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+.

How to Adjust Your Wallpaper’s Alpha Settings

If you're searching for some additional control over your iPhone's wallpaper, then WAlpha is available to help.

No, it has nothing to do with Wolfram Alpha, I too thought the same thing and was a bit disappointed when I found out otherwise. Instead, WAlpha stands for Wallpaper Alpha, and it does one thing and one thing only: allows you to adjust the alpha settings for the wallpaper on your Home screen and Lock screen.

SwitcherLoader: Rearrange Your iDevice’s App Switcher

Interested in customizing your App Switcher? What about completely removing certain stock features, like AirPlay and music controls?

With SwitcherLoader — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — it's all possible, and then some.

SwitcherLoader is a free tweak available for iOS 4.2 devices and above. Check inside for a full video explanation of what this tweak brings to the table.

Top Jailbreak Tweaks of the Week

Welcome to this week's tweaks of the week. Per usual, we have a very diverse mix of videos; some aren't jailbreak related at all, like the Siri Proxy plugin tutorials. Nevertheless, we're sure you'll enjoy what we have inside.

As always, please make sure to spread our iPhone, iPad, and iOS video wisdom by sharing our posts on Twitter and Facebook.

How to “Downgrade” to iOS 5.0 Without SHSH Blobs [Updated]

We have decided to remove this post. We posted warnings about the usefulness and possible issues that could stem from its usage, but after further discussion and talks with developers, we decided it was in the best interest of everyone involved to remove the tutorial.

We apologize about any confusion that may have resulted from this, and we will more deeply consider any similar posts in the future, even if they contain the necessary warnings that this post contained. Ultimately, we don't want to confuse anyone, hence we felt that the post would be better off removed.

How to Install Siri Proxy Plugins [Video]

A couple of days ago we showed you how to install the much talked about Siri Proxy Server. That's the first step to being able to really do some marvelous things with Apple's so-called personal assistant.

The next step is installing the plugins that take advantage of the Siri Proxy. These plugins range from enabling you to tweet on command, start your car, control your television, or query IMDB's massive movie database.

In the following tutorial, we show you how easy it is to install Siri Proxy plugins, and we use the IMDB plugin as an example. If you already have Siri Proxy installed, you don't want to miss this...

How to Install Siri Proxy Tutorial [Video]

We've gone hands-on with Siri Proxy, and the things you can do with this handy tool are amazing.

But as you know, at iDB we don't like to keep all the good stuff to ourselves. For that reason, we've created this comprehensive video tutorial and guide that shows you how to run Siri Proxy on your iPhone 4S.

We show you step-by-step what's needed to try out Siri Proxy yourself...

Introducing Our New And Improved RedSn0w Page

The timing almost couldn't be any better. The Dev Team is working on a new and improved version of RedSn0w, and we just finished our new and improved RedSn0w tutorial page.

The new RedSn0w page includes a comprehensive breakdown of every feature present in RedSn0w. It also includes handy video tutorials to make understanding the tool's primary features easy to follow.

If you haven't seen our new RedSn0w page already, check inside for a glimpse of what's new...

Our Own Video Demonstration of Siri Proxy in Action

Late last night I set out with the goal of getting the much talked about Siri Proxy server running on my iMac and iPhone 4S. After a couple of hours of tinkering, I could finally report success.

We've all seen the videos, but actually using it yourself is a whole different experience. It's really amazing what Pete “Plamoni” Lamonica has been able to pull off with Siri Proxy.

What's even better is that there's all sorts of plugins available to take advantage of. Check inside as we go hands-on with the Twitter and IMDB plugins for this wonderful Siri enhancer...

New RedSn0w Update To Make Use of iOS 5 SHSH Blobs for Downgrading

Hot on the heels of the iFaith update from iH8sn0w that made iOS 5 SHSH blobs usable, the DevTeam is working on updating RedSn0w to do something similar.

Just a few minutes ago, iPhone DevTeam member MuscleNerd tweeted that an upcoming release makes both TinyUmbrella and Cydia blob saves useful for iOS 5.0+. This is great news for would be downgraders...

How to Downgrade iOS 5.0.1 to iOS 4.3.3 For Untethered Jailbreak

If you absolutely must have an untethered jailbreak at this very moment, there is always the option of downgrading back to iOS 4.3.3.

Assuming you saved your SHSH blobs for the last firmware susceptible to an untethered jailbreak, you can follow this video tutorial and downgrade to iOS 4.3.3 in about 10-15 minutes. Inside we show you how, step-by-step...

Off Topic: 27″ iMac Solid State Drive Install in 3 Minutes!

As you guys may know, my main job at iDownloadBlog is to create videos for everything from tweak and app reviews, to product reviews. Millions of people have watched our videos, and the amount of subscribers grow each day.

Considering this, my primary editing machine was getting a bit long in the tooth; I needed something to pep it up to keep up with the demand of video tutorials and walkthroughs. I needed a Solid State Drive.

But I wasn't planning on going to Apple or buying a whole new iMac just for an SSD. Nope, I planned on doing this myself. It wasn't easy, and at times it was downright frustrating. But I did it. To celebrate, I've created a video that showcases the entire 3 hour install in under 3 minutes...

Giveaway: Kogeto Dot Panoramic Video iPhone Accessory

The Kogeto Dot is a 360° panoramic video attachment for the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. We were fairly impressed with its capabilities to take great action videos in our video review of the device.

Since we're finished with our review, we're happy to pass on the 360° panoramic goodness to one of our readers. Check inside for your chance to win your very on Kogeto Dot...