Apple introduced iOS app folders in iOS 4 and has had the ‘Jiggle Mode’ UI since iOS 1. On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple the patent for iOS app folders and the ‘Jiggle Mode’ UI.

The patent, which is listed as U.S. Patent No. 8,423,911, describes the iOS app folders as “Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing folders” and describes the methods to rearrange applications and organizing them. In the patent file from the USPTO, Imran Chaudhri is listed as the inventor of the UI feature.

For example, using a sequence of inputs to create, modify and/or delete folders and content within folders is tedious and creates a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, existing methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.

Apple’s “Jiggle Mode” is also included in the patent, an animation that signifies that the user is able to move any of the applications on the home screen around. This is likely the reason that both features were including in the same patent, because of their interaction in iOS. In Jiggle mode, when a user places an app on top of another, it will automatically generate a folder with type of app such as ‘Games’ or ‘Productivity’. These names are taken from the app’s metadata generated from the App Store’s organizational categories.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the selectable user interface objects jiggle as though they are floating on water (e.g., each respective selectable user interface object oscillates about a respective average position of the selectable user interface object on the display).

Apple does not own patents on all of its iOS features, getting these patents over 2 years after introducing the feature. However, as the company releases more iOS features in iOS 7 and beyond, they will begin to collect more patents along the way.

{Via AppleInsider}

According to the latest iPhone 5 rumors, Apple is testing more than one prototypes of the next-gen iPhone. The sixth gen iPhone is expected to see major re-design and feature a taller display.

Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2007 with a 3.5 inch screen and that has remained unchanged over last 5 years. However, now it seems that the company might be ready to give the display a complete makeover and introduce iPhone 5 with 3.9 inch display. According to a report published by 9to5 Mac, Apple is testing multiple prototypes of the next gen iPhone that are locked in shells to avoid discovery by unauthorized personnel.

We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2).

The new iPhone will reportedly not just feature a taller display but will also increase the resolution from 640×940 to 1136×640.

That’s an extra 176 pixels longer of a display.  The screen will be the same 1.94 inches wide, but will grow to 3.45 inches tall. This new resolution is very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means that 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio.

The report further mentions that custom-built iOS 6 software is being tested in the iPhone 5 prototypes that takes full advantage of the taller and wider screen by adding a fifth row of app icons to the home screen.

In addition to the display changes, the sixth gen iPhone will continue to include the home button but, could possibly feature smaller dock connector. iPhone 5 is widely rumored to be released in October during a special Apple event.

{via 9to5 Mac}

The tweaks for jailbroken devices keep coming thick and fast. Some change the aesthetics of the iPhones while other change existing or and new functionality which the iPhone out of the box does not provide.

This week we deal with some of each and the first is one that we are running a competition to win 1 of five free copies, and that’s WorldClockCenter for Notification Center.

WorldClockCenter for Notification Center

A more detailed review of the tweak can be read here which includes instructions on the competition too.

In short WorldClockCenter for Notification Center simply adds all of the world clocks from the default clock app to the Notification Center and so if you have colleagues, family or friends located in different time-zones then this is a great app which will set you back a cent under $2.

PushTone

With the introduction of iOS5 notifications have come along way, however, one thing that you haven’t been able to do is know which notification you are being alerted too if you can’t see your iPhone.

That changes though with the introduction of PushTone which allows you to assign any of your Alert Tones or Ringtones to each individual application that allows sound notifications.

This is all done via the Notifications settings screen as a new PushTone option is added to each apps notifications page. It’s simple and effective, just make sure that you select short tones as the sound can’t be dismissed prior to it ending.

Graviboard

Graviboard is not a new jailbreak but it’s just been updated to support iOS 5 and it now works even better and smoother especially on the iPhone 4s and iPad 2. Graviboard adds gravity to your homescreens and with it your app icons and folders will float around the screen causing controlled chaos.

You can not only control when Graviboard activates but also whether you can still activate apps, swipe between pages, and how much gravity there is, how bouncy the icons are and how much friction there is.

Graviboard is a fun tweak and one that is surprisingly usable as the icons float around. It will certainly get your iPhone noticed too.

AnimateDock

AnimateDock is another tweak that will affect how your home screen looks, specifically the dock, and does exactly what you would expect it too, it animates the dock each time the homescreen is activated whether it be from unlocking the screen or closing an app.

There are multiple effect options to choose from and they can be enabled simultaneously too, so while you can have them rotating to the left, or zoom in and out you can also turn both on and have them rotate while zooming in and out!

AnimateDock is a little rough around the edges but can still produce some fun results.

What new tweaks have you installed this week? Let us know in the comments below or tweet me directly at @4forkssake.

Why Jailbreak iPhone – Winterboard

As well as adding new features and tweaks to your jailbroken iPhone one of the more popular reasons to jailbreak is to apply themes to your device to change it’s look.

There a a couple of tools to do this but the most popular one is Winterboard and once you have downloaded this from Cydia you will open up a wide variety of themes that can be easily downloaded and enabled from within the Winterboard interface.

In fact the process of downloading, installing and enabling themes via Winterboard you can have a different theme everyday if you so wish. Having said that there will probably come a time when you come across a theme that just looks so good that it will stay on your device for good.

Jaku Review

Jaku is a theme by William Szilveszter a beautifully crafted masterpiece that will make your iPhone stand out from all the stock devices of your friends and family.

The polish and attention given to the redesign of the application icons is incredible, they pop off the screen and both the stock apps and many others have been given the full Jaku treatment. In fact, there are so many Jaku icons that when the designer asked me to use a screenshot that only included Jaku icons I ended up have to move one icon from my home screen. In total there are 180 icons in the Jaku theme and more being added all the time.

This theme doesn’t just end there though. The package includes a custom wallpaper and themes for the phone dial, notification center, music player, lock screen and more.

If you haven’t themed your iPhone before now’s a great time to start as your retina display can look even more stunning than it already does especially if you choose the Jaku theme by William Szilveszter. Jaku is available for for just $2.99 in the Cydia store while Winterboard is available for free.

Which is your favorite iPhone theme? Let us know in the comments below or tweet me @4forkssake about jailbreak tweaks and themes.

Why Jailbreak? Tweaks and Apps that make jailbreaking your iPhone / iPad worth it.

The jailbreak community has grown extensively over the past couple of weeks thanks to the release of Absinthe which provided an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. It has been a long wait, especially for those of us that have had a jailbreak before on their previous iPhone’s and have been without one ever since.

So for those people who are new to the jailbreaking scene I’ll be covering the what’s new in jailbreaking each week including new apps, tweaks and jailbreaking news.

As this is the first in the series I’m going to cover some of the reasons why I jailbreak, some of these will be tweaks that have been around for a long time while others are new since Absinthe was released.

On Janaury 20th the Chronic Dev Team released GreenPois0n Absinthe and those iPhone 4S and iPad 2 owners could jailbreak their devices and the process, for most people, was relatively painless.

The jailbreak was as simple as connecting your device to your Windows PC or Mac and running the GreenPois0n Absinthe tool. From than on the tool did all the work and unlike previous jailbreaks there isn’t even a need to put your device into DFU mode, a kind of special sleep mode that allows the device OS to be updated.

After just 15 minutes the Jailbreak was complete and I was ready to add the tweaks and apps that turn my iPhone into the device I know and love.

First up was SBSettings and Activator, two tools that allow you to access iPhone settings and actions via gestures on the home screen or by using the physical buttons on the device. If you frequently have to turn on/off wifi or Bluetooth these two tools are awesome and now SBSettings can now be added to your iOS5 Notification Center for even easier access.

Next up is iFile which gives you access to browse the iPhone file directory and IncarcerApp which for those of you with young children is great as it prevents the home button from being used when your children are in certain applications, this means that they can play their favorite games with the risk of them making phone calls, sending text messages or anything else on your iPhone.

The final of the apps that are jailbreak staples for me is BiteSMS which replaces the standard message apps and adds feature upon feature to the default text messaging application. The two that ensures that BiteSMS is one of the first apps installed is the ability to quickly start an SMS via the volume buttons and the ability to reply to an incoming text or iMessage without having to go to the messaging app.

In addition to these established tweaks there have been a number of new tweaks on the block that have added great new functionality to the already great iPhone.

Call Bar – The default action of an incoming call on an iPhone is to take over the whole screen until you’ve decided how you want to handle the call. With Call Bar installed the incoming call now appears at the top of the screen just like notifications do.

From there you can answer or reject the call either via buttons or by swiping it. This give you full access to use the phone as you please while the call sits at the top of the screen. This is one of those tweaks which makes you wonder how it wasn’t included in the iPhone by default.

Zephyr – This is another tweak that makes you wonder why it’s not part of the standard OS as it’s such a simple, yet great tweak. Zephyr adds multitasking gestures to the iPhone 4S which enables you to do 3 things.

• Swipe left and right to switch between apps.
• Swipe up to close open applications
• Smoothly swipe up to access the multitask icons

Not only are these features great if your iPhone is fully functional but if you happen to be one of the unlucky ones who has a broken home buttons then they become life savers!

SiriToggles – 3 out of 3 for tweaks that have no reason not to be in the iOS by default as SiriToggles adds the ability to open apps and activate/deactivate iOS settings via Siri. “Set brightness to 50%”, “Turn off Bluetooth”, “Open Safari” will all now work and makes Siri a little less Beta than it previously was!

These are just a few of the great reasons to jailbreak. If you have questions or comments about anything jailbreak related post in the comments below or tweet me @4forkssake.

Weather Live Review

The app is simple to setup, locations can be setup either using the iPhone location service to set you current location or you can search locations world wide. You can also add multiple locations and switch between them with a simple swipe of the screen.

With a location set the screen loads with multiple pieces of weather related information from the current, minimum and maximum daily temperatures to current humidity, precipitation, pressure and visibility all encased in a beautifully animated weather background based on the current conditions and a digital clock in the center.

Weather Live looks beautiful, it pops off the screen and the information is presented clearly and concisely. That being said there are customizations to me made in many areas to get the display to be just how you like.

While having all of the details loaded provides you with he maximum amount of information taking it down to the text only options provides the best view of the gorgeous animated backdrops.

Also under your control are the temperature and distance units, clock settings and alerts for when the temperature drops below zero. As previously mentioned you can also enable the temperature badge to display the current temperature on your home screen. I’ve had mixed results with this and while it displays it doesn’t always update as I would expect it to without going into the app first.

Weather Live is now my new ‘screensaver’ for both my iPhone and iPad, it’s informative, great looking and simple to use, the only feature I miss is that I would love to be able to see some of the other weather animations that I may never get to see living in mid-west
USA!

What we like:

• Looks amazing
• Customizable
• Filled with information

What to know:

• Temperature icon doesn’t always update
• No way to preview other weather animations

Gallery

During Apple’s WWDC 2011 keynote event SVP of iOS Software at Apple Inc., Scott Forstall announced that iOS 5 brings 1500 new APIs for developers and more than 200 features for users. However, only 10 key features were highlighted during the presentation. iOS 5 brings some of the highly anticipated features to Apple’s iOS devices. One of the most requested feature was a new notification system and the upcoming software update will bring “notification center” allowing you to manage all notifications by swiping downwards on the status bar.

Other notable improvements include tabbed browsing for iPad, reading list, camera app enhancements, WiFi sync and iMessages. In January we reported that Apple was testing new gestures with iOS 4.3 on iPad. The beta had an option to use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen, swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar, and swipe left or right between apps however, these never made it to the final release. Now, with iOS 5 these gestures will finally be made available for users. This also hints to the fact that Apple might be looking at doing away with the home button on iPad 3.

We think that multi-touch gestures would work great and since the iPad can be used in any orientation sometimes locating the home button can seem unintuitive. The company is aiming at providing a unified user experience with gestures across OS X Lion and iOS devices and it wouldn’t really require any new learning to get accustomed to these gestures.

What do you think? Do you think iPad still requires a home button? Let us know what you think in the comments below.