Jeff Benjamin

Jeff has been with iDownloadBlog since 2010, acting as resident video specialist, and tutorial expert. He earned his degree in Computer Network Systems back in 2001, but decided Cisco routers and the like just weren’t for him. Since then, he’s been heavily involved with online writing. He’s written for numerous tech and video game sites since the late 1990′s, and has a knack for explaining things in a simple, clear, and concise manner. Jeff works primarily from the east coast on his Retina Macbook Pro, and shoots video with a Canon DSLR. During downtime he likes to travel the world, visiting the various Apple Stores across the globe. You can email him at jeff [at] idownloadblog.com and follow him on Twitter @JeffBenjam or on Google+.

Magic Keyboard review: streamlined and rechargeable, but worth it?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Along with my Magic Mouse 2, I decided to pick up a Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard, for me, is probably the least compelling of the "Magic" devices that Apple just released. That's primarily because I'm a full time MacBook user, so I don't actually have a real hardline need for an external keyboard.

Yet, I'm nonetheless intrigued by the Magic Keyboard. I'm a sucker for the streamlined design, and the rechargeable batteries. Anytime you can get me away from having to replace or swap out batteries, you've pretty much won me over.

But does the Magic Keyboard do enough to truly justify the upgrade? Admittedly, it's a hard sell. Not only do you have to consider whether an upgrade is necessary, you then have to justify paying $30 more than the Wireless Keyboard that it replaces.

Is it worth it? Watch our video review and find out.

Giveaway: Spigen Wireless Charger and Charging case

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

A few week ago, we reviewed the Spigen wireless charger and charging cases for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Today, we're giving away all three.

It should be noted that these cases work for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, or the older iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The wireless charging pads embedded in the cases are Qi-compliant cases, so they should work with a variety of chargers. But just in case you don't already have a Qi charger, we're throwing in Spigen's Wireless Charger stand as well.

How do you win? It's remarkably simple.

How to find your Mac’s Bluetooth version

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

With the recent release of Apple's new "Magic" devices—the Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Mouse 2, and the Magic Keyboard—some of you may be wondering if your Mac can support these new peripherals. Since all of the new Magic devices are wireless and work with the latest Bluetooth versions, it's important to know if your Mac will support them before making a purchase.

Apple doesn't exactly make it easy and straightforward to find what version of Bluetooth your Mac sports, but it can be done. In this post, we'll show you a simple method for quickly deriving your Mac's Bluetooth version in just a few steps.

EnableLivePhotos enables Live Photos on older iOS 9 devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 16, 2015

If you have an older device running iOS 9, it's possible to create Live Photos if you're willing to jailbreak your device. EnableLivePhotos is a recently released jailbreak tweak that not only lets you take Live Photos, but lets you display Live Photos on the Lock screen as well.

EnableLivePhotos is the best implementation of Live Photos that I've seen for non-iPhone 6s devices. Watch our video and see how it works.

Dismiss breadcrumb links in iOS 9 with a new jailbreak tweak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 16, 2015

One of the new features in iOS 9 is a new app linking structure. This allows you to navigate back to the originating app that linked you via a handy breadcrumb link in the upper left-hand corner of the status bar. Some people hate it, most love it, but I think all can agree that it's a little awkward at times.

Wouldn't it be better if you could dismiss the breadcrumb link once you've arrived at a destination, and had no intentions of going back? BreadcrumbsAway is a new jailbreak tweak that lets you do just that. It allows users to dismiss breadcrumb links and regain the full status bar view in iOS 9.

The Magic Mouse 2’s Lightning port location isn’t the problem it’s being made out to be

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

As soon as I saw the location of the Lightning port for recharging Apple's new Magic Mouse 2, I knew that a mini outrage was imminent. It took a while, but I guess everyone's Magic Mouse 2 finally arrived in the mail. Thus, let the outrage commence!

Did Apple commit a design faux pas by placing a Lightning port on the bottom of the mouse, rendering it useless while the device is charging? Is it really that big of a deal?

NewsOfTheWorld: a new jailbreak tweak for enabling Apple News in all regions

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If you live in a region outside of the United States and wish to access Apple News, there's now a jailbreak tweak method for doing so. There is a way to access Apple News in restricted regions on non-jailbroken devices, but that involves changing region settings on your iPhone, which can be annoying, and it can act finicky as well.

NewsOfTheWorld is a brand new jailbreak tweak, from well-known developer Hamza Sood, that makes it easy to get Apple News in all regions. All it takes is a jailbroken iOS 9 device, and a couple of reboots.

RevealMenu is yet another tweak that brings 3D Touch-like functionality to older devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 13, 2018

There are now several tweaks that attempt to bring the iPhone 6s' flagship feature to older devices. The latest such tweak is called RevealMenu, and it contains one particular feature that makes it unique when compared to some of the other 3D Touch-esque tweaks that I've tried.

RevealMenu allows users to long-press on an icon to invoke a 3D Touch-like overlay menu, but it also allows you to slide your finger directly to the menu without lifting your finger off the screen. In my opinion, that single gesture is what makes 3D Touch's shortcut feature really shine. Many of the other 3D Touch-inspired tweaks didn't allow you to do that, and that's what makes RevealMenu worth checking out.

SpotlightBeGone lets you disable both Spotlight views in iOS 9

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 15, 2015

In iOS 9, Apple decided to allow users to be able to invoke Spotlight via two methods. The first method, the swipe down gesture on the Home screen, is the same invocation method employed in iOS 8. The second method, the swipe right on the first Home screen page, is a throwback gesture from older versions of iOS.

SpotlightBeGone is a new jailbreak tweak that allows you to disable one, or both of the Spotlight gestures. If you're simply not a fan of Spotlight, or if you don't like a particular method for accessing it, then SpotlightBeGone is the tweak for you.

Forcy updated with haptic feedback and better 3D Touch emulation for older iPhones

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Forcy, the jailbreak tweak that does its very best to emulate the 3D Touch experience on older iPhones, is now available with a few new anticipated features. Version 1.0.1 of Forcy brings a new preference panel, which allows users to configure the way the tweak works.

The initial version of Forcy featured no such preferences, in fact, after installation, there were no options for configuring the experience at all. With the new preference option, users can disable Forcy outright, toggle haptic feedback, and enable a swap invoke method that allows for a more true 3D Touch-esque feeling.

Saurik updates Cydia Substrate to version 0.9.6010

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Cydia Substrate received an update this morning that fixes issues with the 32-bit armv7 slice. This update, which is now available for download for all jailbroken users, prevents issues where extensions wouldn't load into Cydia.

There is also a need for all 32-bit binaries to be recompiled. Due to a change implemented by Apple for iOS 9, 32-bit binaries that aren't recompiled are likely to fail or crash if they are not recompiled. This means that all developers that have published 32-bit binaries, in particular Cydia Substrate extensions, have a little work to do.

Pangu 1.0.1 released to fix issues with the iOS 9 jailbreak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ October 15, 2015

Pangu has released the first update for its iOS 9 jailbreak tool for Windows. Pangu 1.0.1 is now available to all users, and fixes several issues with the tool. If you've been having issues getting the Pangu 1.0.0 to properly launch, or have experienced failed jailbreak attempts, then you should definitely give it another shot with this latest version of Pangu.