google-site-verification=rELuVVyS5Y8o0Ezst8ITY3su3PIT5khzDgo-anRp4o8 What Does Jailbreaking a Phone Mean? ~ Tech Senser - Technology and General Guide

16 Aug 2012

What Does Jailbreaking a Phone Mean?

Jailbreaking a Phone
If you’re in the market for a phone, you’ve probably heard the term ‘jail-broken’ or ‘unlocked’. But if you don’t know what the term means, then you have no real way of deciding if the phone is right for you, or if you will be able to use it.
There are a couple of things you should consider before getting a jail-broken phone, mostly pertaining to why you would want it to be jail-broken, or why you shouldn’t.

Here’s a quick overview of what jailbreaking is, and what it can do for your phone.

What is Jailbreaking?

Jailbreaking or unlocking is the process of removing the limitations or locks imposed on the phone by the creating company. Usually these locks can do everything from restrict what sim cards can be used (I.E. restrict the phone to be used with one telephone company) to restricting what hardware or software can be used on the phone. (As in prevent any modifications or using non-approved apps on your phone.)

Jailbreaking usually involves accessing the operating system through root access. Usually this means having the know how to access and change code manually, or using an FTTP program, which requires the use of computer codes which you already have to know. In either case, the process is risky and can damage your phone if you do it yourself without knowing how.

However jailbreaking your phone can provide a lot of benefits, especially if you don’t want to stick to your factory default settings, themes or contract.

What a Jail-broken Phone Can Do

A jail-broken phone is essentially the same piece of software with all company limitations removed. Popular smartphones such as Blackberry and iPhone usually come with built in limitations that restrict you to using one phone carrier, restrict you to using apps and music sold on that phones store or system, and restrict the themes and files you can use on the phone. When you jailbreak it, you can use any themes or files you want, can usually add apps from other carriers and can use a contract or sim card from any carrier.

Getting a jail-broken phone is a great option if you want to use apps that you’ve already purchased on your new phone. However; the most common reason for getting a jail-broken phone is because you want to use a phone carrier that doesn’t have the phone you want. For example, if you get a jail-broken phone then you can use it with a very cheap mobile service.

Most phones that you can purchase with a contract will come with a very expensive 2 year contract that will often end up costing a great deal more than the phone would have without the contract. When you purchase a jail-broken phone and use it on a cheaper carrier, you can save a lot of money.

Should I Get A Jail-broken Phone?

The first thing you should do is research. How many minutes do you need each month, how much does the phone you want to get cost, and how much would the monthly payments with a 2 year contract be? After you’ve made these decisions, you can figure out if you want to get a jail-broken phone. Unlocked phones are usually cheaper over time, but will often come without warranty because jailbreaking usually voids any warranties on the device.

You should also consider whether or not you would actually be using the minutes provided with an expensive phone plan. It’s a poor decision to purchase a jail-broken phone only to realize that you have to pay for an expensive contract with a lot of minutes anyway. Make your decisions wisely, and then purchase your phone.

If you’re interested in purchasing a jail-broken phone, you can get unlocked mobile phones online, already unlocked for you.

Faizan Ahmad
About the Author:

This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.