Best Jailbroken Apps Ever

The iPhone is slowly taking over the world. It's true - I can hardly go anywhere without seeing multiple people carrying one, whether it be an original (yes, people still carry those), 3G or 3GS. This summer Apple is going to release the 4G iPhone, which will only increase the number of people aiding Apple's world domination conquest. There is another type of iPhone though, one that Apple is not at all happy about and is doing everything they can to stop: The jailbroken iPhone. My iPhone is jailbroken and I love it. Because I love it so much, I thought I would share a list of my favorite jailbreak apps.

1) SBSettings

This allows you to swipe the info bar at the top of the phone and access a quick settings panel, where you can quickly turn things like 3G, wifi, bluetooth and the like on and off - without having to go through all the menus in the normal settings app. My favorite feature of this is that it has a quick access to the brightness settings. This also lets you access Poof!, which is an app that lets you hide apps from your springboard (don't worry, they're still accessible via Spotlight).

2) 3G Unrestrictor

This app tricks your iPhone into thinking it's connected to wifi when it's not. Why would you want to do this? If you've ever tried to download something over 3G and gotten that very annoying "You must be connected to wifi to download this" popup, this app will save your life. You can download huge songs, apps, videos or anything else you want to download, all over 3G.

3) Flashlight

I know, I know. There are hundreds of flashlight apps in the Apple App Store; why would I want to download a jailbroken flashlight? This one does something none of the ones in the Apple App store can: It automatically adjusts your brightness as high as it will go, then when you close it, it readjusts your brightness like it was before you opened it. Pretty sweet.

4) Safari Downloader

Absolutely necessary if you want to download things from anywhere other than iTunes or Cydia.

5) iFile

Lets you access all the files on your iPhone, even the ones you don't want to mess with. You'll need this app if you want to start changing your SMS tones, but the most useful feature is that it lets you view all the files you download. It will even play movies and music you download.

6) Cylay

Ever freaked out because you couldn't find your iPhone? Cylay is the app for you. It allows you to log into their website from any computer and use the GPS on your phone to locate it (3G and 3GS only; 2G only uses triangulation, which is not as accurate). You can also make the phone make a loud noise so you can find it, turn it off, lock it down so someone can't access it, take a picture of whatever the phone is looking at, or display a message on the phone's screen. I've used this feature twice already and I'm very glad I have it. Major drawback: It's not free. The app is free to download and comes with a two week free trial, but after that it's $20 a year. When it comes down to paying $20 a year or buying a new iPhone, it's worth it though.

7) Hackulo and Instalous

For this one you have to add a source to Cydia in order to download (source: http://cydia.hackulo.us/ ). This allows you to install the app called Instalous, which gives you access to hacked versions of any app you find in the Apple App Store. These apps are completely free and completely the same as the "normal" ones - you just don't have to pay for them. This is the college-student-friendly way to get apps. Drawback: You can't get the updates for the app. You have to check back in Instalous frequently to see if there is a new version of the app available and manually install it.

These are the only apps I'll highlight for now. I may come back with more later. Free your iPhone, love your iPhone, personalize your iPhone; these tools will help.