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+.

Why Apple Should Support Siri On the Original iPhone 4 [Video]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 5, 2011

Siri is Apple's new flagship feature on the iPhone 4S. In fact, they're counting on the iPhone 4S' Siri integration to move units, as it's an exclusive feature to the iPhone 4S.

But what some of you might not realize is this: Siri has already been available for the iPhone for quite some time now, in fact, it was just removed from the App Store in the last 24 hours.

In other words, it works on the original iPhone 4, quite similarly to the way it works on the new iPhone 4S, and we have the video to prove it...

How to Jailbreak iOS 5 GM With RedSn0w [Video Tutorial]

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 4, 2011

If you're an Apple developer, and you're interested in jailbreaking the GM release of iOS 5, then this is for you.

As we expected, right after the iPhone 4S media event, Apple released iOS GM to developers. This is the final build prior to the public version being released on October 12th.

Check inside for the full video tutorial that shows you how to jailbreak iOS 5 GM with RedSn0w...

Full iPhone 4S Specs Revealed: A5 Processor, Download Speeds That Rival 4G, World Phone, 8MP Camera, 1080P Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 4, 2011

Wow, if anyone was doubting that the iPhone 4S could compete with the latest and greatest crop of smartphones, would you like your crow served scrambled, or over easy?

The specs are ridiculous, and the "S" wholeheartedly lives up to its name by bringing significantly more speed, to the already capable iPhone 4.

On top of the obvious A5 processing speed increase, the 4S actually rivals 4G speeds when it comes to downloads. Not only that, but it features CDMA and GSM capabilities for true world phone functionality...

Apple Launching iOS 5 and iCloud on October 12th, iTunes Match Late October

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 4, 2011

October 12th is shaping up to be a big day for Apple fans, as iOS 5 launches publicly that day, and now it has been revealed that iCloud will be ready along with it.

One feature that you might have to wait a few more days for, is iTunes Match — Apple's cloud music matching service that we profiled back in august...

Cards: Create Personal Cards on Your iPhone And Apple Will Handle the Rest

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 4, 2011

Well, that was bizarre. The first "major" anouncement at Apple's media event this afternoon was Cards; as in greeting cards.

Yes, Cards is an upcoming app from Apple themselves, which will allow end users to create greeting cards right on their iPhones.

Apple will then print it out, address it, mail it, and send you a push notification when it arrives...

Sprint Image on Apple’s Website 100% Confirms Sprint is a New iPhone Carrier

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 9, 2016

Welcome, Sprint. It's been a long and arduous journey, but you made it to the promise land; you finally scored the iPhone.

This: image from Apple's online store, confirms that Sprint will be the official third US carrier of the next iPhone.

These are the images that are displayed when asked to select a carrier on Apple's website. See the Verzion and AT&T images for comparison.

Just yesterday, the image wasn't there, but we checked today, and sure enough, there it is. What could this mean for Sprint as a carrier?

Apple Store Goes Down Ahead of Apple’s iPhone Event

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 4, 2011

So, what will it be? Signs are certainly pointing to an iPhone 4S as being the only new iPhone we'll see this afternoon.

Either way, it's highly probably that we will see some new product hit Apple's online store after the media event concludes.

That's because Apple's online store is currently down, which normally means the ability to order a new product, or at least pre-order a new product, is in the cards...

How iOS 5 Can Reinvigorate the Jailbreak Community

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 3, 2011

A while back, we ran a story that entitled: iOS 5 to Kill the Jailbreak Community? That was of course, before Apple unveiled iOS 5 at the 2011 WWDC at Moscone West.

The purpose of that article, was to call out Apple's not so subtle means of usurping the jailbreak throne by making jailbreaking less glamorous, less desirable. Essentially, Apple was planning on taking some of the best features of jailbreaking, and bake it right into their new OS.

Since then, I've tested multiple betas of iOS 5 on everything including the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. While it does make quite a few of the jailbreak community's apps — at best redundant, at worst, totally obsolete or unecesarry — it's far from the end of the world for the jailbreak community.

In fact, I strongly feel that jailbreaking can and will be reinvigorated with iOS 5; inside, I'll explain why...

iSounds: Add Classic OS 9 And Apple Newton Sounds Effects to Your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Looking to turn your iPhone into a throwback iPhone? How appropriate, considering that we're on the eve of one of the most highly anticipated Apple unveilings in quite some time.

iSounds is a yet to be publicly released jailbreak tweak, which adds various classic sound effects to your iPhone. We've got video details on how it works, and how you can try it out for yourself, right after the break...

How to Fake Your iPhone’s Battery Percentage With ‘FakePercent’

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 3, 2011

I think I've just found the perfect jailbreak tweak to trick my unsuspecting iPhone using friends.

FakePercent is a tweak that allows you to effectively fake the amount of remaining battery percentage; meaning you could set the percentage to read 100%, when actually, you only have 5% left.

Want to see it in action? Step right inside...

How to Add Basic Photo Edit Options to the Stock Photos App

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 2, 2011

Wishing for a quick and simple way to perform basic photo editing tasks without the use of external app?

True, such a feature is baked directly into iOS 5, but that's still a few days away. What about now?

Jailbreak connoisseur Filippo Bigarella's got you back, with the recent release of PhotoEdit, a jailbreak tweak that brings a few basic photo editing options to us iOS 4 users...

ActiveAccess for Activator: Enable Zoom, VoiceOver, and Invert Colors From Anywhere

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 2, 2011

The awkwardly named ActiveAccess for Activator, is a jailbreak tweak, which allows you to assign various accessibility options to Activator actions.

Accessibility options consist of features like Invert Colors, VoiceOver and Zooming — options that are great for the visually impaired.

Thanks to this tweak, there's an even easier way to invoke these features by assigning one or all of them to an Activator action...