Top 5 Must Have Apps for Your Jailbroken IPhone

So you've just jailbroken your iPhone and now you're wondering what to do with it. You've probably already checked out Cydia and browsed through some of its many apps and are wondering which ones are worth downloading. While there are many useful Cydia apps, the five apps below are an absolute must-have for jailbreakers.

Backgrounder

This very useful app fills a very important void in the iPhone's native functionality: Multitasking. Backgrounder, as its name implies, allows users to keep iPhone apps running in the background. The user can configure Backgrounder to automatically minimize (instead of close) certain apps when the home button is pressed or toggle backgrounding on an app via a series of button presses or touch screen gestures. Even users on iOS 4.0 and up will find this app useful. Unlike the native multitasking in iOS 4.0, Backgrounder keeps the entire app running in the background, not just certain tasks, and is compatible with all apps, including those which have not been updated to support native multitasking.

Winterboard

Winterboard is an application which can modify the look and feel of your iPhone's springboard (the iPhone home screen). This app allows the user to apply themes to the lock screen, springboard, and even certain apps such as the native phone app. With Winterboard, the user can even add animated backgrounds to their iPhone. Plenty of themes for this app can be found on Cydia to help you personalize your iPhone. In addition to this, there are also several system tweaks which can be activated via Winterboard.

Installous

Installous is an app that often gets a bad rap because it can be used to pirate Apple's App Store apps. While this article in no way condones software piracy, Installous is still a very useful app. There are plenty of legal apps that can be found on Installous such as apps that have been rejected by apple and also older versions of apps you already have (which can be useful when an update to an app removes features). The app can also be used to try out apps which don't have a trial version available in the app store. This way, users can decide if the apps is something they actual want before buying the non-refundable app. It's a nice alternative to wasting money on an app you may find out you don't want.

Reminder

This handy little app adds extra notification icons to the iPhone's toolbar. Reminder displays status bar notifications for missed calls, voice mail, text messages, e-mail, MMS messages, instant messengers, and calender events. While this may not be anything spectacular, it's quite convenient to be able to simply glance at the status bar and find out whether you have any new e-mail, voice mail, etc. without even having to unlock your iPhone.

Rock App

An alternative to Cydia, Rock App is another method for downloading jailbreak-compatible apps on your iPhone. This app is capable of downloading and installing most of the apps on Cydia as well as some of it's own apps. Unlike Cydia, Rock allows you to browse other apps while one is already downloading and installing as well as queue multiple app downloads. It's worth noting that some users have complained that Rock is not as stable as Cydia but it's still a much faster alternative worth checking out.