Get 13 iPhone OS 3.0 Features on Your iPhone Now
If you're as geeked as we are about the iPhone OS 3.0 features announced last month, you'll be even more geeked when you learn you can get a baker's dozen of 'em right now, today.
PC World serves up 13 OS 3.0-style goodies, including copy-and-paste, Spotlight search, and tethering, that current iPhone owners can get via third-party apps and services. The catch? Well, it's probably what you'd expect.
Specifically, some of these programs require a jailbroken iPhone. If you're not familiar with that term, it means hacking your iPhone so it can run software not officially approved by Apple. It's a do-at-your-own-risk procedure, one that could potentially void your warranty or even hose up your handset.
Of course, once you get a load of some of these apps, you may decide it's worth the risk. For example:
Tethering Much-awaited, the ability to bridge an iPhone's Internet connection with a PC or laptop is still in the planning stages at Apple. Apple promises the functionality will be available in the 3.0 firmware update, but there's no word as to what (if anything) AT&T might charge for additional bandwidth costs. If you're rocking a PC, then the Cydia application PdaNet is your all-in-one tethering system. Just hook your iPhone to your computer via USB cable and run the accompanying applications on both the iPhone and PC sides.
Sounds good, no? Other available features include a landscape keyboard, MMS messaging, peer-to-peer networking, and note synchronization (via Evernote, a longtime favorite around here).
What do you think? Is this stuff worth the risks of jailbreaking? Personally, I can wait a few months more for OS 3.0, but I'm chomping at the bit to get tethering.