Hi Rob,
A couple of weeks ago I decided to jailbreak my iPhone 4 for the first time. The last time I had used a jailbreak was a year ago on my 3GS when the Spirit jailbreak was available, but with redsn0w out for 4.3.1, I decided to try it again since I believe this version will be around for a while (although I have now seen the rumors that 4.3.2 is coming soon).
The redsn0w jailbreak was pretty easy. My first attempt failed because when I tried to put my phone into DFU mode, Windows thought it needed to reinstall the USB driver and redsn0w didn't find my phone. After turning my phone back off and restarting redsn0w, it worked. I would recommend that you close iTunes first as redsn0w will forceably close it without warning if it is open, causing iTunes to need to check the library when it starts back up.
I thought I would pass along a few jailbreak apps I have found. I don't have a need to unlock or tether, so I haven't picked up any of those apps.
OpenSSH (free) - the first app I installed so I could ssh in and change my root password. The last time I used a jailbreak, Mobile Terminal didn't work so this time I didn't even try it.
SBSettings (free) - this is my favorite jailbreak app. I really think Apple should include a quick method for turning off WI-FI and Bluetooth as it is quite common to need to do so. On my 3GS, I found that Bluetooth drained my battery even with nothing connected so I turned it off when I wasn't using it. I can connect to our WI-FI network at work, but it is often unreliable and 3G can be every bit as fast. I also like having the date available at a glance.
My3G ($4) - I don't always download podcasts at home and it it nice to listen to your podcast when I am in the car. If I forget to download before I leave, My3G allows me to download it while I am driving. I have found that the TII app doesn't work well with Navigon pausing it for its numerous announcements.
WeatherIcon (free) - I just found that one yesterday. It replaces the icon on your weather app (built-in or one of the many thirdparty weather apps like The Weather Channel) with one that shows live weather. It will also add the weather to the title bar on your iPhone.
SpringFlash (free) - Double-tap the power button to turn on your LED flashlight. There's also a SBSettings add-on to put an icon in SBSettings.
Wi-Fi Sync ($10) - I'm very disappointed in this app. For $10 I would expect a bullet-proof app, not one that I never been able to make work. I have yet to receive a response from the developer and it seems that my experience is quite common. I know several people have called into your show praising this app, but if you look online you will find many people have my problem and have not got a response. I'm hoping version 2.0 will someday come out and will make it work for me. Until then I highly recommend people do not purchase it. The developer could at least offer a free trial so you can test it out like the My3G developer does! Then when it doesn't work you don't feel like you wasted your money. There are very few apps I have paid this much for on my iPhone and this is the first time one failed to even work properly.
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Myron U
Hi Myron,
Thanks for the great feedback on those apps.
Rob W