Jeff Benjamin

Jeff has been with iDownloadBlog since 2010, acting as resident video specialist, and tutorial expert. He earned his degree in Computer Network Systems back in 2001, but decided Cisco routers and the like just weren’t for him. Since then, he’s been heavily involved with online writing. He’s written for numerous tech and video game sites since the late 1990′s, and has a knack for explaining things in a simple, clear, and concise manner. Jeff works primarily from the east coast on his Retina Macbook Pro, and shoots video with a Canon DSLR. During downtime he likes to travel the world, visiting the various Apple Stores across the globe. You can email him at jeff [at] idownloadblog.com and follow him on Twitter @JeffBenjam or on Google+.

Who wants to win an iPad mini?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Ladies and gents, you read the title correctly, we're giving away yet another iPad mini. We've again teamed up with the outstanding folks over at Big Fish Games to bring you this exciting giveaway.

Big Fish Games, as you probably already know, is a huge iOS developer responsible for dozens of iOS games for the iPhone and the iPad. Along with sponsoring this iPad mini giveaway, they've also decided to provide each one of you with a free copy of Fairway Solitaire.

This time around, we're doing things a bit different. In order to enter our latest iPad mini giveaway, you need to visit our YouTube channel, watch the iPad mini giveaway video, and follow the instructions. It's that simple.

Winners will be announced next Tuesday, March 5th. Head over to our YouTube channel now, and enter now!

‘LivePapers’ adds animated wallpaper to jailbroken devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Looking to spice up your iPhone's Home screen and Lock screen? If so, then look no further than LivePapers, a recently released jailbreak app available on Cydia's BigBoss repo.

LivePapers allows you to enable animated wallpaper that you can display on both your Home screen and Lock screen. You can interact with the wallpaper on your Lock screen using taps, and configure settings for each of the custom wallpapers.

By itself, LivePapers isn't exactly a home run, but with the purchasable addons, the jailbreak app is tons of fun. Take a look inside as we go in depth with LivePapers, plus we'll talk about and demonstrate its purchasable addon packs.

PlanetBeing: evasi0n jailbreak likely killed in upcoming iOS 6.1.3 update

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 25, 2013

We knew that the fun wouldn't last forever, and it looks like the vulnerabilities used for the evasi0n jailbreak will be fixed in an upcoming iOS update. PlanetBeing, one of the founding members of the evad3rs team that brought us the long awaited iOS 6.x untethered jailbreak, reports that Apple has patched one of the five exploits that evasi0n uses to accomplish the jailbreak.

PlanetBeing, known as David Wang among close associates, briefly sat down with Forbes writer Andy Greenberg, and confirmed what everyone knew was inevitable. The evasi0n jailbreak will most likely be patched in iOS 6.1.3.

‘SafariSwipez’ brings swipe-to-close gestures to Safari tabs

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Gestures are all the rage these days, just look at popular tweaks like Auxo and Zephyr for the proof. What about adding swipe gestures to the tabs in the stock Safari browser? Wouldn't that be a welcomed addition? After trying out SafariSwipez, I can indeed say that it is.

SafariSwipez is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to swipe up or down on a page in tabbed view to close out the tab in question. As you might expect, SafariSwipez is a really simple tweak with no options or settings to configure. Take a look inside for more details.

TypeStatus now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q0yMz41Ojc

TypeStatus — a new jailbreak tweak that we previewed in the wee hours this morning, has gone live on Cydia. This tweak places a handy ellipsis notification in the status bar when someone is in the midsts of composing an iMessage reply to one of your ongoing conversations.

If you want to try TypeStatus out, then head over to Cydia's BigBoss repo where it can be downloaded for free. As always, we urge you to share your sentiments in the comments below.

ActiveDock now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 24, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTafIirge1c

ActiveDock — a tweak inspired by the dock featured in OS X — is now available on Cydia for download. Last week, we took an in-depth look at ActiveDock, and determined that it is hands-down better looking than the stock dock in iOS. There are also features for alerting you when an app is launched and when an app receives a notification.

Take a look at our video walkthrough for more information. In the meantime, if you're browsing this post on your jailbroken iOS device, hit up this link to be taken directly to ActiveDock's Cydia page. You can find it on the BigBoss repo for $1.99. Be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

TypeStatus adds an iMessage ‘now typing’ indicator to the status bar

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 23, 2013

TypeStatus is a new jailbreak tweak that has a special place in my heart. Why? Well, it's because for once I can claim some sort of credit for its creation. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested, just on a whim, that someone create a tweak that allows you to see the "now typing" indicator for iMessages in the status bar.

A few hours later, I was informed that the tweak was being worked on, and not long after that, I had a working copy in my inbox. Folks, this is what makes the jailbreak community so special. It's filled with uber-talented developers who have a knack for creating great things, and bringing ideas to life.

Truth to be told, I never expected anyone to take my request and bring it to fruition, but I'm happy that someone did. @thekirbylover of Hashbang Productions is the one I have to thank for making it a reality. I'd like to say I can take credit for this tweak, but the majority of the credit goes out to the mind behind the code. Check out my hands-on video preview of TypeStatus inside.

‘Unveil’ allows you to view banner notifications while using Siri

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

You probably haven't noticed it personally, but did you know that banner notifications are supressed while the Siri interface is open? Well, to be honest, I didn't either, until I saw this tweak pop-up in Cydia.

The premise behind Unveil is simple, allow banner notifications to be displayed within the Siri interface. If you're someone who absolutely must have access to banner notifications at all times, then Unveil is something you should consider using.

evasi0n updated to version 0.4 in Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 23, 2013

If you've been experiencing booting problems with your jailbroken iDevice, then a new update to the evasi0n 6.x Untether may be of sincere interest to you. evasi0n Untether version 0.4-1 was recently released in Cydia, and it brings with it fixes to booting problems that were happening during some reboots.

If you've been experiencing booting issues, then you should head over to Cydia right now, and upgrade your evasi0n Untether package.

AssistantEnhancer picks up where Siri left off

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

If you're looking for a way to get more out of Siri, then a tweak like AssistantLove will most likely be of interest to you. That tweak, which was just recently updated to support iOS 6, allows you to play Spotify music using Siri, and integrates navigation and GPS features too.

Well, as of this week, there's another option that you should consider trying, and it treads on much of the ground previously cultivated by AssistantLove. This new tweak, aptly entitled AssistantEnhancer, brings Spotify integration, along with a host of other features.

If the ability to search Amazon, find local events, search the App Store, and play Pandora sounds like something you'd like Siri to do for you, then you certainly want to check out AssistantEnhancer. It does all of the aforementioned, and much, much more. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for a rundown of some of the tweak's most outstanding features.

ActiveDock brings an OS X inspired dock to iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 21, 2013

When you hear about an upcoming tweak collaboration between jailbreak community staples like Filippo Bigarella and Surenix, then the tweak is pretty much destined to be good. Unsurprisingly, that is the case for the upcoming ActiveDock, a jailbreak tweak that brings an OS X styled dock to the small screen.

We've gone hands-on with ActiveDock and put it through its paces. Needless to say, we came away impressed. Check out our video walkthrough inside.

‘Haptic Keyboard’ tries to make your typing experience more engaging

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Haptic Keyboard is a new jailbreak tweak that institutes haptic feedback with each press of a key on the iPhone's keyboard. Similar tweaks have appeared on Cydia in the past, but their compatibility has been spotty with recent iOS updates.

The purpose of haptic feedback, is to give the end user the sensation of actually typing on a physical keyboard, instead of a piece of smooth glass. Unfortunately, in the case of this latest version of Haptic Feedback, the idea is much better than the final execution.