The iOS 6.1 jailbreak, now called "evasi0n," is almost ready and the development team has set up a website to keep the public informed of its progress. Every iOS 6.1 compatible device will be supported except the third-gen Apple TV.

Users eager to upgrade to iOS 6.1 will not have long to wait for the untethered jailbreak. Jailbreak team evad3rs has reported that the upcoming jailbreak, likely to be released February 3, will support nearly all iOS 6.1 compatible devices except for the Apple TV.

Text adventures? On your iPhone? Yeah baby! And Vern Seward take a look at the granddaddy of the all that being offered up for free, Zork I: The Underground Empire in this week's Free on iTunes.

Backing up the notion that the iPhone and iPad are big sellers, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company has sold over half a billion iOS devices since the first iPhone rolled off the assembly line. Mr. Cook made the announcement during Apple's first fiscal quarter earnings report Wednesday afternoon.

There's a new way to sift through the thousands of titles on Apple's iOS App Store thanks to a just unveiled online service called Applr. Think of Applr as the App Store search system Apple should've created with some social networking thrown in -- but in a good way.

There are apps that help you find restaurants or movies to your liking and even apps that help you find apps. But a really worthy use of an iDevice is Art Alert, an app that helps you find art museums anywhere you may be traveling.

If you enjoy illustrated book then you love the three book Vern Seward points out in this week's Free on iTunes. Illustrated Hans Christian Andersen, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Amazon has taken another shot at Apple's iTunes ecosystem by launching a version of its browser-based MP3 store designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new design is responsive and easy to use and, when combined with the Amazon Cloud Player iOS app, allows interested users to completely circumvent Apple's ecosystem for digital music.

Apple has applied for a patent to turn "underutilized" mobile device clips into functional accessories. The patent application describes how future device clips could be built with their own user interfaces that either supplement or replace the interfaces on the device itself.

The magistrate judge overseeing the second major patent suit between Apple and Samsung has allowed both companies to expand the number of devices claimed in their lawsuits. Apple's iPhone 5 and a number of shipping Samsung products are now part of the litigation.