Make sure you check out these apps this weekend

This was a big week for iOS games and apps. Some old favorites received major updates and some epic console games were given the iOS treatment. There are plenty of reasons to pretend you are too busy to go visit old Aunt Gertrude.

Whether you are looking for fun new photo and video apps, epic fighting games for the fanboy in you, or an app to help you find something to do this weekend, we’ve got a list of apps we think will keep you occupied until the wee hours of Monday morning…

PadClock makes it easier to set alarms on iPhone

I can't be the only one that despises the date picker found within the Clock app's alarm settings. I find that it requires too much thought to set an alarm, especially in the wee hours of the morning when you can just barely open your eyes.

PadClock is a new jailbreak tweak that fixes the cumbersome setup found inside the stock alarm clock. It does so by replacing the original date picker with an easy to use number pad.

Good deal: $10 off FireCore’s aTV Flash (black)

Folks with a jailbroken 1st or 2nd generation Apple TV should check out this sweet little deal going on over Stack Social. The deal site has the popular ATV software suite aTV Flash (black) on sale right now for under $20.

For those unfamiliar with Flash (black), it's a popular software package that extends the capabilities of your Apple TV with tools like a web browser and a weather app, and it can play a wide range of media file types...

Auxo for iPad is coming in 6 days

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the wait is almost over. Yes, indeed, Auxo for iPad is coming to a jailbroken iPad near you in less than one week. In six days, according to a new teaser image on the tweak's official site, Auxo for iPad will go live.

The tweak, widely regarded as the best jailbreak release of 2012, has been baking in the oven for quite some time. Many have complained about the long wait, but you can be rest assured that the wait is almost over. We will, of course, be back with a full review of Auxo for iPad.

Pod2g: Apple could open up iOS by releasing alternate firmware for developers

Earlier this week, Tim Cook turned some heads when he told folks at the D11 conference that they could expect Apple to "open up more" in the future, in regards to 3rd party developers. The company, as you well know, currently rules iOS with an iron fist.

Unsurprisingly, Cook's comment has sparked some speculation in the jailbreak community, on what Apple's plans might be for opening up iOS more. And earlier today, Pod2g weighed in, and he thinks it could do it by releasing alternate firmware...

Hands-on with the new 16GB iPod touch (video)

Apple yesterday phased out the fourth-gen iPod touch in favor of a new entry-level $229 16GB model. Basically the fifth-generation, it includes EarPods and has the same four-inch Retina screen, Lightning I/O and the A5 chip as other models - sans the iSight camera and the lanyard hook.

However, there's one more major difference between this iPod touch and the more capacious models. Ben Pasternak of Sydney, Australia was one of the first buyers and posted a quick hands-on video...

Best Buy $150 trade-in program could net you a free iPhone 5

In another sign that Best Buy could be clearing stock (or simply enticing customers to pick up an Apple handset), CNET reports the retailer will trade-in your working iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S on Sunday for a $150 credit, which can be redeemed against the purchase of a new iPhone. Given that Best Buy normally sells the entry-level iPhone 5 on a two-year contract for $150, the promotion lets you trade-in your old iPhone and purchase Apple's latest and greatest handset without paying a dime - of course, excluding the obligatory carrier activation fee and any applicable sales tax...

Galaxy S4 not hurting ‘resilient’ US iPhone sales

Listening to much of the tech press, you might get the impression Samsung's new Galaxy S4 would further erode Apple's share of the smartphone market. One Wall Street firm ended the week on a contrary note, telling investors iPhone sales in North America "remain resilient" and Samsung's Galaxy S4 is only selling slightly better than its predecessor.

The analyst firm Detwiler Fenton expects Apple will sell a cool thirty million iPhones during the June quarter amid expectation the nine-month-old handset would lose market share to its South Korean rival...

Google updates iOS Search app, rolls out nutritional information in search results

I really, really wish Apple doubled down on Siri. When the intelligent personal assistant debuted as an iPhone 4S-exclusive back in October 2011, Siri was likened to a seismic shift that would vastly improve our interactions with the devices in our lives. And it did.

But merely nineteen months later, Google has leapfrogged Siri with Google Now, which combines the power of Google search with the company's Knowledge Graph and top-notch voice recognition to deliver relevant info before you even asked for it.

But Google isn't standing still. Today the firm has updated its native iOS Search app with "location improvements and bug fixes." And just yesterday, it announced that nutritional information will start cropping up in search results across platforms, including iOS and Android applications that incorporate Google Now...

Apple rumored to launch ad exchange service

Remember iAd, Apple's mobile advertising service that launched with great fanfare in April 2010? After more than three years, iAd doesn't seem to be gaining traction due to high ad rates coupled with Apple's strict requirements and its understaffed and inexperienced ad staff.

Realizing its pitfalls, the iPhone maker is reportedly working on an ad exchange service of sorts, one aimed at helping advertisers target users who browse web sites and use apps on an Apple device, be it an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac...

Apple retains mobile ad lead, but Samsung getting more clicks

A mixed-message on the state of mobile advertising is out today. In an announcement expected to hearten both the iOS and Android camps, a UK ad firm reports Apple retains its lead in mobile ad share, while mobile ads rendered on devices by rival Samsung are increasingly being clicked.

Combined, Apple's iPhone and iPod touch account for more than a third of all ad requests handled by the UK-based Adfonic. However, Samsung - with just twelve percent of the mobile ad share - finds the first quarter 2013 click-through-rate on ads served by its Android devices increasingly stronger than Apple...

AltKeyboard: a better way to input alternate keys

Do you find it inconvenient to have to tap the little '123' button on your iPhone's keyboard to bring up the numerical keys? Wouldn't it be better if you could employ a simple swipe gesture to input alternate keys?

That's the exact thinking behind the just released AltKeyboard. It's a collaboration between Sentry — known for Auxo — and Alan Yip — known for Tap to Widgets. In usage, AltKeyboard is a very simple tweak, but its development and design were likely significant undertakings. I say that because AltKeyboard is extremely well thought out and well designed. It provides a feature that many will find useful in their day-to-day routine.

Like we always do for tweaks of this nature, we've gone hands-on to provide you with a full in-depth video walkthrough. Will AltKeyboard be of benefit to your typing habits? Check inside for the full analysis...