Jim Gresham

Editor at iDownloadBlog.com since 2012, Jim Gresham curates the finest wallpapers and customizations for Apple devices, enhancing user experience through visual creativity. With a keen eye for design and a passion for personalization, Jim helps readers transform their screens into stunning displays. He spent his younger years tinkering with computers, reading about technology, and watching Star Wars, while being teased by his peers at school for nerdy tendencies. Since 2008, he has worked on improving his Apple arsenal and spends his free time researching the latest gadget trends, trying to find the next awesome iDevice accessory for review. A native of the Commonwealth of Virginia, he enjoys the stiff crease on a well-ironed dress shirt and dons a bow tie on a regular basis.

Bluelounge releases Rolio and CableDrop Mini for cable management woes

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

It is no surprise, considering the number of Bluelounge reviews I cover, I am a big fan of this product line. Consequently, when my friend at their office asked if I wanted to check out their latest invention, I quickly responded to the request. Bluelounge makes great products that solve simple everyday problems. Many companies claim to do the same, but setting themselves apart, Bluelounge solves these mundane problems in elegant ways with products like Kii, MiniDock, Mika, and Saidoka.

Today, two new products are announced, Rolio and CableDrop Mini. Both newly released items take on the challenge of creative cord management. Everyone struggles to keep cords in-check on their work stations, but with these two options, at least there is some organization to the madness...

Wallpapers of the week: mixture flat and texture

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Now that iOS 7 is released and we are all running our newest devices, the design is starting to settle with users, but, as always, one of the only ways to modify the look of iOS is changing the wallpaper. Many users jailbreak their devices simply to change the look and appeal. However, until there is an iOS 7 jailbreak, we will be stuck using wallpapers as our only source of personalization.

With help from the Wallpapers of the Week section, we hope to curate a place on iDB where users can find top tier designs with which to change their interface. Thanks to the layered design work, changing the wallpaper in iOS 7 does drastically change the color scheme, in comparison to iOS 6. The translucency allows the wallpaper to be visible through different app interfaces, thus creating a new experience...

Review: Apple’s iPhone 5c Case is tastefully tacky

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

Typically, I do not bother reviewing Apple items because I do not feel like adding my $.02 to the pile of other blogging around the web. Leave the big company reviews to the big boys, is best in my opinion. However, when I saw Apple release the "iPhone 5c Case," I immediately felt the need to pick one up and share my opinions. Feel free to call it a useless need to self aggrandize my product reviews by weighing in on the newest Apple offering. I couldn't look past the bold and somewhat tacky bright color schemes.

What drew me into the review was Apple's previous lack of actual cases. In most recent history, Apple released a Smart Cover for iPad and the mini. Additionally, Apple released bumpers for iPhone 4. Apple making the definitive decision to release a case for the already colorful iPhone 5c made me stop and take notice. What possessed the company to finally produce a full fledged case for iPhone and what would Apple do so differently from other case manufactures?

As Steve was a self proclaimed iPhone nudist, clearly there were some people behind the late Apple CEO that were itching to release a case...

Wallpapers of the week: parallax ready walls for iOS 7

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated March 15, 2018

We are all settled with our new devices after a grueling week of long lines and iOS 7 upgrades. It was a big week for Apple fans the world over and next week will continue to excite as customers who ordered iPhone 5s electronically begin receiving units on Monday and Tuesday.

To prep for my reviews, I purchased a green 5c and silver 5s, of which the 5c arrived Friday. Although I had access to iOS 7 since WWDC, I opted to remain with an iPhone 5 iOS 6 JB until my new device arrived in the mail. Consequently, I have only been running iOS 7 for the past 24 hours through my new device. I must say, it is quite the shocking experience, but I am getting used to the new interface.

As the self proclaimed wallpaper guy for iDB, one of the new features I am very excited about is the parallax effect. Utilizing the iPhone's accelerometer, gyroscope, and a little coding magic, the wallpaper appears to move behind the icons when tilting the device. To enhance the effect, applying a wallpaper slightly larger than the iPhone's screen resolution is important. Step inside to download our first featured post with parallax ready images...

Coda Forte bluetooth headphones offer wireless quality

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

When using a headphone, cable is not an option, switching to Bluetooth is obviously the best idea. There are many areas where cordless headphones are optimum, including late nights playing your favorite iOS game next to your wife, who is sleeping and doesn't know you broke the no-gadgets-in-the-bedroom agreement. Keeping yourself out of the dog house is made simple with a pair of headphones.

However, fumbling around with a cord is not always preferred. iFrogz, which was purchased by ZAGG, would agree that wireless is the way to take listening to the next level. The iFrogz Audio Coda Forte Bluetooth Headphones with Mic, which I will term "Coda" henceforth, is an answer to the corded headphones of the past. Having previously reviewed ZAGG headphones, I am not new to the ZAGG audio scene but the Bluetooth addition is new territory...

Wallpapers of the week: nature inspired Light Wind

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

We are creeping closer to the public iOS 7 release and the excitement is almost palpable. On Wednesday, we will all be able to get our greedy hands on Jony Ive's latest software creation and, with it, a whole new list of excellent wallpapers. Actually, for the astute readers, we have already posted the entire list of Apple wallpapers that will be available in iOS 7.

This week is another in the growing installment of Wallpapers of the Week. In this section, we are excited to continually feature the works of our talented readership. Recently, lots of readers submitted excellent wallpapers and the next installments should continue to please. Inside the post, this week's featured artist is Eddy Younan...

Never lose your iPhone in the dark with glowing Slickwraps cases

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

I find myself fumbling around in the dark looking for my iPhone, while trying not to wake my wife. Black iPhone, dark room, black side table are all my enemies when trying to get my late night Twitter fix. Not that Slickwraps designed a case to encourage bed time iPhone junkies, but I find the glowing aura of this case helpful in similar situations.

When I first offered to review the Slickwraps glow series case, I figured it was a novelty item that children might find in a $.25 grab machine at the local bowling alley. After using the case for more than a week, I am happily surprised to believe quite the opposite of my original impressions...

Wallpapers of the week: t-shirt images look amazing

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

On our tenth anniversary for Wallpapers of the Week, I took a simplistic design and a simplistic subject matter as the focus of this week's offering. Of course, there is nothing simple about the upcoming week for Apple news and fans the world round.

We are on the edge of iPhone history, when Tuesday, the newly planned models will be announced. Earlier this week, iDB highlighted excellent September 10 event wallpapers by Bas van der Ploeg and linked to another set designed by a community standard, Surenix.

In the meantime, we are happy to feature a new set of walls to hold everyone over until the excitement begins...

iOS in the Car cannot come soon enough

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

I recently purchased a new top of the line 2013 Nissan Pathfinder and am very pleased with the family decision. Everything is exactly what my wife was looking for in a vehicle, sleek exterior, beautiful interior, mandatory leather seats, and room for future 2.2 kids and a Great Dane. The size, we felt, was a little lacking, but it stood up to its rivals with a bit of finesse.

We get our new, fresh smelling, SUV home and start playing with it in the driveway like two kids and a new toy on Christmas morning. But, we obviously are attracted to different things. My wife wanted to climb all over the back seats, adjust the driver seat, and set the memory locks for her key fob. I go straight for the dashboard entertainment center.

I took a fairly hard look at the infotainment center on our various test drives, but once I had my iPod classic freshly synced and plugged into the Pathfinder, I quickly grew upset. Below the fold is a personal reaction to the system in our new vehicle and a highlight of how things could be done in a more fluid way...

Kordl 2 prevents tangled earbud frustration

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

In a post earlier this year, I highlighted the original Kordl, which promised to tangle-proof earbuds. After my initial review, I found, quite surprisingly, the little thumbnail size of plastic works very well. One of the largest setbacks for the original Kordl was the attachment mechanism and how the earbud wires were held.

To enhance an already impressive design, J2 Product Development set out to make a better version and reinvent the proverbial wheel. Back in action and fresh off a 250% funding spree on Kickstarter, Kordl 2 is the new way to keep tangles to a minimum. Take a look below for a snapshot of the enhancements and a brief on the simple design...

Some iPhone event wallpapers that will brighten your day

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Today, Apple made the official announcement for the iPhone event to be held on September 10. The event is expected to announce the much anticipated iPhone 5S, a colorful range of iPhone 5C's, and the updated iOS 7 operating system. Each time there is an official invitation, many skeptics try to predict what exactly is meant by every little piece of graphical evidence on the image. However, some people spend their time more creatively by creating wallpapers.

In a special mid-week wallpaper update, we are pleased to post copies of Bas van der Ploeg's originals, created exclusively for the September Apple event. If you are as excited as I am, take a look past the fold for the first chance to download full resolution originals...

Wallpapers of the week: purple and blue set the mood

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Almost into double digits, Wallpapers of the Week is now moving into week nine with another great set of walls. The reason we are able to continually promote this section of iDB is because of excellent and talented readers like yourself. Every week, I receive submissions requesting to be featured on the site. After taking a look at the images, each week the best ones are cherry picked from the growing list of options.

As you well know, wallpapers in the translucent layer-based iOS 7 drastically change the UI. In a way never before imagined, the user wallpaper is now paramount to tweaking the mood of not only the Springboard, but also the subsequent menus and app interfaces. Today, we offer up two excellent walls for iPhone 5 by designer Maik Fischer...