CloudPaste Syncs Your Clipboard Across All Your iOS Devices, Including Your Mac

The tweaks from the Cydia developers just keep on rolling in, and here at Redmond Pie, we try our level best to bring you guys – our wonderful readers – the most useful and productive Cydia Store releases.

The latest is an iOS-wide tweak which enables you to share your pasteboard across all iOS devices, as well as your Mac. The clipboard is synchronized nicely between your iPad, iPhone and Mac, making sure you keep that important passage you opted to cut/copy.

As you might expect, the tweak, named CloudPaste, is based on iCloud’s infrastructure, thus is constantly ready to sync – even if devices are on different Wi-Fi networks. As an added plus, no application needs to be manually launched; So, as long as the devices are linked up by the same iCloud account, you’ll be ready for action.

There are no configurable settings, thus no SpringBoard icon – you simply install it or uninstall it.

You will need to install the free Mac version from developer Florian Denis’ website. The iOS version retails at $2.49 over at the BigBoss repository, which should reside in your default list of sources.

You will obviously need to have a jailbroken device to get it to work. For jailbreaking iOS 5 tethered using Redsn0w, you can follow our complete step by step guide posted here, or hereif you want to use Sn0wbreeze on Windows. Since jailbreak on iOS 5 is currently limited to tethered boot only, you can install ‘SemiTether’ patch (instructions here) from Cydia to make your jailbreak semi-tethered on iOS 5. For those of you on iOS 5.0.1 can follow our instructionsposted here on how to jailbreak using Redsn0w, or here using Ac1dSn0w, or here using Sn0wbreeze.
We, here at Redmond Pie see a lot of utility for this tweak, as it seamlessly syncs your clipboard across all your iOS-based devices and your Mac as well. Imagine, you just come across a link on your iPhone, you just simply copy it, and paste it in Safari on your Mac, that too hassle free, technology at its best right? Definitely.
You might also want to check out

• Top Must-Have Widgets For iOS 5 Notification Center
• Top Must-Have iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Jailbreak Tweaks For iOS 5

Check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps and tweaks for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

How Strong Is Your iPhone Signal? Find Out Now! [No Jailbreak Required]

Have you ever wondered how strong your iPhone signal really is? Sure you can count the number of bars on your screen, but it’s not really specific. With this new tip, we’ll show you how you can convert the signal bars into an actual number. The digits are measured in decibels and the closer to zero, the stronger the signal.

This would come in handy, as an example, if you find yourself in a dead zone. It would be easier to track which area will allow you to make that important call. We’ve all been there, holding ours phones up like the Statue of Liberty trying to achieve a single bar.

I went ahead and dove into the steps on my iPhone 4. It does access a hidden area of yourphone so proceed with caution. What we do in the name of technology! Your iPhone does notneed to be jailbroken and the process is simple.

I’m not sure if it works for all iPhone models or in all countries for that matter, but if you would like to see the results for yourself, here are the steps:

Step 1: Dial *3001#12345#* on your iPhone then press Call.

Step 2: You’ll now enter Field Test mode. You’ll notice a signal strength indicator on the upper left hand corner of your screen. You can toggle between signal strength bars and a number by simply taping on it. At this point, press the home button to exit the app or if you would like the feature to be permanent, continue on. Don’t worry, the process is completely reversible.

Step 3: Hold down on the Power button until you see the ‘slide to power off’ bar.  Do not power off the device.

Step 4: Press down on the Home button until the app closes and you return to your home screen.

That’s it. Even when restarting the iPhone, the signal strength can be toggled between bars and numbers. The closer your number is to zero, the stronger your signal is.

To return to the default bars permanently, follow these steps:

Step 1: Dial *3001#12345#* on your iPhone then press Call.

Step 2: Press on your Home Button once.

The second step essentially closes the Field Test mode. You won’t see it on your iPhone again unless you repeat the process. Special thanks to Redmond Pie reader Eric Yun for the tip via email!

Try Windows Phone 7.x Mango On Your iPhone Or Android Phone Right Now!

Handsets running on the Windows Phone platform have been very popular recently. Helping push sales are their ability to integrate completely with an exchange account, an amazing turn-by-turn navigation app and a beautiful WVGA screen. There are other features aimed at entertainment such as Xbox LIVE compatibility and what they call Live Tiles.

Microsoft sent out a tweet from their @windowsphone twitter account linking to a Windows Phone demo you can access from your phone’s browser. Aimed at Apple and Android OS users: 

Got a friend with an #iPhone or #Android? Now there’s a #WindowsPhone demo they can try on their mobile browser. http://t.co/tSAVz8x4

The link might work for those of you reading the article from a PC or a Mac but its highly advised that you come back with your mobile phone and click the following link to check out the demo: http://aka.ms/wpdemo

What a clever marketing strategy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple and Android followed suit with their own demos in the future. What Microsoft has done is given you the chance to check out their Windows Phone platform without leaving your home. Sure, it’s not a full functioning demo, but it may be enough to push you to head to a store to try the real thing.

Microsoft Office For iPad Reportedly In The Works

Microsoft is reportedly working on bringing a version of its hugely successful Office suite to apple’s iPad, according to The Daily. Set to go head to head with Apple’s own iWork suite of productivity apps, Office would bring Microsoft’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint to the tablet that is undoubtedly number one in its field.

Currently, the only tablets that can even think about running Microsoft Office are Windows tablets and until Windows 8 launches, the less said about those the better.

Bringing the world’s favorite suite of productivity apps to iOS would also coincide with a set of updated apps built for Mac OS X Lion as well, according to the report. The Windows version of Office is also due a refresh.

The apps would retail for around $10 each according to The Daily’s sources, which would bring them in line with similar Office-like apps on the App Store which come from Apple themselves in the form of the iWork suite. Microsoft already has apps on Apple’s online software store, so getting the apps into the hands of the public wouldn’t be a difficult job.

According to The Daily’s report; Microsoft’s Office is the company’s second highest generator of revenue behind only Windows, making it patently obvious why bringing the collection of applications to the iOS platforms would make a great deal of sense.

If Microsoft does bring Office to iOS then it will once again open the debate whether the iPad is a viable machine for creating content on. With its on-screen touch-based keyboard; the iPad has proven to be an adequate machine for editing files on the fly, but we’re not sure we would want to write a whole article on one unless absolutely pushed to do so. With that in mind, we probably wouldn’t get much use out of Microsoft Office, either.

Apple’s own iWork suite, consisting of Pages, Numbers and Keynote have sold reasonably well in the App Store, with iPhone versions of the iPad apps being released recently.

While bringing Office to iOS does make a modicum of sense, we are not going to hold out much hope for an Android version any time soon, though. With the iPad owning so much of thetablet market, why would Microsoft release a version of Office for the also-rans?

Use Siri Dictation On iPhone 4S To Type On Mac With TouchPad 4.0

TouchPad for iOS has built up a reputation for being one of the smoothest remote keyboard and Trackpad apps to do it, with functionality and features second to none.

Many remote control apps require you to download some form of third-party installer for your desktop, but since TouchPad is dependent solely on OS X’s native Screen Sharing technology, you won’t find yourself in the familiar predicament of trying (often unsuccessfully) to get two apps to connect with each other.

TouchPad has just been handed a fairly major update by developer Edovia, bringing Siriintegration for those fortunate iPhone 4S users amongst you.

Providing your iPhone 4S and Mac share a Wi-Fi network in common, you can now use TouchPad to send voice notes from your device which Siri will, as she does with aplomb, convert into text understandable to the Mac.

Here are the rather excitedly-written release notes from Edovia, emphasizing the time and effort put in to the app:
At last, TouchPad 4.0 is out with even more Lion Love! This version took more time than planned and most of the work was made deep down in the app, mostly in preparation of Screens 2.0, which uses the same VNC framework we’ve developed for the past years and had to be revamped. The result is a super solid app that won’t give up!

Some features, such as the dragging gesture, were changed so we recommend you take a look at the revamped help documentation, bundled in the app. However, there’s still many new features.
Of the App Store’s rather incredible 500,000+ applications, although some are good and some are bad – as you would expect, some are just lacking a little TLC. It’s refreshing to see Edovia, (who aren’t the only outfit to work tirelessly on app improvements) still consider the customer experience after the money has been banked. Developers of neglected apps should certainly heed the example set by Edovia.
As has been the case throughout the TouchPad release cycle, this version runs very smoothly, and as well as the Siri integration, the update freshens the interface of the modifier toolbar on the iPad version and adds support for the EyeTV media player, as well as the usual array of bug fixes.
You can download TouchPad 4.0 from Apple’s App Store via this link. It costs $4.99, and compared to many other apps we feature, the price may seem a touch on the high side. That said, the quality of the app is also higher than average, rendering it well worth the money.

iOS 5.1 Beta Breaks Home Screen Shortcuts, Doesn’t Help With Battery Life

 When we told you how to create shortcuts on your iPhone’s home screen that pointed to various system functions; we were particularly pleased to be able to do it without a jailbreak being required.

While jailbreaking is all well and good, Apple’s iOS updates tend to break them at every juncture, and constantly fighting that can grow tiresome. Our way of doing things didn’t require a jailbreak at all, and so was immune from such problems, and it was as simple as a few steps which anyone could go through. Literally, anyone.

Or so we thought.

Apple’s recently released iOS 5.1 beta is designed to do a couple of things. First, Apple has tweaked the way Siri handles dictation, and secondly they have supposedly worked on fixing the infamous battery problems that have plagued so many iOS 5 users.

While Apple may have had limited success with that battery bug – more on that in a minute – what they did manage to do is break our way of adding shortcuts to the home screen. No more creating links that go straight to your WiFi settings from your home screen! Hurts, just by thinking about it doesn’t it? Yes it does.

While it’s not yet clear whether this is either a bug with the app or an Apple ploy to kill it, we’ve tested the process ourselves and it certainly no longer works.

But hey, they must have fixed that battery issue for once and for all, right?

Well, not quite.

After a day of testing it would appear that iOS 5.1 is at best no better than iOS 5.0.1 and at worst, it’s, well, worse. The battery issues are still there and there’s no noticeable difference.

Google Maps 6.0 For Android Goes Indoors – Download Now

It would appear that someone at Google isn’t going to stop mapping things until they have every square inch of this planet and beyond sat on an Android device for our delectation. This latest release of Google Maps, up to version 6 now, illustrates that point perfectly by taking Google Maps one step further than the awesome features we have all become so accustomed to over the years.

See, not content with helping people find what they need on a map, or even helping them get there using turn-by-turn mapping, Google is now setting its sights on taking Google Maps indoors. That’s right, inside. Opposite of outside.

When you’re inside an airport, shopping mall or retail store, a common way to figure out where you are is to look for a freestanding map directory or ask an employee for help. Starting today, with the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, that directory is brought to the palm of your hands, helping you determine where you are, what floor you’re on, and where to go indoors.

If you happen to be inside a building which has map data available – you’ll need to be in certain airports, stores or shopping centers in the United States or Japan for that to be the case – then Google Maps will show you a floor plan of said building, complete with your location and orientation. It’s just like you’re outside, except, well, you’re not.

If you live near an Ikea in the United States then this should be available to you soon as the furniture retailer has signed up to map all its stores for Google Maps.
What’s even more impressive is Google will be allowing retailers to upload their own floor plans to the service in the future, meaning that internal maps should begin to grow rapidly once the service gets out of its infancy.