News

Launch day lines at the Apple Store are a distant memory and now these retail locations are stocking a selection of iPhone 5 cases and screen protectors. For those looking to protect the aluminum back or glass screen on the latest iPhone from scratches and other damage, a wide variety of options are available.

Apple narrows the field down by selecting which lucky case manufacturers' products are granted wall space in the company's stores. When the iPhone 4 launched Apple made its own case for the first time, the iPhone bumper which was also compatible with the iPhone 4S. Bumper cases were even distributed for free to customers having antenna issues.

There's no shortage of things you can do with your iPhone or iPad these days. Now Griffin has released a brand new toy for remote control enthusiasts who happen to have an iOS device. The MOTO TC Monster is the second AppPowered vehicle launched by the company. This monster truck can be controlled directly on the touch screen with a free app.

Griffin previously released the HELO TC Assault helicopter, which is also app controlled from an iOS device. Unlike the MOTO, which uses Bluetooth to connect to the iPhone, the HELO uses a special Flight Deck adapter that beams infrared signals to the helicopter in flight.

Good news for iPhone 5 owners looking forward to jailbreaking and installing the Cydia app store on their devices. iPhone Dev-Team member planetbeing reports that he has achieved almost a full tethered jailbreak on the iPhone 5. As posted on his Twitter feed, an upgrade to the jailbreak has allowed iOS 6 tweaks to work on Apple's latest phone.

There is one caveat with the current jailbreak however, which is that an Apple developer account is required for it to work. Some Dev-Team watchers were disappointed when developer Comex explained he has no plans to develop new jailbreak tools in the near future. After completing an internship at Apple, Comex will focus on other work.

Scratched up the aluminum back on your iPhone 5? Now you can get a replacement back plate in white or black for $99. The same folks over at iPhone5mod that have brought the illuminated iPhone 5 Lightning cable to market are offering the rear case replacement parts.

The rear panels pictured on the product page look identical to production iPhone 5 parts except they are missing country-specific certification information normally found printed below the iPhone name. iPhone5mod is using original Lightning connector chips in its 8-pin cable, and claims the back iPhone 5 cover is also 100 percent original.

JailBreakMe developer Comex (aka Nicholas Allegra) has parted ways with Apple after interning for the company for over a year. Comex tweeted the news on Friday: "So… no point in delaying. As of last week, after about a year, I’m no longer associated with Apple."

When asked why, Comex responded that he forgot to re-up with Apple by failing to reply to an email. Allegra also told Andy Greenberg of Forbes he does not plan to return to the jaibreaking community, and that his split from Apple did not end badly:

"When I asked Allegra what he plans to work on now, he said he’ll focus on his work at Brown, and doesn’t foresee working on new jailbreaking tools for iOS any time soon."