10 Criminally Cool Apps For A Jailbroken Apple iPhone

First the U.S. Copyright Office gave smartphone jailbreaking the green light. Not long after, JailbreakMe emerged. Now, Apple iPhone users can add whatever apps they please to their once-closed device. There are a host of applications out there to add to a jailbroken iPhone that for some reason or another aren't Apple-sanctioned.

Here we present 10 killer apps to consider after you jailbreak your Apple iPhone.

All of the apps featured here are available in the Cydia store or the Rock Your Phone store.

NOTE: We're not condoning jailbreaking, but if you're going to do it, you may as well have some cool stuff, right?

MyWi 4.0 is a jailbreak app that turns your Apple iPhone into a Wi-Fi or 3G hot spot and lets users tether too. Basically, it gives users the ability to share a connection with computers around them. MyWi 4.0 supports iOS 4. So instead of shelling out $45 a month to AT&T for tethering, users can cough up $19.99 for MyWi 4.0 (users of previous versions of MyWi can upgrade to 4.0 for $9.99) and let the connectivity roll in.

InfiniDock lets iPhone users add an unlimited number of apps to their dock and make them easily scrollable, just like scrolling through pages of apps on the springboard. For 99 cents, users get full dock customization: scrolling, adjustable icon amounts and the ability to add as many icons as you want. InfiniDock also now supports iOS 4.

For $10, Apple iPhone users can have access to a screen other than their background or screen saver while the device is locked. IntelliScreen promises to allow users to view calendar, e-mail, text messages, news, sports and weather from their iPhone "Slide To Unlock" screen while maintaining the functionality of those applications. It actually lets users use the lock screen while the device is locked.

For a measly $2 you can give your jailbroken Apple iPhone a new skin, and iD3 makes that makeover futuristic. Users can tweak various screens, lock screen, icons and other apps. iD3 helps users set their iPhone apart from the pack.

Kick it old-school! Jailbreak app nes4iPhone lets iPhone users play a host of old-school games from the original Nintendo gaming system (NES, duh!). Options include ExciteBike, Super Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punchout, The Legend of Zelda and a bunch more. The game even replicates the original Nintendo controller for that familiar look and feel. Back in the day, an NES system would run you a bundle; nes4iPhone is just $4.99.

One of the major coups of the Apple iPhone 4 was FaceTime, a video chat app that lets users make video calls to other iPhone 4 users. The problem with FaceTime is it's Wi-Fi only. Not anymore. Enter My3G, a jailbreak app that tricks your apps into thinking they're on Wi-Fi when they're really on the 3G network. A jailbroken iPhone and $3.99 get iPhone users MyFi, which in turn delivers FaceTime over 3G. It also lets users watch HD YouTube videos and use other services that require Wi-Fi on the 3G network.

It may only be a minor nuisance, but iPhone users are often frustrated when the phone alerts them of a new SMS message and they have to close out of their current app to reply. Well, worry no more. Tlert, which usually runs for $7.99 but is currently $1 cheaper, lets users compose SMS messages and reply to SMS messages immediately without wasting the five to 10 seconds waiting for the messaging app to open. Tlert offers a nice user interface and landscape replies from any app, even the lock screen. iPhone users will never have to stop what they're doing to swiftly reply to a text message again.

Firewall IP is a security application for jailbroken iPhones that lets users block outgoing connections like TCP and UDP. It hooks into App Store and Cydia applications and will warn users if an app wants to establish a connection to a host while also displaying the host name. From there, users can allow or deny the connection once or always or allow or deny all connections for the application. Firewall IP users can also choose whether applications send data and block some content.

Wi-Fi Sync first made waves with a very public rejection from Apple's App Store. But the app forged on and jailbroken iPhone users can now scoop it up for $9.99. Wi-Fi Sync (shown here in a still from a video demonstration of the app) lets users sync up their Apple iPhone (including iPhone 4) with iTunes over Wi-Fi. The app requires a client to be downloaded to a user's computer too, but it's a small price to pay for not having to fish around for a USB cable and to sync from wherever.

Apparently, the cost of privacy is $11.99. At least that's how much iBlacklist will run iPhone users. iBlacklist promises to block calls and SMS/MMS messages from users. Users can also hide messages from prying eyes. In addition, users can remove the SMS pop-up preview that displays on the lock screen when a new message is received, and a parental control mode can block outgoing calls.