Carlo Borja: Technology

Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

I stayed up late earlier to watch the live stream of Apple's WWDC 2014 keynote.

For around 4 years that I have been following Apple's keynotes, this was a bit different.

The focus was entirely on Mac. It actually overshadowed iOS 8.

I came watching expecting more of iOS goodness. It turned out I was blown away by all the new and exciting features of OS X.

Also, I love how it brought back the focus to the developers. They are the real stars of the show anyway. Without them, we won't be having all of these awesome apps.

Check out this introduction video they played (Apps We Can't Live Without):

Speaking of developers, Apple blew everyone away by introducing a new programming language called Swift.

I am no programmer or developer. But, as presented in the keynote this language is meant to be faster and more efficient than all the other languages available out there.

In the usual Apple fashion, this changes a lot of things again.

It was a feature packed keynote. It's probably one of the best 'software' keynotes I've seen from them.

I cannot recap everything in here. But, some of the notable features they announced are the following:

An all-new Messages app - In addtion to iMessages, SMS messages (your green bubble friends' texts) can now be synced across your devices. Plus, there is a new tap to talk. This looks like a killer for all the messaging apps available in the App Store.
iCloud Drive - This works like Google Drive. But, using Apple's servers of course. ;)
Continuity / HandOff - You can now continue where you left off on your other device.
Notification Center - Now interactive and can include widgets
Safari got faster
Spotlight got better and more usable
Siri just got smarter
QuickType is Autocorrect done right.

Those and a lot more. You can view all the details on Apple's website.

This is such an exciting time to be an Apple fanboy. The future for OS X and iOS looks bright.

Apple introduced the "Lightning Connector" along with the iPhone 5 last 2012. It replaced the old 30 pin connector we used to have for the last 10 years.

It is small and efficient. But, it is not free of any drawbacks and disadvantages.

What people commonly complain about is the fact that it breaks so easily. I will try to explain here why it does. This is by the way just my own personal observation.

I actually noticed that the Lightning Connectors differ depending on which country they are distributed.

Take a look at this comparison:

The cables that came from the US have this slight bulge before the connector itself while those that were from Hong Kong and Singapore don't.

That is actually the culprit.

That part makes the whole cable less durable. The more this bulge gets bent or stressed over time, the more chances you have of breaking it.

In the Philippines, the Apple devices that Globe and Smart (our local carriers) distribute come from the US. If you bought an iPhone or iPad from these stores, you are definitely getting that less durable cable.

However, if you are buying your Apple device from stores that offer them factory unlocked (e.g. gui), there's a good chance that the device you're getting came from Hong Kong or Singapore and your lightning connector won't have that 'bulge.'

One last thing. You will also know where your device came from by looking at its wall charger:

USA has a different wall socket from Hong Kong. That is why they differ in wall chargers too.

I hope this clears up why your lightning connector breaks so easily.

We can also take into consideration how you take care of these cables. But, I hope this gives you an idea of which Apple cables are more durable.

Will this in any way affect your next purchase of an Apple device?

It has been a week since Apple announced not just one but two new iPhones: the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s. This is a major shift in their product strategy as this was the first time Apple introduced two new iPhones in one year.

Apple's flagship phone at the moment is the iPhone 5s. It is a wonderful piece of technology. But, for this post we are not going to focus on that device.

The other device that was announced, the iPhone 5c is the one that is getting a lot of mixed reviews and mostly negative buzz. So, in defense of the iPhone 5c, here are some of the reasons why I think it is still a smart move for Apple to release it.

Kids are converting to smartphones

The iPod touch was once the king of Apple's iOS devices. But, the market for it is steadily declining. The reason? The kids that prefer having them are switching to smartphones.

Study shows kids are switching to smartphones

Releasing a phone that is screaming a youthful and colorful design might just absorb that market and channel them to the iPhone. These young people who are already familiar with the iOS ecosystem will definitely prefer iPhones. After all, the starting price of $99 for the iPhone 5c is similar to the iPod touch except you get to pay the monthly contract on the iPhone.

You can also think of it this way. The iPhone 5s is the high end model, a pro model for those who care about the recent and most powerful technology. This not for everyone. The iPhone 5c, on the other hand is for the casual smartphone users who prefer a more fun and diverse option.

Apple is after all a company that is making money

Apple cares about margins. All the other companies that directly compete with them care about the market share. You may or may not like it but that is what separates them from the competition.

It could be very much easy for them to throw out a super cheap iPhone to compete with the low cost handset market (this is what the media expected). But, it is very obvious that they intend to maintain the 'luxury' brand they have built over the years.

A luxury brand with products that deliver excellent quality would definitely mean profit. People do not mind paying a premium for these products. In fact, as of this writing the iPhone 5c is getting sold out in China (which is quite ironic because the media was also expecting this market to demand for a 'cheap' iPhone).

Another thing to consider here is how the iPhone 5c entered the market. For 5 years, there has only been one new iPhone that people will rave about. All the other people who find the 'new' iPhone too expensive (or extravagant) for their needs will settle with the 'old' iPhone released a year ago which will be repriced for a hundred dollars less. The latter, being 'old' is obviously not that attractive.

Right now, that strategy has changed. The iPhone 5c is technically (in almost all aspects) just the iPhone 5 from a year ago repackaged in colorful cases. And, from a marketing perspective "if it looks new, it's new."

Majority of the people who are not tech nerds (that care about specs) will obviously rave about it. The manufacturing cost was also cheaper for Apple because of the hard-coated polycarbonate material it was built with. The iPhone 5 was made from iodized aluminum which was a more expensive option. See why the iPhone 5 was discontinued? High margins obviously.

All those reasons show why Apple after all is a company that is concerned about making money.

Apple cares about the user experience

I have been closely following Apple as a company since 2008 (the year I became an Apple fanboy). That means I look not at the technical specifications of each of their products. I am more concerned of their marketing strategies, their competitive edge and their vision. And yes, I am a Steve Jobs fan too. All these things made me understand why Apple is such a valuable company.

Here is the part that most critics miss: Apple is a 'user experience' company. It's not about the tech specs anymore. You just can't judge this company by looking at how the other companies' hardware have more numbers. Apple is concerned of how you will be using each of the tiny little details they pack into the phone by presenting how each of them would solve a common user problem.

Let us jump to the iPhone 5s a bit to give you an example of what I mean. When they introduced the new 64-bit A7 chip, they demoed it with Infinity Blade III to show how the users would exactly benefit from a fast processing power. The M7 Motion Co-processor (which opens up a new world of possibilities) was demoed with the Nike + Move app to show how it intelligently calculates movements without sacrificing battery life. The Touch ID has carefully thought out how we could solve the hassles of the 'PIN code age' while emphasizing security. Apple never spends too much time detailing on hardware specs that most users won't care about (or maybe even understand). Again, only the tech nerds will ask about RAM, battery size, chips and all that stuff.

That means, having said all that, the iPhone 5c was obviously released after having carefully considered the user experience people will get from it. This brings me to the last point.

"It is beautifully, unapologetically plastic"

Those are the words of Sir Jony Ive, the design genius himself. I must admit. I cringed the first time I read the rumor of a 'plastic' iPhone. This is probably the biggest drawback of the iPhone 5c. But, taking into consideration how Apple is a 'user experience' company, I do not think Apple will sacrifice the build quality of such a beautiful piece of hardware. In its video ad, it says the iPhone 5c is "plastic, perfected."

I've read tons of blogs and first impressions of tech bloggers who were there at the September 10 event. I have never read a single one that said it felt like a cheap plastic iPhone (the iPhone 3G and 3GS were plastic but never felt cheap by the way). All of them were saying how surprisingly good, solid and dense of a plastic it was.

For now, I just do not want to get my hopes up. I just think it's not worth criticizing such great marketing strategy from a very smart and valuable company. It takes a different kind of understanding to see the whole marketing picture of how Apple is trying to position itself in the competition.

I personally cannot wait to see it and hold it with my hands. It is the only way I can confirm what these tech bloggers have been saying about the device. I am most likely getting the blue one for Christmas.

How about you? What do you think of the new iPhone 5c?

UPDATE (July 26, 2013):

The giveaway has already ended and TunesBud has already chosen the winners.

For transparency, they generated the random numbers using random.org. The numbers that came up were: 4, 5 and 10.

That means our winners are:
#4 - Kathleen Quette Daba Eduave
#5 - Mae Garcia
#10 - Mina

You each won a $10 US iTunes Gift Card code! Congratulations!

I will be contacting you via the email address you've used to comment. Please check your email and respond with your confirmation (details in the email. Also check your Spam folder as it may have gone there). This is important for verification. Once you're verified, TunesBud will then email you the gift card codes.

Thank you everyone for participating. Most of all, thank you TunesBud for this awesome giveaway! Do not forget to support and recommend them to your friends.

Giveaway details here:

I am so excited to announce the very first giveaway I have ever done in my entire life.

Thanks to our fine folks at TunesBud. They decided to give away not just one but three $10 US iTunes Gift Card codes!

I recently created a post on how to purchase apps on the US iTunes Store if you do not have a credit card. If you really do not have the budget yet or you just want extra iTunes credit, this is the perfect opportunity for you. The mechanics for this giveaway is pretty easy.

These are the only things you have to do:

1. Follow me (@carloborja) on Twitter
2. Follow TunesBud (@TunesBud) on Twitter
3. Like TunesBud on Facebook.
4. Leave a comment on this post and share what apps/movies/music/TV shows you are going to get from the US iTunes store if you win.
(Log in using your Twitter or Facebook account. Or, if you have a Disqus account make sure you have those accounts connected)
5. Share this post on the Twitter and Facebook accounts you used above. Use the sharing buttons on the bottom of the post.

That's it! Make sure you follow those 5 steps carefully.

You have until 12PM on July 26 to join. The order in which your comment appears on this post will be your lucky number. On July 26, 3 numbers will be randomly generated. If your number matches one of these 3 numbers, you win!

The name/contact info you put on the comment should match the Facebook or Twitter account you are using. That way we could easily verify your identity in case you win. This is important.

I will update the post on that date to reflect the winners. We will reach out to the winners and TunesBud will personally send the gift card codes via email to them.

Again, thanks to TunesBud, our awesome sponsor for this great giveaway! Good luck everyone!

Photo Credit: Sebastiaan de With via Compfight cc

Months ago, I posted a tutorial on how to create an iTunes Store account without a credit card. That post helped a lot of people who are new to iOS and Apple devices.

Having that kind of account has 2 benefits:
1. You have an account on the US iTunes Store (which has the widest selection of apps and media than any other country)
2. You have an account that is not linked to any credit card (Credit cards are mandatory in other countries)

Though that may sound like an awesome account, the issue with having it is the fact that you only get to download free apps on the store. That may be a limitation that is okay for some. But, some users (like me) would still want to download paid apps even without a credit card.

There are a number of solutions for this. However, the most common solution would have to be to purchase a US iTunes Gift Card.

The US iTunes Gift Cards come with a code that you can redeem at the App Store or iTunes Store so you will have the corresponding credit to purchase apps and media.

These cards can be bought online or in any Apple store.

However, for the benefit of my readers who are not from the US and want a convenient way to purchase these cards online, I suggest you check out TunesBud.

They have every iTunes gift card available online and you can pay them via PayPal (the most convenient and most preferred payment online). That sounds pretty convenient right?

If you want to check out their service, check them out here (click on the image):

They only charge a small percent to keep their service up and running. But, I can guarantee you that they deliver well. The code will then be emailed to you as soon as the payment is confirmed. Once you have the code, you can redeem it on your US iTunes Store account. You will then have the credits you need to buy those paid apps that you want.

Enjoy your paid apps and happy downloading!

If this post helped you or if you have questions, just leave them out on the comments section below.

This MCSaite Mini Bluetooth Keyboard boasts the full keyboard in such a small package. It has 80 keys in it with 15 function keys. It works only on Windows computers, iPhones and iPads. And, it is powered by 2 AAA batteries with an intelligent power saving feature.

For Writing

I got this keyboard because I think it would complement my iPad mini. I do a bit of writing and I need to get away from the on screen keyboard since it could be really incovenient typing long paragraphs on the screen.

I went to Sulit and found a really accomodating seller that sells this really cheap bluetooth keyboard. This is only PHP950 by the way. I think it was a sweet deal so I immediately went for it.

My mobile office setup

The Good

First of all, I like its look. It is slim and it does not look cheap. Its keys are comfortable to type on. Its function keys work well and you get extra keys that function well with the iPad mini. Brightness controls, volume controls, home button, sleep button, even a 'picture frame' button!

The Not So Good

However, it actually took some time for me to get comfortable with its size. It is such a small keyboard that is almost similar to the length of the iPad mini in landscape orientation. I have slightly huge fingers. So, it took a lot of getting used to. But, after typing a few paragraphs I was able to slowly catch up and type normally without any problems.

Another issue I encountered was the fact that some keys are messed up. By that I mean the icons are different from what it could actually do. For example, a certain function key shows a music control button when in fact it does not. I actually spent some time figuring out what each keys (along with the combination of function keys) do.

I Still Like It Though

Overall, I think I could say I really like this keyboard. In fact, I've been typing on it the whole day without any problems. I already got used to it and I even typed this whole review on the keyboard itself.

If you are looking for a budget bluetooth keyboard that complements with the iPad mini's size, I think this is perfect. But, if you are looking for a more comfortable typing experience (especially hardcore writers), then I think you are better off with a full size keyboard. They are pretty expensive though.

Last week, I finally bought an iPad mini.

There already are a lot of reviews on the internet about this device. So, I will not go into detail in reviewing all the specs. Here are just some of the notable things that left an impression on me after having used the device for one week.

Size Matters

I never really liked the 9.7 inch size of the regular iPad. I don't think it is that portable. This is one of those reasons that made me hold off going in for a tablet. Enter the iPad mini in 2012. It is only 7.9 inch but is definitely perfect. It fits well in my hand (or hands) and since it is very very light, it is so much portable. It is definitely my ideal size. I felt like it was meant for me.

Camera

The camera is of similar quality to that of the iPhone 4S. It is definitely good. I took a number of pictures using the front and back camera and they all ended up in good resolution. The 1080p video I recorded was amazing too. However, using a 7.9 inch camera in public does not seem to be a good idea for me. So, I always end up picking up my iPhone for taking pictures instead.

Battery Life

This is where the iPad mini stands out. It has a really amazing battery. I have reached way more than 10 hours of usage. And, for my regular use it can go on standby for like 2 or 3 days max. It charges fast too.

Sound

The sound of the device coming from the stereo speakers on the bottom surprised me. It was loud and clear enough. I can hear the audio well without having the need to plug it to an external speaker or earphones. It is that audible.

Screen

This is probably the biggest drawback to the iPad mini. People are always complaining about the fact that this device does not have a retina display.

I must admit it. It took a bit of getting used to. Coming from a device with retina display for the past 2 plus years, I immediately noticed the difference in screen quality. It was very noticeable. But, after around 3 days of using it I totally did not mind anymore. I already got used to it. The screen is still amazing even though it is not retina. If this is the tradeoff for having a really good battery, then I certainly would not mind. I am happy with this already.

Overall, there are a number of reasons to not like the iPad mini. It's not the size for everyone, it has outdated internals and it does not have the retina display. However, if you start to play with it you will forget all those reasons. I myself can't seem to stop using it. I'm loving it the more I use it. Having that said, this is definitely one of those products I would highly recommend.

It was big news last year when Hackulous shut down its service. The repository hosts the major iOS piracy app, Installous and it bothered a lot of users who have jailbroken their devices. That is because a lot of them jailbreak their iOS devices just to get cracked (free) apps.

However, there is nothing much to worry. Just when you thought jailbreaking is dead, it is not.

Aside from the fact that the Evaders recently released the iOS 6 untethered jailbreak tool called evasi0n, there still are alternatives for Installous that you can use to download those cracked apps.

Here is how you can get them.

1. First of all you need to make sure you are jailbroken. Go to Cydia > Manage > Sources. Tap Edit on the upper right corner and add this repository:

2. Go back to your list of Sources on Cydia. Since Repocydia hosts all of these apps, just open the recently added Repocydia repository.

3. You need to download 5 things from the repo:

vShare, AppCake, IPASTORE, HiPStore Apps on Home Screen

The 4 installous alternatives
1. vShare
2. AppCake
3. IPAStore
4. HipStore

And...

5. AppSync for iOS 6 (this will make you sync the cracked apps you've downloaded to the iTunes on your computer.)

By the way, vShare is the most preferred app by many. However, I personally have never tried using the 4 of them to download my cracked apps. For now, I am good with all the official apps I download from the App Store. But, I will still test these apps in the coming days.

UPDATE:
Another app I haven't mentioned in this post is Zeusmos. I only discovered the app a few weeks after I published this. You might also want to try that too.

This post is dedicated to those of you who have been wanting to download cracked apps again. Since I've been getting a lot of questions from you, this is it! Alternatively, if you are jailbroken and just want to download paid apps from the App Store, you may check this guide.

Happy downloading and long live jailbreaking!

The long wait is over. Finally, an untethered jailbreak for all iOS devices running iOS 6.0 up to 6.1 has been released. That includes the recently released iPhone 5 and iPad mini. This was brought to you by a group of hackers called the Evaders who created this jailbreak tool called evasi0n. It is a simple one-click jailbreak that will only take 5 minutes of your time.

It has been a long while since a working public jailbreak was released. To those who were loyal to having a jailbroken device, that was still around over a year ago when an untethered jailbreak called Absinthe was released. That tool made it possible to jailbreak all devices running iOS 5.1.1 with the iPhone 4S as the newest product at that time.

If you are not familiar with jailbreaking, it allows you to run third party applications and tweaks on your iOS devices which are not possible if you are using the stock and locked Apple ecosystem. Here are some examples of some cool jailbreak tweaks I installed on my iPhone when it was still on iOS 5.1.1.

As of this writing, the Cydia server is reported to have been clogged up by the surge of newly jailbroken devices trying to access it. Give it some time. A few days maybe and everything will run back smoothly. As of now, here are some things you need to prepare in case you want to take advantage of this jailbreak.

Make sure your current iOS 6 firmware was installed via iTunes and not via OTA (over the air update) on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. If you happened to update from your device, you need to restore it using iTunes.
Download the evasi0n tool here. (You can donate to the devs who did all the hard work and made this possible)
Though not necessary, it is best to be on the current firmware (6.1). You can manually download iOS firmwares from this site.
Backup your device (either on iCloud or iTunes) before jailbreaking.
If you just did a fresh restore, do the jailbreak first before re-syncing your huge library of Music, Videos and Apps. That will make the jailbreak much faster and smoother.
Disable the passcode lock when jailbreaking. It can cause issues.

Other than that, all the other issues can be solved by a simple Google search. So, go ahead. Enjoy the jailbreak. I'm so excited to see all these new tweaks for iOS 6 now that the jailbreak has been publicly released.

One of the major reasons to jailbreak the iPhone is to be able to access "cracked" apps. That means you get to install paid apps without even paying for a single penny.

That was made possible by the famous Hackulous repository. It hosted Installous, a jailbreak app which had a cracked version of every possible app on the App Store. It was frequently called as the jailbreak version of the App Store. Along with it came App Sync, a tweak that allowed the syncing of these cracked apps to your computer/iTunes. It was one of the most famous apps on the jailbreak community. But, it has finally come to an end.

Today, the Hackulous Team has announced that it will officially shut down its service. They attributed it to their forum/community that has gone stagnant and quiet.

It is a big loss for the jailbreak community. Some have jailbroken their iPhones purely for this reason. On the other hand, it is a good news for those who are against iOS app piracy.

Although there are other alternatives to still be able to get cracked apps on your iOS device, this reason alone is probably enough for a lot of the people on the jailbreak community to go back to the stock iOS. They will already buy apps anyway.

However, if you have been jailbreaking your iOS device for the other awesome reasons like customization and adding tweaks and not for pirating apps, you should be fine. Just carry on.

It has been 2 years since Instagram launched as a free photo sharing app on the App Store. It was a huge hit. It became one of the most successful apps ever. So successful that Facebook bought them for nearly a billion dollars.

It started out as an iOS only app. But, the users grew at a rapid rate. So, an Android version was created. Today as it continues to grow, Instagram has launched "Web Profiles." It allows you to access Instagram on your web browser. You can browse your feed, comment and like on posts. What makes it unique though is that your profile page is displayed in a Facebook-ish way. You may not like Facebook's layout. But, this one's beautiful! It creates an animated cover photo of your Instagram pics. It's clean and neat.

You can view your instagram web profile using this format:

instagram.com/username

It's slowly rolling out the feature as of the moment. So, not all web profiles are available yet.

Mine just got live by the way. You can check it out here: instagram.com/carloborja

It was a hardware bomb at the October 23 Apple event held at the California Theatre in San Jose. Aside from introducing a new 13 inch Retina Macbook Pro, Mac Mini and a super thin iMac, everyone's attention was focused on the introduction of a new iPad. In fact, two new iPads were announced!

The first one is the 4th generation iPad.

Apple could not wait for the next year to introduce the next generation. This is the first time 2 generations were introduced in just one year. In effect, they just updated the new iPad (which was released months ago so it's not really new now) to catch up with the technology incorporated in the recently announced iPhone 5. (You might want to check on these iPhone 5 features because I won't go into much detail on some of the same ones on this new iPad)

The most notable differences would be the new A6X chip that would make it twice faster than the previous generation and the new dock for the Lightning connector. 30 pin connectors are now really old technology. Other than that, the other key features (Facetime HD, iSight Camera, Retina Display, Siri, etc) remain exactly the same. That includes the battery life. It still gives you the same 10-hour battery life it promises despite having twice the power.

In addition to that, the iPad mini was also announced. This was what everyone was waiting for.

Though it looks exactly the same as that of the rumors, it still is a pretty exciting new Apple product!

It has some key differences with the other iPad. Aside from the fact that you can hold it in one hand, it is just 7.2 mm (23% thinner than the other iPad) thin and weighs only 0.68 lb (53% lighter). The screen size is 7.9 inch. It's not Retina display though. It's technically just the iPad 2 screen (1024x768 in resolution) scaled down. So, all the current iPad apps will still run perfectly on the device with no major configuration. It was also brilliantly designed so as not to lose functionality while browsing the web and doing everything you can on an iPad. Hence the tag "every inch an iPad."

Aside from that, it only uses the A5 chip (the one inside the iPad 2). That's just enough power for this iPad to also have a good iSight Camera and an LTE connectivity. I would think of it as just an iPad 2 shrunk down to 7.9 inch. It still has that 10 hour battery life by the way.

This sweet new iPad mini is available in black and white and starts at $329 (for the 16GB Wi-Fi model). That is a pretty competitive price. This will be a sure hit during the holiday season.

Bonus:

Here's the first ever ad for the iPad mini entitled "Piano." It's one of my favorite Apple ads to date.

If there's one FREE iOS app that has blown me away, it has to be this app created by McLaren as a marketing tool for their recently released F1 supercar of the same name.

It does nothing really much. But, it utilizes augmented reality - a cool new technology to simulate a live view of a real world environment through elements that are 'augmented' from a computer generated sensory input. In this case, it uses the iPhone camera to show a 3D rendering of the McLaren P1.

But how? Well, this is the part where I have to say "you need to try it to believe it."

These are the only things you need to do:

1. Download the official 'McLaren P1' app from iTunes. It's FREE! But, I believe it's only available for iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and the new iPad.
2. You need to download this image from the McLaren Automotive Facebook Page. Or, if you don't want to go there, here is the image (You need to print it on a sheet of paper for best results)

3. Use the McLaren P1 app (it looks like a camera app). Point it to this printed image and see the magic!

Amazing, isn't it? This is probably one of the best apps I've ever encountered on the App Store. And, it's pretty exciting to see this one implemented. It kind of gives us an idea of what iOS apps will look like in the future.

If you don't have something to test it at the moment and you are curious of how it looks like in action, check this YouTube video.

Announced during the first ever jailbreak conference at San Francisco held last September 29, Scale is a jailbreak tweak that adds a nifty functionality to the Music app of iOS.

The free tweak which was developed by Joshua Tucker adds one of the features the current Music app is lacking -- some cool sharing options. We all love to share the music we listen to. In fact, I always 'manually' tweet the songs I'm listening to with the #nowplaying hashtag.

Instead of opening Tweetbot (the Twitter app of my choice) and typing "#nowplaying Don't Wake Me Up by Chris Brown," Scale simplifies this whole process by adding a new icon on the music app. (see screenshot below - it's beside the shuffle icon)

When I click that, it gives me the options to share what I'm currently listening to via Email, Twitter or Message. I can also just copy the text to the clipboard right away if I want to. In addition to that, I also get the option to add the song to a particular playlist I already have.

screenshot of scale tweak sharing options

This may or may not be useful for everyone. I just think it's cool. I share the music I listen to all the time so it should be in a way useful for me. It's certainly something Apple should consider adding on the next iOS update.

While the whole world is going crazy about the recent iOS 6 update of Apple, I am currently stuck on 5.1.1 and not choosing to update. That is because my iPhone 4 is jailbroken and updating it will make me lose the jailbreak.

Though this situation may seem unfortunate for some, for me it's not. I'd rather have a jailbroken iPhone stuck on a previous version than run it on a recent but stock version of iOS. I will choose having a jailbroken phone any time. For someone who has been jailbreaking the iPhone for 4 years now, that decision is a no-brainer. I could give you a hundred reasons why. But, I think it would be better to just show you the current jailbreak tweaks I have on my iPhone.

Here are the current tweaks I have installed on my jailbroken iPhone 4 running on iOS 5.1.1. I will post it with some screenshots and a short description so you can marvel at some jailbreaking awesomeness.

Ayecon Theme

Ayecon Theme Notification Center and Switcher

One of the main reasons people jailbreak is to customize the look of the iPhone. The current theme I am using is called Ayecon (pronounced icon). As the reviews say, it's probably the most elegant iPhone theme created so far. You can't probably see it from a screenshot point of view but majority of the icons were redesigned beautifully to give them a fresh new look. Notification center, Music App, Switcher + Controls and even the Phone app were given a new detailed look. It's constantly being updated too.

Barrel

The Barrel tweak gives my icons a cool animation when I slide from page to page.

The animation selection are:
- Cube (inside)
- Cube (outside)
- Page Slide Down
- Page Slide Up
- Curl and Roll Away
- Curl and Roll Away Alternate
- Pac-man
- Carousel
- Page Zoom
- and a lot more.

This is actually one of my favorite tweaks. The screenshot doesn't even justify how awesome the tweak is. You should see it in action.

Activator

I should call this one of the essential jailbreak tweaks. Every jailbroken iPhone must have Activator installed. This tweak allows me to set up custom gestures to replace the basic functions of the iPhone buttons and the iOS.

For example, I have a broken home button. So, I had to set up a custom gesture (swipe from bottom right of the screen) to simulate the press of a home button (I really don't like the Assistive Touch button). Isn't that amazing? This tweak is also linked to a lot of jailbreak tweaks so it should be pretty useful.

Typophone 4

In addition to the awesome Ayecon theme I already have, I also chose to stay away from the boring iOS lockscreen that everyone is familiar with. Typophone 4 turns the clock and the date on my lockscreen into some really cool typography. I can still change the wallpaper by the way. I just used this blue one because it blends with the home screen wallpaper I am currently using.

Bulletin

Did you notice the background? That's the Typophone 4 tweak above. So, basically I was able to access Notification Center on the lockscreen. This is not possible when I am on a stock version of iOS.

Aside from making me access the notification center on the lockscreen, the Bulletin tweak also allows me to collapse the app sections (see Reminders and Calendar on the screenshot) on the Notification Center. This becomes really useful when I get flooded with a lot of notifications.

I also get the benefit of customizing the notification center the way I want it to look. From the screenshot on the left, you could see how I was able to make the notification center transparent.

There is a lot more to this tweak on its settings panel.

Copic

Copic with all the pictures on my contact list

Copic (shortened version of 'Contact Pictures') is a simple tweak that's useful for picture obsessed people like me. Well, not really obsessed. I just love having contact pictures everywhere.

In my contacts list, 80% of them already have their pictures saved. So, wouldn't it be great to show those contact pictures on the contacts app? How about the Messages app? or the notifications for Messages and Twitter?

Well, Copic does all of those for me. The most time consuming part is the manual adding of pictures to your contacts which I understand is now a feature of iOS 6 (grabbing all their pictures from Facebook).

Clever Pin

There are times when having a Passcode is really useful. Sometimes though, it gets pretty annoying to type those numbers (or letters when you have the long passcode) again and again .

This is where Clever Pin comes in. I can disable the passcode in certain situations.

On my iPhone, I set Clever Pin to disable passcode when it is connected to my home wi-fi and when I am playing Music. That means when I am at home, I get to unlock my iPhone without having to enter my passcode. When I go out of the house, it magically enables itself back.

Pretty good, eh?

Do Not Disturb

Do not disturb tweak on jailbroken iPhone

While people who just upgraded to iOS 6 just had this feature, I've been using this tweak (Do Not Disturb) for months now.

It works the same as the one you get on iOS 6. Once it's enabled, the notifications I get will automatically pile up on my notification center without disturbing me with sound and screen alerts.

Nothing really special with this tweak except for the fact that I do not need iOS 6 to take advantage of the feature.

SBSettings and WeeKillBackground

SBSettings and WeeKillBackground on Notification Center

SBSettings is again one of those essential jailbreak tweaks every jailbroken iPhone must have installed. It allows me to access system controls from anywhere (in this case I set the controls to appear on the notification center). This means switching 3G, Cellular Data, Wifi, Bluetooth, Location Services on/off plus setting Brightness does not mean going to the settings app. I can access and do it from anywhere on the iOS as long as I get to access Notification Center. That and a lot more (including how I changed my carrier name to 'Carlo') from this tweak which has its own settings panel.

Lastly, WeeKillBackground allows me to kill all multi-tasked/open apps all at once. That means I don't have to open the switcher, hold an app to wiggle and close each one of them. I just click "Tap to close all Apps" to simultaneously close all of them. I do this from time to time since I love to free up my RAM to avoid lag.

There you have it. Those are the jailbreak tweaks I currently have on my iPhone. Bear in mind that these are only tweaks. I still have apps installed that give additional functionality to my iPhone. But, if I include them here, it would be a really really long post. I might have a dedicated post for them soon.

Also, not all of the tweaks mentioned here are free. So, as an added bonus since you've reached this far in reading this article I can guide you through getting all of the tweaks mentioned here for free! Just contact me here or add a comment and let me know if you want it. I'd be happy to reply and help you with it.

Anyway, I hope at this point it's already clear why I would always prefer having a jailbroken iPhone. Not only do I get added functionality, in a way it makes me ahead of everything by making the phone more powerful than it already is. After all, I wouldn't want to invest in an expensive piece of equipment when I can't get the most out of it.

The choice is yours now. To jailbreak or not to jailbreak?

Apple's newest version of the iOS which was announced last June at the WWDC 2012 has finally been released to the public. This major upgrade will bring some extra cool new features which would go well with its recently released iPhone 5.

iOS 6 brings 200+ new features. Here are some of the major updates that you need to know.

Maps

Apple has built an entirely new Maps app abandoning the Google Maps app they have been using for 5 years (since the original iPhone). This new Maps app boasts vector-based, detailed and smooth elements. Its features include turn by turn navigation, traffic info and the cool new Flyover view - a photo-realistic and 3D view of major metro areas.

Facebook Integration

It was a big announcement when iOS 5 had deep Twitter integration. Everybody loved it. In iOS 6, social media sharing geeks will get all the more excited as deep Facebook integration becomes one of its major updates.

You can share from almost anywhere. You can even update your status using Siri! Plus, Facebook birthdays and events are now integrated with Calendar and Contacts. Forgetful people will be happy with this.

Panorama Mode

The Camera app will get a new Panorama feature. I still think this is not an everyday feature. But, this is still great for some cool looking photos of landscapes.

New Call Features

Receiving calls on iOS 6 just got better. Instead of just directly rejecting a call, you can choose to reply with a message or be reminded to call back later. You can do that directly on the lockscreen. That should be pretty useful.

In relation to that, you also get the Do Not Disturb feature which allows you to block all notification sounds and alerts. This will be useful at work, in meetings or even when you are just sleeping. It keeps you away from those irresistible and even annoying notifications. These notifications will just silently make their way to the Notification Center without disturbing you.

Passbook

Passbook is Apple's latest app. It stores all your movie tickets, boarding passes, cards, coupons, etc all in one place. This app is time and location based. This means you will be reminded to use your tickets, passes and coupons exactly when and where you need it! That is awesome.

Siri has been improved. It can now answer and assist you with queries related to sports, restaurants and movies. It can now be used in more places in the world also since it has been updated with more languages.

With the new Mail, you can now set a VIP list so you will never miss important emails. Sending photos and videos has been easier too. Plus, you can just swipe to refresh.

Web browsing using Safari on iOS just got better with offline reading list, full-screen landscape (for the iPhone) and iCloud Tabs - so you can pick up browsing on any iDevice you have and browse where you left off.

Shared Photo Streams is a great new addition too. You can now share select photos to a certain audience. It doesn't just end there. You get to comment and like on these photos and view them on the web when you don't have an iDevice.

FaceTime now works over cellular networks (should best work on LTE) and not just on Wi-Fi.

Apple also added some really great Accessibility features like Guided Access to make it easier for people with disabilities to use iOS devices.

You get all of these and a lot more when you upgrade to iOS 6. You can download iOS 6 by plugging your device on your computer and hitting Update on your iTunes. Alternatively, you can use Apple's Over The Air update directly on your device by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS 6 is compatible only with these devices:

iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod Touch (4th gen), iPod Touch (5th gen), iPad 2, The new iPad

iCloud.com has now finally gone out of beta. It has added a web version of the Notes and Reminders apps.

During its beta stage, Reminders used to be just part of the Calendar. Notes, on the other hand used to be found inside the web version Mail app. It's great to see that they have their own dedicated web apps now.

Mail has also been updated with the VIP feature and Find My iPhone with Lost Mode. Both are new features in iOS 6 (which is going to be released on the 19th).

I'm Carlo Borja

Education

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

Experience

Head of Online Marketing

Marketing Staff

Youth Pastor

SEO and Online Marketing Consultant

Community Manager

My Skills

SEO

Content Marketing

Leadership

Organization and Management

THE WORK I DO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Outreach and Link Building

Content Marketing

General Virtual Assistance

Pastoral Work

Leadership and Management

Is Time Management Taking Too Much Time To Manage?

7 Tools for Managing Remote Teams

The Art of Managing Remote Teams and Working Remotely as an Individual

JOURNAL

Kids are converting to smartphones

Apple is after all a company that is making money

Apple cares about the user experience

"It is beautifully, unapologetically plastic"

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