Posted on Nov 09, 2009 by Rob in All, Featured, Review
One Comment
Due to RIM’s haphazard Mac support and lagging dev tools, I have made the switch to iPhone. I’m still a big fan of BlackBerries, but am quickly finding my stride with the iPhone life. The symbiotic usage with the Mac is beautiful.
Since I can’t leave any device I own alone, I was immediately intrigued with the idea of jailbreaking. It appeals to my tinkering side and offers quite a few options either blocked by Apple/AT&T or not developed yet. I used Blackra1n’s easy app to make the jailbreak happen. It took 30+ attempts to get it to work, but once finally cracked, it seems to hold steady. I’ve been testing some of the extra features and seeing just how far I can push my 3GS. I know many who have asked me, “What’s the point of jailbreaking?” and I wanted to list some features and apps to give a taste of what it’s like. For all of these apps you will need an application called Cydia (think jailbreak app store), which is easily available after jailbreaking.
GV Mobile (Google Voice – free)
If you’ve been paying attention to tech blogs you’re likely well aware of the battle between Apple, Google, and the FCC over the Google Voice app. I won’t go into explaining what Google Voice is, but I will say it’s one of the greatest mobile tools ever devised and an incredible addition to any mobile device. I got used to Google Voice on my BlackBerry and was very disappointed to no longer have it on my iPhone. Thanks to third-party developers and jailbreaking I can easily add it back on my phone for free.
Backgrounder (background app process – free)
The biggest hurdle for iPhone users is the lack of background apps. As a BlackBerry user I found this the biggest obstacle to using my iPhone daily. Thanks to Backgrounder, I can add the feature Apple felt we didn’t need. It works easily by just holding the home button to toggle background process on and off for each app. Such a simple process, and yet so needed.
Poof (hide icons – free)
There are some stock icons I will never use, such as stocks. Poof makes it easy to hide or unhide any app icons by a single click. Yet another default BlackBerry option that ban be added to iPhone.
Xpandr (macro text expansion – $1.99)
The secret weapon for BlackBerry users is auto-text. These little expanding macros make common messaging incredibly fast and easy. There is no native iPhone app that can accomplish this because Apple has locked system access at that level. Thanks to jailbreaking, you can ignore Apple’s nanny method and add this feature to your iPhone. It works with every app and is just as fast/easy as it is on BlackBerry. Awesome.
SBSettings (easily accessible settings – free)
Want to toggle wifi, brightness, 3G, icons, and more with a swipe? You’ll be able to skip the settings menus every time with this app. I think I use this one more than any other on my iPhone just because it’s so handy.
Orbit (expose/spaces feature – $1.99)
One of my complaints, though minor, is having to flip through pages of apps on my phone. I like having quite a few but it can get tedious. Orbit adds an icon that lets you bring up all your pages quickly to move around. It’s a lot like spaces for Mac with an expose interface.
3G Unrestrictor (just what it sounds like – $2.99)
Apple and AT&T decided that while you will be required to pay for an unlimited data plan, they don’t actually want you to use it. Apps like the App Store and YouTube have limits on them that will only allow you to use wifi for large data. There are other restrictions in place on various apps. 3G Unrestrictor tricks apps into thinking theyre using wifi and therefore lets you use that unlimited 3G you pay so much for.
Tethering (mobile modem – free)
AT&T has said they will be introducing tethering to the iPhone for quite a while now. Apple said it would be available with OS 3. Since neither company seems to be too quick to make good on their promises, we’ll do it for them, for free. Tethering is easily added to your iPhone through some simple additions. You’ll have to do a search to find the latest method but I can say it works great and is incredibly simple to accomplish. Be warned though that while AT&T isn’t minding too much for now (since theirs isn’t ready), once official tethering is released they may get cranky about the free option.
Themes
The iPhone UI is beautiful. Apple did an amazing job creating an interface that is clean, simple, and polished. That being said, I’m a customization junkie, so theming is in my blood. Winterboard makes theming easy and you can make your iPhone look any number of combinations of visuals. This is definitely the most fun aspect of jailbreaking and is free.
Well, there’s a few basic apps that are only possible with jailbreaking. It does require some reading and basic know-how, but worth it in the end. Make that device you paid so much for do exactly what you want by taking back full control.
Tags: AT&T, iPhone, Mac, Mobile, Review
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Richmedia
27. Dec, 2009
Nice article. I don’t have an iPhone, but many of my friends do.
i just wanted to point out that the tethering thing is not an Apple issue, it is available since the 3Gs intro, and has been in nearly every country and provider excepting AT&T USA, who promised to support it last fall.
AT&T needs to have their feet held to the fire on this issue. Maybe they’re too hung up on their acquisition of Centennial Wireless, which is still no excuse.