Apple patents S Beam-like device transfers

A 2009 Apple patent application is gaining renewed attention, not only because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today issued a patent to the iPhone maker, but how the technology could keep pace with smartphone rival Samsung.

At issue is finding a way to easily transfer data between handsets and desktop computers. The patent, titled "System and method for simplified data transfer" describes how two Apple devices could wirelessly sync data using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, a system as yet unavailable in Apple products but part of Samsung's S Beam feature on select NFC-enabled Galaxy devices...

Flipswitch: a new centralized toggle system for iOS

We've covered hundreds if not thousands of jailbreak apps, tweaks, and themes over the years, and many of them contain some form of toggle to enable and disable functionality on device. Wouldn't it be great if there was a centralized means of providing toggles, instead of each developer wasting resources to come up with their own? Having a centralized toggle framework would also ensure that functionality remains more or less the same amongst the variety of different apps and tweaks.

That's where Flipswitch — a new centralized toggle system for iOS — steps in to save the day. A collaboration between developers Ryan Petrich and Jack Willis, Flipswitch is a generalized toggle framework that's ready to go out of the box. This is a new tool that will make it easy for developers to implement toggles into their apps and tweaks with very few lines of code.

Take a look inside as I talk about FlipSwitch, and showcase its sample tweak — Switchicons — in our video walkthrough...

Giveaway: we have ten copies of FX Photo Studio Pro for Mac

FX Photo Studio, the already excellent iPhone photography app, is getting better with each new update. Recently, the iPhone version has gone free permanently and the iPad definition has been discounted to a $2 download.

iDB has teamed up with the fine folks over at MacPhun to give you, our readers, a chance to win a copy of FX Photo Studio Pro for Mac.

Mind you, we're talking a pro photo editing app here.

FX Photo Studio Pro supports image resolution up to 32 megapixels and a variety of photo formats, including RAW. The software normally costs twenty bucks on the Mac App Store and we have ten copies to give away.

Best of all, we're not requiring you to tweet out a message, like a Facebook page or anything like that. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment at the bottom along with your Twitter handle. Good luck!

How to add a translucent status bar to Safari

Have you ever wished for the ability to see through Safari's status bar while browsing your favorite websites on your iPhone? If so, then TranslucentStatusBar for Safari might be right up your alley. It's a tweak that forces the status bar to be translucent while using the stock Mobile Safari app. Check inside for a video walkthrough of the tweak in action.

Security flaw compromises restricted iOS apps

Yesterday, we highlighted a proof-of-concept iPhone charger by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology which can be used to install malware on your non-jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch or iPad in under a minute. It's another example of the cat and mouse game played between hackers and Apple.

Today, we received word of an iOS security flaw which can be exploited to break the password required to restrict access to apps, content and features on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad...

New Activator beta adds new flick icon gestures and more

Activator has been around for a long time, and it's safe to say that it's a staple jailbreak app, and probably a little bit under appreciated. While new fangled tweaks seem to get all the shine, Activator, the gesture plumbing that many jailbreak tweaks rely on, keeps on trucking along.

Since the initial 1.7.5 beta release at the beginning of May, Activator has been on the receiving end of a significant overhaul of its structure and inner workings. Perhaps the most exciting of all of the updates happened yesterday, with 1.7.5 beta 6. This new release adds support for per-app launch gestures and icon flick gesture. Think Velox.

In other words, Activator just got a lot more power under the hood, and it'll be interesting to see what developers and users like you, do with it all. Take a look inside as I dissect these two new features and showcase how they can be used.

Apple: no conspiracy in e-book case, DoJ unfairly twisted Steve’s words

Yesterday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) publicized its antitrust case against Apple in the form of an 81-page slide deck to prove that the iPhone maker has teamed up with five major U.S. publishers to form a cartel in order to raise prices of digital books. But as Tim Cook said at the D11 conference, Apple is going to fight the "bizarre" case and has no intention to “sign something that says we did something that we didn’t do".

And while the DoJ is arguing the facts, Apple is arguing the law and accusing the government of unfairly twisting Steve Jobs's words pulled from Walter Isaacson’s bio book. Apple’s attorney Orin Snyder denied any conspiracy and argued that “publishers fought us tooth and nail”...

MiniPlayer 2.3 adds new ‘Play Next’ and share features

In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite fond of MiniPlayer. It's an app that started off a little homely looking, but has transformed itself into one of the better jailbreak tweaks that you'll find on iOS.

The dynamic duo behind the tweak — Surenix and MPow — have been obsessively refining MiniPlayer over the last few weeks; so much so that I'm beginning to worry about them a bit. Guys, it's really okay if you want to take a break. Remember, deep breathes.

At any rate, the end users have reaped the benefit of the development team's obsessive level of detail and thought. I once said that MiniPlayer 2.2 was the defining moment of the tweak, but let me restate that, MiniPlayer 2.3 is the defining moment of the tweak. That is, of course, until MiniPlayer 2.4 appears with lasers and its own built-in coffee bean grinder.

But seriously, MiniPlayer 2.3 brings quite a few new (and quite useful) features to the proverbial table. For starters, there's a new tap gesture to reveal repeat options, sharing options, and shuffling. There's also a great new addition that allows you to add an iTunes inspired 'Up Next' (here dubbed Play Next) track, along with the ability to rearrange the playing order of the tracks in your MiniPlayer queue.

Take a peek inside, as I step through a few of the most outstanding new MiniPlayer features in our video walkthrough.

SemiRestore brings an easy one-click restore to jailbroken iOS devices

SemiRestore is a restore solution for jailbroken iOS devices. It allows you to restore your device to almost stock levels, removing everything from settings to jailbreak apps and tweaks, to even App Store apps. It's probably as close as you can get to a stock iOS device without actually restoring using iTunes.

We've reviewed an early version of SemiRestore before, and while it showed promised, we had mixed feelings about it. This was namely because the app forced you to go through a lot of steps in order to achieve the desired result — a clean iOS device that allows you to maintain the current firmware and jailbreak.

But we've got some very good news: SemiRestore has come a long way since that early preview. In fact, on the beta 4 version that I tested, it's a true one-click solution. Yes, literally, all you have to do is plug in your iOS device, open the SemiRestore app, and click the SemiRestore button.

I once praised iLEX RAT for its ease of use, but this is probably about as easy as it gets. Check inside for our very own video walkthrough of SemiRestore beta 4 in action.

The FUMM: a flexible mount, stand and dock for your iPhone

Those in the market for an interesting new iPhone accessory might want to check out this new flexible universal mobile mount, otherwise known as the FUMM. The odd-looking gadget can transform itself into a mount, stand, or dock for your iPhone.

It's able to pull this off thanks to three durable, metal flex tubes and two plastic pads lined with special 'nano suction pads.' The patent-pending technology enables to mount on almost any surface and withstand more than 10 pounds of pull force...

New report claims redesigned iPad coming in Q3, new iPad mini in Q4

This year has been kind of a weird one for Apple in terms of product releases. It's June now, and we have yet to see a new iPad this year (no, I'm not counting the 128GB model). That hasn't happened since the tablet's inception back in 2010.

But it's coming. Or should I say they're coming. Apple is expected to release both a new iPad and iPad mini this year. And according to a new report out of China, the former is coming in Q3, and the latter will arrive just before the holidays...