When I saw this hack in Cydia… I was like… dude, I could totally use that. So I gave it a shot. But, not gonna lie, it tripped me out a little. After using an iPhone for four years I’m not used to the keyboard characters switching before my eyes. However, I actually really like this hack. There are times, like when I’m typing in passwords, when it is nice to just look down at the keyboard and know if I’m about to type a uppercase or a lowercase letter. I will be keeping this hack around for awhile.

When you install ShowCase, it does not add an icon to your SpringBoard or add any settings in the stock Settings application. It is activated as soon as you install it in Cydia. To get rid of the hack, you would either need to uninstall it or use the Mobile Substrate Addons option in SBSettings. It would be nice to at least see the ability to activate/deactivate the app without having to install/uninstall it. Maybe we will get that option in an update. You can get ShowCase in Cydia via the BigBoss source.

Available In: Cydia

Price: Free

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Alphabet Air, by True Learning, is an interactive matching game that introduces toddlers to letter names and sounds.

If the toddler in your life is anything like the one in mine, they love to play games on your iPhone. I recently decided to take advantage of this and loaded Denver’s (that is my 2 and half year old son) iPhone with games that would reinforce the things he was already learning at home such as; letter names and sounds, shapes, numbers… etc. We decided to put Alphabet Air to the test and it passed with flying colors.

The game starts by showing a letter and saying the letter’s name. The letter is then moved to the bottom left corner of the screen as random letters begin to scroll across the screen. The object is for your toddler to tap on the corresponding letter as it floats onto the screen. If they choose the correct letter, it will repeat the name of the letter, say the phonetic sound for the letter and move onto a new letter. If they tap on an incorrect letter, it will say the name of that letter. After they correctly choose a few letters, they receive a puzzle piece (a fun little reward).

The game contains three difficulty levels… which allows it to be customized to fit your child’s needs, the ability to match Uppercase, Lowercase or Mixed case letters and the option to turn on/off the Background music and the Display hint.

Alphabet Air is very well designed with vibrant, kid-friendly illustrations that every toddler will love. The game held my toddler’s attention and did a prefect job of reinforcing what he is already learning. He kept saying, “There’s an A mom… there it is!” It was so cute. Most definitely an application worth downloading for the toddler in your life.

You will want to check out the App Store description below for more great info about this app.

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App Store Description:

Get ready to take off… from the creators of Letters A to Z and Numbers, the popular toddler and preschooler educational apps, comes Alphabet Air for children ages 2 and older.

Alphabet Air is an entertaining and educational ABC game designed to introduce toddlers and preschoolers to the names and sounds of the letters (phonics) of the American English alphabet. Young kids will learn to recognize the name and phonic sound of the ABC’s in this interactive find and match game.

• Introduce and reinforce letter names (upper case and lower case)
• Introduce and reinforce the phonetic sound of each letter (upper case and lower case)
• Improve concentration, attention span and memory
• Improve fine motor skills

Alphabet Air contains adorable characters that come to life in beautifully illustrated, kid-friendly scenes accompanied by custom music and professional voice talent.

Alphabet Air is simple, intuitive and easy to use. Large buttons and clickable areas make it perfect for the fine motor skills of your young child.

• Match the letter by tapping the correct flying objects… space ships, helicopters, airplanes and more
• Tapping the incorrect letters simply plays the phone sound of that letter
• Tapping the correct letter repeats the name of the letter and the phonetic sound
• Each round randomly selects from eight different scenes
• After several rounds are completed, a puzzle piece is given as a reward
• Complete the puzzle and start a new game!

Customizable options include:
• Three difficulty levels so you can match game play to your child’s ability
• Match lowercase, uppercase, or mixed case letters
• Enable or disable background music
• Hide or show letter hint

Alphabet Air is based on the literacy modules of the award winning True Learning curriculum used by preschool teachers, daycare providers, and parents worldwide as a systematic introduction to letters, phonics, early reading, spelling and writing skills for young learners.

Alphabet Air is an early learning edutainment app that encourages development of cognitive thinking, language and motor skills. Expose your young child to pre reading in a fun and engaging way and build a solid foundation for future literacy skills.

SUPPORT:
If you do not hear audio, please make sure the iPhone is not in silent mode. The switch on the side should be in the up position. Also note that on the original iPod touch, headphones are required to hear the audio since it does not contain speakers.

Feedback and suggestions are welcomed. Please visit www.true-learning.com/iphone to contact us.

SPECIAL OFFER:
Enjoy a limited 30 day trial online access to over 3,000 early learning worksheets from True Learning when you purchase this app. The printable worksheet activities cover preschool and kindergarten readiness activities for young children.

ABOUT TRUE LEARNING:
True Learning is a pioneering early learning curriculum with over 3,000 printable worksheets that span 6 core subjects over 4 levels of advancement: Math, Literacy, Thinking, Motor Skills, Art and World. With True Learning, ensure your child’s readiness for pre-school, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and beyond.

If your kid, child, baby, boy, girl, son, daughter, infant, tot, toddler, family enjoys Sesame Street, Blues Clues, Dora, Baby Einstein, Disney, Barney, Teletubbies, Wiggles, Elmo, Wonder Pets, Backyardigans, Leap Frog, or Nick Jr. they are the right age for Alphabet Air.

Cydia has been update to version 1.0.2953-59. The update adds the letters back into the Search menu as well as in the Manage > Packages option. I’m love having the letters back on the right side of the Search…it makes thing so much easier and faster. I also noticed that you can do a cool scroll with the letter in the Search as well….just hold your finger on the letters and scroll up and down. Let me know in the comments if you notice anything else with the update.

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