This is a continuation of an introduction to newbies on all things iPhone and iOS. In the first part of this series we showed you how to never lose your contacts on your phone, the many uses of an iPhone thru the numerous apps available, and the simplicity and stability of the iOS, the operating system that runs the iPhone.
Jailbreaking
In Part 1, I mentioned:
Within the app, there are very few options for customization. If you want customization like how your icons should pop out, changing the system font etc etc ? Go get an Android phone.
Jailbreaking is a process that gets around that.
Jailbreaking is the simple process of removing the limitations imposed by Apple to let users have greater flexibility in using the iDevice. After Jailbreaking, anything (and I mean anything) is possible on the iPhone.
The folks at Apple are serious about security. So serious that they have a very rigid system that limits developers on what their apps can and cannot do. The Software Developers Kit (SDK) that is issued to developers contains these walls and barriers to make sure that the app does not cross the boundaries set by Apple.
Jailbreaking would simply allow users to access a wealth of apps that generally aren?t allowed on the official App store. These apps are available on the Cydia Store ? the official ?unofficial? app store for Jailbroken iPhones.
In Cydia, you can dramatically alter the look of your phone with themes and visual changes (i.e. Winterboard or Dreamboard). Typical limitations like sending a photo or video via Bluetooth to another device is possible after Jailbreaking. iOS disallows this as that Bluetooth profile to send files is not available on the iPhone.
If your iPhone is locked onto only 1 carrier, Jailbreaking can also allow the phone to be used on other carriers. Generally apps that are denied on Apple?s App Store can also be installed.
There is more information on how to Jailbreak your phone here.
Buyer Beware
Jailbreaking does have its downside ? The most significant being ?possibility? of compromised Security.
The first iPhone worm, iKee, appeared in early November 2009, created by 21-year-old Australian student Ashley Towns of Wollongong. He told Australian media that he created the worm to raise awareness of security issues: jailbreaking allows users to install a SSH service, which those users can leave in the default unsecure state.[18] In the same month, F-Secure reported on a new malicious worm compromising bank transactions from jailbroken phones in the Netherlands, similarly affecting devices where the owner had installed SSH without changing the default password.
There are companies out there that do brisk business selling software that allows you to monitor activities on Jailbroken iPhones. Things that can be monitored include:
Tracking Location of the Phone
Tracking Messages (emails, IM, SMS) typed and received
Record calls and much more.
Summary
Jailbreaking is an ideal way to bypass the restrictions on your iPhone/iPad. I Jailbroke my spare phone and I must say that there are some really impressive tweeks out that that can bring out so much more in the iPhone. However that is limited to my spare phone and my main iPhone remains non-Jailbroken.
If you are keen try it ? go ahead, be comforted to know that the process is reversible and you can get your original iPhone back by a simple process of restoring your iPhone on iTunes. Just remember to back up your data.
