Jailbreak Your iPhone

Bob Rankin

2010-01-31

Most people agree, the iPhone is the coolest gadget since the fork was invented. But plenty of people are unhappy that the iPhone was designed to run only the limited set of software apps provided by Apple. When the iPhone was first introduced, it was a closed platform, meaning that it would not run any third-party (non-Apple) software. You couldn't even download a custom ringtone. That's a bit like buying a computer that doesn't allow you to install any new programs. Definitely not cool.
But clever hackers soon found a way to tweak the iPhone, enabling it to run third-party apps. This technique is known as "jailbreaking" your iPhone. Doing so will allow you to download some very cool apps and ringtones that can make your iPhone a lot more fun and useful.
So how do you jailbreak your iPhone? There are various methods, depending on your iPhone firmware version. So the first step is to place your iPhone on the dock, fire up Itunes, and click on the Summary tab. This will show you what version of the firmware you have on your iPhone. Read More