Tech Jawa > Cydia

Well, thanks to comex‘s new jailbreak for all current iOS devices including the iPhone 4, I’ve got a new list of my top 10 jailbroken apps and modifications to iOS!

10. MobileVolumeSound – is a very simple modification to iOS, it simply adds the familiar “bloop” sounds from OS X when you’re turning the volume up or down. Just a nice little addition that gives your jailbroken iDevice a bit of charm. Works out of the box on iOS 4 and iPhone 4!

09. PDF Loading Warner – is a little utility to prevent hijackers from taking control of your device. Comex’s jailbreak used a PDF font exploit to jailbreak your device, but attackers could use that same vunerability to take CONTROL of your device. This is a must install for those “just in case” scenarios. It will simply pop up and ask if you really want to laod a PDF, so no websites can try to load them without you noticing.

08. Winterboard – is clearly one of everybody’s favorites. Seems to work with iOS4 and iPhone 4 without much issue. The old themes based on summerboard aren’t really worth it anymore, especially if you have an iPhone 4, but if you’re graphic savvy you can make some of your own themes. Right now I’m using Winterboard to change #02 in my list (biteSMS) to the standard retina display’s Messages.app icon. Possibilities are really endless though, so keep an eye out for some iPhone 4 based themes!

07. Notifier – is a modification of an old favorite, StatusNotifier. It uses the same technique but actually works on iOS 3.X and 4.X. You may want to install the package called “Status Notifier Fix” instead though, it will include this and the required libraries to run, as well as a Winterboard theme to make the notifier icons used the ones that were originally packaged with StatusNotifier. For those of you unfamiliar with StatusNotifier, it puts icons next to your battery to alert you of new IMs, SMSs, MMSs, emails, missed calls, and voicemails! Please note however, Notifier has not been updated with iPhone 4 graphics, so they’ll look a bit “old school” until there is an update.

06. Installous – is a shady subject for sure… But lets face it, it lets you try out apps before dropping big money into them. Like $30 for the LogMeIn app. Add the repository of http://cydia.hackulo.us/ and install this package. You’ll be quite satisfied. As of right now they’re currently looking for graphic designers to help assist in a redesign and update for iPhone 4 displays as well!

05. LockInfo – is actually a bit pricey for an app, but the things that it does is fairly amazing. It’s not 100% ready for iOS 4 just yet, it works but there’s still some bugs in it. I personally use this to keep myself informed of new emails on my lock screen, the current weather, new notifications, and I keep a an event list of my calendars visible for the next 2 weeks. It really helps me stay organized and helps me stay up to date on work-based tasks also.

04. SBSettings – was something I found it hard to live without when I purchased my iPhone 4, it’s something you take for granted and should be one of the first things you install. Thanks to BigBoss for keeping this updated and ready to go for iOS 4!

03. Cyntact – by saurik, who is the author and maintainer of Cydia. It’s $0.99, but I always recommend this one, as it helps support Cydia’s developer which can’t be a bad thing at all, but also for the simple fact that its an amazing modifaction to iOS which shows your contact pictures next to their names in the contact list, phone list, and even works in third party apps as well. It’s been updated for iOS 4 and the iPhone 4 with support for high resolution pictures as well!

02. biteSMS – is an amazing SMS tool with amazing popup notifications, and SMS management. It has a large number of settings. It’s been updated for iOS 4, with high resolution graphics for the iPhone 4 as well. You really need to check it out to see for yourself!

01. Infinifolders – written by chpwn is $1.99, but its absolutely well worth it. It’s something Apple should have done from that start, it allows you to have more than 12 apps per folder, it allows you to scroll through them vertically. Having one “Games” and one “Utilities” folder really helps clean up your Springboard

Why would you pay for apps in Cydia when Cydia is mostly driven by free content. In this post, we’ll explain where to download the apps that “unofficial” developers on Cydia are trying to make you pay for. Tech Jawa does not condone piracy, we’re simply informing you that there ARE sources out there where the .deb files CAN be downloaded from… First is to create these sources in Cydia.

When you first start up Cydia allow it to load and refresh all of the sources on it, then go to manage, then edit (top right corner), click add (top left corner),  type in the sources listed in the picture above (one at a time), click on add source and wait for it to load up the new source. Once finished with that under your sections tab will be new sections to choose from.

With those sources, you now have access to the .deb that are “supposed” to be paid for.

This post is mostly for Jacob Wolfrum… because he can’t seem to keep the list of good stuff I give him… douche.

If anybody’s reading this that isn’t aware, Cydia is what is generally installed on jailbroken iPhones, and allows you to get unofficial applications not sanctioned by Apple on your device… I won’t go into it much more than that, because if you didn’t know what it is, you wont be using this list anyhow.

First this is first, go into Cydia and manage your sources, add this.

http://cydia.hackulo.us/

Now, in alphabetical order, here’s my list of Cydia essentials.

AppSync – Will be called AppSync for OS 3.X, depending on what iPhone OS you’re running. This allows you to sync any pirated copies of apps back into and from your iTunes installation.

CyDelete – CyDelete allows you to delete “unofficial” apps just like you would a normal one, by holding your finger over it, and then tapping the “x” in the corner. Comes in very handy.

Cyntact – $1.00, but well worth it. This will show your contacts photos next to their names in your address book, and favorites list. It integrates with apps that pull up your contacts list too.

Emoji – Enables the option to turn on the Japanese Emoji keyboard. These are the high-quality iPhone smiles, and can even be sent to, and received by non-jailbroken iPhone users!

Five Icon Dock – Why wouldn’t you want to have five icons down there? It’s a much better utilization of your dock, you get to add that one extra thing you always wish you could. I use: Contacts, Messages, Phone, E-Mail, iPod.

Installous – This is where you get official app store apps without paying for them. I’m not endorsing this in any way, just letting people know it’s out there.

Lock Calendar – This puts your upcoming calendar appointments on your lock screen… Coupled with Google Sync this is amazing. I have my Google Calendar sync wirelessly (via push) to my phone, and all events show up on my lock screen. This means I never really have to go into my Calendar app unless I need to add a new event on the go.

MakeItMine – This allows you to customize what your carrier logo says. Get rid of the AT&T or anything else you might have up there, and put a personal touch on your phone, or use this to completely blank out your carrier logo if you think it just takes up space.

MobileTerminal – This allows you to enter command ON your phone, without needing to SSH into it. You can really use this for alot of things if you know what you’re doing.

OpenSSH – Well, this is the quintessential iPhone jailbroken app. It allows you to SSH into your phone, and SCP files to/from it.

PrivaCy – Adds an option in your Settings app to keep your iPhone data private. Alot of apps are sending “anonymous” usage statistics back to the mothership, use this to opt out.

SBSettings – With a finger swipe across the top bar (with the time) you’ll get access to alot of power-user features. My favorites have to be the ability to hide my unused icons, but still keep the apps useable via spotlight, the ability to kill processes, and the “free memory” button.

Scrobbl – A Last FM scrobbler that will scrobble tracks as you listen to them over Edge/3G. A must have for any Last FM user.

StatusNotifier – This will give you status bar (top bar) alerts of new messages, emails, voicemails, and others. Extremely well done.

Veency – A VNC SERVER for the iPhone… This allows one to control their phone with their mouse and keyboard. I use it while at work for checking SMS messages and whatnot.

Winterboard – The only way to theme your iPhone. Here’s the custom theme I’ve put together over a few months.

Now I’m sure there’s alot more apps out there, but these are my essential ones. I try alot more Cydia apps all the time, but generally don’t stick to them like I do the list above.

If you’ve found anything thats essential to you, please share in the comments!