Do You Have a "Jailbroken" iPhone? Here's a Quick Tip!

I know this post will only apply to my fellow geeks out there in travel land, but I use it enough that it's worth sharing. iPhone jailbreaking is the process of hacking your iPhone so that you can run unofficial code on it, allowing you to load a multitude of unofficial applications, tweaks, and generally anything you can't get from the App Store. You can get more information about how to do it here. Yes, it's totally legal.

There's a jailbroken application called MyWi, and its primary feature is that it allows you to turn your iPhone into a WiFi hotspot. However, it also lets you use your iPhone's internet connection with your computer over USB. While you can share your iPhone's 3G connection with your computer by just paying for AT&T's tethering option, you cannot share your iPhone's WiFi connection with your computer unless you have this application.

Why would you want to do that? Airplane WiFi - that's why! I always buy the WiFi on my phone, which is a few dollars cheaper than the WiFi when purchased through the computer. I then plug my phone into my computer and I have two devices online instead of one. When the food comes out, I can put the computer away, and I still have my iPhone connected. You get the following benefits:

• You save money on the purchase, as GoGo is cheaper through a phone.
• You get two devices connected for less than the price of one laptop connection.
• You get to charge your iPhone while you're on the computer.
• If your computer battery dies, you'll be left with a recently charged iPhone that still has a valid internet connection.
• If you need to put your computer away, you'll still have internet on the phone.

MyWi isn't free. It costs $19.99. I know that putting unauthorized applications on their iPhone isn't something that 90% of the readers are interested in, but for the 10% who are, enjoy!