Earlier this week we asked you to share the reasons you jailbroke your devices and the tools you used. Now we’re back with a roundup of great reader comments.
Overwhelmingly the reasoning readers gave was simple: you own the device and you want to do more with it. Rebs said it simply:
Why?
Because it’s mine.
Grant roots his Android phone to help clean it up:
How: Super One Click!
Why: To remove the annoying stuff that the carrier and phone maker added to get it closer to the original OS before they touched it.I had applications that tried to translate everything I installed into a language I don’t speak, and launcher changes that made the device slower and less reliable (Motoblur).
We think just about everyone can relate to that experience; we had a Sprint phone that came with so much crapware it was unreal (like an NFL streaming app and all sorts of propriety Sprint crapware).
TechGeek01 roots somewhat for the functionality but mostly for the geek cred:
I usually look at jailbreak instructions on the trusty old internet.
I’ve jailbroken my Wii, and plan on eventually backing up Wii games to an external hard drive.
I’ve jailbroken my Kindle Keyboard, and have the custom screensaver hack in place.
I’ve rooted my Kindle Fire, and plan on eventually installing Cyanogenmod on it. However, Cyanogenmod was so recently ported to the Kindle Fire, that I am waiting for a version to come out where sound works, and I can revert back to the stock firmware. I’ll probably rarely if ever need to revert back, but i don’t want to be stuck.
When i root or jailbreak my devices, it’s usually just for major geek points, and it really impresses some of my friends. Generally, when I get a device, I jailbreak or root it as soon as I possibly can.
Jojo likes to jailbreak to keep media safe:
IOS devices
– easy to JB
– wanted a better backgrounder, tethering, and to be able to change my SMS tonesWii
– easy to JB, hard to get all the right files/settings in place so that all of the games work
– WiiMC (Media Center) – use to playback media from file server
– Haven’t used a disc in ages. All of my games are backed up onto a hard drive, don’t have to get up to change games, and is easy for kids to choose games to play (no more broken/scratched game discs)
Modding your Wii to backup your games is a great reason (especially with kids in the picture).
Trevor jailbreaks so he can get access to additional features and customize the interface:
I usually stick to the guides over at iphonehacks.com. They are always on top of the best and latest jailbreaks.
The reasons for me to jailbreak are deminishing more and more with each major release however. I use to jailbreak for access to things like multitasking, better SMS messaging, and even so I could change my wallpaper. Apple is. Catching up though, and I don’t have a whole heck of a lot left to jailbreak for. Now it really comes down to two things that I gotten spoiled on with my jailbroken devices: sbsettings for quick access to settings and NoAccSplash to get rid of the stupid accessory attached screen when I connect it to my car.
We love SBSettings and have no idea why the features included in SBSettings are built right into the OS—it’s a shame!
Hit up the original comments thread for more tips and tricks (given the variety of devices we suggest using the find function to search for the device you’re interested in jailbreaking to read device-specific tips).