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+.

‘Black Keyboard’ Allows You to Use the iPhone’s Black Lockscreen Keyboard Anywhere

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 17, 2011

If you've ever disabled your iPhone's "Simple Passcode" in the Passcode Lock section of the Settings.app, then you're no doubt familiar with the black keyboard that's hidden within iOS.

Most of the folks I know stick to the simple numeric passcode as a means to protect their iPhones, thus they're not aware that a black keyboard even exists.

The sad news is that besides the lock screen, you're unable to use the black keyboard anywhere else; that is, until now.

Black Keyboard is a new jailbreak tweak available for the iPhone that allows you to enable the elusive black keyboard anywhere...

‘AppSize’ Spills the Beans About Your iPhone App’s Age and Weight

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 15, 2011

If apps were women, they would loathe AppSize -- a new jailbreak tweak that tells how much your apps weigh (size) and how old they are (installation date).

Fortunately, most of the apps I meet don't care about this sort of thing.

AppSize is a free jailbreak tweak that's available on Cydia for jailbroken iPhones, and it can be fairly handy for those of you with extremely tight restrictions on space.

What type of restrictions are we talking about? Check inside for more details...

iOS 4.3.2 Untethered Jailbreak Verified Working

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 15, 2011

Great news coming out of the Twitter-sphere today, as Stefan Esser, better known by his Twitter handle, @i0n1c, has confirmed that Apple has left his untether vulnerability in iOS 4.3.2.

That means that as our report speculated yesterday, an untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.2 is possible, and will certainly be released sometime in the not-too-distant future.

According to Esser, his iPad 1 is already running iOS 4.3.2 with an untethered jailbreak.

The question is, when can the general public expect the next version of RedSn0w and PwnageTool?

‘Pull To Sync for Reeder’ Adds Twitter Like Refreshing to Your iPhone’s Reeder App

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 21, 2018

Tired of tapping that dreaded refresh button whenever you want an update to the latest happenings in your Reeder app?

Fret no longer; the perfect jailbreak tweak for you has arrived in the form of Pull To Sync for Reeder.

As its name implies so accurately, Pull To Sync for Reeder throws an additional syncing/refreshing option into the mix for your favorite Google Reader client.

Now instead of solely relying on that little refresh button in the bottom right-hand corner, you can let your thumbs do the talking with pull down to refresh capabilities...

‘Multitasktures’ is a Jailbreak Tweak Alternative to iOS Multi-Touch Gestures

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 13, 2011

Are you still having issues using one of the previously covered methods of enabling multi-touch gestures on your iPhone running iOS 4.3.1?

If so, Multitasktures might very well be a compromise that you're willing to make.

While it's not technically using real multi-touch gestures to enable paging left or right between your apps, it does use Activator to achieve similar results....

Olion’s Moov Allows Wireless Mirroring From Your iPhone to Your Big Screen TV

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated November 13, 2019

Mirroring has been all the rage since the iPad 2's announcement back in March. It essentially allows you to display whatever's on your iPad or iPhone directly onto your television.

The only problem with mirroring is that it goes back to the archaic (relatively speaking) days of using wires to output pictures and video from your iOS device, to your video display.

With recent technologies like AirPlay gaining steam, it was a bit disappointing to see Apple opt for a wired solution instead of a wireless solution.

One Israeli company is trying to capitalize on this need, and has created a case that allows you to wirelessly mirror the output from your iPhone to your television...

CutYourSim & Others Offering Permanent iPhone Unlock Service, No Jailbreak Required

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Tired of waiting tirelessly for a version of UltraSn0w to come out that supports your updated baseband?

Is your iPhone 4 more like an iPod touch because you can't use it to make traditional phone calls?

Ladies and gents, your worries might be over, that is if you have $169.99 lying around. CutYourSim.com is now offering permanent iPhone unlocks, no jailbreaking required.

You can even update your baseband, and your iPhone will remain unlocked; what's more, is that it can be unlocked remotely.

Just how is this being accomplished, and better yet, is it even legit?

Amazon Running iPhone 5 Advertisements

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 11, 2011

I'm all for planning a good strategy, being proactive, and all of those other productivity buzzwords.

But when a product hasn't even been announced, let alone released, I think advertising an unannounced product that you had no hand in creating might be going too far.

That's the circumstance that Amazon finds themselves in right now, because if you perform a Google search for "iPhone 5" it'll return iPhone 5 advertisements that point to Amazon.

So what exactly happens when you click the link? Where does it take you?

The GeoHot Versus Sony Shenanigans Are Over as George Hotz Settles With Sony

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 11, 2011

Well, that didn't exactly resemble a grand finale at a fireworks show, but it provided some good water cooler discussion during its peak.

The George Hotz aka GeoHot Versus Sony litigation is done. It's over folks, it's time to take your ball and go home.

This afternoon, Sony -- no doubt grinning ear to ear from their "win" -- posted an update on their blog that outlined some of the settlement terms...

Steve Jobs Authorized Biography Will Release in Early 2012

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

iSteve: The Book of Jobs is an upcoming biography of perhaps one of the most eccentric figures to ever come along in the technology sphere.

Sure, there have been plenty of behind the scenes biographies in the past -- some of the good, and some of them utter rubbish -- but this is an authorized biography of a man that's known for enjoying his privacy.

What convinced Jobs to go through with the book deal? It probably has a lot to do with the man who is penning the words on paper, Walter Isaacson...

Apple Releases the iBoy

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

They've finally done it! After years of speculation, and months of anticipation, Apple has finally released the iBoy!

This video shows the complete unboxing of Apple's latest iOS device, and believe it or not, it's capable of doing a lot more than your iPhone 4.

Among other things, the iBoy can pout, cry, sing, laugh, and dance.

Okay, so it's just a parody from an Israeli television show, but I found it to be quite humorous...