As many people have already figured out, the 1.1.4 firmware and every version number underneath can be jail-broken for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Many lower-end users who do not understand filesystem’s or UNIX generally choose to just let Installer handle their installations and uninstallations. This works for those users, but their is the elite group. Those who want to tinker with the mobile OS X’s UNIX shell and base and want to utilize and control its power. These users want full access to the filesystem, and until recently used OpenSSH, which is a secure connectivity tool so people can read and write to a filesystem remotely via a router or the internet. However efficient this is, it has it’s downfalls. Many times the daemon has to continually broadcast the SSH connection, even when it is not in use, and there are no GUI controls to manipulate it’s features. This just doesn’t seem like the ideal way to connect to an OS X based product and is definitely not the prettiest *Mac Style*

Now, Apple has this wonderful, easier to use, LAN file transfer protocol called AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), also called AppleTalk. This is the ideal way to share and distribute files over a Mac-dominant LAN, because it is totally integrated within OS X itself and it’s tools like Finder. Now this is file control in style. Now, how can we use these built-in tools with the iTouch?

Welcome to AFPd. It’s a simple AFP server for the iPhone or iPod Touch that provides full access to the filesystem on your iPod or iPhone, plus a GUI for controlling options, no questions asked. It however can arguably be more secure than SSH because you can control whether it’s broadcasted over the LAN and whether you can actually transfer data over it. Not to mention it’s gorgeous in Mac OS X Leopard, automatically being identified if it’s enabled in the sidebar of Finder and full read and write access in all Cocoa glory. Delicious. Now isn’t that better than controlling your pride and joy in Transmit or PuTTy?

Click to enlarge images

3 days after I got my iTouch, I jailbroke it. More importantly, I jailbroke my touch on a PPC machine, for all those haters who said it couldn’t be done, Intel only, bla bla bla. That should provide some eager PPC users the reassurance they need to attempt this themselves. I used this tutorial at touchdev, and everything worked perfectly. Plus it was easy like a Sunday morning.

That being said, I’ve been using Cyberduck’s SSH feature plus Installer.app on the touch to install the third party apps I have been craving since I got the touch screen filled goodness. On my touch currently, I have the following apps:

• Google Maps - self explanatory*requires GMM framework in Library > Frameworks*
  
• TextEdit - self explanatory *alternative to Notes on iPhone, which in Mail 3.0 has a syncing feature, not doubt leaving the touch users in the dark.
  
• NES - an emulator for NES games. Reads all NES ROM’s I’ve currently tried including my favorite: Kirby Adventure!

• MobileChat - for all your instant messaging purposes.
• MobileFinder - just kind of fun to have around, portable finder on your touch.
• Weather - need to know when its going to pour, right?
• Installer - hurray for self extracting packages and the apps that go inside them!
• Terminal - my mobile UNIX haven.

What apps have you guys used and what do you guys recommend anything to add to my list?

Things are buzzing in the Mac World, and I mean buzzing. Seems as though two people have finally been able to break the jailbreak on the iTouch, YIPPPPPEEEEEEE!

For those who don’t know, I did splurge and spend 430 dollars on a iPod Touch, and I LOVE IT!!!! That would explain my sheer joy to hear that I will be able to install 3rd party apps on it. Let’s tune in to TUAW or Endgadget for more, and for minute updates go to #betatest at irc.toc2rta.com.

PS: I have pictures of my touch =D

Click here for my sweet-action-awesomeness pictures