The debate on which is the best mobile operating system is one discussed frequently throughout the tech world. Google has the biggest reach – covering over half of the smartphone market with its various incarnations of Android, whilst many others believe that Apple’s iOS is superior, and is only behind due to being closed source and running on arguably overpriced technology.
Whatever your stance on this ongoing battle of the big guns, both have strengths and weaknesses. There are features on iOS which Android could well do with, and likewise Android based devices include features from which Tim Cook and Co. should take note of.
This latest Cydia tweak which we are featuring does exactly that – taking a useful Android idea and porting it over to iOS. Entitled Android Recent Apps, it allows those using an iDevice to quickly skip back to recently accessed apps – even if those apps have been closed off in the multitasking bar.
It is Activator-centered, so you can quite easily select the method from which to enable the pop-up and view up to 12 of your most recently used apps.
For $1.49, it’s not bad, but it doesn’t really bring much to the table. It’s just as easy to make a favorites folder and keep it updated with the apps you use the most, stick it on the dock and save a little pocket-change. The essential thing to remember with paid apps, particularly Cydia apps, is to ask yourself if it is going to enhance your iOS experience to a degree which warrants the fee?
In this case, it just about does, but I reckon if the app isn’t in the multitasking bar, it’s because you made a beeline to go and manually close it, which begs the question how often you would then need to launch an app which you had just closed? If your answer is "very", then a trip over to the BigBoss repo should be your next port of call.
In order to use Android Recent Apps, you will of course need a jailbroken iPhone or iPad. You can follow our step by step guide posted here to jailbreak your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on iOS 4.3.5 using Redsn0w (or PwnageTool), or on iOS 4.3.3 using Redsn0w, PwnageTool, Sn0wbreeze & JailbreakMe (that last one being the easiest).
Make sure you check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad.
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