chpwn

I finally upgraded from iOS 5.0.1 to iOS 6.1.2 and jailbroke my device using evasi0n. While I'm happy about being all caught up and ready for the iOS 6.1.3 patch, I was also disappointed to learn Apple changed how icon movement works. This means tweaks such as AlwaysArrange have been rendered useless on iOS 6. However, themers will be hapy to know jailbreak developer chpwn has updated the very popular jailbreak tweak Gridlock with iOS 6 support.

Gridlock 2.0 allows you to place your app icons anywhere on your Home screen without other apps replacing them. This gives you the ability to create different patterns, or to show off your wallpaper by moving apps out of the way. Gridlock 2.0 is much better than using blank icons or hiding apps with other jailbreak tweaks.

Absinthe co-creator pod2g dropped some disappointing news on the jailbreaking community on Tuesday. The iOS hacker announced he's not working on a jailbreak for iOS 6. Pod2g is mostly responsible for the last untethered jailbreak most jailbreakers are currently using today.

Pod2g's announcement doesn't mean a new jailbreak is not in the works. Another iOS hacker known as Chpwn, tweeted an image of a jailbroken iPhone 5 with Cydia installed over the weekend. This is a good sign that a public iOS 6 jailbreak could be available in a few months.

The well known jailbreak developer Chpwn (aka Grant Paul) tweeted a screenshot of Cydia running on an iPhone 5 the same day the device was released. While this is exciting news, it does not mean an untethered iOS 6 jailbreak is right around the corner. It took the jailbreaking community a couple of months to publicly release Absinthe 2.0, even though three different jailbreaks were reported to be working on the new iPad before its release.

This hopefully means the jailbreaking community is also on the road to jailbreakng other iDevices running iOS 6.

Things have been pretty quiet on the jailbreak front since the launch of the iPad 3. Today Absinthe and Corona developer pod2g broke the silence on his Twitter feed. Pod2g tweeted that he has acquired all the exploits needed to jailbreak iOS 5.1. While it's good to know that our favorite iPhone hackers are closer to a solution, fellow DevTeam member Chpwn reminded everyone that even though "all the exploits are found, this doesn't mean that a jailbreak exists," and it could be months away from a public release.

In February, iOS hacker i0n1c posted a few pictures of a jailbroken iPad 2 running iOS 5.1. The DevTeam also wrote on their blog that someone "close to the Cydia repo scene" was working on an entirely new jailbreak method.

iPhone developer chpwn has created a new iPhone tweak called Zephyr that brings multitasking gestures to the iPhone. Zephyr allows you to swipe up from the bottom of any screen to access a multitasking switcher filled with your apps. You can then switch between multiple apps by edge swiping like the iPad allows you to do.

Chpwn says this is the most efficient way to multitask on the iPhone, and that more gestures will be added through future updates. The idea for Zephyr came from a UI concept video created by Max Rudberg. Zephyr is available now through the Cydia jailbreak store for $2.99.