iPhone Hip

Always thought your iPhone4S had to look like everyone else? A lack of “jailbreak” has long been a gripe of developers and iPhone users alike. Yet the recent release of an iOS 5 jailbreak has changed all that. So what does it mean you can do differently with your iPhone?

“Jailbreak” is a hack that could damage our device, what’s known as “bricking it” i.e., rendering it useless. Every smartphone has a layer of Digital Rights Management, or DRM, software that limits the amount of software you can run on the device. Jailbreaking essentially bypasses that DRM meaning you can run unauthorized software or make a few changes to your operating system.

One of the most popular add-ons are apps. Apple has strict rules governing what apps can get into the App Store. The rules aren’t quite so strict in the Android Market. Some see the strict rules on the App Store as a quality control issue, others too controlling. There are risks but in the US at least jailbreaking isn’t breaking the law.

So with the recent iOS5 jailbreak, what could you put on your iPhone 4S? Here’s a top five list.

Personalization is a big deal in the smartphone market. We like adding our own skins, music or pictures to make a device feel more like an extension of our personality, reflecting our likes and dislikes. Snow cover 4 is a free customization app that offers music and a new way for users of viewing their favorite album sleeves. Snow cover lets users view music on their lockscreen using album art. Attractive as well as functional.

Watching films or media on a smartphone is a great way to while away the hours. Everyone has their favorite program or running media. One of the more popular ones is VLC Player. The VLC Media Player was banned from the App Store. It plays pretty much any media file making it a versatile product.It’s free as well.

Last.FM is a great way of combining a love of music and social networking. For fans Scrobbl is a free app that unites Last.FM and your smartphone. It helps you get tracks straight from your iPod application to your phone.

Perhaps a little dull but useful none the same App Info is an App that provides you with information about your installed apps. What size they are, how much they cost, when you bought them, how much space and memory they use? All that information is in one place. You can even export it as a list. A good way of keeping track of all your favorite apps.

Sometimes you just want to have a little bit of fun with your smartphone. Graviboard is a nice one to try. It’s a bit pointless but basically it removes the power gravity has on your phone and how it looks. Watch your icons fall away on the screen as you tilt and move your device. It costs £1.90.