MPScale adds a functional distance scale to Apple’s Maps app

Despite its shaky startup, Apple's Maps app has quickly become a solid competitor with Google’s own mapping platform. But if there’s one way Apple could improve its Maps app, it would be making it easier to discern distance by adding a traditional map scale to the interface.

Fortunately, iOS developer Julio Verne was thinking along similar lines when he created a free jailbreak tweak called MPScale. Just as the name implies, MPScale adds a tiny scale indicator to the Maps app that can help users estimate distances.

LockDroid gives jailbroken iPhones a classic Android-style matrix passcode screen

I’ve used a lot of jailbreak tweaks in my day, but some of my all-time favorites were those that brought the classic Android-style matrix/pattern Lock screen interface to the iOS platform.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of these classic tweaks optimized for each of Apple’s latest handsets and mobile operating systems, but one that does is a release called LockDroid by iOS developer Julio Verne.