Top 10 Free Apps for Your Jailbroken iPhone
If you've recently jailbroken your iPhone (and if you haven't, here's a hassle-free method), you might be bewildered by the choice of available third-party applications--particularly because the app's individual info screens while browsing aren't often very informative. Some application names such as "iSolitaire" make it pretty easy to guess at their function, but what about names like "VT100" or "Simplify"?
If you're wondering where to get started on making your jailbroken iPhone more productive and entertaining, here are some of my top favorite apps in no particular order:
1) Summerboard--Summerboard is a themer for your iPhone. While it's not a productivity app, the ability to change the look and feel of your iPhone's interface (example pictured right) can't be underestimated. You'll need to install the Summerboard package itself first--found in Installer under "System"--which will add an icon to your phone called "SMBPref". Now you're ready to install new themes in Installer's "Themes (Summerboard)" menu. Simply install it and use SMBPref to select your theme as the active theme. If you want to use your own wallpaper, remember to turn the theme's wallpaper off in SMBPref.
2) MobileFinder--This is a simple app that will let you view files and filetrees on your iPhone. It doesn't sound like much, but it provides a crucial link between external applications like iPhoneList, that let you drag and drop files to your phone, and third-party phone apps like TextEdit or WildEyes that can use the transferred files. It will let you browse, modify, and create folders as well as copy, move, or delete files. For powerusers, it will also provide extensive metadata on individual files and let you set their access permissions and the default programs to open them.
3) Simplify--Stream your music and video from your home PC to anywhere you're near WiFi access. You'll need to have the Simplify software installed on your home computer (it's free--learn more and download here), but once that's set up you can sign in from the Simplify icon on your iPhone to listen to all of your digital music wherever you are. Not only that, but you can invite and be invited to friend's accounts, giving you streaming access to their media as well. Which means that as long as you have a WiFi connection, you're not limited to 8 GB of media storage--now it's virtually infinite.
Brief aside: Hopefully, the 3G iPhone dropping in June will be able to pull the kind of data rates that won't require you to have WiFi access to stream your shared media, meaning you'll be able to have practically unlimited media everywhere you go. (Of course, someone will have to figure out how to jailbreak it first.) Imagine connecting your iPhone to the auxiliary jack on your car stereo and streaming your home playlist to your car with no configuration needed! Pretty cool if iPhone hackers can get that working.
4) Books--an eBook reader that reads simple HTML and text files, and will automatically parse chapters into subdirectories for easy browsing. Simple, fast, and with a growing repository of downloadable books you can get via Installer--or add your own using an external program such as iPhoneList.
5) WildEyes--WildEyes for Safari is pretty much your one-stop shop for viewing virtually any kind of document: Adobe .pdfs, Excel spreadsheets, Microsoft Word documents and more (that you've transferred to your iPhone using a program such as iPhoneList) are easily browsable via a simple menu and will launch for viewing in a Safari browser window. Files can't be edited, though--for that you may want to use the iPhone-optimized interface for GoogleDocs--but its speed and multiformat compatibility make it a must if you use your iPhone for any business-related purposes.
(Read about 5 more great iPhone apps after the cut.)
6) Gemlogic--All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Gemlogic (pictured left) is a clone of the popular game Bejeweled, with the added ability to make multiple moves between matches to set up big combos. There are lots of great game apps for the iPhone, but this one has made me miss my bus stop on the ride home more than once.
7) WeDict--An expandable English and foreign language dictionary compatible with StarDict files. You can download and add individual languages and even pronunciation files, allowing you to look up a word, find its definition and synonyms, as well as its translation in selected languages with pronunciations for each. (Note: pronunciation plugins are whopping 200MB files.)
8) MobileScrobbler--If you have a Last.fm account (and who doesn't these days), MobileScrobbler will "scrobble" your iPhone playlists and upload lists of what you've been listening to to your profile page. You can listen to Last.fm radio stations over EDGE or WiFi, vote on songs, browse your friends' playlists, and even get concert info and add it to your calendar.
9) iFlickr--This app will allow you to automatically upload pictures to your Flickr account, and includes automatic geotagging and autorotation. If you're not near a WiFi spot, iFlickr can run in the background over an EDGE network while you use your iPhone for other things. A must for users with an itchy camera trigger finger.
10) TextEdit--The iPhone's native Notes application is fine for temporary jotting down of ideas and information, but TextEdit will allow you to view, write, edit, save, and export common document file types such as .txt and .doc. Note that you need MobileFinder for best functionality, in order to transfer documents to read or edit to and from the phone.
--Aric A.
Matt Hilton on May 07, 2008 at 07:56 PM
What is the Summerboard Theme in the picture?
Aric A. on May 08, 2008 at 09:37 AM
The theme in the picture is called Human Touch, which is based on the Human skin of Ubuntu Linux.
Chris on May 08, 2008 at 05:12 PM
I just jailbroke my iphone but I cant find iFlickr anywhere. Which package is it in?
Thanks
Aric A. on May 09, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Chris: you'll find iFlickr under "Multimedia" in the main list.
sam on June 10, 2008 at 02:12 AM
guys any ideas how to make my personal iphone ringtones?
Vj homing on June 11, 2008 at 04:51 PM
To Sam:
to Make personal rintones I use:
Ringtones! from http://i.danstaface.net/site/
here's how to install:
http://i.danstaface.net/site/node/6
Still in beta, so might have some bugs.
Geo on November 19, 2008 at 07:20 AM
What is the difference between Summerboard and Winterboard? Is it one or the other, or can you have both installed?
Aric A. on November 19, 2008 at 09:36 AM
They're both theming apps, so I would recommend choosing one or the other.
KJ on November 20, 2008 at 11:49 PM
I have a t-mobile jbrokin iphone is their any apps for free internet access so i can have internet anywhere an everywhere i go without a internet plan??
KJ on November 20, 2008 at 11:49 PM
I have a t-mobile jbrokin iphone is their any apps for free internet access so i can have internet anywhere an everywhere i go without a internet plan??
matt on December 11, 2008 at 07:05 PM
to make ringtones use garageband if you have a mac, here is how:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1358
indoor antenna on March 20, 2009 at 04:01 PM
Eh... I guess I have to experiment with my iPhone some more because I haven't downloaded any of these free apps. I do use Winterboard, and I love being able to change the themes, but I wish there was a quicker way to see the themes. Screenshots are useful, but don't show the theme's full potential.
jonah wolf on June 30, 2009 at 09:10 AM
Great list, I have my top 10 at
http://www.voolf.com/1/post/2009/06/top-10-iphone-apps-for-israel-updated-for-30.html
some are of general interest other specific to Israel
Kelly on October 26, 2009 at 04:26 PM
iPhone ringtones can me made very easily in itunes. Choose a song> Choose the part of the song that you want as a ringtone> Remember the time that the ringtone should start and the time that it end> right click the song (pc) and click get info> go to options> enter the start and stop time of the ringtone (remember to change it back when your finished)> apply and return to the song> Right click again and choose create AAC version> Delete the AAC version, but keep the file (a pop-up should ask you to do so)> Go to My Documents> Music> Itunes> Itunes Media> Music> the name of the artist> the name of the album> the song> Change the file format from .m4a to .m4r (easiest way to do this is to go to tools, folder options, view, and uncheck hide extensions for known file types. Now you can just replace the a with a r.) Double click the new ringtone and it should be opened in itunes.
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This program is simple but is immensely useful if you jailbreak your phone. It backs up your installed Cydia programs into the area of the iPhone’s memory that is backed up when you sync with iTunes, and then it can restore the apps from that backup
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