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Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video)
The iPad was made to do many things, but windowed multitasking wasn't one of them. Leave it to the Cydia Store to provide a new app that delivers individual, rotatable, scalable, untabbed windows. Quasar, from developer Pedro Franceschi, let's you do just that across multiple apps -- without relying on home button double-taps or tricky multi-finger gestures. The video below makes it seem pretty magical, so take a look and let us know what you think.
MyWi gets friendlier with iOS 5, brings faster connection speeds and improved reliability
Why shell out cash for those extra tethering fees when you've got MyWi, right? Well, you'll be happy to know the $19.99 jailbreak app has gone through a major revamp. MyWi v5.5 brings along a "total rewrite" for folks on iOS 5, while also promising a speedier connection, faster hotspot load times as well as improved overall reliability. Additionally, the overhauled application adds a couple of new features, including an upgrade to MyWi On Demand, which now uses Bluetooth to trigger hotspot mode. MyWi version 5.5 is up for grabs now via the App Cydia store, though you may need to keep it a secret from your carrier.
WWJC (JailbreakCon) brings freedom fighters to San Francisco on September 29th
Chances are a grand number of you have gratefully used, or heard about, the tweaking tools supplied by the iOS jailbreak community. Last year's MyGreatFest gathering in London brought together Cydia's creator along with members of the Chronic Dev Team, but if you were hoping for something this side of the pond, you'll have another shot at rubbing elbows with them. During its 2012 edition, the WWDC WWJC, also known as JailbreakCon, will be rolling out the red carpet in San Francisco on September 29th. Those interested in trekking toward the Golden Gate Bridge can book their way into the keynotes and workshops by unleashing anywhere from 65 to 155 bucks per ticket -- the cheapest of the bunch being an "Early Bird" deal through June 29th. Feel like joining the jailbreak connoisseurs? You can find the rest of the deets, as well as as the hub to grab your tix via the source link below.
Cydia Search enables effortless searching of Cupertino's least-favorite app store
Wish finding an app in Cydia was as easy as locating a slot machine in a Vegas casino? Then you might want to give Planet-iPhones' new Cydia Search a whirl, which lets owners of jailbroken iOS devices peruse the renowned gray-market catalog from the comfort of their desktop browser. That means you'll be able to search by name, description, author and a handful of other relevant tags, and once you've found an interesting app, you can view its price, version, repository, and its actual location within Cydia. While the project borrows a number of features first introduced with ModMyi, users will likely find the Cydia Search interface more rewarding -- though both are excellent utilities for browsing the entire app store before rooting your handset. So whenever you get fidgety and decide to replace Apple's boot logo with one from Subaru (or whatever tickles your fancy), you'll know where the journey begins.
Cydia 1.1 unleashed, performance improvements abound
Owners of jailbroken iPhones were greeted with a welcome tweet recently, as Cydia -- Steve Jobs' least favorite app store -- announced its version 1.1 debut. Despite third-party repositories getting hammered early on, and a now resolved 'hash sum mismatch' snafu, the update continues to roll, and hacked iOS devices are gobbling it up. Indie app seekers will notice a snappier interface, better search results (thanks to refined algorithms), and the ability to resume downloads. Saurik's efforts to streamline code have reduced its memory footprint as well, bringing increased stability to the marketplace that continues to rock the App Store's boat. 130,000 downloads were noted in the first three hours -- was yours among them?
New Cydia release makes re-jailbreaking easier
Saurik is releasing a major update to Cydia that includes a new Manage Account feature. Though it won't help you jailbreak your device, the new version of Cydia will make it easier when you need to re-install your favorite jailbreak applications. Similar to the Mac App Store, this Cydia account lets you keep track of purchased applications and downloads. This is a much-needed feature that iOS 4 unfortunately still lacks. The next time you jailbreak your iOS device and launch Cydia, you will be able to log into your account and easily install your tweaks and apps without having to search the Cydia repositories. The login for this feature is tied directly to your Facebook or Google account so you won't have to remember yet another password. More good news for jailbreakers as a future of version of Cydia will expand on this account feature and let you make comments, add ratings, and back up installed Cydia repositories. [Via Engadget and Redmond Pie]
Alliance of the jailbreakers: Cydia acquires Rock
It's official: the two largest jailbreak app stores for the iOS platform, Cydia and Rock, are getting together. ModMyi is reporting that Jay Freeman (AKA Saurik) and Mario Ciabarra (AKA psuskeels) have been working through an acquisition of Rock Your Phone, Inc. by SaurikIT, LLC for several months now. That deal became official last night, and over the next 10 days there will be a transition from Rock to Cydia where users can continue to purchase and download apps from the Rock app. After that time, users will need a Cydia store login to continue buying apps. Many of the themes and apps on Rock are already found on Cydia; the remainder will be transferred to Cydia as soon as possible. According to the post, Ciabarra will continue producing the Intelliborn line of jailbreak apps, which includes such big titles as MyWi, Tlert, MyProfiles, My3G, and Intelliscreen. At a recent "geek lunch" in Denver that Erica Sadun and I attended, Ciabarra noted that Rock Your Phone has been quite successful, with total revenues from startup in March of 2009 accumulating to over US$3 million in August of 2010. Ciabarra's comments in the post indicate that he prefers doing app development to enhancing platform functionality, so the acquisition will let him get back to doing what he does best and loves the most. Although the two stores have both had their supporters and detractors, the merging of Cydia and Rock should be a win for the two companies and for the jailbreak community as well.
hacksugar: Mirror your jailbroken iPad display with DisplayOut
Ryan Petrich's latest utility for jailbroken iPads just hit the Cydia store. DisplayOut for iPad sells for US$1.99. It allows you to mirror the iPad's screen out to an external display via an attached VGA or component/composite cable. Similar to earlier iPhone solutions like TV Out and ScreenSplitr, DisplayOut extends video out to the larger iPad screen. DisplayOut provides a great way to create application videos. It supports both in-app and Springboard video, so you can record complete sequences including application launch and run time. If there is any negative to the application, it is that the video doesn't quite fill the screen, and I couldn't find a way to increase the screen size; that's why the video on the Magic Window review appears on the small side. Positives include the excellent Settings integration. You can easily enable and disable video mirroring with a simple switch change. An adjustable refresh rate lets you increase video quality, albeit at the cost of more system resources. I found that some applications slowed down exponentially as the refresh rate grew. All in all, DisplayOut is a great little utility for anyone who has a jailbroken iPad, a video cable, and a desire to display or record iPad action. Note that you will need a recording device on the other end of the cable (VCR, DVD-R, or a video in device for your computer) to capture videos.
Wi-Fi Sync app rejected by Apple, headed to Cydia for $9.99
Can't say we're surprised to hear that Apple rejected Greg Hughes' Wi-Fi Sync app. You know, the app that allows you to wirelessly sync your iPhone / iPod touch with iTunes without having to USB tether to your computer. Messing with Apple's synchronization technology is a pretty big no-no as demonstrated by Palm's webOS bluff. Here's the rejection as explained by Greg from an unnamed Apple rep over the phone: "While he agreed that the app doesn't technically break the rules, he said that it does encroach upon the boundaries of what they can and cannot allow on their store. He also cited security concerns." So while you won't find it in Apple's App Store, it's available now on Cydia for a cool $9.99. You have jailbroken your device haven't you? Don't make us get all MuscleNerd up in here. Update: An Apple spokeswoman contacted us to clarify that the rejection was the result of security issues and "technical issues including reading and writing outside of the app's container." So there.
Using a Wireless Keyboard with an iPhone using BTstack Keyboard
A few days ago, the BTStack keyboard package was released to Cydia. This package, which we posted about recently, allows owners of jailbroken iPhones to use a Bluetooth keyboard with their iPhone 3G or 3GS, or 2nd generation or later iPod touch. The package is available for US$5.00 from Cydia. Since the iPhone was first introduced, there have been efforts to bring support for external accessories. The iPhone 3.0 external accessory framework allowing accessories that connect to the universal dock connector or use Bluetooth has been closed, and only a few companies have developed accessories using the framework. The BTStack project by Matthias Ringwald offers a more complete and open Bluetooth stack for jailbroken iPhones. The stack has even been used with an iPhone and a Wii Remote over Bluetooth. To use a Bluetooth keyboard for quick and easy data entry into your iPhone, you'll need to jailbreak your iPhone, which can be done with an application like blackra1n. Read on to find how I set up my iPhone to use the Apple Wireless Keyboard, and how it works with the iPhone.
Want to connect your iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard? There's a (jailbroken) app for that (Update: video!)
The wait has been long, but now there's finally a means by which to connect your dear, yet almost buttonless, iPhone or iPod touch to a Bluetooth keyboard for some more intense finger tapping action. The project that delivered us this teasing video back in February has at long last reached the application stage, where simple commoners like us can use it to synergize our gear -- provided we've had the wherewithal to free it from Cupertino's overbearing clutches first. The BTstack Keyboard app is now available in exchange for $5 at the Cydia store, so if you want to be the first to write a bestseller on his or her iDevice, there's no time like the present. Update: We've done the inevitable and had a quick play with the app ourselves. Pairing our iPhone and keyboard was a veritable cinch, and we were met by delightfully rapid responsiveness throughout, whether using it in Safari, composing text missives, or jotting those novella notes down. You should note that command, cut, copy, paste, and highlighting functions are not yet active, and then hurry along past the break to see a video demo.
Cydia developer planning independent iPhone App Store, others planning jailbreak service, adult app store
Looks like the jailbroken iPhone app scene is about to get seriously interesting -- not only is Cydia is going from package repository to full-fledged app store, a new jailbreaking service called Rock Your Phone is set to launch, and there's a planned adults-only app store. Details are light on the others, but the Cydia Store will offer developers a distribution alternative to Apple's official App Store unencumbered by that pesky SDK agreement and approval process -- are you ready for commercial fart apps with direct hardware access? Of course, users will have to jailbreak their phones for the Cydia Store or any of its wares to run, and that's slightly controversial at the moment, given Apple's opposition to the EFF's proposal to exempt jailbreaking from the DMCA. It's up in the air how the legal situation will play out, but honestly, we can't say we're surprised that devs locked out of Apple's store are finding ways to compete -- the iPhone app market is entirely too lucrative to ignore. We'll see how Apple responds when the Cydia Store and these others go live; we can't help but feel the winning move would be to relax the SDK restrictions and get all these devs playing on the same team.[Via iLounge]
