I Phone Review

Introduction:

So you have your iPhone and you can install thousands of apps from AppStore. What's all this commotion about jailbreaking? Why would you need to jailbreak? What does it offer? In this post, I will cite some of the most compelling reasons to jailbreak your iPhone. I will continually update this post as changes occur.

What's Wrong With the App Store?

Basically, Apple's restrictions on apps for the App Store are too limiting. The apps that you can get outside of the App store from places like Cydia are sometimes superior, since they break at least one of Apple's rules. Those rules are only in place to keep the iPhone under Apple's heavy handed control.

Some of these rules include: patching system files such as SpringBoard, allowing apps to run in the background, running apps out of the "sandbox", and simply doing things Apple decided that they don't want you to do often for reasons to their benefit, not yours (such as tethering).

Are There Any Risks? Not Really:

Did you know that just because you've jailbroken your device, it does not mean that Apple will necessarily consider it to be hacked or "unlocked"? Unlocking is separate. Jailbreaking is completely risk free, and at least in the United States, completely legal under the fair use doctrine. Anything that you could do before you jailbroke your phone, you can still do after. Including using the App Store! Using jailbreak software to crack your phone only adds features - it never takes them away. And it never voids your warranty. If you ever do need to "un-jailbreak" your device, you can either do it right through your jailbreak software app, or you can just restore iTunes through Apple, and you will be taken back to a factory default configuration. You'll be far from alone. It's estimated that 16 Million iPhones have been jailbroken to date!

Benefits:

Oh, boy. You can do some pretty amazing things after you jailbreak your phone. You can customize the background, skin, and entire OS with apps like Bosspaper or Winterboard. You can start doing Fast Toggles, Quick Replies w/ SMS, You can use Cydia, you can track your phone if it's ever stolen, and you can even use your phone on carriers other than ATT if you do a full unlock. The question might be asked: What CAN'T you do with a jailbroken phone?

How To:

I recommend finding a jailbreak software package that uses the pwnage hack, if your IOS supports it. You'll have to get on Google to determine whether or not that applies to you. There are tons of jailbreak software packages out there, but different ones work for different situations.

Jailbreaking a phone? What the heck does that mean?

Jailbreaking means that you are getting around some of the limits that a manufacturer has laid on your phone. Whenever a new model of phone comes out (like the 3G, Droid, iPhone 4 etc.), somebody has to put the time in to determine how to jailbreak it (or unlock it). What usually happens next is that they print instructions on the web for other hackers.

Most of us aren't geeks though. So at some point, someone has to make some type of JailBreak Software that us normal folks can use to automatically hack our phones etc. So instead of poring over lines of code to break our electronics, we can just download a software package that does it for us.This app"cracks" the device's ios, and you are then free from the manufacturer's restrictions and can install unauthorized software or whatever else you care to do.

What is so great about using jailbreak software to unlock your mobile phone?

You can do all kinds of new things! You can install custom "skins" (that you've either made yourself or gotten from a 3rd party, unauthorized source). You can install unauthorized 3rd party apps. And you can even download music, videos, and ringtones from online sources that haven't been authorized by the manufacturer, often at a discount compared to the official versions.

So, are there any reasons why you SHOULDN'T unlock your mobile device?

In my opinion, absolutely not! As of 2010, it's completely legal in the United States under the "Fair Use" doctrine. And you'll get a lot more functionality out of your phone after you do it. There is a minor drawback that you should be aware of though. With a jailbroken phone, the warranty is technically no longer valid. So if your phone ends up bricked, or otherwise non-functional, you have to pay for it on your own to get it fixed.

In real life, though, there are ways around this.

If the problem with your mobile device is hardware related, and it won't turn on, then you send it in and the techs fix it and install a new IOS, never having any idea that is was hacked. On the other hand, if the issue is software related, you just use your jailbreak software to restore it to the factory defaults, and then send it in. No problems!

The techs would have no knowledge that the device was ever jailbroken or hacked. This is something to keep in the back of your mind though. Just use your head, and you'll be fine.

Should you jailbreak your iPhone? Here are some of the pros and cons...

Why You SHOULD Jailbreak:

No Longer Tied to AT&T

Apple has awarded ATT exclusive and prohibitive rights to service the iPhone through 2012, when their contract will be up for renewal. ATT has been plagued by problems the last few years, which has made many people think twice about getting locked into a 2 year contract (or longer) with them. Jailbreak software can unlock your phone to give you access to other carriers. T-Mobile is the most willing to allow you to use iPhones on their network, and they have great coverage in many areas where ATT doesn't.

3rd Party Unauthorized Apps

The App Store has a lot of really sweet apps in it, but jailbroken phones can utilize even cooler apps that tend to be more creative than the official ones. Cydia is like the apps store for unofficial apps, and using it is one of the main reasons that so many people want to jailbreak their phones.

Jailbreaking is 100% Reversible

If you're worried about there being negative consequences after you unlock or hack your iPhone, you can reverse it very easily and "un-jailbreak" your phone. All that you need to do this is to restore iTunes using your PC and a USB cable.

Why You Might Not Want to Jailbreak:

Getting Your Phone Bricked

Anytime you tamper with an advanced electronic device such as the iPhone, you risk screwing up and "bricking" it. Bricking means that your phone is completely unusable and unfunctional. It can be fixed by simply wiping it and restoring it to factory defaults, but it's still a little bit of a pain. Might be a deterrent for some people.

Warranty: Voided?

Though it's now legal to jailbreak your iPhone, doing so still voids your phone's warranty. Without a valid warranty, Apple will not cover any damages or other malfunctions related to your phone. So if you have the tendency to break Apple products or have buggy experiences with your device, you might want to reconsider.

Possible Security Issues

The website MacRumours has published a flaw that they've discovered in some recent jailbreaking processes that leaves a hole which hackers could exploit to plant malware onto phones. This exploit comes out of the IOS PDF app. They say "The remote website presents a PDF that has a specifically crafted font embedded, and it is the processing of the embedded font that has the security issue." Something to think about, you know?

The entire idea of DRM took a bit of a thrashing early in 2010. Courts said that end user rights trump those of the companies that hold copyrights.

It is now legal to jailbreak iPhones.

Jailbreaking your iPhone (hacking it to "free" it from the shackles of Apple's strict app management policy) has been controversial for a while, with Apple and the user community playing a game of cat and dog with new versions of the iPhone's OS, and new jailbreak exploits popping up.

At certain points, it's even been threatened that the act of jailbreaking one's iPhone is a legal offense -- it contravenes a 1998 federal law designed to protect device manufacturers and prevent users from bypassing lock-downs on devices which are placed there to prevent unauthorized use.

These new exemptions that were put in place pretty much legalize any type of jailbreaking of iPhones or any mobile or electronic devices. The exemptions call the breaking of DRM without financial gain "fair use" - for activities such as letting the person who has paid for the phone to have more control over what software they install on their own mobile phone. It's a huge win for hackers, end users, and privacy advocates who've been litigating for this type of net-neutrality for several years now.

It doesn't look like Apple is going to litigate this any further. They've been, instead, spending their legal dollars on adjusting their EULA to be ironclad in it's point that users who choose to jailbreak lose their warrantly instantly and that Apple will not be responsible for any damages from that point forward.

A few other exemptions that were spelled out will upset not only Apple, but ATT as well. The ruling specifically states that it's considered "fair use" to hack DRM for the purpose of using a phone on a carrier other than what is intended by the manufacturer. This will have much bigger implications for the United States than for Europe, where jailbroken cell phones are already the norm.

Above all, this new ruling will stick in the craw of the computer/electronics/media industry as a whole. These industries have come, over the past decade, to see DRM as a cure-all when it comes to protecting their interests - even when it's at the expense of the interests of consumers.

It's actually a bit surprising that these rules were passed, when you consider the amount of power the media industry has inside the Washington beltway.

If you are like me who really loves the energy and excitement of a live concert, then you'd probably probably choose to record it for your own personal remembrance and also to say to yourself and your friends, "Hell yeah, I was there."

One of the most thrilling concerts that I have already been so far is actually the Death Magnetic concert of Metallica, with the laser show and remarkable sounds, it's truly a memorable experience to recall. There are official DVD's that they sell for you to relive the concert once more, but capturing it through your own smart phone camera just like the iPhone is quite different. And very few young people recognize this that this independence was not recently experienced by our metal head fathers.

When Guns and Roses were still at their best, AXL Rose used has several fights with the audience once he views someone holding a bulky camera to his face. Cameras back then were very bulky and can be quickly recognized. But these days, it's pretty much next to impossible to manage all the cameras that will come in a concert. Hell, there are actually hidden cameras so small you wouldn't possibly even discover it sticking in front of a guy's shirt.

On July 2, 1991 while performing in a live concert in Missouri, AXL sees a man having a camera and that he dives in the audience picking a fight with the very fans that paid to view them. I can inform you now that AXL possibly have the worst attitude in a live performer, but it's in fact against the law to bring cameras to concert events before, he only overreacted.

Nowadays, concert goers can bring their particular digi cams and iPhones and get their own version of whatsoever live concert they've already went to, even though it perhaps dangerous, people still do it. A few of my friends even have iPhone insurance so that if they bring their own iPhone in a gig and it was damaged, they would be able to claim.

The only thing that you ought to be cautious about is that although iPhone insurance is comprehensive, if you lose and your iPhone, you may have a hard time to claim since the regular cover will simply for theft and accidental problems. It's very good that before you buy any insurance for your iPhone to read their own conditions and terms first. In general, it's wise to obtain insurance policy for that matter, however it is necessary to be extra careful too.

For today's update I would like to present an opinion of those that are, in my educated opinion, the Top 3 Phone Unlocking Software Sites on the web. Every one of these applications is capable to unlock your phone or device pretty much on its own. You simply install the software application. If you are going to jailbreak a device, don't try to become a hacker and do it without any help. Grab one of these applications and get it accomplished in five minutes flat. In descending order of quality, the following are my best choices...

1 - Auto iPhone Unlocker

These guys are the creme de la creme. The first time I used it, I walked away thinking that it would take awhile, but didn't get any further than my fridge before it "dinged" to let me know that it had finished. Unlocking phones is a bit of a sideline business of mine, and I've used this app myself on over 25 phones and iPads for clients and customers, as well as friends. All you have to do is download it to your PC (or Mac), install it, hit "Jailbreak" and then wait maybe 5 minutes for the process to finish. You just hit the button that says "jailbreak", and it finds your phone on the USB port and does it's thing. Even more important to me, this app does a complete jailbreak. I've used other packages that only do an incomplete break. What does this mean? With a complete jailbreak, you can not only install 3rd party apps, but you can also use the device on 3rd party carriers other than ATT (which Apple forces on you). With an incomplete jailbreak, you can install 3rd party apps, but are still stuck with ATT. Some people don't like the fact that this company only takes PayPal, but hey - to me that says that they are reputable and plan on being around for awhile. So anyway, for various, this is my top pick by far, and I give them a grade A-.

2. iJailbreak Machine

I was using this app before I discovered my top pick, up above. I definitely rate it above average, and was happy with it for quite some time. The unlock takes about 10 minutes after you've gotten it installed on your PC or Mac, which is "ok". They also take Paypal, which tells you that they've been verified. My biggest complaint about them was that they don't offer a complete jailbreak. This might not be a big issue for you, if you don't care what carrier you use. For me it was big though. As a result, the cost is a wee bit less, so they're worth checking out.

An additional problem, however, was that they did not offer a customer support number. Only an email was given. Overall Rating: 7/10.

3) Global iPhone Unlock

The only reason that this product made it into my Top 3 was that they're above board. They do actually jailbreak your phone, and they won't just steal your money, unlike half of the apps out there for jailbreak software. And they do offer a jailbreak that is complete. They've been around probably longer than any of the 2 other companies, so you'd think that they would have a better product. They try to claim that they unlock a phone in less than 6 minutes, but in my experience, this is complete fiction. It took me almost 25 minutes, including 15 minutes on the phone with tech support to get it done, mainly because their instructions were inadequate. They are also more expensive than #s 1 and 2 up above. Overall grade of C.

That's all I've got for you today. Check back asap, as I've got more information and reviews coming down the pike!

Micro sim cards are a the next evolution from the regular sim card. Inside of every single mobile phone is a tiny computer chip, often called a sim card, which stores all your contract information with the cellular company. Without a sim card, you could not access cellular networks to make cell phone calls.

In the 1990s when Sim cards were originally introduced in their current form, size was less of a concern. Manufacturers could not foresee just how small phones would become.

Sim cards are like credit cards, they are a big plastic area with only a small part contraining the actual data chip. The rest is simply excess plastic. In recent years, cellphones have started to get very small and very thin so naturally manufacturers want to reduce the space that sim cards occupy.

The computer chip where all the data is stored on a sim card is actually only a fraction of the area. The rest is wasted plastic. The micro sim card actually uses the same chip, it just removes the excess plastic. This has one great advantage as it means that micro sim cards are backwards compatible (with the use of a micro sim adapter) with all phones.

Using a micro sim adapter, you can easily use any micro sim card in a regular sim card slot, such as on an older mobile phone. The micro sim adapter words like a micro SD to SD converter but adding extra plastic around the chip to enable it to actually fit in the sim card slot. As you can imagine, this allows for the micro sim card to be fully compatible with any regular sim card slot on any old phone.

The micro sim card just pops straight out of the micro sim adapter when you are done using it. This is a simple release mechanism which ensures that your micro sim is both protect from damage and easily accessible. Apple iphone 4s and ipads both use the micro sim card. The vast majority of mobile phone manufacturers are expect to adopt the micro sim shortly.

The micro sim adapter really does make your life easier since you no longer have to worry about your sim card fitting into your gadget. If you have a micro sim card and a micro sim adapter, your sim card will fit into all devices, past and future. No other solution exists to achieve this task so well.

Do not cut a sim card yourself, rather utilize a special micro sim cutter device. It doesn't matter which network or nation you are in, all micro sim cards fit in the micro sim adapter perfectly.