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+.

iOS 4.3 to Be Available at 10 PST Today?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 8, 2011

According to Boy Genius Report, iOS 4.3 will be available today at 10AM PST. That's a full three days before it was expected to be available, but the earlier the better if you ask me.

The folks at Apple said that it would be available on the day of the iPad's 2 launch -- March 11th, but I guess they decided it would be best to stagger the release date a bit.

One of the positive aspects regarding an early release is that this will give the jailbreak community even more time to jump on providing a jailbreak and solving the ASLR issues surrounding Apple's latest firmware...

Apple Urges Users to Purchase Ringtones in iOS 4.3

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 17, 2018

Buy More Tones. That's an order. At least that's what Apple's saying in iOS 4.3 GM.

I've always despised the fact that people continue to buy ringtones via iTunes, keeping it relevant. It's so easy to make them yourself, why would anyone pay a dollar to download a snippet of a song they most likely already own?

Personal bias aside, there's no doubt that ringtones are a big money maker these days, though it must not be bringing in enough coin to satisfy Apple -- going by the verbiage contained in iOS 4.3 GM...

Is Apple Planning to Release a 4G Enabled iPhone Sooner Than Expected?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 30, 2016

I think most of us 'round these parts expect the iPhone 5 to be the last triumphant hoorah on 3G networks, but some interesting noise has been coming from the east concerning the likelihood of a 4G enabled iPhone.

China Mobile Communications Corp.’s Chairman, Wang Jianzhou, spoke on the matter by stating that “Jobs has expressed his interest in an LTE iPhone and is willing to start the development at an early date.”

Now to put the puzzle pieces together. Does he mean “early” as in iPhone 5 early? Or “early” as in next year sometime?

Apple Reportedly in Negotiations With Record Labels For Unlimited Music Downloads

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 23, 2016

If there's one feature that I really appreciate about the App Store, it's the ability to re-download previous purchases with ease.

Even if you're on another device, all you need is your iTunes login credentials and bam; it's downloading again, for free.

The iTunes music store doesn't exactly work like that. I rarely download music from iTunes, so I was shocked the first time that I realized I couldn't re-download an album that I had bought previously.

Fortunately, for those of you that rely on iTunes for all of your music needs, this might be about to change...

BlackBerry Messenger is Headed to an iPhone Near You

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's evidently what Research In Motion is thinking after it was revealed that their popular BlackBerry Messenger app would be making its way to both Android and iOS devices.

BlackBerry Messenger already has a long list of devoted fans that absolutely swear by its functionality, and this move will likely increase the amount of faithful users in camp BlackBerry.

While there are still no details surrounding the release date or the pricing structure, its looking like RIM is aiming for a piece of the Apple pie...

AT&T Will Officially Support iOS 4.3’s Personal Hotspot Feature

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I think we all assumed that AT&T would support the iPhone's Personal Hotspot feature that comes bundled with iOS 4.3, but its availability has been confirmed by an AT&T spokesperson.

As we informed you yesterday, iOS 4.3 will makes its way to the public on the same day that the iPad 2 is released.

AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom has confirmed that the company's Personal Hotspot support will go live once Apple makes iOS 4.3 available on March 11...

Skyfire 3.0 Update Now Available for Download

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

It seems like forever ago when we were all fawning over the possibilities of Skyfire, and its promise to bring Flash video to the iPhone.

Its initial release was met with incredible success that even surpassed the expectations of the developers behind the project.

Now that Skyfire has found its way into the hands of tons of adopters hungering for Flash video, the Skyfire team has released its most feature filled update since the app's inception.

What can you expect from the new and improved Skyfire? Check inside for the details on video...

iOS 4.3 Will Be Released on March 11th for GSM iPhones Only

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 2, 2011

At today's iPad 2 media event, solid details were revealed about the upcoming iOS 4.3 release.

Unsurprisingly, iOS 4.3 will make its debut on the same day that the iPad 2 is officially available for sale; March 11th.

What's interesting is that one notable Apple product in particular was left out of the iOS 4.3 goodness -- the CDMA based Verizon iPhone 4...

The Apple Store is Down and Excitement is in the Air

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 2, 2011

The Apple Store is down right now, and that usually means one of two things; maintenance, or a new product launch.

Seeing as today is March 2, we're going with answer number 2 -- new product launch. It's been confirmed by Apple that their scheduled media event for today will revolve around the new iPad 2.

Apple’s New Commodity Outlook is Disappointing to Me

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 2, 2011

Apple products; there's something to be said about the mystique of owning a new Apple product. The "Apple smell" is one of the first things that come to mind, along with the minimalistic packaging, and crisp design lines.

For reasons such as these, it's disheartening to see Apple taking on an "Apple is for everyone" outlook, as the company looks to capitalize even more so on their recent dominance.

True enough, Apple is already past the point of ubiquity. I know plenty of people that struggle to pay their light bills, but still manage to keep up with their AT&T payments each month.

Even so, Apple's new public outlook is disappointing to me...

Steve Jobs Denied Knighthood Due to Speaking Engagement Snub

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 1, 2011

Quite the humorous story making its rounds this morning; apparently Steve Jobs was denied knighthood by the UK government for refusing to accept a prior speaking engagement.

The speaking engagement was at the annual conference for the Labour Party, a political party in the UK.

Although all of this went down a few years ago, some of the details are just now making their way to the airwaves...