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Jailbreak is the process by which a device is modified to allow unsigned code to be run.

In a more technical view, is a process where the firmware is patched to allow access to the device filesystem, then some applications are automatically installed (like Cydia or Icy), and that allow you to install new applications via an apt system ported to the iPhone.

The iPhone is running a modified version of the OS X which is already based on a BSD Operating System, therefore porting applications developed initially for Linux or BSD becomes easier.

On a jailbroken phone applications like a terminal, an SSH server, and even Java can be installed.

Also since there are no Apple restrictions developers can make better applications that can do things that otherwise it would not be possible.

So, Is it Safe?

I would say it’s completly safe, because you are modifying the software, not the hardware, of course that Apple will say it voids your warranty.

Since is software what we are talking about, you can always use iTunes to restore your factory settings.

And, is it legal?

I’m sure it is. Let’s compare it with a car:

If you bought a car, can you modify it’s engine to perform better? can you put a better sound system? can you paint it of a diffrent color?…. well it’s pretty much the same, of course if you modify your car you will for sure lose your warranty, well that’s the same for the iPhone.

And remember that anyway the only person responsible for your device, it’s yourself.

So what about that Jailbrake thing, why would we need it for?

One of the main disadvantages of the iPhone are the very restricted rules that Apple has applied onto it for monetary (they will say safety) porpuses:

-You can activate and synchronize your device with your computer only via iTunes.

-You can install software only via the apple store, whether directly from the iPhone or from iTunes.

-You can’t theme your iPhone.

-You can not access your device by any other means.

-etc…

There are also several restrictions applied to the app developers in order to get their programs approved to be inside the Apple Store, The rejection of Google Voice is the more sounded one, but there are also many limitation that won’t allow several programs to be ported to (or developed for) the iphone, issues like:

-Programs can’t run in the background.

-Programs can’t run when the phone is “sleeping”.

-Certain type of programs, like VoIP software, can’t run over 3G.

-etc…

There are even restrictions related what Carrier you can use: iPhones came locked to a specificy carrier and you can not change your mobile company.

But the iphone is not only a phone, is a computer more powerfull that the first i386 I had back in the 80′s, it can do much more. But it feels like it’s in Jail!

There is where the clever guys from the iphone dev-team came with a solution: Jailbrake

Taking a screenshot of the  iphone is very easy, but very hidden, this is what’s needed:

Simply hold at the same time the home and power buttons of your device. A flash and sound will appear.

That’s it, your screen capture is at your camera roll.

iPhone 3G

When the mobile phones and the minicomputers called PDAs where in early stage I remember I had a conversation with some friends: it’s a race, mobile phones will improve to turn into PDAs and PDAs will turn to be mobile phones, let’s see who wins.

The final product from this merge are smart-phones. After all this time we can clearly declare a winner, is not BlackBerry is not Palm or Nokia, whether we like it or not, the winner is the  iPhone from Apple Inc.

But now the race rules are changing, smart-phones and Laptops are competing for a new merge, that’s where we have the netbooks like the popular Acer One or the Eee PC competing with products like iPhone or the new kid in town Android, which is a Linux based Operating System from Google that is coming to be in some new smart-phones to compete with the iPhone… who is going to win?

In the mean time I got an iPhone 3G with 16Gb, it’s without any doubts the more pretty -and useful – phone I ever had, it’s design is very clean and simple. I have tried several cases to protect it, but I ended up dumping them all and keeping it naked, it’s so beautiful that any case makes it ugly (and big)… anyway I’m sure that after one year 2 at most, I will be switching it for a new one, so I prefer to have a nice phone scratched than an ugly protected phone.

The iPhone is more a minicomputer turned into a phone than a phone turned into a minicomputer. You can install many applications that you can get free or paid from the Apple Store, but there is still the taste that something is missing, some cleaver guys from the iphone-dev team came to fill that gap: Jailbreak.