Sentry teases video for upcoming ‘iOS MiniPlayer’ tweak

Do you love iTunes 11's MiniPlayer so much you wish you could just take it with you when you leave the house? If so, Sentry's latest concept for an iOS MiniPlayer will be a dream come true.

Sentry's iOS MiniPlayer concept is a bar-shaped widget which displays the name of the song currently playing, along with the album art and subtitles for the album and band. Tap on the title, and you've got basic playback controls for pause, fast forward, and rewind. There are even bars at the side of the MiniPlayer which you can drag to hide or reposition the widget...

Google contemplating making own smartwatch

Yesterday, Pebble Technology started shipping the first round of watches to its Kickstarter backers (a companion iOS app went live this morning). We also spotted a number of promising smartwatches at CES, like the iOS-friendly Cookoo, Casio's G-Shock and lots more. Even Apple is rumored to be collaborating with Intel on an iWatch and now Google is apparently considering making one as well...

Unlocking a cell phone in the US to become “illegal” this weekend

If you're interested in taking matters into your own hands when it comes to unlocking you iPhone, then you may want to act fast, or else potentially be at risk of being labeled a law breaker. According to a report by Tech News Daily: On Saturday, January 26th, a DMCA exemption expires that made unlocking a phone on your own terms fully legal.

In all actuality, the exemption was nullified back on October 26 (read the final ruling here), but due to a 90 day grace period of sorts, the final expiration date takes place this weekend. Obviously, unlocking is a big subject here at iDownloadBlog, so we're interested to hear your thoughts on the matter. Bear in mind that it's not all gloom and doom, though...

Google had 5 of 6 top mobile apps in 2012

Although Apple did not make it into the top six mobile apps in 2012, Apple Maps prevented Android-maker Google from capturing all six positions, according to Internet research firm comScore. As it is, the Mountain View, California search firm captured five of the six slots, it's Google Maps mobile app falling to No. 2 after briefly being dropped by Apple.

Social media giant Facebook claimed the number one spot in a list of top apps for 2012, pushing Google Maps into second place, Internet researchers announced Thursday. CEO Mark Zuckerberg might consider sending Apple a thank-you note, as the iOS Maps debacle is now seen as the reason for Facebook overcoming its rival...

MuscleNerd, pimskeks, planetbeing and pod2g team up as the ‘evad3rs’

So this is kind of interesting. Amidst all of the recent talk of the iOS 6 jailbreak nearing completion, pod2g has made a rather unexpected announcement. Apparently he, and three other well known iOS hackers are forming a team.

That team is called 'evad3rs,' and it consists of MuscleNerd, of iPhone Dev-Team fame, pimskeks from the Chronic-Dev Team, planetbeing, who has been working diligently on the latest jailbreak, and of course there's pod2g...

‘Revelation’ reveals masked passwords on iOS

If you find yourself forgetting a saved password in your favorite browser, whether it be Safari, Chrome, or the like, then Revelation may come to your aid. But what if you forget a saved password in something like your Gmail email account saved within iOS? Revelation can help there, too.

As you can probably tell by now, Revelation is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to see your otherwise hidden passwords in the clear. Not only will it prevent your passwords from being masked as you type, you can also go back and reveal saved passwords in their unmasked form.

Indeed, it's certainly a security violation, but if you find yourself up a creek without a way to reset your password, then Revelation may be a good last resort. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside, and decide if its something you might benefit from.

Pebble’s smartwatch app now available in the App Store

Good news this morning for anyone who ordered a Pebble smartwatch, the companion iOS app is now available for download. The news comes just a day after the company announced that it had started shipping its first round of watches.

The app is needed to unlock much of the Pebble's functionality, and as of yesterday, it wasn't in the App Store. And there was some concern that customers would get their watches, after months of waiting, and not really be able use them... 

Samsung talks ITC into reviewing its patent decision

The Galaxy maker, Samsung of South Korea, has cunningly persuaded judges to review their preliminary ruling that more than a dozen Samsung devices copied Apple's patented iPhone features, Bloomberg reports this morning.

Last October, a judge with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recommended that trade agency impose an import ban on the infringing Samsung device. ITC confirmed Thursday it will review the preliminary ruling.

As a result, Samsung has managed to push back a final decision, which was originally scheduled for March 27...

Twitter launches Vine, a 6-second video sharing iPhone app

The popular micro-blogging service, Twitter, Thursday launched a brand new iPhone and iPod touch app called Vine. Twitter also officially confirmed it has acquired the startup behind Vine. Little wonder that it's hailing the new software as "the best way to see and share life in motion".

In a nutshell, the app lets you capture and share 6-second looping videos in a simple manner and share them with your friends and family. It supports the iPhone 3GS and higher and iOS 5 or later, is optimized for the iPhone 5 and can be downloaded from the App Store right now, free of charge. Go past the fold for more info...

Stanford’s free iOS developer’s class returns to iTunes U

Want to get started coding apps for iOS? Stanford University is relaunching their class 'Coding Together: Developing Apps for iPhone and iPad', with new material for iOS 6. We previously reported on the class in 2011. Since enrollment in the class is free on iTunes U and on Piazza, all you really need to participate is enough familiarity programming in C to get you through a couple first-year computer science credits. Over the course of the program, the class will teach students to program in Objective C.

The class is short, running from January 22nd to March 28th. While the class has already started, you can still sign up for enrollment on iTunes U and on Piazza as late as February 1st. You can also peek at the free lectures on iTunes if you are curious...

Indie biopic ‘jOBS’ hits theaters April 19 (video)

As previously reported, 'jOBS' biopic will debut tomorrow as the closing-night film of the Sundance Film Festival in Part City and now word has reached us that the flick, which depicts Steve in his early years (1971-2000), will be premiering in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 19. The indie project stars Ashton Kutcher, who portrays Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, and his fellow actor Josh Gad, who plays another Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak. An exclusive clip from the movie can be seen right after the break...

Samsung’s iPad mini contender caught naked in the wild

As expected, Apple's $329 iPad mini has taken off in a big way and is now arguably the company's best-selling iPad. Apple experienced supply constraints of the device throughout the holiday quarter and it immediately sold out upon its arrival to China last week. Cook in a conference call following earnings report attributed the 22 percent year-over-year iPad growth to strong sales of the lower-margin tablet.

Samsung, on the other hand, has been swarming the market with mobile devices of all shapes and sizes. The strategy has earned the South Korean company a distant #2 spot in tablet sales as it tries to keep pace with Apple. The firm is apparently working on an eight-inch Note device designed to challenge the iPad mini and now an image has leaked revealing a sleek form factor encased in a plastic enclosure...