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Metaphrase: a quick way to translate text in iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 18, 2014

Metaphrase is a recently released tweak that lets you translate text on the fly within any application in iOS. The release, which works as an add-on to Ryan Petrich's popular ActionMenu tweak, lets you select text from the copy and paste menu to easily translate words from one language to another.

There are dozens of languages available to use in Metaphrase, and you can choose to have it translate words and phrases using the system language established in iOS' settings. For a video look into how Metaphrase works, check out our full walkthrough inside.

WSJ: Amazon launching its Apple TV competitor next month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Building on previous reports, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon is set to begin shipping its long-awaited video-streaming device next month. The device will thrust the e-commerce giant into a highly competitive space occupied by Apple, Google and others.

Citing sources familiar with the product, the outlet claims that the device will carry a variety of apps available on Roku and Apple set-top boxes and run on a version of Google's Android software. And like Amazon's other hardware devices, it will likely carry the Fire brand...

Twitch and Gameloft bringing live mobile gameplay streaming to Asphalt 8

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Kicking off the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, Twitch and Gameloft have announced that they are teaming up to provide the first ever mobile streaming game experience. To start with, they two say they've integrated Twitch into Asphalt 8: Airborne.

Once the feature goes live, gamers will be given the ability to stream their gameplay to a Twitch channel. Additionally, they'll also be able to stream their voice and image using their iOS device's microphone and front-facing camera, and monitor chat from their stream followers...

How to add quick compose widgets to Control Center

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 16, 2014

Compose—the jailbreak tweak that allows you to add quick compose widgets to iOS—has been updated for iOS 7. In prior versions of the tweak, the quick compose widgets appeared in Notification Center, but with iOS 7, the compose widgets have been relocated to Control Center.

The iOS 7 version of Compose features a bevy of quick compose shortcuts for apps like Tweetbot, BBM, WhatsApp, and more. It's a great tweak for quickly accessing the composition assets for many of your favorite App Store apps. To catch a glimpse of how Compose works on iOS 7, take a look at our video walkthrough past the break.

How to remove the ‘Near Me’ tab in the App Store app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 16, 2014

The 'Near Me' tab—which appears at the bottom of the App Store app in iOS 7—allows you to see what apps are most popular around your location. I've found the feature to be quite worthless and generally filled with local news apps that I'd never consider using.

With that in mind, wouldn't it be cool if you could get rid of the Near Me tab altogether? That's the premise behind a new jailbreak tweak entitled NoNearMe; it allows you to hide the Near Me tab using a simple Cydia install. Have a look inside as we show you how the tweak works on video.

How to add a battery level indicator to the status bar

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 16, 2014

BatteryStatusBar is a recently released tweak that allows you to add a battery indicator to the top of the iPhone's screen. The indicator, which rests in the same location as the status bar, reflects your current battery status using a colored bar.

The color of the BatteryStatusBar changes depending on your battery level. A green bar means you have over 65% of battery life remaining, and the color changes to orange or red as the battery level decreases. BatteryStatusBar isn't perfect, but it's a different take on battery level awareness. Have a look at our full walkthrough inside for more details.

How to add custom text to Spotlight search

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 15, 2014

Every now and then we are blessed with big-named tweaks and apps like Auxo or ProWidgets or biteSMS. While having releases like those are nice, we realize that they're more the exception than the norm. Far more often, we find ourselves reviewing smaller tweaks like CustomSpotlightText—a new release that makes it possible to change the default text found in the text box after invoking Spotlight.

But that's okay, because these are the type of tweaks that sustain the community and keep it fresh until the next big release. These are the type of tweaks that make jailbroken devices so varied and diverse. With that in mind, step inside, as we walkthrough CustomSpotlightText on video.

How to tone down the Phone app’s neon green in-call status bar

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 15, 2014

When you make a phone call with the stock Phone app on iOS, you'll notice a green status bar appear at the top of the interface when you exit the app. This status bar serves as a quick shortcut to get back to the stock Phone app, and it also lets you know how long the Phone call has lasted.

If you have sensitive eyes, then you may find the neon green color used on the status bar to be annoying, or at least visually unappealing. Thankfully, there is a simple and easy way to rid the status bar of its neon properties, and it comes in the form of a jailbreak tweak called CalmCall. Have a look at our full video walkthrough after the break to see what I mean.

Rovio teases new Tiny Thief episode ‘Bewitched’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

It seems like Rovio has been 'teasing' a lot of things lately. There's its upcoming RPG 'Angry Birds Epic,' and then 'Angry Birds Stella,' which is coming this fall. But what about for the folks who aren't a fan of the furry fowl-flinging franchise? Two words: Tiny Thief.

That's right, the Finnish developer has posted a teaser trailer for a new episode of its popular puzzler this weekend. The episode is entitled 'Bewitched,' and as you'd imagine it has a Halloween-kind of vibe with witches flying on brooms and—well, just watch the clip...

How to add swipe gestures to video playback

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 14, 2014

VideoGestures is a recently released tweak that allows you to perform gestures while playing video to adjust volume and playhead position. The tweak features several settings to adjust the velocity of swipe gestures, along with a setting to invert the gestures for natural scrolling.

If you're looking for an intuitive way to control video playback on iOS, then look no further. Check out our full video walkthrough after the break.

Asphaleia now available on Cydia

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 14, 2014

Asphaleia—the stylish new Touch ID-based jailbreak tweak that we showed you last Friday—is now available for download on Cydia. The tweak, which is a3tweaks' response to other releases like BioProtect, BioLockdown, and AppLocker, puts an intelligently designed spin on Touch ID security.

Asphaleia works with any iOS 7 capable device, though, not just the Touch ID enabled iPhone 5s. It's a tweak that brings tons of new security features to both the iPhone 5s, and other iOS 7 enabled devices. Best of all, Asphaleia comes with a 50% discount if you've purchased any of the aforementioned security tweaks in the past. Check after the break for our full video walkthrough of Asphaleia in action.

‘Badger’ attempts to bring notification enhancements to iOS 7

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 14, 2014

Badger—the tweak that allows you to swipe up on app icons to view a list of related notifications—has been updated to work with iOS 7. It's a jailbreak release focused solely on notifications, and it features the ability to display a roll-up of all notifications from a variety of apps.

Badger is one of those tweaks that seems extremely useful when you see it in action. Unfortunately, that usefulness doesn't always translate well into real-world day-to-day usage. Like the previous version of Badger, the iOS 7 version lacks the practicality to make it more than your average technical demonstration.

It's frustrating to me, because the developer of Badger is extremely nice, and an overall good-guy. I really want to like his tweak, but of course, I can't just outright recommend a tweak because I happen to like its developer. I've always striven to be a straight-shooting person when it comes to spending your hard-earned money, and that's the case here.