Year: 2014

Wallpapers of the week: Apple logos

Jim Gresham ∙ January 19, 2014

Turning the page on another week, more wallpapers are celebrated as the week's favorites. Keeping a fresh wallpaper supply is just as important as keeping clean socks ready at a moment's notice. I change mine constantly, wallpapers that is, and am always scouring for a new image.

Over the past week, Apple enthusiasts were excited to point out the iPhone turned seven. Sebastien, Jeff, and Cody even spoke about their experiences with the launch in Let's Talk iOS podcast 011. In order to reminisce or show dedicated support for Apple, this week a small set of Apple logo wallpapers are ready for iPad and iPhone...

How to emulate the iPhone’s Sleep button with the proximity sensor

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 18, 2014

SleekSleep is a recently released jailbreak tweak that allows you to emulate a press of the sleep button by means of the iPhone's proximity sensor. This basically means that you can sleep or wake your iPhone using a wave or swiping motion in front of the device.

As we always like to do here at iDB, we've taken the liberty to record a walkthrough of SleekSleep so that you can see exactly how it works. Take a look past the break to see this interesting tweak in action.

How to build on suggested search queries in Safari

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 18, 2014

One of the worst things about Safari's autocomplete for search is that you can't build on a query like you can do with Google Chrome. Once you select a suggested query in Safari's omni-box, it auto submits the search.

While suggested queries are definitely a helpful service, the way that Safari goes about the implementation isn't very efficient. A recently revamped jailbreak tweak called Platinum seeks to improve Safari's search capabilities. Have a look at our full video walkthrough inside to see what I mean.

Ayecon for iOS 7: a must have theme, even if you don’t like skeuomorphism

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

If you've been jailbreaking for any decent amount of time, you've surely heard of the legendary Ayecon theme. This is a theme that set the standard for detail when Retina displays were still a relatively new feat in the mobile device industry.

A lot has changed since Ayecon first came riding over that hill on its white horse, reinvigorating the stagnant theming space in the process (I know some people will debate Ayecon's design, but they simply can't deny its influence.)

Flat is in, skeuomorphism is hated (and dead). So where does Ayecon fit in with this wave of change? Will Surenix, its designer, abandon the style that made Ayecon a success in the name of staying with the trend? Or, will he instead, stick to what made Ayecon work? Check inside for the full scoop along with the detailed video walkthrough.

How to bring back the unlock sound in iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 18, 2014

iOS 7 ushered in a whole new look and feel to the iOS we all knew. Its been a polarizing release to say the least, but I think that many of the naysayers are finally beginning to get used to the way things are.

But some things that Apple changed in iOS 7 never made sense to me. I can see getting rid of skeuomorphism, but I never quite understood why they ditched the unlock sound in iOS 7. It's especially odd when you consider that the lock sound is still there.

UnlockSound7 is a new jailbreak tweak that allows users to regain the iPhone's iconic unlock sound that occurs when unlocking the device. Take a look at our video walkthrough to see how it works.

How to prevent iOS screenshots from being uploaded to Photo Stream

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

On any given week, I take dozens of screenshots of my iPhone or iPad for either personal reason, or as part of my workflow at iDB. For each post I publish involving an app for example, there are at least two screenshots, as you can see above.

Of course, every time you take a screenshot on your iOS device, it is automatically uploaded to your iCloud Photo Stream. Over time, these screenshots can be really annoying and distracting, especially if, like me, you use your Photo Stream as the screen saver of your Apple TV.

Thankfully, a jailbreak tweak called Screenshot Dam is available to stop screenshots from uploading to Photo Stream automatically...

Apps of the Week: Baldur’s Gate II, Command-C, Mega Jump 2 and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

Well, we are into our third weekend in January and California still hasn’t seen any rainfall. Reports are coming in that we are on the verge of experiencing a drought. How does that song go. “It never rains in Southern California.” Tony! Toni! Toné! spoke the truth.

Whether you are drying out in California or freezing your fingers off in, well… everywhere else in the country, we’ve got a list of apps and games to distract you from the weather…

Apple’s focus on wearables apparently includes medical biosensing and iris scanning

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

If a new report by a very reliable blogger is anything to go by, Apple's rumored wearable project is seeking to mainstream medical sensor technology and health biosensing via monitoring your blood chemistry. Evidence proves that earlier this year the company poached two high-profile biosensor experts from medical devices firms.

These people, who joined the iWatch hardware team, bring expertise in mobile medical technologies focused on reading and analyzing blood and glucose levels via a potentially disruptive technology that uses a painless patch which works on the arm and doesn't require a needle.

Apple's interest in blood monitoring through skin is interesting in light of the rumored iWatch wearable device, even more so considering Google's latest initiative - Smart Contact Lenses that measure glucose levels in tears.

Furthermore, the iPhone maker is said to be "actively investigating" iris scanning technology. As we wrote before, Samsung is said to be exploring iris scanning for the upcoming Galaxy S5. This is your TL;DR version, the full analysis and detailed context continues...

New class action suit claims Apple sells customer info

Cody Lee ∙ January 17, 2014

Three men from Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against Apple this week. Adam Christensen, Jeffrey Scolnick and William Farrell claim that they were unlawfully forced to enter their zip code while making purchases at the company's New England retail stores.

The suit contents that this practice is illegal under the Massachusetts Unfair Trade Practices Act, which says you can't compel customers to provide identifiable information. And the men say that Apple isn't just collecting info, it's also selling it to third parties...

Shadow Blade review: who knew becoming a ninja would be so hard

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Platform gaming is one of my favorite genres. I love the mindless simplicity. When console devices were just starting to make their way into living rooms across America, platform games were the most prevalent style. I guess they remind me of my childhood.

Shadow Blade is a basic platform game, only not. That is to say, it has all of the elements you would want in a platformer, but takes it to the next level by being difficult to beat and even tougher to get all the items. That blue hedgehog doesn’t know what hard is…

How to set up Facebook Chat in Messages app for OS X

Lory Gil ∙ January 17, 2014

About a week ago, we reviewed Astro, which is a third-party Facebook chat client for OS X that features native options that most other chat clients don’t offer. Some of our readers commented on the fact that you can just use Messages to chat with Facebook friends. A few others noted that they did not realize it was possible to connect to Facebook through Messages, so we thought we’d explain it with a quick how-to guide…

Spark Camera is Apple’s Free App Of The Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Today is Friday and you know what that means, no? That's right, every Friday a new app goes free in the App Store in Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promo.

Hopefully, you haven't forgotten about downloading PAC-MAN, last week's Free App of the Week. Those who missed it needn't despair as Apple's new freebie is definitely worth getting excited about.

Spark Camera, a cool iPhone photography app from Ideo (the design shop that created Apple’s first mouse) arrived last October. The program got Lory and the rest of the iDownloadBlog team drooling over its sharp, easy to use interface and great features aimed at creating gorgeous mini montages by stitching together your snippets of a moment in time.

Spark Camera is normally priced at $1.99, but you can now grab it free of charge until next Thursday, courtesy of Apple's Free App of the Week...