DreamBoard iPhone Theming Framework Receives a Huge Update

A few days ago, iPhone theming platform DreamBoard received a much-needed update that brought stability, full keyboard access, app icon caching, and much more to the table.

It was such a big update, that I figured it warranted a whole new walkthrough to show off its new fresh coat of paint.

With DreamBoard’s core updates comes a refresh to the built in Endroid HD theme as well, and let me tell you, it’s very easy on the eyes.

Before, it was safe to say that DreamBoard was a promising, but much maligned theming framework. With this latest update, a lot of its ailments have been cured, transforming it into a legitimate springboard replacement for the iPhone…

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUpLoQz1uI0[/tube]

The biggest and most exciting revelation about DreamBoard’s latest update is native keyboard access. Prior to the update, you had to rely on a T9 keyboard built directly into the theme.

If you’ve ever tried one of the themes that called for T9 keyboard access, you know how frighteningly terrible that so-called solution was.

Thankfully, those days are over; it’s amazing how such a simple thing like native keyboard access can make such a huge difference, but it does.

Right up there near the top of the list comes app icon caching. If you’ve used the beta version of DreamBoard, then you’re likely already familiar with the benefits of app icon caching.

The good news is that caching is now built directly into the framework, eliminating the need to pre-enable app caching, and significantly speeding up your full app icon list.

Overall, this is a wonderful update; it’s a lot more functional, it feels snappier, and I’m sure there are plenty of theme designers just licking their chops at the new possibilities.

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of this new update, and if you’re into theming at all you will be as well.

DreamBoard can be purchased on Cydia for $2.99 if your iOS device is jailbroken. If you already have the previous version, this is a free upgrade.

What do you think? Are you as impressed as I am, or do you feel that it still has a long way to go?

For more theming goodness, be sure to check out our freshly created Theme page for an all you can eat buffet of iPhone theming information.