Customize your iPhone
posted 8 months, 1 week ago // 6 comments // comments are closed
I’ve been enamored with my iPhone since standing in line for it back on June 29th. It’s the only thing I’ve ever waited in line for (not even concert tickets or an Xbox360) and so far I’ve been thrilled with it — it’s the single coolest item I’ve ever owned.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t dive into hacking and customizing it the minute various 3rd-party options became available, and now with Nullriver Software’s excellent AppTapp/Installer.app (currently an unsupported beta for OS X and XP/Vista), there’s no reason why anyone shouldn’t start playing (well, other than the possibility of somehow ruining your iPhone and maybe voiding the warranty in the process — standard disclaimers apply from this point on; you have been warned).
Tutorials in this series
If you already have the required software installed (see below), you can jump directly to each article as it becomes available (this list may expand as more options become available):
- DockSwap (make your dock look like the iPod Touch)
- SummerBoard (including themes and SpringBoard options)
- Ringtones (like the one in the TV ads) - coming soon
- Cool Applications & Launchers - coming soon
What you’ll need
To play along at home, you’ll need a few things before we begin:
- AppTapp/Installer.app (available for OS X and XP/Vista)
- Community Sources (via Installer.app)
- OpenSSH (via Installer.app)
- BSD Subsystem (via Installer.app)
- A desktop application capable of SFTP connections (e.g. Transmit for OS X, or CuteFTP for Windows)
Each tutorial will also list any other software needed to complete the steps, but you’ll need the items above no matter what.
Do you like to “do it yourself”?
I’m not really describing anything groundbreaking in these how-to’s, so if you want to just dive in and learn everything there is to know, the iPhoneAtlas list of native applications is a great place to start.
Add your suggestions
As always, if you have any tips, tricks or links that will add to the experience, post a comment on the appropriate tutorial (or this entry if it’s more general info).
Welcome back to blogging :)
I’mm’a keep this book marked for when I get my iphone. However, as I’m moving to sweden, I think I’ll wait till that rumored 3G/16gb version comes out :D
I’ve been looking everywhere for a simple way to install MobileTwitterrific with no luck. What did you use to install it?
@Aaron: It was available through Installer.app for a short while, but appears to have been removed. The version I’m running can barely be called an alpha, and a new version will be available shortly (according to Twitterrific’s developer, Craig Hockenberry), so you won’t have to wait much longer.
Where do you find the iPhone icons to create the reflections? I switched the four icons in my “dock” and want the right icon reflections down there. Thanks! Great posts!!
@Jay: The easiest way is to install “Dock” (a 3rd party application launcher for the iPhone) from Installer.app. Once installed, a small sunburst appears in the very bottom-right corner of the iPhone’s screen. Touch that sunburst and drag towards the center of the screen to activate the list of applications, and all the way at the top-right of the list you’ll see “Screenshot”.
When you take a screenshot, the image is placed in your camera’s default album, and can then be emailed or imported into iPhoto on your next sync. Take a screenshot of your home screen, and then you can select, isolate, flip and change the transparency on your custom icons.
hi i have ver1.0.2 i phone and want to install summerboard in simple way .anyone give me help..thank,s