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Zephyr swipe gestures add N9 flair to your jailbroken iPhone

Zephyr swipe gestures add N9 flair to your jailbroken iPhone

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Noted iOS hacker chpwn has created a new UI customization that allows users to control the phone with swipe gestures.

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zephyr ios 640
zephyr ios 640

If we had to pinpoint the one best innovation in mobile software from 2011, Nokia's swipe UI on the N9 would be it. Based around the simple act of swiping in from the edge of the screen, that gesture control delighted mobile reviewers universally and had people asking when we'd see it in other Nokia phones. Well, the iPhone isn't a Nokia handset, but that hasn't stopped chpwn, one of the programmers responsible for porting Siri to iOS devices older than the iPhone 4S. He's just added Zephyr to the Cydia Store, a $2.99 tweak to your iOS UI that adds N9-emulating edge swipes. You swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to bring up the multitasking menu — no more double presses of the home button, yay — and you can switch between active apps by swiping in from the left and right edge. It's not quite the perfect recreation of the N9 Harmattan UI, but it certainly looks like a worthwhile upgrade for those who've already jailbroken their iOS device, and chpwn promises more gestures will be added in upcoming updates.