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Zentomino – Find Your Zen Again

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Little White Bear Studios, developers of the award winning puzzle game TanZen, have released a new game somewhat similar to TanZen: Zentomino. Zentomino is sort of like TanZen, but harder. The game, like TanZen, involves moving, rotating, and flipping puzzle pieces to fill in a shape. So what’s the difference? Well, TanZen used smaller pieces and different stuff. Zentomino uses more pieces, larger, and feels different, as well as being harder. You can see the difference by comparing the screenshots below (TanZen on left, Zentomino on right):

TanZen

Zentomino

The game is quite fun, especially if you like puzzle games. There are three things that set apart this app from the others (as well as make you fall in love with it). The game is very well polished, everything fits well. The game is huge fun, unlike any other app, and is cheap. But the most important is the replay ability level of the game. This game does not get old at all. The game currently has 144 puzzles, but just like TanZen more puzzles will be added as free updates (in case your are wondering, TanZen currently has 4x the number of puzzles it started with).

Everything is very smooth, relaxing, and a bit hard! Just like in TanZen there are hints. This game however is a bit more advanced than TanZen. Puzzles have various difficulty levels, with 4-12 piece puzzles. You can also do puzzles in any order you want. And if your screen is all messed up with pieces, shake your device to clear all pieces from the screen. Don’t be scared! You will get the hang of it after playing with it a bit. And if you need help the game, like TanZen, has a hint system. Just double-tap on any open area for a hint. The amount of hints you get on each level depends on how hard / big the level is.

My experience with it so far has been really good. At first I was really bad but after playing with it for a while I have gotten the hang of it. Although I don’t know this as a fact, knowing Little White, an update with more levels with probably be out before you finish the first 144 puzzles included. The game, like I said before is very smooth and relaxing, something I like a lot. Plus it’s pretty cheap. Zentomino is priced at $1.99 . Considering how smooth the game is, the amount of levels it currently has and the amount of levels that will be added, it’s a steal at $1.99 . Here’s a YouTube video showing the gameplay:

UPDATE: A lite version has been released.

Is the iPhone 2G better — and can a cracked version improve that?

Guest Author ∙ February 27, 2009

Sorry for the long silence: my first iPhone was stolen, and I tried to be a grown-up about it and not have a phone for a short while. Two important life lessons learnt:

1/ I'm an addict — even though I rarely use my phone, not having a cellphone a with a full OS just stresses me out of my mind. I have too much on my mind now, but that is a very concerning aspect of my personality, and you might want to experiment.

2/ In spite of subscribing to all the safety feature, my telephone provider was not helpful at all; I'd love to give details, but their behavior wasn't even borderline fr. . . — let's just say the Police officer to whom I had to declare the loss had even more horror stories.

Hopefully my geek brother had a 2G version that he wasn't using and lent it to me — so I was able to compare the battery life. The difference is unbelievable, especially if you hardly use the phone like me. I literally had it powered-up for a week when I was abroad and de-activated the automatic updates.

Some have tested the 3G iPhone without the 3G connectivity and say the battery is still a drain. I can't find the menu to do that though — and I don't think it would be convenient to neglect the faster connectivity. Some (present company included) tried to resolve it with other means (a great, useful gift, by the way). However, I do think it would make sense to have the 3G antenna back on just before calling someone, or just before a download. When you have a phone conversation in a car and leave a 3G area, you call is not disconnected, so I'm assuming the roaming capability would allow to switch the 3G on during a call. . . All great features that I would love to find on Cydia. ;)

RedSn0w Lite Now on Windows Too! (updated)

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

The Dev Team released RedSn0w Lite not too long ago. This is the tethered jailbreak for the iPod Touch 2G. It was Mac compatible only however. But thanks to some programs by people RedSn0w Lite is now possible for Windows. Problem is it's hard, there are a few choices, and a guide is needed. So here we go.

UPDATE: The tutorial has been re-written to make it easier for you.

What You Will Need:

The GUI Jailbreak RedSn0w Booter Calm and Patience

Preparation:

BACK-UP YOUR IPOD!!!!! Create a folder on your Desktop called "Jailbreak" Extract the two files above into the "Jailbreak" folder but in separate folders. Kill both "iTunes" and the "iTunesHelper" process. Unplug your iPod and the USB cable Open up the GUI program and if you don't have the two packages it says on the home screen please click on the button to install them. Once done you can plug your iPod back in. Place the 2.2.1 ISPW firmware file into the same folder the GUI program is in.

PART 1:

Start up the GUI program. Click next. From the list of files select the 2.2.1 ISPW file. Then click "Start making ISPW file". This will take a few minutes. When finished in the same folder as the GUI program you will have another ISPW file named "JailbrokenISPW". Remember that. Now click on next. Now you need to put your iPod into DFU mode. You need to be PRECISE on your timing here. Hold the power and home button for 10 seconds. Then let go of the power button but keep holding the home button for 8 seconds. If this worked your iPod's screen should be blank. Now press the "Upload DFU file" button. When that finishes, unplug your iPod for 2 second then plug it back in. If it worked your iPod's screen should now be completly white. If so then press the "Upload 0wnboot patch" button. When that is done press next. Now press the "Press me" button. This will open up a CMD window. Right click on the window and click paste. Wait for this to finish. When it finishes open up iTunes and close the GUI program. It will say your iPod is in recovery mode. Now hold down the shift key and press restore. There, navigate to the folder where the "JailbrokenISPW" file is and select it. Wait for iTunes to finish restoring it. When it restarts your computer will not recognize it. But don't worry.

Part 2:

Now pay attention to Part 2. These are the steps you need to follow when your iPod reboots.

Make sure iTunes and the "iTunesHelper" process are dead. Open up the "Redsn0w Booter". It's pretty simple. Again put your iPod into DFU mode by holding the power and home button for exactly 10 seconds and then release the power button but keep holding the home button for 8 seconds. Once your iPod is in DFU mode simply press the "Boot" button. In around 20-30 seconds your iPod will boot up. If your iPod stays in a white screen and the CMD window is not open, make sure iTunes and the "iTunesHelper" process are dead and try again.

And you are done. You have jailbroken your iPod Touch 2G! Now something important. I STRONGLY recommend before running Cydia or anything that you sync all your stuff from iTunes. You can still sync later but at least for me I encountered a lot less bugs when I synched all my stuff first. After you sync make sure to run Cydia first. Then from there you are on your own. Remember it is a tethered jailbreak so you must run the booter every time your iPod restarts. If you are not familiar with some terms please see this FAQ I wrote on the tethered jailbreak.

Please be aware of 3 things:

- One is that after EVERY reboot, you must run the steps above. - That this is a somewhat "beta" release from the Dev Team, that they or non of the people who made the software above are responsible for anything. And neither are we. - And that the Dev Team is not providing ANY support for redsn0w lite.

Whether the tethered jailbreak is for you or not depends on whether you mind going to your computer every time your iPod reboots. Your choice. But at least you know how to now. The Dev Team is working hard on the full un-thered version of redsn0w which will not require you to run the booter after every reboot and is much easier to use. But this is not as easy as you might think.

There is also a semi-tethered version now out. Basically what this is, once you run the booter you can use your jailbroken stuff. When it reboots, if you are using the semi-tethered jailbreak, what will happen is your iPod will boot into normal mode. All your jailbreak stuff will still be there but you can't use them. I personally do not like this because it requires more work, it's a bit more complicated, and a lot of jailbreak apps (such as Winterboard) must be patched. So I prefer the tethered version.

Promo Code Giveaway Over

Guest Author ∙ February 27, 2009

Hey guys. Just thought I would let you know that the iPhone Download Blog Twitter promo code giveaway is over. Tons of codes were given out. There won't be a big one like this in a bit, but small giveaways will hopefully stay around. Make sure to follow me ( @dannyswrld ) and ( @sebastienpage ) for the latest news on the giveaways. But if you don't have a Twitter don't worry, we'll keep the site updated with the news ;-)

RedSn0w Lite FAQ

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 23, 2017

I have seen some confusion about RedSn0w out there and I thought I would make a quick post clearing things up and with a few FAQ.

What is RedSn0w and why can I only find RedSn0w lite?

RedSn0w is the iPod Touch 2G jailbreak. You can only find RedSn0w lite because it's the lite (and tethered) version. The full version is not out yet so that's why you can't find it.

What is a "tethered" jailbreak?

A tethered jailbreak requires that every time your device reboots that you go to your computer and run a "booter". It's pretty fast, and tells your iPod to boot. The problem is that until you run this booter, you cannot use your iPod (but scroll down a bit).

Are there any dangers?

Well I think so. The Dev Team is not providing support and said "that is could void your warranty". So I would hold for the full version.

What's the semi-tethered jailbreak?

Ahhh. It's much better than the tethered jailbreak. The way it works is that if your device reboots, instead of you being completely unable to use your iPod, your device boots up. All your jailbroken stuff is still there, icons and all. But even if you try to launch the jailbroken stuff, it won't. But hey, much better than the regular tethered version.

How do you run RedSn0w lite or the semi-tethered jailbreak on Windows?

There are many ways to do so. But I'm trying to write a tutorial for the regular tethered jailbreak, but the process is sort of consing and writing a tutorial is not easy. As to the semi-tethered jailbreak, the easiest way is this YouTube video.

Now a very important note if you do the semi-tethered jailbreak. DO NOT install Winterboard directly. It won't work you need to install a patch.

Doing this is all at your own risk!! But that's your choice.

Tweetie – The Best Twitter App?

Guest Author ∙ February 4, 2009

The App Store has thousands of apps, including more than a handful of Twitter apps. So you might be wondering: "what is the best?" Well, one app that calls itself the best Twitter app is Tweetie. So the question is: is Tweetie really the best Twitter app?

Interface

The interface is nice and feels good. But, there's always a but. It takes a bit getting used to. Especially for users like me who used TwitterFon. You need to learn things like the "swipe" and other stuff. But it is relatively easy to master after a bit of use.

Look

Tweetie definitely looks much better than any other Twitter app I have seen.

Humor

Tweetie is the only app I have seen with a sense of humor. It has a "Popularity Enhancer" feature. It is a joke really, but what it does is it gives you a flashlight and when you do the "swipe" it replaces the normal click sound with a fart sound. Quite funny and a joke on the App Store.

Smoothness

Tweetie is definetly more smooth than other free apps, and it does not crash or eat up all your RAM.

Other Features

- An option for you to set the image compression for a smaller or normal size. You choose how much compression.

- Multiple Account management

- Instapaper integration

- Links to StockTwits

- Optional landscape keyboard

- Themes

- Follow and un-follow people

- Block/unblock users

- Navigate reply chains

- Inline web browser

- Inline TwitPic image viewer

Missing Features

One feature I liked from TwitterFon is that when you were typing a new tweet, there was a @ button which showed all the people you are following. This is very handy. The developers of Tweetie told me they will add this in future updates.

Overall

I'm going to be honest. If you are constantly tweeting, or use Twitter everyday I recommend Tweetie. It's smoothness and easy to use interface has won me over. I highly recommend this.

In my opinion, Tweetie is definitely worth $2.99 for those of you who use Twitter everyday or often. But for those who rarely ever use Twitter, I think you are better of with a free Twitter app.

Up There is a Surprising Game

Guest Author ∙ January 30, 2009

OK, so the title sound weird huh? Well that's how I feel, really. I first heard of Up There on Twitter. I kept on saying what's the point?! Everyone kept saying it was a great game. Then the developer contacted me on Twitter. He told me he was going to send me a code just for my opinion (don't bomb him asking, guys). Boy was I surprised! The game is a beautiful game indeed just as everyone said. It features beautifully done artwork throughout the whole app.

Above is just a taste. The point of the game is to get the balloon "up there" as up as you can though the barriers that might block you, which is pretty hard. But this has become one of my favorite games. It features an online score board so that you can compete with people. The game is really fun. There aren't really many ways I can describe this well.

The app is normally $1.99 but is on sale for $0.99.

P.S: Just a little comment. One of the developers, Jeff, has agreed to sing us a song once the app reaches the top twenty. So, I'm looking forward to that Jeff ;)

Paper Pilot – A Show Off App!

Guest Author ∙ January 30, 2009

OK so I bet you are wondering what's so great about "Paper Pilot" due to the title right? Well I'll get right to the point. Although Paper Pilot is not a gigantic game that will keep you entertained forever and that you will get addicted to, it is a showoff.

This app uses the powerful Unity Game Engine and it shows off what the iPhone graphics can be. Paper Pilot has received criticism since it uses demos that come with the Unity Game Engine when you get it, but rest assure: Clever Coding (the dev of Paper Pilot) asked Unity for permission and they have allowed it.

The gameplay is pretty simple: you fly a paper airplane using the accelerometer, collecting paper clips and trying to do so in the shortest time possible to get ranks.

Here is a video of the gameplay (not by me):

Although the game is not yet a "wow" it is a very fun game showing off the iPhone's ability. The devs have planned for a future update:

- Weapons, like spitball guns and pencil missiles - Enemies, like the stapler and tape dispenser - Dogfighting other paper airplanes

The app is normally priced at $2.99 but is on sale for a "limited time" at $1.99. In my opinion Paper Pilot is a fun game to have. It's not anything you will be addicted to but is definitely fun and well made. You might want to get it at the sale price.

A Quick Look At WordsWorth

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

99Games Online Private Limited has released a word finding game called WordsWorth [iTunes Link]. This is a fun Scrabble-like game in which you need to find words with the letters given. You connect the letters and create a "chain" of letters to form a word.

The game has well done artwork. You can shake your device if you are stuck and need help, but of course this comes with a penalty. There are also "time tiles" which can blow up your library. The current version of WordsWorth features:

4x4, 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7 grids Scramble count per level Set minimum word length TWL, SOWPODS and ENABLE word lists Wall of WoW to display high scores Green, Gold and Wild Card reward tiles Buzzwords for bonus 20 levels with different rankings Customize the timer speed for a game

The game is available in the App Store for $1.99. This game is great for just $2. Anyone who enjoys word games and Scrabble should take a look at this. And for those of you who are still not convinced, there is a free lite version of WordsWorth available.

EDGE: Interactive Puzzle Game

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Well I have been wanting for a game like this for a while. MobiGame has released their award-winning app EDGE [iTunes Link] for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I was one of the people that though this would not end up well on the iPhone when they saw the trailer.

But boy was I wrong! This game feels natural to the iDevices and you will get used to the controls almost immediately. Be warned; although the game offers a optional accelerometer control; this is not recommended. Touch controls work perfectly and are precise. The game features 26 levels. The game has a moving environment (as seen in the video) which makes the game experience richer. This is a puzzle game; but not the usual kind of game where you just guide the block to the goal. This game has a variety of game plays in which you must ride on moving blocks; hang on to them (called edge time) and more. And if that is not enough; this picture of you riding a robot made of blocks should win you over:

The dev told me that the next update (version 1.1) is coming, it will add :

- new levels - virtual keypad (optional) - accelerometer calibration - new tunes - global ranking

This app is currently $5.99 [iTunes Link] and definetly worth it. Highly recommended.

RedSn0w Through Safari?

Guest Author ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

I read an article saying that there is a flaw on desktop Safari:

I have discovered that Apple's Safari browser is vulnerable to an attack that allows a malicious web site to read files on a user's hard drive without user intervention. This can be used to gain access to sensitive information stored on the user's computer, such as emails, passwords, or cookies that could be used to gain access to the user's accounts on some web sites. The vulnerability has been acknowledged by Apple.

Now this got me thinking.... RedSn0w.com = on the fly jailbreak?

Think about it. If their website accesses your iPod and does the things necessary either to jailbreak on the go or to prepare for a jailbreak (Chronic Dev said that the exploit is in some sort of file in 2.1.1); this could be interesting and true.

This is one of the only reasons I can think of for the RedSn0w domain.

I do not know if mobile Safari has the same weaknesses as desktop Safari; but it could . There are some Safari exploits that actually crash your iPod (try this to crash yours if you dare!) ; I had to connect mine to the power to get it to restart. But whatever the Dev Team has up their sleeves should be interesting.

Fuzzyshot – Photo Uploading & Sharing

Guest Author ∙ Updated February 15, 2018

I admit it - I'm an iPhone photo-holic. I'm addicted to taking photos with my iPhone. And the site I use to upload to from my iPhone is Flickr. However, Flickr does not have a full-featured iPhone app and many apps that can upload to Flickr are very basic.

That's where Fuzzyshot Photo Blog [iTunes link] comes in. Although users of Fuzzyshot will definitely benefit, new users can easily create an account right on your iPhone. And the app can do just about anything the web version does. You simply snap your photo, set your post title and comment, select public or private and whether you want your photo geotagged or not. You can also easily e-mail your photo straight from the app.

Browsing other people's Fuzzyshot pictures is also easy in the app. The most recent pictures are featured in your feed (so if you don't want your family's pictures spread across the internet, you should select private) and you can also check out the most viewed and most discussed pictures in the last 24 hours. You also get a unique web address as well as an RSS feed for your photos.

I had never heard of Fuzzyshot before reviewing this app, but it appears that it has a well-established photo blogging community. If you want EASY photo uploading take a look at Fuzzyshot. It's free to download and free to sign up.