC

Want to play retro-style games on your Mac or PC, but don't have a controller handy? While we wouldn't recommend using touch screen controls for every game, if you're in need of a quick retro fix you can download Joypad Legacy for your iPhone and quickly play retro games with 'classic' controls.

Joypad Legacy comes in two parts: the first part is the controller app for your iPhone that comes with layouts for NES, GBA, SNES, Genesis, and N64. You'll also need a second piece of software called Joypad Connect, running on your Mac or PC. You can use Joypad Connect to build profiles for the games and emulators you want to play with Joypad Legacy...

Accented characters make iOS passwords stronger, not enough to keep your data secure

There's a suggestion floating around on tech blogs for setting 'unguessable passcodes' in iOS. The idea is to use alternate accented characters, which are hidden but easily accessible by holding down letters on the virtual keyboard. The thinking is these accented characters could be especially effective at thwarting guesses, as English speakers might not even realize that there are accents beneath the keys...

Use iFunBox’s ‘Power Saving Mode’ to prevent select apps from running in the background

Want to take a load off your iOS device's CPU, battery life, and cellular bandwidth by preventing certain apps from running in the background? Sure, you could install a tweak like WeeCloseApps, but it doesn't set automatic profiles for app behavior, and it doesn't work on non-jailbroken devices.

Luckily, there's a powerful iOS file browser for Mac and PC called iFunBox, which works on both jailbroken and non-jailbroken devices. Among its features, iFunBox allows users to edit 'Power Saving Mode' profiles. Right click on an installed app and you can set one of three multitasking states: allow background, always background, and kill switch. 'Allow background' is the default state of most apps, while 'always background' is normally applied to music and podcasting apps that you'd want active in the background, and 'kill switch' is applied to power-hungry games...

Sentry teases video for upcoming ‘iOS MiniPlayer’ tweak

Do you love iTunes 11's MiniPlayer so much you wish you could just take it with you when you leave the house? If so, Sentry's latest concept for an iOS MiniPlayer will be a dream come true.

Sentry's iOS MiniPlayer concept is a bar-shaped widget which displays the name of the song currently playing, along with the album art and subtitles for the album and band. Tap on the title, and you've got basic playback controls for pause, fast forward, and rewind. There are even bars at the side of the MiniPlayer which you can drag to hide or reposition the widget...