SwitcherBlur: blur the apps in the app switcher

SwitcherBlur is a recently released tweak that does one very simple thing: it adds blur to the app cards in the iOS 7 app switcher. SwitcherBlur uses a simple low-level gaussian blur on all of the app cards, except for the app that you just came from. The tweak is similar to BioLockdown, in that you can protect the contents of your app switcher cards from prying eyes.

But that's about where the comparisons to the feature-rich BioLockdown end. SwitcherBlur prides itself on simplicity, as you'll see in our brief video walkthrough inside.

Despite T-Mobile’s Un-carrier, AT&T adds 809,000 new subscribers in Christmas quarter

The nation's second-largest wireless carrier, AT&T, yesterday reported its Christmas quarter earnings revealing steady growth, despite T-Mobile's taunts and its Un-carrier initiative. Although AT&T (and Verizon) stopped divulging iPhone activations, the carrier confirmed selling 7.9 million smartphones in the quarter, a decline from the 10.2 million smartphones it activated a year ago.

They added a cool 1.2 million new subscribers and upgrades by old subscribers. Of that number, 809,000 connections were new subscribers and 566,000 were postpaid wireless customers with a contract. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

exKey: add an extra row of keys to the iOS keyboard

exKey is a jailbreak tweak that adds an additional fifth row of keys to the stock keyboard in iOS. The tweak, which works on iOS 5 through iOS 7, allows users to type more efficiently, because they should spend less time switching between the numeric and alpha keys.

When installed and in normal alpha mode, you'll see a set of numeric keys, digits 0-9, grace the top of the keyboard as the new fifth row. When you switch to the numeric keypad, the numbers are replaced with special character symbols.

We've taken exKey for spin in our video walkthrough. Take a look inside for more details on how this productivity jailbreak tweak works.

Pundit makes the case for a solar-powered iPhone 6

It would seem that much of the tech world is expecting Apple to give its iPhone line a significant refresh this year. The company is believed to be working on not one, but two new models with larger displays, and of course there will be the usual performance bumps.

But if you ask Matt Margolis of Seeking Alpha, the iPhone 6 may feature much more than just a larger display. The analyst thinks the handset could utilize a sapphire display with an embedded solar power panel, and he makes a pretty interesting case for the theory...

Disney announces new ‘Star Wars: Assault Team’ game coming to iOS this spring

Disney announced yesterday that it's working on a new game called 'Star Wars: Assault Team' for iOS and Android, and it's set to be released later this year. Now I know you're thinking "great, another Star Wars game, but this one looks to set itself apart.

Disney describes the game on its Tumblr blog as "a new turn-based combat game for mobile devices with strategy and card-battle elements," where users will be collecting classic characters from the Rebel Alliance and more to defeat enemies across the galaxy...

Google Search app updated with new Winter Olympics Google Now card

Google has posted a new update for its Search app this morning. The update brings the app to version 3.2.1, and includes a handful of improvements and a new Winter Olympics 2014 Google Now card.

The new card is really the biggest addition in this update, as it brings about support for the 2014 Sochi Games. Users will now be able to use Google Now to get info on medal standings and upcoming events…

Saurik lists the jailbreak tweaks he has installed on his iPhone

Since we closely cover the jailbreak community here at iDB, we are often asked by readers what apps and tweaks we have installed. Between us, we probably try a dozen new tweaks a week, or more, so sometimes we have stuff on our devices that others may not know about.

With that in mind, you can only imagine how often Saurik, the founder of Cydia, gets asked what packages he has installed on his device. Well for those of you wondering, he answered the question last night in a Reddit thread and his list of tweaks is actually pretty interesting...

WinterBoard receives an update to fix status bar issues

If you've tried any WinterBoard themes lately, then you've probably encountered the annoying status bar caching issue that causes themed status bars not to show up properly. Well, you'll be happy to know that Saurik has released an update to WinterBoard that fixes the status bar issue.

Dubbed version 0.9.3915, this WinterBoard update fixes the status bar issues, solves a problem with WebKit transforms, and has a couple of other fixes up its sleeve. If you're running any WinterBoard themes, then you'll want to be sure to update as soon as you can. Check inside for the full change log.

Couria: add quick reply and quick compose to the stock Messages app in iOS 7

Couria is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to have true quick reply and quick compose functionality for the Messages app in iOS 7. Currently in beta testing, it's a tweak that offers a lightweight alternative to the likes of biteSMS.

We've taken some time to put Couria through its paces in our hands-on video walkthrough. Check inside for more details on how this promising tweak works.

Apple’s iOS in the Car project reportedly plagued by ‘organizational issues’

Apple announced iOS in the Car at WWDC in June of last year. The company said that the new feature will allow iOS 7 device users to connect to the in-car displays of compatible vehicles, and that it would be launching it in the near future.

But here we are, roughly 6 months later, and while we've seen photos and videos of it in action, we have yet to see any sign of a public iOS in the Car release. So what's the holdup? A new report attributes the delay to 'organizational issues.'

Tumblr update adds new user mentions feature, notifications and more

Good news for Tumblr users this afternoon. The micro-blogging site has posted an update for its iOS client, bringing the app to version 3.5.3. The update brings about a handful of improvements, and a major new user mentions feature.

Mentions work on Tumblr just like they do on other social networks. Typing '@' and a username when you’re writing a post will generate a link to that person's blog and push an alert to that person letting them know they were mentioned...

FaceOff 7 is the sensor-based equivalent of Activator for iPhone

When the Moto X was announced last year, I was admittedly somewhat jealous of its various sensor-based contextual awareness and voice recognition features. In layman's terms, the handset is one of the more interesting Android smartphones on the market to say the very least. But as someone that has been a loyal iPhone user for several years, it wasn't quite enough to make me jump mobile platforms.

Thankfully, a new package has arrived on Cydia that allows me to experience the best of both worlds…