For established or up and coming iOS developers who are considering releasing something for download on the Cydia store, my advice would be to make sure that it is either entirely unique and innovative, or if it does offer similar functionality compared to an already available package, then make sure it dramatically improves upon it. With new packages being sent to repositories on an almost hourly basis, it stands to reason that we are ultimately going to see a slow down in unique creations and begin to see ideas regurgitated.
SBCoders have managed to hit the Cydia store with a package that not only looks great but but also functions extremely well. Deck, as the package is known, is one of the latest offerings to become available through Cydia, which offers users the ability to launch applications in a quick and efficient method. Quick launch tweaks are not alien to the Cydia store and in the past we have seen software which has added launch features to the lockscreen, Notification Center and various other places through iOS, but Deck takes it to the next level and manages to stand out from the rest with its approach.
After installation, Deck has its own dedicated preferences panel which contains all of the configurable options needed to set the tweak up to the individual user’s needs. Deck also hooks directly into Activator, like how many premium pieces of software do, meaning that it can be invoked using any supported gesture method that the user sees fit. When invoked, the Deck bar animates in from the right hand side of the device’s screen, providing quick and easy access to a number of settings.
All of the settings can be configured through the settings panel, and includes things like commonly used system toggles such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular data. The tweak also has the option of setting up a number of applications from the list of installed apps which allows quick launch. Tapping on the various icons in the main Deck sidebar will bring about different actions, an example of this is selecting the ‘@’ symbol which brings up an email menu, or selecting the ‘Phone’ symbol which brings up an alert view, containing options such as powering down the device, rebooting or locking the screen.
Deck doesn’t necessarily bring any mind blowing features or things that haven’t been done before. What it does bring however is a combination of features all mashed together into one extremely attractive, very functional and very polished package. Deck is available to download now from the ModMyi repository at a cost of $1.99
Of course, you will need to jailbreak your device to install this tweak. For jailbreaking the latest iOS 5.1 (tethered), follow the instructions posted here to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here for Sn0wbreeze. For jailbreaking iPhone 4S and iPad 2, you can simply follow our step by step tutorial posted here to jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 using Absinthe on Windows or Mac. Those of you with an iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1, and iPod touches can use Redsn0w or Sn0wbreeze to untether jailbreak on iOS 5.0.1.
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
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