Before explaining the terms one by one, let’s make sure we understand what jailbreak is and the difference between jailbreak & unlock. Then we’ll take a look at all the other terms you may of heard about when jailbreaking and unlocking.

What’s Jailbreak & Unlock

Jailbreaking is a process that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to run unofficial code on their devices bypassing Apple‘s official distribution mechanism, the App Store. Once jailbroken, iPhone users are able to download many applications previously unavailable through the App Store via unofficial installers such as Cydia and Icy. It’s estimated that 4 million (out of 40 million) iPods and iPhones are jailbroken.

Unlocking refers to the process by which your iPhone can use SIM card from any carrier. For instance, iPhone is exclusively distributed by AT&T in US. In other words, it is locked and iPhone user in US can only use AT&T sim card. By going through the unlock process, your iPhone is allowed to use any carrier.

Jailbreaking Tools

Redsn0w – Redsn0w is the latest generation of Jailbreak tool offered by iPhone Dev Team that supports jailbreaking on iPhone OS 3.0. It supports all models of iPhone including iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS, as well as iPod Touch. Both Windows and Mac version are available. Redsn0w comes with built-in utility to unlock iPhone 2G. Jailbreaking using redsn0w is very straightforward and it is considered as the most user-friendly jailbreak utility iPhone. Redsn0w is also considered as a replacement of QuickPwn.

QuickPwn – Developed by iPhone Dev Team, QuickPwn is a jailbreak utility for iPhone 2G & 3G. It supports jailbreaking up to firmware 2.2.1. Both Windows and Mac versions are available. It also comes with built-in utility to unlock iPhone 2G. QuickPwn is considered as the most user-friendly utility for iPhone Jailbreak and now replaced by redsn0w.

PwnageTool – Also, developed by iPhone Dev Team, PwnageTool is a jailbreak tool for Mac platform only. It supports jailbreaking on iPhone 2G/3G/3GS and firmware level up to 3.0. Same as QuickPwn, it also provides built-in option to unlock iPhone 2G. Compared with QuickPwn, for which it performs jailbreaking directly on iPhone, PwnageTool takes a different approach of jailbreak that it creates a custom firmware file (i.e. IPSW) for jailbreaking. PwnageTool is considered as more flexible as it allows the direct modification of firmware file.

Purplera1n – Purplera1n is an alternative of jailbreak tool to Redsn0w and Pwnagetool for iPhone 3GS only. It is developed by GeoHot, who is the guy that developed an unlock solution for the 1st generation iPhone dated back to 2007. Purplera1n supports both Windows and Mac.

Unlocking Tools

Yellowsn0w – Yellowsn0w is the 1st generation of unlock tool, developed by iPhone Dev team, to unlock iPhone 3G and supports firmware 2.2 (with baseband version 02.28.00). The software is freely available via Cydia. You’ll need to first jailbreak the iPhone before you can install the software.

Ultrasn0w – Ultrasn0w is the 2nd generation of unlock tool, developed by iPhone Dev team, to replace yellowsn0w. It is considered the ultimate unlock tool (as of now) to unlock iPhone 3G and 3GS on iPhone OS 3.0. To use ultrasn0w, it is required to jailbreak your iPhone first. The ultrasn0w software is available from Cydia and it’s free.

Purplesn0w – Developed by GeoHot, Purplesn0w is an alternative to Ultrasn0w for iPhone 3GS unlock. To use Purplesn0w, you’ll need to jailbreak the iPhone with Purplera1n before applying Purplesn0w.

Application Installers

Cydia – Developed by Jay Freeman, cydia is the most common installer for 3rd party iPhone application. Cydia supports the latest version of iPhone OS 3.0 and is installed by default during jailbreak process. Most of the iPhone apps in cydia are free for download. But cydia also offers a cydia store for purchasing paid apps.

Icy – An alternative of Cydia for installing 3rd party apps on iPhone, developed by RipDev. As claimed by the team, Icy offers better performance over cydia and is designed to compatible with any cydia packages. Icy can be installed during jailbreak process.

Installer – Installer is the 1st generation of 3rd party application installer. It supports firmware up to 2.2. Installer is a great app installer before the debut of Cydia. However, as of today, the iPhone apps available on Installer is much less than that on Cydia or Icy.

[SimonBlog]

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iPhone 3.0 brought a quick way to edit text on the iPhone: the double-tap method. Simply double tap a word to select it, then start typing to replace it.

Even if there is only one or two incorrect letters, the double-tap method is almost always faster than the alternative method, which is using your finger to bring up the iPhone’s magnifying glass and repositioning the cursor. An exception is with very long words.

2. Landscape vs Portrait

Typing in portrait vs landscape each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Typing in portrait is often the most convenient because it’s the default way you hold the iPhone. Portrait mode is fine for tapping out short, quick notes. But a downside is that it encourages you to type with one finger, which is slow.

Typing in landscape with both thumbs is best for long-form writing like emails, notes, journals, etc. It’s the most comfortable and quickest way to type. The trade off is that, for many people, it’s less accurate because our thumbs are fatter, thus creating more mistakes.

The size and spacing of the keyboard’s keys are different in portait vs landscape. In portrait, there is more vertical space between the keys (see picture above), but the keys are smaller. In landscape, the keys are wider, but the vertical spacing is more cramped.

There is no best way to type on the iPhone. I much prefer landscape because of the comfort and because I don’t mind going back and editing. But everyone has their own preferences. People with small hands might find it comfortable to type with two thumbs in portrait mode. The important thing is to know the strengths and weaknesses of both methods. With practice, your speed and accuracy for both will improve over time.

3. Slide Finger for Quick Punctuation and Numbers

This is one of the oldest iPhone typing tips there is, but it’s a goodie. To quickly add punctuation like a period at the end of the sentence:

1. Tap (and hold) your finger on the numbers key:

2. When the screen changes, slide your finger across the screen to select a period, question mark, number, etc.

3. Lift your finger, and the screen will return to the lettered keyboard.

This tip also works great for adding single-digit numbers.

4. Type Accented Letters, Em Dashes, and Other Special Characters

The iPhone’s keyboard has accented letters and other special characters not immediately visible. To view and insert them into your text, press and hold a key.

For example, press and hold the letter N for a few seconds, and you’ll see a few extra options pop up. Slide your finger to select the desired character and lift. The character will be inserted into the text.

Try it with other keys besides letters too, like the dollar sign (you’ll see symbols for other currencies).

5. Quick Contractions

There’s no need to type out apostrophes for verb contractions like who’s (a contraction of who is) or they’re (they are). Simply type out all the letters without the apostrophe, whos or theyre, and let the iPhone do the rest.

6. Let Auto-correction Speed Up Your Typing

It’s not easy typing on a 3.5-inch screen, so the iPhone tries to save you some work by offering to spell out words before you finishing typing them. You’ll know when this happens because the entire word will appear after you’ve typed a few letters. To accept and insert the word, press the spacebar.

If you want to add punctuation to the end of the word, such as a comma or period, no need to hit the spacebar. Type the punctuation (even before you finish spelling the word), and the iPhone will insert the full word with the punctuation at the end.

7. Add an Extra Letter to Avoid Auto-correction

Sometimes, the iPhone will automatically correct a word you don’t want corrected. The iPhone gives you the option to cancel by tapping an X that appears next to the “corrected” word, but this has the side effect of adding the “misspelled” word to the dictionary. To avoid this, simply type an extra letter then hit the back button.

8. No Need for “.com”

When typing out web addresses in the browsers address bar, there no need to type out .com. Simply type iPhoneOverload and go. Note that this only works for “.com” websites, not .net, .org, .gov, etc.

9. iPhone Keyboard Settings

Keyboard Settings in the iPhone Settings

In the iPhone’s Settings, there are a few options you can turn on or off to alter how the keyboard behaves. To access the iPhone’s keyboard settings, tap the Settings icon–>General–>Keyboard.

The features you can turn on and off are:

– Auto-Correction
– Capitalization
– Enable Caps Lock
– “.” Shortcut (double tapping the space bar)

10. Enable Emoji to Add Colorful Graphics to Your Text

Emoji are colorful little graphics that can be inserted into text messages or other writing apps that support it. Emoji are very popular in Japan–that’s why only iPhones sold in Japan come with them enabled. But we don’t have to miss out on all the fun. Simply download a free app called Spell Number Launch it, and type in the number 91929394.59. Then follow these steps:

1. Tap the Settings icon
2. Tap General
3. Tap Keyboard
4. Tap International Keyboards
5. Tap Japanese
6. Switch Emoji to On

To access the emoji, simply tap the globe icon on the bottom left of the iPhone’s keyboard until they appear.

[via ArtofiPhone]

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