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Jailbreaking, Unlocking… Hm…What Does it Mean?

 

Jailbreaking is a hack or a simple process that allows you to gain access to the entire UNIX file system of the iphone. Jailbreaking your iphone in and of itself doesn't normally make much difference in your operation of it, but it does allow you to install other cool third-party applications that are not available in Apple store. Jailbreak allows you to application stores like Cydia that offer different programs. There are some useful and interesting applications available through unofficial channels that will likely never appear on the App Store because of SDK restrictions. Jailbreaking your iPhone will open up a new world of applications. It’ll even give you the ability to customize the background of your home screen and change the look of your icons and menu colors.

To jailbreak or not to jailbreak? That’s the question.

Benefits:

 

  1. Jailbreaking and downloading an app called Cycorder from Cydia lets you shoot and save video on your jail breaking iphone.
  2. Only with jail breaking you can unlock the iPhone for use with any network carrier.
  3. Only with jailbreaking you can have the application Backgrounder from Cydia, it allows you to multitask and do things like listen to music while writing emails.
  4. Only with jail breaking you can get apps like Winterboard from Cydia that allow you to customize your home screen, change the look of your lock screen, and change the overall theme of your iphone. You can make your iphone look completely different than the original one.
  5. Cut/copy/paste, MMS, are only available if you have jailbroken iphone.
  6. iPhone jailbreak is very easy. You don’t need to know any technical staff.
  7. A jailbroken iPhone is still able to use and update apps downloaded and purchased from Apple's official App Store.

Risks:

  1. Unofficial applications you download from Cydia have no restrictions. This means that the quality of many of these jailbreak apps is extremely dubious. They're doing things the iphone may not have been designed to do and certainly doing them without any official blessing from Apple.
  2. Jailbreaking, according to Apple, voids Apple's warranty on the device, although this is quickly remedied by restoring the device in iTunes.
  3. Something can go wrong during jailbreaking process, and your iphone can stock for example, on Apple logo. But, generally it’s user’s error. Even though, you don’t have to be worried about because anytime you will be able to fix it. 

So, jailbreaking gives you complete control over your iPhone from customizing to downloading third party applications. As you have learned some benefits and risks, you may now make the choice whether or not to jailbreak your iphone.

If you decide to jailbreak iphone, generally any app by the Dev Team such as PwnageTool, or RedSnow, or Blackra1n by Geohot are safe, as long as the versions are compatible with your iPhone firmware.

 

History of iPhone jailbraking

  • The first iphone was introduced to the USA users in June 2007. At that time iphone users didn’t even dream of jail breaking their iphones and install third party applications and games. However July 2007 has changed everything.
  • The first jailbreaking method was released on July 10, 2007, which provided a way to use custom ringtones.
  • On August 6, 2007 the first third party game was released for the iPhone.
  • Upon the release of iPhone 2.0 firmware, a hacker group called Dev Team released a jailbreaking application named PwnageTool.
  • In April 2009, the iPhone Dev Team released a tethered iPod Touch 2G jailbreak, Redsn0w.
  • On March 10, 2009, the untethered jailbreak, redsn0w, was released for the iPod Touch 2G.
  • June 2009, Dev Team released PwnageTool 3.0 and redsn0w 0.7.2, which allowed to jailbreak iphone 2g and iphone 3g with 3.0 firmware. Also, users could do it on Mac, not just PC.
  • On September 2009, just after Apple released iphone 3.1 firmware, Dev Team announced jailbreak called Pwnage Tool 3.1-3.
  • On October 11, 2009, Geohot released the tool, blackra1n, which allows the jailbreaking of all iPhones (Up to 3GS) running iphone 3.1.2 firmware.
  • On March 25, 2010, Geohot announced that he has jailbreak for iphone 3gs with new bootroom 3.1.3+ untethered. 

Unlocking iphone is a process, which allows you to use any network carrier you want on your iphone. A locked iphone, however, will only recognize a SIM card from a particular carrier (AT&T). AT&T places a code on the iphone to "lock" its use by other providers. Unlocking the iphone will remove these restrictions. If the iphone is unlocked, it will recognize a SIM card from any carrier. In other words, you can carry your lovely iphone with you even abroad a country, and you will just need to buy any local SIM card for using it on your iphone.

 

History of unlocking iPhone

  • First, Dev Team released BootNeuter application, which made the iphone 2g fully unlocked.
  • Then, Dev Team released new program, yellowsn0w, which allowed users to unlock the iphone 3g running OS 2.2.
  • Next, Dev Team released ultrasn0w- program for unlocking iphone 3g and 3gs running iphone OS 3.0 or 3.0.1.
  • On October 11, 2009, at 3:33AM Geohot release blackra1n, a jailbreak and unlock programs together for all iPhones.

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