The Jailbreak Effect

[George Knighton]

For the curious, here are a few of the apps I loved....

Plex (holy crap!!! Mac mini is complete!) Final Fantasy: Chaos Rings, Snatch, Skyfire, Better Browser. (for the record, i think better browser is called mercury browser now and has a lite version... at least that's the one i legitimately paid for.)

I'm at the other end of the scale, I think. But I'm still jailbroken.

My jailbroken applications are:

MCleaner (Mandatory. If I couldn't do this, I wouldn't have an iPhone.)
MyWi
My3G
Signal
Clear SMS

I could do without them all if MCleaner, iBlacklist, or something similar were available in the App Store.

 

[mlts22]

I'm on the "never pirated an app; never will" scale.

Apple needs to do like Android and have the antipiracy mechanism separate from the jail. This way, jailbreaking for added functionality (iBlacklist, BiteSMS, a UNIX environment) shouldn't be something that Apple spends time fighting against. Ideally, jailbreaking should be like the Nexus 1. Enter in one command (OEM unlock), click "yes" if you want to walk into Mordor and void your phone's warranty, and have fun.

 

[itryanditry]

People often confuse the moral issue with the forums rules, I find your story "cool", however discussing cracked/stolen apps is against the forums rules, what you do with your phone and what type of app you get is your own business.

If there is another rule I accidentally skipped over, I'm open to the reference but the rule about things like that from what I gather is such:

"Warez/Serials/Keys. Do not post software serial numbers or keys or refer people to specific websites, software, or techniques whose purpose is to break or bypass software licensing methods, distribute cracks, or obtain or use commercial software or media in violation of its license and/or for copyright violation. Do not ask for or give such help."

I don't think were expected to pretend that it doesn't exist for the sake of discussion, it's more the actual discussion of HOW to do it that is against the rules. If that were the case I may have been warned already or the thread deleted. But admittedly, the thread is indeed walking a thin line... I know it's a hot button issue, so I apologize if it touched a nerve. Again, I admit stealing is wrong and I'm not proud of it, but talking about it is probably tolerated to an extent.

 

[ngenerator]

Gee, if only there was some way for developers to offer free trial versions of their apps. You know, some kind of 'lite' version.

Oh, but wait. I'm told those don't count because they're 'not good enough to know if you'll like it.'

I'm sorry, but I'm going to need some examples. I have a hard time believing that any of you played all the levels on Angry Birds Lite and then said "Gee, I still don't know if this is something I'll like."

So if it's not Angry Birds, then what? What 'Lite' version did you try that just wasn't good enough? What features were omitted that just made it impossible to decide?

This is a pretty serious charge to make (that 'Lite' apps are worthless) and I've seen several people say it without giving any examples. That's not good enough. Start talking.

If only there was a requirement to have a "lite" version if the app costs more than $3 or so. A lot of times I've gone in and thought about a $10-15 game, but changed my mind because there wasn't A. a lite version to try out and B. enough positive reviews that weren't sketchy as can be. Many times, for apps I've been thinking about getting, there hasn't been a lite version to try out, so it turns into a crap shoot

 

[mrblack927]

Wow. Ironically, just as we were discussing how Apple should "switch to Android's model" and offer 24 hour refund periods, Android decides to almost eliminate it!

Android Market update shrinks app refund window to 15 minutes

How interesting. Maybe Apple does have it right?

 

[George Knighton]

Has anybody picked up on the fact that iOS 4.2.1 no longer has a way to detect whether or not you have a jailbreak?

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/121010-apple-ios-jailbreak.html

I wonder where they are going with this. Could be good news for people looking for an expansion of the approved programming techniques that will make it to the App Store.

 

[RetiredInFl]

I agree with the OP's underlying theory. Any APP over $1.00 I try (pirate/steal whatever you want to call it) before I buy it. Like the Android app store where you have a 24hr no questions asked trial, or any B&M store I shop in for shirts, shoes or TV's, I want the option to return what isn't satisfactory or is "defective." I do the same thing with software for my PC. I've been doing that for over 50 years and don't have the slightest feeling of guilt. My feeling is if the product isn't satisfactory I shouldn't have to pay for it. I recently "tested" Navigon, TomTom and Sygic. Navigon won, they were all deleted, and I purchased Navigon. I'll be damned if I am going to spend my hard earned money on ANY product (software or otherwise) and not be able to return it if it is unsatisfactory. The money is I pay is no different than the money the devs or manufacturers make. We all work hard for it.