Jailbreak Your iPhone. Seriously. Now.

I "jailbroke" my iPhone a few weeks ago. And I'll never go back to jail.

You can read the rest of this article first if you want, but you should really just backup your iPhone to your computer right now, then visit http://www.jailbreakme.com on your iPhone, and jailbreak yourself immediately.

But to those who need to know a little more, read on:

What is "jailbreaking?" Is it as illegal and dangerous as it sounds?

"Jailbreaking" is the act of running a computer program on your iPhone that allows you to install software not purchased at Apple's iTunes App Store. That's it. Nothing nefarious and dangerous. It's no more illegal than putting Microsoft Word on your Macbook computer.

Jailbreakme.com was created in part by a guy named Jay Freeman, who goes by the handle Saurik, and titles his homepage "The Realm of the Avatar." In other words, he's a computer geek, and not some Bond villain. He created Cydia, which is the official app store for Jailbreakers. It's not a place full of viruses and eletric fighting monkeys. It's the Century 21 to Apple's Bloomingdales.

Will this f*ck up my $199-$299 dollar phone?

This was my biggest fear. I'd heard things. Like, "Jailbreaking can turn your iPhone into an iPaperweight." And Apple warns you-- "Jailbreaking voids your warranty." But like that lady in the Pledge commercials found out (No waxy buildup!), I too discovered my fears were unfounded.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, the jailbreak does give you problems. All you have to do is plug your phone into your computer, hit the restore button, and your phone returns to its original state, with all the data from the last time you backed up to your computer. So there's no risk. If you try it, and it doesn't work for you, no biggie. You can restore your phone to its "still in jail" state and Apple will have no way of knowing whether you violated your warranty or not.

Why do I have to do this?
Because your phone is boring. Yeah, it was cool to have an iPhone when it first came out, but now it seems like everybody has one. And the only way you can tell them apart? "Oh... that's a nice case" or "Is that a new ringtone?"

This is what my Lock screen looks like:



I have my appointments, my email, weather and text messages all right there on the Lock Screen. And if I double-tap the clock, I get the top news headlines and sports scores too. It's a lot easier than unlocking the phone, then pressing the icon for each individual app and waiting for each one to load as I search for information. I did this with an app called Intelliscreen. Only available for a jailbroken iPhone.

Now look at what you can do to the rest of your phone:



"Look how pretty that text is! Is that Notes App... white instead of yellow? Where's the 3G symbol... why is it... is that the Ohio State logo? And what cell service do you have... Adam... wait, that's your name! And...wait a second... THERE'S FIVE ICONS IN THE DOCK! FIVE!?!?!"

Oh, and you can't tell from a still photo, but that's an animated wallpaper.

There's more.

When a song changes while I'm playing a game or surfing the web, I no longer have to wonder which song is on now. All I have to do is glance at the top of the screen:



And forget about those cheesy "flashlight" apps available at the Apple store. I just double-click the home button and the LED flash of the iPhone camera illuminates.

And honestly, this is the more boring stuff you can do. You can download theme sets that change the look of your app icons... making them 3d, turning them into baseball caps, or making each one a different Playboy Playmate.

You can even change the look of the dial screen and the text message application. Now I represent the Yankees every time I text:



My point is, there are endless options. None of these things are complicated to do. You install an app called Winterboard, which is very easy to use, and you can download different looks from Cydia or RockApp, another non-Apple app store.

So, you can either get really jazzed about the lame wallpapers Apple's store sells, or you can jailbreak your phone and make it even more interesting and fun. It's not a tough choice.

Other things you may want: Unlimited folder capacity and customizable folders, changing the colors of pop-ups and selections, the ability to keep programs loading in the background while working in another app.

And of course, there's the three big not-so-kosher things jailbreaking allows you to do: download free ringtones of popular songs, use your phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for your computer, and use Facetime over 3G. Just make sure you have an unlimited data plan for the last two.

Ok, I'm sold. Any warnings?

Just a few. One, and most importantly, do not update your iPhone software to the latest version, 4.0.2. There are no new features in this update... it's only designed to block jailbreaks from happening.

Secondly, not all programs and themes are designed for the iPhone 4 and the 4.0 software. If you wait for the descriptions to load (it can take a second or two in the Cydia app) you should be able to find out whether it's designed for your phone or not.

Thirdly, there's a lot of great programs in Cydia and RockApp, but there's a lot with bugs too. One app I tried, which puts actual live weather updates on top of the stock Apple Weather icon, sent my phone into "Safe Mode," which gave me a panic attack. Fortunately, its an easy fix. You go into Cydia or RockApp and simply go to the "Manage" section to delete the offending program (another Cydia App, CyDelete, makes this even easier).

Ok, but...

No, no buts. Do it now. Thank me later.

The Most Terrifying Article You'll Ever Read



Your Cell Phone Is Killing You

And not just that... Wi-Fi too.

Yikes.

"But come on, that can't possibly be true!"

Well... minutes later, I read this article: Beanzawave. Key line:

"Heinz claims that snacks can be warmed in under a minute thanks to intense heating action from a combination of cell phone and radio frequencies."

I'm moving to the North Pole.

Stuff I Wish Existed Instead Of The Ipad

Ok, so the iPad was somewhat of a disappointment. I wish Apple had offered up something other than a giant iPhone that fixes few of the shortcomings of the original, more portable version. In fact, I came up with a few devices I wish Apple, or someone else, would come up with:

The "Hula":



A portable device that is Hulu-capable. There were rumors of an iPhone Hulu app almost a year ago, but nothing has surfaced. Hulu allows users to stream hundreds of TV shows, both old and new, for the low low price of... free. It would be awesome to watch TV shows anywhere. There could even be an option to download the show (for a fee) to watch later (like on a plane or somewhere without wi-fi or cellular service. Furthermore, the device could stream shows from other websites, like ABC.com (Lost), comedycentral.com (South Park) and others. You can already watch these on your computer for free... why not your phone, or some other portable device?

The "Satchel":



A satellite-capable cell phone, able to access both Direct TV and Sirius/XM radio from anywhere. Here's what makes this great. There's a limit to how much data can be sent over 3G, or even tomorrow's 4G cellular networks. So even if Apple gives us a device that streams video other than YouTube and all that, load times could still be slow when a million people are trying to view content at once. Satellite, however, doesn't have this problem. The satellites send a signal, all you need is a device that unscrambles that signal. Sirius already makes a portable player. Could these two satellite titans join forces and create the ultimate media device?

The "Gamepod":


I Got Tired Of Using MS Paint, SO I Took This From The Internet

Your PSP can play movies, surf the internet, and play videogames. The Nintendo DS has dual touchscreens. Your iPhone and Blackberry meanwhile, claim they can play games, but its still not the ultimate gaming experience. Why not create a device with the ergonomics of a portable game system with the functionality of a smartphone?

Yeah yeah, I know:

NGage

But that thing is Ugly. If we had given up on an Apple phone after the Motorola Rokr disaster, where would we be today?

A Nintendo or PSP Phone? Are you really gonna tell me that's a bad idea?

Any company interested in following up on these ideas, please contact me. I have no technical expertise, but I'll gladly take a 1 million dollar idea fee.

(plus a lot on the back end)

How Has AT&T Or Verizon Not Used This In An Ad?

Those map commercials, both Verizon's version and the AT&T Overweight Luke Wilson response, annoy the hell out of me. How they haven't mined the world of horror movies for an inspired commercial, I'll never understand:

More MSN MMM MM Goodness



Check it out.

Yes, I interviewed a lot of moms. What about dads? Am I sexist? Maybe. There was one dad, that replied to my interview request, but too late to be included in the article. Paul's 11-year-old daughter wrote him a poem in an attempt to sway his decision:

Phone

Why can’t I get a phone?
A phone of my own,
Something to call you on,
Come on Dad,
Come on Mom,
It’s something I need,
I can not feed on it but,
When I go to middle school,
I need to call you,
If you are late,
or if you need someone to hate,
So please, please,
help me.

"When I first saw it, I thought the poem was pretty funny actually," Paul says. She is a real gadget kid, and I think feels some peer pressure to fit in as well. Funny because I brought an iPhone home from work yesterday, and as you can imagine she freaked out."

Her poetic efforts seem to have paid off.

"She is starting a new school this year and I think we've finally decided to get her and her sister phones," Paul says. "It's a convenience thing. It does feel strange, but from a fiscal standpoint, they've been operating and taking care of their nintendo gameboys (and now DS lites, which they bought with their own money), so I think they'll be able to take care of a phone."

What do you think? Is there a minimum age that's reasonable for a kid to own a cell phone? Or should kids receive phones immediately following their bris? Leave your thoughts below, or on the MSN discussion board.

New MSN Article: Dialin' n' Drivin'



In honor of my serious cell phone story being published on MSN.com (above), heres my non-serious cell phone story: Break Out of Your Cell

Break Out Of Your Cell

My Cell's Name Is Desmond

Sorry inmates, this blog entry won't help you escape and put a shiv in the warden. But it will give you some informative, useful cell phone knowledge.

Five Fun Cell Phone Games That Won't Add To Your Cell Phone Bill

1. Play "Spin The Cell Phone"



"Spin the Bottle" is so twentieth century. Sit in a circle, girls across from boys. Turn the shiny, rounded side of your cell phone face down, and give it a spin. Make out with the member of the opposite sex the phone points to. Yes, even if he or she is ugly. This works better if you're all drunk.

2. Cell Phone Toss



Like a game of horseshoes. Go to a field, jam a stick in the ground. Competitors stand far enough away to make it a challenge. Then, each person tosses their cell phone, trying to get it closest to the stick. Winner gets to add all other competitors' girlfriends to his "fave five."

3. Cell Phone Hockey



Use a flat table. Players stand at the ends. A ping pong ball or small rubber boucy ball may be used. Each player uses their cell phone as a hockey stick, trying to knock the ball off the other end. Players cannot cross the halfway point on the table with their phone. This works even better with an old nok-hockey table or air hockey table. Loser must select Ace Of Base's "I Saw The Sign" or similar embarassing song as his/her ringtone for one week.

4. Cell Phone Hot Potato/Musical Chairs



This one works best if your cell phone plays long ringtones or MP3s. Press play on a ringtone or MP3. For Hot Potato, pass the phone around. If the music stops while in your posession, you're out, and must send a flirty text message to the annoying girl/guy who won't leave you alone. For Musical Chairs, when the music stops, everyone must sit in a chair. If you're not in a chair, you're out, and your girlfriend/boyfriend dumps you for the winner.

5. Cell Phone Battle Royale



Use a flat table with a smooth surface. At the same time, two (or more) players slide their phones at each other's phone. If you knock or stop your opponent's phone onto their side of the table, you get a point. If you knock their phone off the table, you get two points. If you miss their phone completely, you lose a point. Game ends after 10 rounds or when someone's phone breaks into little tiny unfixable pieces. Loser must refer to the winner as "Your Royal Highness" for one day.

Try these games and before long, you'll be forgetting what a cell phone is even for! Feel free to offer your own suggestions by leaving a comment below.

Here's some cell phone links for your enjoyment and enlightenment:

Cool Cell Phone Tricks

Cell Phone Salespeople Sell Out Cell Secrets

A Google Cell Phone?? Pretty.

Save Your Soaked Celly

And some older, brilliantly written articles:

Camera Phones: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Fly The Cell-Free Skies... While You Still Can