The year is almost over, so we thought that it would be a good idea to take a look back at our favorite apps of 2011. The iDB staff has chosen its favorite App Store and jailbreak apps from this year and compiled the picks into a little retrospective.
All of the apps in this list were either released this year or updated with significant changes. Here’s our favorite apps and tweaks from 2011…
App Store Picks
Netflix for iPad
Jeff nominated the Netflix for iPad app this year. While Netflix has had an iPad app for quite some time, the app was recently updated with a totally revamped interface. Needless to say, the design changes are a huge step up. Navigating through Netflix content is much more fluid and display-optimized on the iPad now. Netflix made the design much more visual-based, making it easier to find movies and TV shows while browsing though posters.
Netflix for iPad can be downloaded for free in the App Store. A monthly subscription with Netflix is required to actually use the app.
Pulse News for iPhone
Cody has been iDB’s biggest Pulse fan since the app was first introduced. He wrote about Alphonso Labs’ Pulse News iPhone app back in March, and the popular RSS reader has seen several major updates since then.
In his original review, Cody said, “I have played with several of the other RSS reader applications available, and none of them give me access to my news faster.” Pulse is a fresh and innovate take on consuming RSS content on the iPhone. The Pulse for iPad app was a massive hit, so the iPhone app was introduced this year and has continued to gain more features.
Pulse News for iPhone received a major update this month that brought many design and usability improvements. The app can be downloaded for free in the App Store.
Tweetbot for iPhone
Both Alex and Zech chose Tweetbot as their App Store picks for 2011. The innovative Twitter client was introduced by Tapbots for the iPhone back in April, and Alex called it “sexy” in his original review.
Since April, Tweetbot has received several updates, including push notification support, that continue to make it one of the best Twitter clients around. There were even several jailbreak tweaks released to bring added functionality to the app. People love the newest app from Tapbots. You can download Tweetbot for $2.99 in the App Store.
Spotify for iPhone
Sebastien chose Spotify’s iPhone app as his pick. While those outside the US have had access to Spotify for quite some time, Americans finally received access to the popular music streaming service this year. Among a slew of other apps, including a wonderful Mac app, Spotify released an official client in the iOS App Store.
While a lot of us probably use Apple’s own iTunes Match service, Spotify users will attest to their music service’s awesomeness. Spotify is perhaps the best streaming solution for music available, and its small monthly fee makes it an attractive alternative to buying and downloading music the old-fashioned way in iTunes.
If you pay the $9.99/month fee for Spotify Premium, you can use the iPhone app to stream and cache millions of songs on the go. It’s a great way to listen to music, and there’s a good chance that you’ll get hooked if you give it a try.
Sky Go for iOS
As our resident Brit, Oliver naturally chose Sky Go as his pick for 2011. For European Sky Go subscribers, the new iOS app offers live TV and movies on-demand over a 3G connection.
The app is available to all Sky Go customers, and it also includes access to news posts. It’s like a TV in your pocket! Sky Go is available as a universal download for free in the App Store.
Jailbreak Picks
IntelliScreenX
The obvious pick here is IntelliScreenX. We’ve covered Intelliborn’s newest jailbreak app extensively on iDB over the last few months, and it can certainly be considered a reason to jailbreak iOS 5. Alex, Oliver, Sebastien, and Jeff chose IntelliScreenX as their pick for 2011.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwx9PUX_tz8&[/tube]
The app is available in the ModMyi repo for $9.99. There’s a free trial offered as well.
Springtomize 2
Cody chose Springtomize 2 as his pick, and many jailbreakers will also attest to this app’s functionality and innovation. Springtomize is like dozens of jailbreak tweaks rolled into one, and developer Filippo Bigarella has made his app even better with version 2.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv5nQO1inag[/tube]
Springtomize 2 is available in Cydia for $2.99. It’s a must-have app for any jailbroken iOS device.
DreamBoard
Zech chose DreamBoard as his jailbreak pick for 2011. This innovative app allows you to theme your iOS device and give it a whole new look. You can make your iPhone look like Android, Windows Phone 7, or even a Kindle Fire.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ctchA04904[/tube]
DreamBoard inspired us to create a dedicated Themes page on iDB. This page serves as a resource for jailbreakers that are looking to learn more about theming. For everything you need to know about themes, visit our new page.
Here’s to 2012!
We can’t wait to see what awesome App Store apps come out next year! The jailbreak community is always vibrant, so we’re sure that there will be plenty of new tweaks and apps to cover in 2012.
Now that you’ve read our picks, what are your favorite apps from 2011?