Do you have an iOS 5.0.1 product (iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPhone 4, or 3rd/4th generation iPod) that you're dying to jailbreak? Well, thanks to pod2g, a new method has just been released by both the iPhone Dev Team and the Chronic Dev Team that breaks iOS 5 free, so you can now use an "untethered" jailbreak on your device. The difference is up until now jailbreaking iOS 5 required your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to be connected, via USB, to your PC every time you rebooted.
The jailbreak community has been hard at work at this, and this is the first untethered jailbreak to be released since iOS 5 debuted back in October.
Jailbreaking your device allows you to install Cydia(Opens in a new window) -- an application that indexes applications, customizations, and system enhancements for iOS that are not allowed into Apple's walled garden. Everything from tethering your mobile broadband to your PC to completely changing the way the application icons and layout looks is possible through Cydia.
However, it's important to remember that jailbreaking also puts some limitations on your Apple device.
For one, you might not be able to receive firmware or iOS updates from Apple -- or you'll get the updates but lose your jailbreak when they land. You are voiding the warranty of your device by jailbreaking as well, meaning if something goes wrong Apple will not assist you in any way. Speaking of that, the applications that you can purchase and download via Cydia are at-your-own risk applications, with no oversight from anyone. Malware or worse may be bundled, and while most application developers likely just want to unlock functionality they feel Apple is lacking, you can never be sure.
Jailbreaking also forces you to run factory restores often, as updates come out. That means re-syncing your media, apps and photos to your device, which can be a tedious process to run often.
It's a decision that can only be made by you as the owner of the device. The popularity of the Chronic Dev Team and the iPhone Dev Team and their continued work for the jailbreaking community shows that many users feel that it's worth the risk and inconvenience, though.
What about you? If you routinely jailbreak your device, let us know in the comments, as well as your impressions of the iOS 5 untethered jailbreak.
Please note, as the device list above indicates, this jailbreak does not work with A5-powered devices, like the iPhone 4S or the iPad 2.
via lifehacker(Opens in a new window), pod2g's blog(Opens in a new window)
