The iPhone hack scene has been around for almost as long as the handset has been out in the market, yet a lot of mainstream users still haven't caught on to the benefits of this craft. If you've been too scared or too lazy to jump aboard, this is your chance to catch up.

We'll be putting up a series of tutorial posts that will help you become part of the iPhone homebrew community so you can enjoy the stuff that users like yourself have been creating at the comfort of their households.We assure you that we'll do it in the safest, most easy to understand manner possible so that virtually anyone can follow.

But first, you need to understand just what exactly you're getting into. Knowing what iPhone homebrew can and can't do for you is paramount, and we feel that it's necessary that you think this over before you proceed.

The benefits of iPhone homebrew

Essentially, there's no huge reason to go and hack your iPhone. There's nothing to the magnitude of running ISO files on the Sony PSP with Custom Firmware or anything of that ilk. At best, you'll be able to have custom ringtones, the ability to run user-made games, play old NES titles with an emulator, and capture iPhone screenshots. There's nothing revolutionary as of yet, so why should you go on?

 If you're an iPhone owner who just uses the handset to make calls, send email, and compose SMS, you probably won't appreciate hacking your unit. However, if you find fun in tinkering with the iPhone and you want yours to be as unique as possible, this guide will definitely please you.

Or, if you're one of the many who are miffed at the fact that the iPhone has to be tied with an AT&T subscription, you'll definitely love this. The guide will help you emancipate your handset from AT&T and go Benny-haha with just about any SIM card belonging to virtually any mobile network in the world.

We'll kick things off with the sledgehammer that slams the homebrew door open on your iPhone. This process is known as Jailbreaking, coined from the act of freeing the iPhone from Apple's loving clutches. It exploits the communication feature provided by the iPhone's serial port and allows your Mac to talk directly to the device, giving way to applications and other data feeds.

Jailbreaking the iPhone with iFuntastic- For this portion, we'll be using a program called iFuntastic. It's a popular app because it's arguably the easiest to use and it's as safe as can be. It walks you through the process and does so quickly and efficiently.

Jailbreaking opens up your iPhone's file system and allows direct communication between it and the Intel Mac. This will provide the entry point in which cooler stuff can pass through as we go along.

What you need

• An Intel Mac computer
• An iPhone
• iPhone serial cable
• iPhone hack software
• A Wi-Fi network with both the iPhone and the Mac in it
  

Procedure

1. Unzip the software pack which you can download below and paste it to your Desktop. Open it up and look for iFuntastic. Double click it and install it.

2. Restart your Mac to make sure that you have a clean slate in which there is minimal risk of crashes.

3. Turn the iPhone on and connect it to your Mac with its cable.

4. After connecting the iPhone, iTunes should launch on the Mac. Just quit it and we'll be good to go.

5. Launch the newly-installed iFuntastic. A window with a button labeled Prepare to its left should appear. Press the button now.

6. You'll see another button called Jailbreak at the bottom of the window. Hit it. If the process is a success, you'll see something like this:

 

Your iPhone is now free from the bonds that Apple has shackled it with! In succeeding posts, we'll show you how to take advantage of this new door which has just been opened.

Download: iFuntastic v5.00

This guide was created using information from:

Gizmodo
Macworld
Tuaw

Obligatory Disclaimer: Please be aware that QJ.net can't be held liable if your iPhone implodes or spontaneously combusts during the Jailbreaking process, but then you already knew that didn't you?