CardSwitcher Updated To v2.0 With Support For iOS 5 And iPad, New Features, And More

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If you ever decided to take the time to sit and sift through the hundreds and thousands of packages that live within the default repositories in Cydia, I would imagine you would need to set aside a fair portion of your week in order to get through them all. With that said, even if you managed to sort through the packages, you only come out with a handful of tweaks or extensions that would be classed as essential installations for your jailbroken iOS device.

My own personal Cydia account is rammed full of purchases that I have made in the last few years, with the majority of the purchases being small tweaks designed to alter a tiny part of iOS, or something that I just thought looked good at that time. After using the extensions for a few days, the truth is that most of the purchases haven’t been used since and although they are available for me to download; I choose not to as they are what I would class as flash in the pan tweaks. Opinions may differ on this topic, but I tend to find that for my uses, only a handful of Cydia-based packages would fall under the essential category.

A tweak known as CardSwitcher has been around for quite some time, has received a lot of attention and may be familiar to some of you. Due to the fact it kind of offers the same functionality as the Multifl0w tweak, it has previously been overlooked, as people opt for the software associated with Aaron Ash’s name who has gained popularity with his Barrel extension. The developer of CardSwitcher has spent the last few months rewriting and re-imagining his work to bring it up to date and make it fully compatible with devices running iOS 5. Version 2.0 has recently been released onto the BigBoss repository with the following changes:

• Live application views.
• Refined swipe gestures.
• New grid mode, designed primarily for the larger screen of the iPad but still works without issue on the iPhone and iPod touch.
• Vastly improved performance and memory usage.

The latest version brings an impressive array of improvements, but what about the underlying core functionality of CardSwitcher? Well, the tweak itself can essentially be classified as one that reworks the way multitasking is handled on the device, bringing a visual interface very similar to the now defunct webOS. When the multitasking experience is invoked, either through the standard iOS method or by setting your own through Activator, the native switcher tray is replaced by either a tiled or grid view depending on which is active through the tweak’s settings bundle. The new view allows all backgrounded applications to be seamlessly swiped through and either brought to life again, or removed from multitasking altogether by either pressing the familiar red delete option or using a vertical swipe.

One of the most beautiful parts of the tweak is the inclusion of the live app tiles. Unlike other tweaks of a similar nature which simply display a static image, CardSwitcher shows a live view of the application including any outstanding badged notifications if relevant. Although the CardSwitcher tweak has been rewritten for iOS 5 support, it also features backwards compatibility with every firmware version from iOS 4 to the latest, which is 5.1, which should be enough to cater for all jailbreak needs.

For me, the CardSwitcher tweak essentially takes something that wasn’t broke and fixes it. Native iOS multitasking isn’t something that is in dire need of a makeover and it exists for a purpose and serves that purpose quite well. However, CardSwitcher manages to make the whole multitasking experience for a more, intuitive and extremely visually appealing with a set of stunning animations. The tweak is available on the BigBoss repository at a cost of $1.99 and is available for all iOS devices running iOS 4 and above.

Of course, you will need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. For jailbreaking the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered), follow the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here for Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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IntelliScreenX Updated With Full Support For iOS 5.1 – Download Now

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IntelliScreenX has been described by a lot of people as a good enough reason alone to jailbreak the iPhone, with some believing that Apple should adopt the ideas shown by Intelliborn and build them into future revisions of iOS. The commercial modification, which sits at home on the device’s lockscreen and integrates seamlessly into iOS provides a huge array of functionality which justifies the $9.99 price tag attached to it.

One of the highest compliments paid to IntelliScreenX is that it looks and fits so perfectly into the iOS setup that it could have been designed and created by Apple engineers themselves. The advanced features and extended configurations makes it suitable for users who want bare bone information displayed as well as those who want to use every aspect of the tweak and pull in information from every service on their device.

IntelliScreenX features a configurable email setup which allows users mark a message as read, delete the mail or open it directly through the Mail application. Users can also view their Facebook and Twitter timelines as well as interact with their friends and followers which makes it a powerful social hub right on the lockscreen. IntelliScreenX also benefits from an embedded, advanced RSS reader which pulls in feeds from a Google Reader account and has a number of popular feeds built right in as standard. As you may expect from an intelligent application such as this, the default iOS Calendar is also included, as well as built in support for SMS composition and reply, and compatibility with Notification Center.

Additional support and features seem to be added with every update of IntelliScreenX, and the latest few versions have been no different. The last update in February brought some fixes for Bluetooth and Facebook issues as well enhancements to the built-in Messages+ functions. The latest update has been pushed today, taking IntelliScreenX to version 1.3.6 and brings total compatibility for iOS 5.1, released by Apple only six days ago. At the moment, it’s unlikely that many users have taken the plunge and upgraded to iOS 5.1, considering the lack of an untethered jailbreak, but the quick support and action by Intelliborn means that when the development teams do produce a untethered iOS 5.1 jailbreak, the IntelliScreenX compatibility is already complete.

Of course, you will need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. For jailbreaking the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered), follow the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here for Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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Third Generation Apple TV Arrives With New UI, Support For 1080p

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The San Francisco based Apple Media Event is on its way. With some of the world’ss leading technology press packed into the Yerba Buena Arts Center, Tim Cook and his team took center stage to unveil the expected next-generation iPad as well as a revamped and improved Apple TV set-top box.

The run up to the media event was surrounded as usual by the normal high levels of speculation and conjecture with what have turned out to be accurate reports about the release of the third-generation Apple TV unit. The previous model ATV has enjoyed far more success than anyone could have predicted since its launch in September 2010, but with it being eighteen months since anyone hardware upgrades it was time for a change.

So just what do we know about the new and improved Apple digital media receiver, and is it worth parting with your hard earned cash at the checkout? As many predicted prior to the event, the release of the new Apple TV doesn’t come with the inclusion of any earth shattering technologies, and is certainly an evolutionary upgrade rather than a revolutionary one, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a very capable release on our hands.

Features

Building on the success of the previous model Apple TV, the company have given the hockey puck a little more bang for the consumers buck. The latest Apple TV will also feature full, Blu-ray quality, 1080p video streaming capabilities which will take media playback to the next level for consumers and could possibly see the introduction of a dedicated, full high definition iTunes movie store, all credit goes to its new revamped internals.

The biggest blockbuster in the new Apple TV is its software, it runs on top of a new iOS-esque interface unlike its predecessor, therefore it’s a guaranteed eye-candy for existing adopters and really ups the ante in the set top box market.

Price

As we have previously learned with Apple, improved quality and improved features does not always equate to an increased price. When the iPad 2 was launched in March 2011, the pricing structure was actually lower than that of its predecessor even though it was a new and improved tablet they were introducing to the world. The new Apple TV unit will remain competitive in the market thanks to the continuing pricing point of $99.

Availability

The good news is that the third-generation Apple TV unit will be available on March 16th, meaning that consumers will be able to get their eager little paws on it imminently. With a strong pricing point, almost immediate availability and the inclusion of a number of impressive features, the new Apple TV looks set to continue where its younger brother left off by remaining strong in the marketplace.

(image credit TheVerge)

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iPad 3 Is Almost Guaranteed To Arrive With 4G-LTE Support

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With the iPad 3 launch only two days away, the rumors and speculation are rapidly increasing. While most blogs are quite sure that the iPad 3 will pack a 2048×1536 resolution retina display, an improved camera, and a new, possibly quad-core Apple A6 chipset, one item on the list of rumors that has been far more "out there" is the possibility of the iPad 3 supporting 4G LTE. Today, credible Apple blog iMore – the same site that broke the news that the iPad 3 event is on March 7th – has received word from that same source that the iPad 3 will indeed be getting 4G LTE.

Something that they are uncertain about, however, is how Apple will handle the various 4G bands utilized internationally. The Wall Street Journal did publish an article a while back that claimed AT&T and Verizon were going to receive LTE iPad 3s – additional backing for today’s report, actually -  but our earlier question about international 4G band support remains unanswered. Other significant factors at play here that definitely have influence on Apple’s decision are the cost-effectiveness of implementing a 4G LTE radio, and its impact on battery life.

M.I.C. Gadget, the site that published an alleged hands-on with the iPad 3 front glass, rear shell, and case just yesterday speculated that the iPad 3 will not include 4G LTE. They speculate – and their sources concurred – that not only is implementing 4G LTE support costlier than using the Qualcomm 3G chip, but there is also a limited market for LTE at this time.

Ultimately, with Apple’s "don’t settle" school of thought in mind, it’s unlikely that 4G LTE would be implemented if device quality – whether in terms of battery life, cost, or perhaps even industrial design or aesthetic reasons – is sacrificed in the process. Should this particular rumor prove to be correct, then these factors that we’re concerned about here would be resolved, and compromise, if any, will be minimal.

We expect iPad 3 storage options to remain the same – in today’s increments of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB – along with pricing. M.I.C. Gadget and 9to5Mac have received information suggesting that this is the case as well.

Now, while this (and many of the other rumors we publish) certainly seem to stem from a highly credible source, they should all be taken with a grain of salt. We are only two days away from the official unveiling of the device, and for all we know, Apple may have surprises up their sleeves.

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