WSJ corroborates iPad mini like design, touchscreen tech for iPad 5

Various sources have been mulling for months that Apple’s fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad will adopt the overall appearance of the iPad mini, including its skinnier side bezels and thinner, lighter enclosure. And as if you ever needed more proof, now the credulous Wall Street Journal is finally out with its own report.

Corroborating the rumor-mill chatter, the story reaffirms the notion that the iPad 5 partially owns its slimmer and lighter form factor to a new touchscreen technology borrowed from its little brother. Read on for the full reveal…

Per The Journal:

The same touch-panel technology that made the iPad mini thin and light will likely feature in the next iPad, which is currently being produced by Apple Inc.’s Asian suppliers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The publication is talking about the thin-film touchscreen technology called GF Ditto (also known as GF2), currently utilized on the iPad mini. As recently reported by DisplaySearch, all upcoming iPads will adopt GF2 tech.

GF2, a double-sided ITO film, has allowed for the iPad mini’s much thinner and significantly lighter enclosure versus the bulkier iPad 4 that uses a glass-based touch panel called G/G touchscreen.

“Following the iPad mini’s success, Apple plans to use the film-based touch panel in its next regular-size iPad”, people familiar with the matter told the newspaper.

Here’s a video from Youku which purportedly depicts a partially assembled iPad 5.

The Journal educates us on the benefits of GF2 vs G/G screen assembly:

For device makers, the option of using a film-based touch panel is becoming more attractive than before, as the film material has largely overcome previous technical disadvantages against glass, and it has advantages in terms of thickness and weight, said DisplaySearch analyst Shoko Oi.

Because Apple is the world’s largest vendor of tablet computers, what technologies it uses to produce iPads could have a significant impact on component suppliers. More demand for film-based touch panels is good news for manufacturers of PET films that are used to produce such panels.

For what it’s worth, it was iLounge’s Jeremy Horwitz who back in January first called for the iPad 5′s iPad mini-like design. Based on a physical model he had apparently seen, Horwitz wrote that the next full-size iPad could be “a lot smaller than one would guess was possible”with “virtually no left or right bezels”.

At any rate, the bulkiness, the added weight and the overheating non-issue plaguing the current Retina iPads are all about to become a thing of the past, should Apple engineers have their way.

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The Display On Google’s New Nexus 7 Tablet Crushes The iPad Mini

Google’s latest tablet wins against Apple in the spec department.

Today Google unveiled its second-gen Nexus 7 tablet. The 7-inch, ASUS-made device packs a stunning 1,920 x 1,200 display. That translates to 323 pixels per inch, which is up considerably from the first Nexus 7’s 216 ppi. It’s also a higher resolution display than what Apple offers with the iPad mini, the company’s only flagship product that hasn’t been Retina-fied yet.

Google is right when it says that it has the “world’s highest-resolution 7-inch tablet.” The first Nexus 7 beat the iPad mini’s display quality too. So will Apple finally answer with a Retina iPad mini this fall?

The human eye stops being able to distinguish individual pixels around 300 ppi, and getting that high quality of a display into such a small factor has proven to be difficult for Apple. Google worked wonders with Japan Display to make the new Nexus 7 possible, and DisplaySearch told AllThingsD that “volume shipments of such a device [Retina iPad mini] won’t come until the first few months of next year because of the challenges of producing such a display.”

Reports have been fairly split on whether the iPad mini will get the better display it desperately needs in the coming months. One theory is that Apple could release a second-gen iPad mini before the holidays and not include a Retina screen. Then a Retina refresh would happen around six months later. That seems a little crazy, especially now that Google will have a Retina, 7-inch tablet on the market for Christmas.

“Apple should be embarrassed if it doesn’t release a Retina iPad mini before the holidays.”

The current iPad mini’s display is a measly 163 ppi. The second-gen Nexus 7 has a way better display, more than twice the RAM, dual-stereo speakers, wireless charging, and costs $100 less than Apple’s 7-inch tablet. The iPad is still moving way more units than the Nexus 7, but it’s still a wake up call. Apple should be embarrassed if it doesn’t release a Retina iPad mini before the holidays.

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Taiwanese Paper is the Latest to Claim that the iPad Mini Won’t See Retina Until 2014

The Economic Daily News, a Taiwanese newspaper with connections to the supply chain of most technology companies, is today claiming that a shortage of appropriately sized retina displays will mean that the iPad mini will retain its current display resolution of 1024-by-768 throughout 2013.

Considering that the only real downside of the iPad mini for most is the relatively low resolution, it certainly is a disappointment. Previous reports have given similar data, usually citing the same reasons as well. It’s impossible to say exactly what Apple will do until the product itself is released, but it does seem likely at this point that the iPad mini will not go retina this year.

If the iPad mini does not go retina, it seems likely that Apple will instead focus on other aspects of the device. Notably, the processor, graphics, and RAM will likely be updated to be more powerful, and the battery life will also likely see a boost. There’s also the possibility that a non-retina iPad mini could be sold for less, making the device more competitive with other small tablets on the market.

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Report: Apple ‘Still Considering’ Whether to Adopt Retina Display on 2nd Generation iPad mini

According to a report from DigiTimes this morning, Apple is still considering whether it will adopt a retina display as part of its next-generation iPad mini. Sources from the “upstream supply chain” also say that Apple is expected to announce its fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad this September as scheduled.

Upstream suppliers have supposedly finished preparing for production of the next 9.7-inch iPad, meaning that, after this point, there are unlikely to be any further changes in regards to the device’s specifications. And as many have come to expect, the device is set to have a thinner bezel and better battery life.

Although suppliers have not yet received a firm mass production schedule from Apple and are mainly shipping products for pilot production, the sources pointed out that pilot production is already able to satisfy demand for the initial launch. Therefore, the sources expect Apple to give its shipment estimates at the end of July or early August.

As for the 7.9-inch iPad mini, Apple is supposedly still considering whether to include a retina display. If they decide to do so, DigiTimes believes the device may very well be pushed back to a late Q$ 2013 ship date. Lastly, today’s report includes rumor that Apple has further shrunk the iPad mini’s bezel, pushing it closer to a Samsung-esque bezel-less design.

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Is the party over for high-end smartphones?

Every company loves maximum profits. For years, Apple and Samsung have sold high-priced smartphones loaded with features that were eagerly snapped up by consumers in mature economies in North America and Europe. Now the two largest smartphone makers face a changing consumer profile where basic is best and inexpensive is in vogue.

Just days ago, research giant Gartner noted low-cost devices comprise the bulk of both firm’s device sales, making questions of whether to sell ‘cheap’ handsets only a distant – and irrelevant – memory. Now comes fear from Wall Street that the salad days of smartphones are over for Apple and Samsung…

Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi Monday on CNBC tried to explain (via Fortune) why both smartphone makers have recently been punished by investors.

Samsung’s tepid sales of its new Galaxy S4 are “perhaps not fulfilling expectations about the high end of the smartphone market.”

In other words, “the Street is thinking that if Samsung can’t sell as many high-end smartphones as expected, then neither can Apple,” writes Philip Elmer-DeWit.

Seems like a pretty good assumption.

Source: IDC European Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, May 2013.

Growth has slowed in developed nations, such as the U.S. and in Europe, as adoption of smartphones is nearly complete. Instead, the competition isn’t over whether to buy a smartphone or stick with your dumb feature phone, but whether you’ll stick with Apple or try Android.

In a way, the smartphone market in the U.S. resembles competition among cellular carriers, where the customers drift from one brand to another.

“The challenge in the smartphone market is also that, as penetration move more and more to the mass market, price points are lowering and in most cases so do margins,” Gartner announced Monday.

In Samsung’s case, almost half of its smartphone sales are in the sub-$200 category.

If the rumors are true, Apple will launch a less-pricey iPhone sold contract-free to the mid-tier sub-$300 segment in developing markets.

Some watchers expect the device to actually replace Apple’s free iPhone 4/4S on-contract phones, but that’s just speculation at this point.

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A hands-on look at iOS 7 on the iPad

iOS 7 beta 2 is the first iOS 7 to feature support for Apple’s iconic tablet, and we’ve got a hands-on demonstration of how it looks and feels. The first word that came to my mind when I initially fired up iOS 7 on the iPad was “modern.” The iPad feels more spacious, and lightweight with iOS 7 installed. Whereas iOS 6 felt heavy and weighed down by skeuomorphism, iOS 7 feels light free.

I think you’re going to like the way that iOS 7 looks and performs on the iPad. Check out our full video demonstration inside…

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Apple won’t use Samsung screens for iPad 5 and iPad mini 2

In another hint of Apple distancing itself from Samsung by procuring crucial gadget components from alternative suppliers, we hear the Cupertino firm may have already dropped Samsung entirely as the maker of next-gen panels for a fifth-generation iPad and a second-generation iPad mini.

Both devices are rumored to arrive later this year, allegedly sporting the high-resolution Retina display technology and sharing a light aluminum chassis with thinner appearance and chamfered edges…

Seoul-based Korea Economic Daily cites industry reports claiming Apple sent out its requests for quotation for new Retina screens to LG Display, Sharp, Japan Display and AU Optronics, but not to Samsung Display.

In case you didn’t know, a request for quotation is a document firms like Apple send to component suppliers. In it, the buyer (Apple) inquires about prices quotations for specified components and parts.

As this document is usually sent five-ten months prior to a product’s launch (to give suppliers ample time to deliver the order), it’s the first step of the component purchase process and as such a credible hint of the upcoming changes in Apple’s manufacturing process.

On the other hand, iNews, South Korea’s tech news site, mentions that Samsung and Apple have not yet begun the separation process on mobile screens.

The publication quotes Samsung president Kim Ki-nam as saying the rumor is “not necessarily true.” Interestingly enough, the guy added that a possibility of Apple adopting Samsung components still exists, though I’d bet my shirt that was just his wishful thinking.

Samsung’s acquisition of a three percent stake in Apple’s screen supplier Sharp was probably the last straw.

Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn has been trying to buy eleven percent of Sharp for months, but has cancelled all acquisition talks after learning about Sharp going to bed with Samsung.

The fact that Sharp has now begun shipping its 32-inch panels to Samsung certainly won’t help improve the rocky Apple-Samsung relationship. What’s more, thanks to Samsung’s LCD panel orders, Sharp is now expected to turn an operating profit by the end of its fiscal 2012, which concludes on March 31.

According to market research firm DisplaySearch, LG Display accounted for 28 percent of the global LCD sales versus Samsung Display’s 25.1 percent share, the first time LG Display surpassed Samsung in the LCD market since 2005.

DisplaySearch also estimates Samsung’s display supplies have decreased from 12.8 percent of the total supplied to Apple in the second quarter of 2012 to just 0.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Apple is also said to have decreased the proportion of Samsung’s supply of SSDs for MacBooks this year.

And IHS iSuppli, another credible market research firm, yesterday acknowledged an 81 percent drop in 9.7-inch panel shipments in January. At the same time, panels measuring 7.9 inches diagonally, like the one used on the iPad mini, climbed fourteen percent.

It’s another proof that the iPad mini is outselling its bigger brother faster than Apple anticipated.

As for Apple’s chip making contract with Samsung, it’s set to expire in June 2014 – conveniently coinciding with talk of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (andpossibly Intel) starting to fab Apple’s next-generation iPhone and iPad processors early next year.

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry, in particular, is expected to tape out Apple’s A7 processor on a 20nm process later this month, possibly moving the chip into risk production in May-June.

If true, this would pave the way for commercial shipments of the TSMC-made A7 chip some time in the first quarter of 2014.

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Walmart now offering 16GB iPad mini for $299

Apple received a lot of criticism when it introduced its iPad mini last October for $329. Critics felt that since other 7-inch tablets out at the time, like Google’s Nexus 7 for example, were in the $200 range, Apple was crazy for pricing the mini so high.

But these days you don’t have to pay quite that much to snag the tiny tablet. Last week we saw Apple offering a refurbished version of the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini for $299. And today, it looks like Walmart has matched that price for a brand new one…

As noted by DealNews (via MacRumors), Walmart has just knocked about 10% off the price of its 16GB iPad mini, knocking it down to $299. The offer is for the Wi-Fi only model, and appears to include both the white and black versions of the slate.

This is the lowest price we’ve seen on the mini since it launched last fall, so it’s worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new tablet. Unfortunately it looks like the deal is only available in stores, and judging by local inventory, stock is limited.

If you’re looking for a deal on a non-mini tablet, 9to5Toys points out that Best Buy has just put a lot of its iPad 3 models on clearance. You can score either a Wi-Fi-only or LTE model for up to 30% off, creating deals like a 32GB Wi-Fi model for $384.

If you can, though, it might be worth waiting. Word is that Apple could be planning an iPad event for later this month (which could explain the price drops). And we’ve heard a number of rumors in the last few months that it’s working on a Retina iPad mini.

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iOS 6.1.3 is out with a few fixes

Apple has just issued iOS 6.1.3 (build 10B329), an incremental update to its mobile operating system powering iPhones, iPads and iPods. This particular update brings fixes to the widely reported Lock screen vulnerability, first discovered a month ago, which lets people with access to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to easily bypass your passcode and get to your personal information on the device.

Today’s firmware also contains Maps improvements for Japan. If you’re jailbroken, you’ll want to stay away from this update until we collect more information…

According to release notes accompanying the 18.2MB download, this update contains the following improvements and bug fixes:

• Fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the passcode and access the Phone app
• Improvements to Maps in Japan

You’ll recall that Apple earlier this month has delivered a bunch of much-needed fixes and improvements for its iOS Maps application in Japan via an over-the-air update to non-iOS 6.1.3-beta devices.

To apply this update, go to General > Software Update in your iOS Settings or connect your device to iTunes.

The previous update, iOS 6.1.2, fixed an Exchange calendar bug that could result in increased network activity and reduced battery life.

Per The Next Web and a bunch of other blogs, iOS 6.1.3 also fixes some of the vulnerabilities needed to make the latest Evasi0n jailbreak work so you should hold off updating your jailbroken devices for now.

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iOS 7 concepts: actionable Notification Center, better Safari

What better way to sign off as my weekend starts than a fresh batch of iOS concepts which imagine the capabilities Apple should have long implemented? Above is Shaik Imaduddin’s mockup of a more interactive iOS Notification Center with actionable alerts where you could, say, delete email messages, mark them as read and send new ones, all without ever leaving your iPhone’s Notification Center.

Very doable and frankly, even Android isn’t currently doing that. He’s also envisioning making phone calls, responding to text messages (existing tweaks address this) and setting alerts in Reminders to call back a person. The latter makes me wonder how on Earth Apple missed combining Reminders with the Phone app. I’ve also included a nice iOS 7 Safari mockup right past the fold…

Shaik’s concept evidently makes the Notification Center more powerful by taking usual actions right from it, without having to open apps.

Here’s how it works:

Swiping left on a notification brings up a set of options that would usually have to be done by opening relevant apps and could take 2-3 steps. This works with all notifications.

Apps from the App Store can take advantage of this too. For example: a Facebook notification can be commented on, liked, or shared right from the Notification Center.

I sincerely hope Apple will make Notification Center in iOS 7 lots more actionable because, frankly, it’s of little use to me as it is now: a bunch of endless alerts that cannot be interacted with without being yanked out of the Notification Center.

Meanwhile, designer Brent Caswell went about juicing up Apple’s mobile Safari browser and he’s come up with some noteworthy, if not obvious, solutions. First up, Caswell is calling for a Chrome-like Omnibar, basically a single bar at the top which acts as both the address and search bar.

 

 

It should be a no-brainer: OS X Mountain Lion already unifies Safari’s two bars into one.

 

 

He’s also thinking about improving Safari’s handling of bookmarks, with the ability to share bookmarks with others through iCloud (agreed). He proposes a revamped UI to file your URLs, which kinda reminds me of the nice to-do app, Clear.

Last, but not the least, a new grid view when browsing open tabs puts more page thumbnails on your screen so you could pick a desired tab with less swiping. Note the two buttons alongside the bottom that let you pick between browsing your local or iCloud tabs, another nice touch which would definitely make Safari’s tabbed browsing better and less cumbersome.

I’m also liking his enhanced iBooks style layout controls for Safari’s Reader feature.

Some handy keyboard shortcuts here to access Safari tabs and bookmarks.

I like how this guy’s brain work. It’s a high time Apple enhanced Safari with new gestures, like swiping left and right from the edges of the screen to quickly navigate between tabs, Google Chrome style (at least on the iPhone).

Speaking of which, Apple should re-think the whole multitouch thing in iOS 7.

How?

For starters, get rid of the inconsistencies. For example, swiping from left to right deletes email and text messages, but not Calendar or Contacts entries.

More importantly, refine your multitouch language and deploy a set of easily remembered gestures across all stock apps, uniformly.

Mockups of what Apple should have done, but isn’t is why we jailbreak.

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Rovio to air Toons series through Angry Birds apps

 

 

As we told you, Finland-based Angry Birds maker Rovio continues to milk its franchise with the announcement of an animated series titled Angry Birds Toons. It’s premiering on the weekend of March 16 and 17 and today Rovio revealed that it will be airing the episodes directly via its Angry Birds apps, in addition to other more traditional distribution channels.

That’s a clever move considering more than 1.7 billion Angry Birds downloads across devices and operating systems. If they offered a standalone Toons app, I don’t think many people would download it. The first episode titled ‘Chuck Time’ will be airing in the Angry Birds Toons channel this Sunday, March 17, with a trailer for it included right after the break…

Rovio says that come this Sunday, users should start noticing a new Toons channel button in any Angry Bird app’s menu. This will provide access to on-demand episode streams, with a brand new cartoon airing the same time every weekend.

We haven’t seen yet, at least to my knowledge, a games maker launching a video distribution channel across all of its game titles on smartphones and tablets.

Here’s the episode 1 trailer.

The series will have 52 episodes.

Additionally, Angry Birds Toons will be distributed through select video-on-demand channel providers (like Roku and Comcast platforms, including Xfinity on Demand, online at Xfinity.com/tv and the Xfinity TV Player app), Smart TVs and connected devices.

 

 

The series will also air on select TV networks around the world, including on FOX8 in Australia, JEI TV in Korea, ANTV in Indonesia, Cartoon Network in India, MTV3 Juniori and MTV3 in Finland, the Children’s Channel in Israel, 1+1 networks in Ukraine, Gulli and Canal J in France, SUPER RTL in Germany, TV2 in Norway, Canal 13 in Chile and Gloob in Brazil.

In addition, Activision, Paramount Pictures, BlackBerry and Sony Pictures are partnering with Rovio at the launch of the Angry Birds Toons channel.

More information is available at the official Toons web site.

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The best iPad jailbreak tweaks

I’m going to be honest with you — jailbreaking an iPad hasn’t been nearly as appealing to me as jailbreaking my iPhone. But as I started working on this list, I realized that there really are some awesome, and I mean awesome ways to trick out your iPad once it’s jailbroken.

Considering that I do a lot of writing on my iPad, I found that a many of these tweaks immensely helped my writing workflow. Tweaks like BeeKeyboard, and SwipeSelection are absolute essentials for iPad writers, even if you’re not really into the jailbreak scene.

Obviously that’s not all, as virtually everyone will find a jailbreak app or tweak that suits their fancy. Yes, the iPad jailbreak scene is alive, and it’s better than ever. Despite my initial doubts, I was able to come up with this solid list of 15 best jailbreak tweaks for iPadrunning iOS 6. There’s no filler here, and no fluff — each of these tweaks represent, what in my opinion, is the best of the best. Take a look inside, and see for yourselves.

Video walkthrough

Action Menu Plus Pack

Among many other things, Action Menu allows you to access clipboard history

Action Menu is one of my favorite jailbreak tweaks due to its implementation of a handy pasteboard history feature. As someone who uses my iPad to edit text and create documents, having quick access to my pasteboard history is absolutely instrumental to getting work done.

Price: $2.99
Action Menu Plus Pack direct Cydia link

BeeKeyboard

Assign Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts to a variety of iOS functions

BeeKeyboard is one of the first apps that you should download after jailbreaking your iPad. It allows you to quickly assign shortcuts to a variety of different iOS functions. Because it has built in Activator gesture shortcut support, there’s practically no limit to the amount of functions that you can assign to a simple key press.

The beauty of BeeKeyboard is that it also features a host of addons. These addons, some still suspended in development, allow you to create custom shortcuts for a variety of apps. There’s even a Safari addon that adds tons of exclusive keyboard shortcuts to the mobile Safari app. If it’s productivity you’re after, then BeeKeyboard is simply second to none.

Price: $2.99
BeeKeyboard direct Cydia link 

BluSelect 5.0+

Easily enable Bluetooth devices using Activator gestures

In my opinion, there’s been a sort of misconception regarding BluSelect. This tweak isn’t just your average Bluetooth toggle, as it may appear at first glance. Instead, this is a tweak that allows you to quickly connect to individual Bluetooth peripherals from anywhere. It does so by means of a well placed Activator gesture. I should also mention that it also worksgreat for quickly tethering an iPad to the iPhone using the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature via Bluetooth.

Price: $1.99
BluSelect direct Cydia link

Blutrol

Control your games with the iCade, WiiMote, and coming soon, the PS3′s Dual Shock

I’ve blogged about Blutrol many times in the past, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. This is a jailbreak app that allows you to connect a variety of external controllers to your iOS device. This means that it’s totally possible to use something like an iCade cabinet to control games that aren’t officially supported by the device. What’s even better? There’s rumored PS3 Dual Shock 3 support on the horizon. Good times.

Price: $9.99
Blutrol direct Cydia link 

Bridge

Import music directly into the Music app without iTunes

I’ve always found it a bit odd that you could never import your favorite tunes into the Music app without iTunes, but nonetheless, that continues to be the case. If you’re jailbroken, however, it’s easy to liberate your iDevice with Bridge — a tweak that allows you to easily import music, ringtones, and podcasts directly into the Music app sans iTunes syncing.

Price: $1.99
Bridge direct Cydia link 

Emblem

OS X inspired notification banners

Banner notifications on the iPhone’s small screen work perfectly fine. On the iPad, though, I think they’re kind of ugly, and don’t adequately use the iPad’s available real estate. Emblem fixes this problem by presenting users with OS X inspired notification banners. It’s a bit difficult to see how beautiful this tweak is until you see it running in person, so I heavily advise you to give it a try.

Price: $1.99
Emblem direct Cydia link 

iFile

The best way to manage iOS’ file system

In order to make iOS easy to use and to protect users from themselves, Apple has restricted access to the native file system in iOS. At its root, iOS is basically just a stripped down version of OS X. This means that, yes, the same familiar file structure exists under the iPad’s pretty GUI. iFile gives you access to all of this, along with a host of other convenient features for the iPad.

Price: $4.00 (Free Trial)
iFile direct Cydia link 

MountainCenter

An OS X inspired Notification Center

Like banner notifications, Notification Center seems like a bit of an afterthought on the iPad. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say that Notification Center on the iPad is downright hideous. MountainCenter solves this problem by enabling an OS X styled Notification Center, which can be accessed by swiping from the left, or right side of the iPad’s screen. Beautiful.

Price: $2.99
MountainCenter direct Cydia link 

NCSettings

These handy quick toggles are an absolute must have

Six iOS generations later, and there’s still no built-in way to quickly toggle often used items like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, etc. NCSettings is a visually appealing Notification Center tweak that implements such quick toggling functionality.

Price: Free
NCSettings direct Cydia link 

NoNewsIsGoodNews

Hide Newsstand, and turn Newsstand magazines into standalone apps

It seems like nearly everyone hates the Newsstand folder, which explains why there are about a million and one ways, jailbreak, and non-jailbreak, to get rid of it. The best such tweak is called NoNewsIsGoodNews. The wittily named tweak gets rid of the Newsstand folder on your Home screen, and places periodicals normally destined for the folder on to your Home screen as standalone apps.

Price: Free
NoNewsIsGoodNews direct Cydia link 

PasswordPilot

Never type in your iTunes password for App Store purchases

I don’t know about you, but my iTunes password is ridiculously complex. For that reason, it’s a huge pain to have to type it in every time I want to purchase a new app from the App Store. PasswordPilot is a great tweak that stores your password for you, so you’re always ready to make App Store purchases on the whim.
Price: Free
PasswordPilot direct Cydia link 

RetinaPad

Without RetinaPad, iPhone only apps look nasty on the iPad

If you use any iPhone-only apps on the iPad, then you owe it to yourself to give RetinaPad a whirl. It will make text and various other in-app assets look a lot crisper. The screenshot above is Instagram running without RetinaPad, and the screenshot below if Instagram running with RetinaPad. You be the judge.

With RetinaPad, iPhone only apps look a lot crisper

Price: $2.99
RetinaPad direct Cydia link 

SafariDownloadManager

The perfect companion for iFile, download any file

Simply put, if you hate it when iOS tells you what you can and cannot download, then you need Safari Download Manager. It, combined with the aforementioned iFile, pack a great one-two punch when it comes to file downloading and subsequent file management.

Price: $4.99
SafariDownloadManager direct Cydia link

SwipeSelection

Perfect for those who do lots of text editing on the iPad

Editing text on the iPad is a colossal pain in the butt, which is largely due to the fact that it’s difficult to quickly position your cursor in the exact place where you need it. SwipeSelection remedies this. It allows you to swipe to exact cursor locations via swipes on the keyboard. Watch the video to get a clear idea as to what I mean. I promise, you’ll never want to go back to traditional text editing on the iPad again.
Price: Free
SwipeSelection direct Cydia link

Zephyr

Supercharges the iPad’s Multitasking Gestures

The iPad already includes some pretty cool built-in “Multitasking Gestures,” but Zephyr takes it to a whole new level. There are various one-finger gestures included here for ease of use. Along with that, there’s a sheer level of customization available that will have multi-touch fans salivating.
Price: $2.99
Zephyr direct Cydia link 

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20 of the Best Cydia Tweaks and Apps - 2013

 

 

Cydia Tweaks and Apps (all tweaks are from bigboss/modmyi):

1.Five-Column Springboard
2. Five Icon Dock
3. Dater
4. FlagPaint
5.StatusTab
6. Barrel
7. NCSettings
8. ncRam
9. BlurriedNCBackground
10.TorchNC
11. Bolt
12. Icon Renamer - I know I say it wrong in the video :)
13. MultiIconMover
14. biteSMS
15. %hooks Law
16. Auxo
17. Zeppelin
18. Download To Newsstand
19. Zephyr
20. Dashboard X
21. Theme - Glasklart

 

 

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