Last year I compared smart phones keyboards and their general usability for big tasks. I thought I’d continue with the tech theme and show you jailbreaking and the iPhone.
As many of you with iPhones know, the new iOS 4 brings a wealth of new features: backgrounds (purty!), "multi"-tasking (finally!-ish), folders (Hallelujah!), mail app update (*cough* Google *cough*), etc. But even with the wealth of new features, Apple is ultra-restrictive with personalization. Here's where the magic of jailbreaking comes in.
What exactly is jailbreaking? Well, without going into the technical details (which I know none of), jailbreaking allows you add apps, functionality and customize the look and feel of your iPhone with themes that Apple would otherwise restrict.
Now, before I start, I must issue this disclaimer: While jailbreaking your iPhone is legal, it doesn't mean Apple has to support it. Apple has actually come out to reiterate that it may void your warranty. Don’t let this scare you. If anything goes wrong with your jailbreak or your software, you can always restore your phone to its original factory condition. If you’re not completely reckless about the apps you download and the changes you make, you should have no trouble and, in the end, have a much more enjoyable phone experience. But you do this at your own risk.
First and foremost, to make your iPhone as unique as you readers are, you’re going to need to jailbreak your phone. You'll need an iPhone with firmware version 4.0.1 or earlier. "Say what now?" Just go to Settings > General > About. If the number by "Firmware" is anything but 4.0.2, you're good to go.
From here, jailbreaking your phone is dead simple:
- Start up Safari of your iPhone
- Go to Jailbreakme.com
- Slide the “Slide to Jailbreak” slider to the right. Leave your phone alone and wait until the site tells you you’re done and that’s it. You’re done.
Happy jailbreaking!
Very useful for all those iPhone users out there! Click here to read all of the Summer Friday entries.