Widget

Concept video shows widgets the way Apple should implement them

Sébastien Page ∙ November 1, 2012

If you've had an Android device in your hands before, you've likely noticed they usually come with widgets for just about anything. As a matter of fact, when I reviewed the Nexus 7 a few months ago, I noted that widgets were definitely one of the strong points of the tablet. Of course, jailbreakers are no strangers to widgets: Dashboard X is an example of how widgets can be implemented in a very tasteful way on iOS.

Visual and UI designer Max Rudberg recently took it upon himself to imagine another way widgets could work on iOS. The result is quite amazing, and in all honesty, I believe Apple should really take note of Rudberg's concept. Have a look for yourself...

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Dashboard X 2.0 now available in Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4MD6D0WGsE[/tube]

The major upgrade to Dashboard X that we previewed last week is now available in Cydia. Dashboard X 2.0 brings a whole slew of new features to the popular widget tool, including resizable widgets, and independent orientation for both landscape and portrait mode.

Even better is the fact that Dashboard X 2.0 is a free upgrade for existing users, and $1.99 for new users. Head over to Cydia's ModMyi repo to download it now, and be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

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5 things iOS can learn from Android

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 27, 2012

It's no secret that both Sebastien and I purchased Nexus 7 devices from Google. We may have differing reasons for our purchases, but one reason we share in common is the desire to see how Google is performing in the tablet space. This is especially so with the Nexus, since it's the flagship that's guaranteed to run stock Android with no additives or preservatives.

The Nexus 7 is the first Nexus device I've owned, and I've come away quite impressed; read my thoughts on the Nexus 7 for more details on that. I've even been able to identify a few things that Google is doing well, and that Apple could stand to learn from. Items like widgets, and offline dictation, to name just a few...

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Dashboard X 2.0 makes adding widgets to your Home screen even easier

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 2, 2013

The original Dashboard X was a fairly monumental tweak for jailbroken iOS devices, because it brought true widgets to the iPhone and iPad's Home screen.

Dashboard X 2.0, the follow up to the hit release, is aiming to build on all of the things the original Dashboard X did well, while fixing the things it didn't do so well.

This time around you can resize widgets using pinch gestures, and you can position widgets on both portrait and landscape orientations independently of one another.

Simply put, this is an awesome follow up to an already great jailbreak tweak. Check inside for the full video walkthrough...

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How to search Cydia from Notification Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

There's a new widget available that allows you to initiate a Cydia search via a Notification Center widget, and it's appropriately titled Cydia-SearchNC.

This free download can be enabled via the Notifications panel in the Settings app, and doing so creates a handy search field directly in Notification Center.

Check out our video walkthrough that showcases how this jailbreak widget performs, after the break...

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How to add the iOS 6 Twitter Widget to iOS 5

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

Now that iOS 6 has official built-in widgets for both Twitter and Facebook updates, wouldn't it be nice to be able to replicate those same widgets on iOS 5? Apparently that's the same thought the developer of iOS 6 Twitter Widget had when creating his tweak. This widget, as its name so plainly alludes to, allows you to have an exact replica of the iOS 6 Twitter widget on lesser firmware.

Take a look inside for the full video walkthrough...

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Jukebox now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 3, 2012

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auCwQQpr-Mw[/tube]

Jukebox — the Dashboard X and Notification Center compatible music widget — is now available for download on Cydia. As you no doubt saw in our walkthrough, Jukebox is an awesome music widget that can be used to directly manipulate your Music app from the convenience of your Home screen.

One of my complaints with Jukebox was that it currently only supports the stock Music app, but the good news is that support for 3rd party music apps like Pandora and Spotify is in the works. Check out our full coverage of the tweak, and be sure to head over to Cydia's BigBoss repo where it can be had for $0.99.

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Jukebox adds an awesome music widget to Dashboard X and Notification Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 28, 2012

Jukebox is an upcoming Notification Center widget that also does double duty as a Dashboard X widget. Its purpose is to allow you to control your music from literally anywhere, which is primarily attributed to its flexibility as both a Notification Center widget, while at the same time maintaining a spot on your Home screen.

The initial release of Jukebox will only feature integration with the stock Music app, but the developer is hard at work at making it play nice with 3rd party music apps like Spotify and Pandora. Besides this one obvious shortcoming, Jukebox is shaping up to be a top tier Notification Center widget, and by far the best Dashboard X widget yet...

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Music Widget now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 25, 2012

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJjmo5BQwag[/tube]

Music Widget, the Dashboard X compatible music interface that we previewed a couple of days ago, has now appeared for download on Cydia.

Music Widget allows you to view your "now playing" album art, along with placing play/pause, skip, and previous buttons conveniently near the bottom of the interface.

Take a look at our full walkthough, and head over to Cydia's BigBoss repo to download it for free. What do you think?

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Music Widget: an upcoming Dashboard X music interface

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 23, 2012

One of the wonderful things about the Dashboard X widget interface is its out of the box compatibility with Notification Center add-ons. Cjori — the developer of the popular widget interface — could have easily used that as an excuse to not design widgets exclusively made with Dashboard X in mind, but as a benefit to us, he and others have decided not to do so.

As a result, we have exclusively designed items like Dashtweet, Clock Widget, and now Music Widget — a widget designed specifically for showcasing now playing music on the iOS Home screen.

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This new tweak gives you a dedicated page for widgets

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 14, 2012

HomeSpringPage is a new jailbreak tweak that will allow you to add an empty first page to your Home screen. This is great, because it allows you to have dedicated real estate for adding Dashboard X widgets.

If you're a Dashboard X user, HomeSpringPage is a natural fit to accomodate your needs for space. Take a look at our full video walkthrough inside for the proof...

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