AT&T has responded to the smartphone unlocking controversy sweeping the nation. If you do not know the story, here is a quick recap: On January 26, 2013 the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) exemption that made unlocking your cellular phone legal expired. This made it illegal to unlock your device without your carrier's permission. Smartphone users responded by posting a petition on the White House's We the People website. The petition gained over 100,000 signatures before 30 days, which prompted an official response from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Genachowski said the ban “raises competition concerns,” as well as “innovation concerns", and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) responded by creating the Wireless Device Independence Act. This bill ensures people can unlock their devices without a carrier's permission.

Glu Games has released the follow-up to its popular iOS and Android game Samurai vs Zombies Defense. The sequel offers the same side-scrolling zombie slicing action as the original, plus a variety of new features. Users can now buy/unlock multiple heroes, new upgrades and even compete in multiplayer modes. You can also attempt to complete a "Daily Challenge" to earn new prizes each day.

The game is still free to download, and features the same pop-up ads, in-app purchases, and gem system as the original. Hopefully you can still earn free gems from playing the game, and not by only completing surveys. There is also an unlockable "Sorceress" character for $59.99!?!

Rovio Entertainment has released the first trailer for The Croods. Rovio is known for creating the very popular Angry Birds and Bad Piggies franchise that has also spawned a blockbuster crossover with the Star Wars universe.

The Croods is a FarmVille building / management type game featuring a family of cavemen. Users must help the Croods survive the Stone Age by hunting, gathering and fending off "never-seen-before creatures".

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.

DirectionBar is a neat little tweak that makes the iOS status bar more informative. If you ever wanted to know which direction you were headed without having to open the Compass app, then this tweak is for you. Once installed, a live compass appears on the status bar right next to the Wi-Fi or cellular data icon. Moving your iPhone will result in the compass arrow moving accordingly, always pointing north.

Under the settings for DirectionBar, there's a selection of different compass arrows to choose from. Nine different icons will point you in the right direction, but if this isn't enough you can download additional icons from Cydia. A custom icon can even be created in .png format and installed into the directory /Library/Application/Support/StatusCompass/ if you're feeling creative.