Month: January 2013

The iDownloadBlog top news stories of the week – Jan 13, 2013 edition

Like every Sunday, we bring you the stories that were the most popular on iDB during this past week. Whether it is a news piece, an editorial, a tutorial, a new jailbreak tweak, or an accessory review, we sum it all up in one convenient place.

If you like what you're reading, please make sure to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network. We're usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+...

‘TorchNC’ and ‘InstaSnap’ spice up Notification Center on jailbroken iPhones

Two new jailbreak tweaks have recently appeared in Cydia by the same developer, and they both happen to focus on Notification Center. Specifically, these tweaks aim to add handy shortcuts to the Notification Center pull-down pane.

The first tweak on the docket, TorchNC, adds a shortcut to activate the iPhone's LED flash. There are other tweaks and apps that perform flashlight functions, but I always find it useful to have it within Notification Center, or directly on the Lock screen.

The second tweak, like the first, is a shortcut for Notification Center. Instead of interacting with the iPhone's LED flash, InstaSnap is a tweak that allows you to quickly access the camera from within Instagram. Seeing as though this tweak doesn't require the iPhone only LED flash, it works with both the iPhone and iPod touch perfectly fine.

Take a look as we profile both InstaSnap and TorchNC in our walkthrough videos inside...

Rumor: Facebook to announce mobile OS next week

The Facebook Phone is one of the longest-running urban legends in the tech world. I can remember it being reported on as far back as 2010, and I'm sure it goes back further than that. But thus far, nothing has materialized, and Mark Zuckerberg himself has even denied its existence.

Despite all of this, a new report is out today claiming that the social network indeed has a handset in the works. And according to the usual "sources familiar with the matter," it's going to use its just-announced January 15th media event to unveil it to the world...

AL13: a slim aluminium bumper for your iPhone

Here at iDB, most of us have adopted the "no-case" policy for our iPhones. Cases are typically bulky, ugly, and although they are made to protect our handsets, they cover up the beautiful design Apple has worked so hard to achieve.

But the folks at the design firm 'm' think they have a cure for the common case. Their new AL13 is an ultra-thin bumper for the iPhone 4/5 that protects the device with lightweight aerospace aluminum without altering its look...

Delta releases new iPad app, updates iPhone app with Passbook support

Good news today for all of you travelers out there, especially those in the Delta camp. The major US airline has just released a new iPad app and updated its iPhone app with Passbook support, iPhone 5 support and other improvements.

On the new iPad app, you can find, compare and book flights, and their are dozens of other useful features. And with the updated iPhone app, you can now take advantage of Apple's new Passbook app to store your boarding pass, and more...

PC marketshare to drop to 65% in 2013 as tablets take over

The days when PCs ruled the computer market are quickly coming to a close. The familiar battle between PCs and Macs is quickly morphing into an iOS versus Android landscape. As consumers opt for tablets over PCs, shipments of Wintel devices will drop to 65 percent in 2013 amid double-digit tablet growth.

After PC shipments fell 10 percent during the holiday fourth quarter of 2010, the 2013 PC marketshare will drop to 65 percent, down from 72 percent last year, according to researchers at Canalys. The reason: PCs - be they desktops, notebooks, or netbooks - are no longer needed for common computing tasks, such as reading e-mail and browsing the web...

The Daily Recap – Jan 11, 2013 edition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvMM2UDmT0Q

Welcome to The Daily Recap for January 11th, 2013. Watch our video for a quick look at some of the top stories from the day in less than two minutes. If you missed out on any of today's big news, this is a great way for you to get caught up fast.

For your convenience, you'll also find links to all of the stories listed in today's recap inside...

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo says it’s willing to negotiate an iPhone deal

As talk continues of an upcoming T-Mobile iPhone deal, and rumors continue to swirl of a China Mobile partnership, a new report today says that the Cupertino company could potentially add another major carrier to its stable: Japan's NTT DoCoMo.

Like China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo is its country's largest wireless provider, and its 60 million subscribers account for nearly half of all Japan mobile users. But last November, it suffered its biggest ever net loss of customers. And it blames the iPhone...

FireCore updates aTV Flash (black) with TV show playlists and more

Well, it's Friday afternoon and the folks at FireCore have just given jailbroken second generation Apple TV owners something else to be excited about as the weekend approaches: an update for the popular software suite: aTV Flash (black).

The update, which brings the app to version 2.1, features several improvements including a new TV show playlist option, which makes it easier to pick up where you left off with your favorite show, customizable favorites, and more...

Judge green-lights Kodak patent sale to Apple-Google consortium

Last year, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and came up with a plan to sell off its collection of imaging patents to pay off its debts. It wanted more than $2 billion for the IP, but ended up settling on a $525 million offer from a consortium of companies led by Apple and Google. And today, Bankruptcy Court Judge Allan Gropper has green-lighted the deal...

Reuters clarifies budget iPhone story: Apple won’t blindly pursue marketshare

And the plot continues to thicken. After two major news outlets ran stories earlier this week claiming that Apple was working on a less-expensive iPhone, Reuters reported that the company had no such plans, citing comments made to a Chinese newspaper by Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller.

But as most of you know, Reuters retracted the report earlier today. It was unclear at the time why it had chosen to remove the story, but it's attempting to clear things up this afternoon with a new report called "Apple won't blindly pursue market share" that helps shed some light on what happened...

Hands-on with pod2g’s first App Store app, podDJ

When someone mentions the name pod2g, likely the first thing that comes to your mind is jailbreaking the iPhone. That, obviously, makes sense, when you consider that pod2g was one of the primary reasons we've been able to jailbreak our iOS device's in the past. His ingenuity provided us with jailbreaks for the iPhone 4S and iPad 3, and many are hoping that he can work his same magic on the iPhone 5 along with iOS 6.

But cast aside those thoughts of jailbreaking for a moment. Forget the hacks, apps, and tweaks that we're benefitted with because of pod2g's hard work. Instead, try to focus on the legendary hacker's latest endeavor. Admittedly, it's a bit of a departure from the norm, but pod2g has created an official app that he's currently selling on Apple's App Store.

While pod2g, known amongst family and friends as Cyril, isn't the first known hacker to release an official app to Apple's ecosystem, he is by far the most prominent member of the jailbreak community to do so. And the thing is, this isn't just some random app that people will buy only because of the developer behind the project. No, this is a legitimate attempt that's been well coded and well designed, and it should sell on merit alone.

As you've already seen from our previous post, podDJ is the name of the app, and it's an iPad release that allows you to DJ directly from your device. Of course, we've gone hands-on with podDJ on video, so be sure to check inside for the full synopsis...