Alex Heath

VLC for iPhone Released

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

VLC media player was just updated as a universal app for iPhone and iPad in the App Store. The popular, open source, cross platform media player has been a favorite on Windows, OS X and Linux for years.

Awhile back, VLC released an iPad app in the App Store, and surprisingly the app was approved. VLC for iPhone allows you to play nearly every kind of video format known to man. The app clearly duplicates (and in my opinion, makes better) the video playback functionality of the the native iPod app. So, it's interesting that Apple has finally approved it.

The developers of the VideoLAN player just got the VLC 1.1.0 update approved, which lets VLC run on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and recent iPod touch models. I downloaded the app, and I was impressed.

Read More

How to Change Your iPhone App Icons Without Jailbreaking

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

We Apple users are picky about our aesthetics. Some of us try to pretend that we aren't, but we are. Things like app icons matter to us. Apple doesn't make it easy to customize your iPhone's look on a system mod level, but luckily there are still jailbreak-free hacks out there to taunt Apple's need for aesthetic control.

I'm going to walk you through how to manually change app icons on your iPhone without jailbreaking. There are multiple reasons you may want to change an app icon; you think the developer's icon is ugly, you want a retina display-compatible icon, or you just want to mess with your friend while he's away from his phone. Here's how you do it:

Read More

App Review: Take Five

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I love it when a simple app idea is executed beautifully. Take Five, by the Iconfactory, is no exception. The idea is simple. Take Five is intended to solve a problem that occurs often for certain types of people. When I say "certain types of people," I mean forgetful ones (aren't we all to some degree). The app does one thing and one thing well; it controls a timer for your music.

The scenario that Iconfactory uses on the Take Five site is a scenario that most of us have probably been through. You're listening to your music while you're doing work, you are either interrupted or distracted, then you eventually return to your work and forget to turn your music back on. Hours later you realize you've been listening to silence. That sounds like a pretty trivial problem, right? Well, it seems to me that the most frustrating problems in life are the repetitive and trivial ones. Take Five plans on fixing at least one of those problems...

Read More

Next iPhone in Final Field Testing Stage, CDMA on the Way

Alex Heath ∙ October 19, 2010

Boy Genius Report has reported (from an inside source at Apple) that the new CDMA iPhone has reached final testing stages. There is no confirmation that this iPhone is specifically intended for Verizon, but CDMA compatibility is almost a given. The above image is of the rumored device, which BGR says may contain a SIM card slot...

About two months ago, John Gruber broke the story that the CDMA iPhone was in "Engineering Verification Testing" (EVT) status. One month ago, Apple Insider reported that Apple is apparently planning on building 3 million CDMA iPhones by December.

Here's the newest story from the CDMA iPhone rumor mill:

Read More

TouchPad – A Seamless Extension of Your Mac on Your iPhone

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

There are plenty of apps in the App Store for using your iPhone to remotely control your Mac. I've tested plenty of remote apps for the iPhone. Some of them are ok. Some of them are unbearable.

Recently, I stumbled across Edovia Software's TouchPad app. TouchPad is by far the best, all-in-one remote app for the iPhone...

Read More

White iPhone 4 Spotted in the Wild, Delay Explained

Alex Heath ∙ October 15, 2010

The white iPhone 4 is like the unicorn of the tech world. It's the mythical, magical beast that no one has ever found but everyone wishes was real. Apparently, according to Pocket-lint, there are stock piles of white iPhone 4's sitting at Apple HQ on Infinite Loop.

If you've been waiting for a white iPhone 4, you've been waiting for a long time. However, there have been some white unicorns that have managed to roam into the wild over the past few months. One was recently spotted at a press event in New York City...

Read More

Limera1n for Mac Released

Alex Heath ∙ October 14, 2010

Geohot just released his Limera1n jailbreak for Mac. OS X jailbreakers - you know what to do. Up until now, LimeRa1n was only available for Windows.

While you're waiting for your phone to jailbreak, read about Limera1n and about how to jailbreak with Limera1n.

Fire off in the comments below about how the LimeRa1n Mac download works for you!

Read More

Wi-Fi Sync 2.0 Coming Soon, Promises Syncing Over 3G

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Wi-Fi Sync is a $9.99 app in Cydia that syncs your iOS device over wi-fi with iTunes. You can read more about the app here. A couple of months ago the developer of Wi-Fi sync tweeted that he was working on Wi-Fi Sync 2.0, which would include wireless syncing over 3G and VPN. Yesterday he announced the beta signup for Wi-Fi Sync 2.0. I can't wait to get my hands on it...

Read More

A Collection of Water Droplet iPhone Wallpapers

Alex Heath ∙ October 13, 2010

Do you remember the day? It was the Stevenote of June 7th, 2010. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the day that Apple unveiled iOS 4 for the iPhone. Every Apple geek was brimming with excitement as the first, official look at Apple's new software on the iPhone 4's mind-blowing retina display.

That beautiful water droplet wallpaper on Steve Job's iPhone 4 made every wallpaper geek drool. Apparently, Apple's pre-installed wallpaper on the iPhone 4 has inspired some designers out there to create more amazing water droplet wallpapers for your iPhones. I have collected three of the best water droplet wallpapers for the iPhone...

Read More

Apple Trademarks the Phrase “There’s an App For That”

Alex Heath ∙ October 12, 2010

Apple's trademark filing for their famous catchphrase, "There's an App For That" has been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent is filed under the Advertising, Business and Retail Services, Computer and Software service and Scientific services categories.

The trademark applies to, "Retail store services featuring computer software provided via the Internet and other computer and electronic communication networks; retail store services featuring computer software for use on handheld mobile digital electronic devices and other consumer electronics."

This doesn't mean that there can't be anymore cheesy blog headlines with the catchphrase (which I have been guilty of a couple of times). It does mean that Apple can pursue a commercial infringement of the trademark with much greater ease in court... 

Read More

5 of the Best SBSettings Themes

Alex Heath ∙ Updated August 7, 2017

If you have jailbroken your iOS device, chances are you've heard of SBSettings. For years, it has remained one of the staple applications of the BigBoss repo in the Cydia store. If you aren't familiar with SBSettings, go read our original review of the app.

In my opinion, SBSettings is enough reason to jailbreak. The app is that useful. I'm not sure why Apple hasn't implemented the idea into iOS yet. I love being able to quickly toggle my iPhone's resources and settings on and off.

The two things I love in an app are functionality and aesthetics. And in most cases, I won't use an app if it doesn't have both. The functionality of SBSettings is undeniable, but I've found that finding an aesthetically pleasing theme for the app is somewhat tedious. So, I have done my best to comb the far reaches of Cydia to bring you five of the best SBSettings themes...

Read More