Have you jailbroken your iPhone lately? Want to know how exactly it is that Cydia and Installer work and how it is that those great apps make or break your jailbreaking experience? Read on to find out about Open SSH, Winterboard/Summerboard, and playing NES ROMS on your iPhone.
Jailbreaking to Access Cydia Apps
When you jailbreak your iPhone, the installation process leaves two new apps on your iPhone for you to delight yourself with - Installer and Cydia. Both are essentially "app stores" for third-party apps that expand the functionality of your iPhone, however, all the software on there is available for free because everything is open source.
Now, before you start thinking it's an all-you-can-eat buffet of free stuff, I want to remind you that downloading everything you see in front of you is not a wise decision. Make sure that you delete all the items that you're not using anymore in order to fit in new pieces of software.
There are a lot of cool apps and software available on the Cydia repositories so find out which ones are worth the time before you download. Here are our picks for the top three Cydia apps you simply must have on your iPhone.
Open SSH for Wireless File Sharing
For those who've never heard the term "OpenSSH" (much like I hadn't a year ago), it is the single most interesting thing you could do to your phone. What happens is that OpenSSH installs a sort of protocol on your iPhone that allows your PC to communicate with it wirelessly, allowing you to drop apps directly onto your iPhone via your home network. Therefore, if you obtained a cracked app somehow, you'd be able to place it directly on the iPhone without ever connecting it to your PC, just by using your home network.
OpenSSH has to work in concert with another software - on a PC I use WinSCP, but there is also a Mac software that works just as well. OpenSSH should be the very first app you find and download. It's available under Categories -> Networking.
Winterboard and Summerboard
These two apps work to change your background and icons. While I mentioned these two in a previous article, I thought it important to reiterate how cool it is to see your entire UI change. The only problem is that you'll suffer through some slowdown to achieve your desired effect, but it usually has some pretty cool results. The "Gears of War 2" icon set and UI changer is particularly detailed, so download that one if you want to see just how different your iPhone can look. Best part is that you can customize any part of the interface to suit your needs. Changing just the keyboard, but not the UI, or vice versa, and customizing every little bit of the Springboard.
Emulating NES ROMS with Cydia
For those who aren't in the know, an emulator is a piece of software that mimicks a piece of hardware. In this case, a software app mimicks the famous Nintendo Entertainment System. Is it a bit rudimentary? Sure. But you can play any NES game that is available as a ROM, in this way, you can enjoy all those great oldies in one convenient location. As a result, you can end up wasting hours just playing around with the original Mario or Zelda. The controls are intuitive and the graphics look great. Sound like fun? Learn how you can play your favorite NES titles by following the guide for installing the app and loading ROMs onto your iphone.
And there you have it. Play around with the Cydia application a little and you'll be surprised at what sorts of neat things will just appear before you. For more cool apps, checkout another 5 great Cydia apps worth installing. As a reminder, remember that too many invisible apps can end up crippling the speed of your iPhone. As always, enjoy the expanded functionality, it is your device after all.