Today I received my Nexus 7 "Smart Cover". Okay, it's really just a bulky case, but it closely mimics the function of Apple's innovative means of screen protection. I ordered it simply to compare it to Apple's original version of the Smart Cover.
As you have probably heard, the Nexus 7 contains an unadvertised feature — magnets on the front right-side of the device, which very much imitate the iPad's sleep/wake functionality.
Should Apple be upset with this unadvertised feature?
Monocle is a new jailbreak tweak from Ryan Petrich that allows you to enable a true full screen mode on many of your favorite apps.
I emphasize true full screen, because unlike Maximization — a tweak that lets your hide the status bar for full screen mode — Monocle goes the extra mile and hides the navigation bar, toolbar, and tab bar as well.
This produces a true full screen mode in apps like the App Store, where the navigation bar is still present when using Maximization. Check out our video walkthrough for a visual explanation...
"Chrome will never be as good as Safari," many lamented upon Chrome's iOS debut, "It doesn't have access to Apple's private Nitro Javascript Engine." If your device isn't jailbroken, that still rings true, but if it is, then not so much anymore.
That's because Nitrous — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — unlocks the Nitro Javascript engine for alternative browsers like Google Chrome. Does it make a difference? Yes. Check inside and see for yourself.
Handwriting recognition is a new $0.99 jailbreak tweak that recognizes hand written text, and converts that text into typed characters.
The cool thing about this tweak is that it uses Action Menu to activate itself, meaning it can be used freely in any app.
It's an excellent idea, but it's not without some major issues holding it back from its potential...
We get it. The status bar is useful for telling the time and for displaying your remaining battery life. But what if you don't need that information to be always visible?
Wouldn't it be nice if you could take the real estate borrowed by the status bar, and use it for your apps? Some apps, like games, already do this; it's called full screen mode.
What if you could force all of your apps to run in full screen mode? If you have a jailbroken device, then you no longer have to hypothesize about that scenario. That's because Maximization is a jailbreak tweak, that allows you to do just that...
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4MD6D0WGsE[/tube]
The major upgrade to Dashboard X that we previewed last week is now available in Cydia. Dashboard X 2.0 brings a whole slew of new features to the popular widget tool, including resizable widgets, and independent orientation for both landscape and portrait mode.
Even better is the fact that Dashboard X 2.0 is a free upgrade for existing users, and $1.99 for new users. Head over to Cydia's ModMyi repo to download it now, and be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments section.
We all knew something better than Chrome Download Enabler was inevitable, and now it's finally here. Chrome Download Manager is a jailbreak tweak that was released just a few minutes ago to allow downloads via the Google Chrome browser.
Considering it has a name that's similar to the legendary Safari Download Manager, I'd say it has some pretty big shoes to fill. Does Chrome Download Manager live up to its expectations?
There are a few qualities that can make a jailbreak tweak great: Originality, function, and usefulness. Grafiti [sic] is a jailbreak tweak that features all three of these qualities, and it's inexpensive to boot.
Grafiti allows you to draw pictures inside the stock Messages app, and send those pictures to your friends. Check inside to see how it works...
It's no secret that both Sebastien and I purchased Nexus 7 devices from Google. We may have differing reasons for our purchases, but one reason we share in common is the desire to see how Google is performing in the tablet space. This is especially so with the Nexus, since it's the flagship that's guaranteed to run stock Android with no additives or preservatives.
The Nexus 7 is the first Nexus device I've owned, and I've come away quite impressed; read my thoughts on the Nexus 7 for more details on that. I've even been able to identify a few things that Google is doing well, and that Apple could stand to learn from. Items like widgets, and offline dictation, to name just a few...
Not satisfied with the available search engines present in mobile Safari? Then try SearchEnable on for size.
SearchEnable is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to add additional search engines to Safari. You'll find Wolfram Alpha, Ask, and Baidu, among many other options.
Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details...
The Nexus 7 is now available to the masses, and I just received mine yesterday. It's a good device, but it's not without its fair share of issues. The device is a small 7 inch tablet that features solid design, but it lacks the elegance of the iPad. For $199, I think that pretty much goes without saying. Actually, something strange happened with my Nexus 7 order - I received a 16GB Nexus 7, instead of the 8GB version that I ordered. Is this Google's way of kissing up to a known Apple guy? Who knows, but you won't find me complaining about it.
Since you've probably heard a million different opinions about the Nexus 7 already, I'm going to keep this short and concise. First of all, let's talk about the good...
ayecon — the high resolution WinterBoard theme from renowned designer, Surenix — is making its way to the iPad. Perhaps the worst kept secret in the theming community, ayecon for the iPad is very real, and it's coming soon to a jailbroken iPad near you.
If you're at all familiar with the small screen version of ayecon, then you will know just what to expect from the iPad version. Not much has changed here, but as you know, that's entirely a good thing. Full video preview inside...