I’ve always been a “non-fan” of Jailbreaking. Simply because I have never really understood what it is supposed to achive. Yes, there a couple of cool apps which “enhance” the iPhone & the usability, and yes, we all know you can get cracked apps, without having to pay for them. But for me, that kinda feels like stealing & dirty, especiallly for those apps that the developers have put hours and hours of work into ?
But I still don’t get it ?
With the release of the limera1n Jailbreak, which was released yesterday, and now works on the iPhone 4, I thought I would give it a bash and jailbreak my phone (once again, after 2 years) and see what the fuss is all about. The install was pretty easy, download an exe, and patch your phone. After that, I installed cydia, which is like the app store for jailbroken apps (not cracked apps)….and then…..I dunno. Nothing. Bit of an anticlimax actually.
So, I mailed a few jailbreaking friends and asked them what apps are recommended to make your new jailbroken iPhone EXTRA cool. Got a couple of replies, only to find out that for most of the COOL apps, you need to pay for. Um…Pot…Kettle…Black ? One or 2 of the recommended apps came back as not being usable for iOS 4 given that they Jailbreak only came out yesterday
I even sent out a tweet asking what the benefit was, and got a couple of replies. None which added any value to my rather let down of euphoria of re-entering the world of jailbreaking.
Maybe I am missing something ? Can you recommend any MIND-BLOWING apps which will take my newly jailbroken iPhone 4 to another level. ? What are your thoughts on jailbreaking ? Leave a comment below, would love to hear :)
11 replies on “On Jailbreaking…”
I don’t have a problem with paying for software, but it must be worthwhile.
I don’t mind spending USD 2.99, if the app does what is must, but its when it comes to that same app being charged at USD 29.99, thats when I understand why people jailbreak, crack, keygen stuff.
I did have my iPhone jailbroken, but after updating to the 4.1 firmware I started buying my apps. It’s much easier when you download the app from the Appstore and it just works. Cracked apps are really flaky and I found I had to keep downloading them to finally get one that worked.
However, I did like downloading different themes to make my iPhone different to everyone elses. Also, Intelliscreen is really handy for keeping your Calendar, Mail, Weather, etc. on your lockscreen. I’m surviving without them now though, so we’ll see what happens…
the one app that i miss most is qTweeter. Easy tweeting\facebooking at the slide from the top of the screen. SB Settings is also one hell of a convenience. theres MyWi that turns your phone into a wifi and internet sharing hotspot. wifisync, allows you to open the app while sitting.. anywhere within your wlan and sync with itunes on your pc. use the volume buttons for taking a photo. show contact photos in the contact list. arrange icons ANYWHERE you like with gaps should you choose. allow more than 4 icons in your dock and multitask dock. unlock facetime to work on 3g. show which apps are OPEN in the background and those that are just docked in multitask dock. clear ALL backgrounded apps by the press of on button. irealquicksms-send/reply/receive SMS anywhere, within any app without having to exit and open native SMS. (even crack the jailbreak apps. shhh…)
dude, contact me if you want some info. been doing it since Firmware 1.0.0. twitter richardjs
Mailed you my list man!
I jailbroke an iphone last year and went pretty much through the same routine as you, installed cydia added a few extra hacks and mods… and then the excitement was over.
Once the 3GS update came out, I had to roll back everything and didn’t bother jailbreaking again – It just didn’t seem worth it.
Jailbreaking doesn’t really have as much use as the early days (unless you’re a pirate).
But there are a few useful things. For one, Apple doesn’t allow you to install older firmwares on your phone. When you jailbreak, the SHSH blob of you current firmware is saved on cydia and you’ll always be able to revert to that firmware (jailbroken or not). This is useful for older phones (like the 3G) which became almost unusable after firmware 4.0
Also, much of the current killer apps and even firmware features of the iPhone were conceptualized by jailbroken apps. Tap Tap started on jailbroken phones as did the ability to use wallpapers and folders.
I recommend winterboard, which allows you to install “themes” that can change the icons, gui and lockscreen among other things. macthemes is a good site for getting awesome themes. I also use sbsettings so that I can quickly switch my wifi on and off when needed. I did use BiteSMS for a while because I wanted emoticons in my text messages.
I broke, was not impressed. Found a few utilities like SB settings that was “nice to have”, but nothing else really jaw dropping. If you start understanding Apple’s ways, and why they do certain things… mostly its to keep their devices stable and you safe. So I have no problem jailbreaking, but also cannot really say that it has made my life any different. BTW, it does seem many Cydea apps, even though more abilities, are much less stable than standard apps. I have had way more ‘problems’ with Cydia apps.
I jailbroke in the early days when the iPhone didn’t have internet tethering, MMS and a video camera. Since all these became incorporated into the OS I didn’t see the point of it especially since it makes updating more complicated.
Jailbreak != Pirating.
Jailbreaking is not about getting free apps. Jailbreaking predates the app store, and was intended for other purposes entirely.
A PORTION of people jailbreak to get out of paying for apps.
Jailbreaking allows for users to run applications without the applications having to have gone through the Apple App Store vetting process.
Jailbreaking also alllows Network Unlocking, which isn’t a problem with South African iPhones, but is big in the US.
As for great Jailbroken Apps, a simple Google search will give you tons of lists.
There are very few *mindblowing* Jailbreak apps. It’s more about improving the experience overall. Nevertheless:
1. MyWi – Use your iPhone as a Wifi router (Approx R200 as opposed to paying R2000+ for a hardware wifi router).
2. SBSettings – Swipe, Bluetooth on. Swipe, Bluetooth off. Not mind-blowing, but very, very useful.
3. BiteSMS – Reply to SMSes immediately without leaving your app, or insert a contact from your contacts list, or schedule an sms, or use a template.
3, LockInfo – A lock screen dashboard with calendar, messages, weather, etc.
4 – Not an app, but Jailbreaking also allows you to (to a fashion) customise SMS tones. I’m sick of the standard iPhone noises.
Thinking of getting an Ipad Wi-fi.
The benifit of jailbreaking an ipad is that you can tether it to your iphone’s 3g connection – and enjoy the benifits of ipad 3g without paying the premium on the ipad 3g version.
Any idea when the ipad is officially coming to SA?