[gr8fl4porsche]

Two issues being discussed.

Unlocking and Jailbreaking

Unlocking is used to break the service providers hold on the device.

Jailbreaking is used to break the manufacturers hold on the device.

You cannot switch network types, only carriers of that network. Many phones and tablets are only produced with the ability to 'talk' to one type of network. When purchasing an i product for example, you have to choose a carrier and you are basically stuck with it. You can 'unlock' the device to use on alternate carriers of the same type of network. ATT and T-Mobile for example share the same design so they are interchangeable. In order to unlock, the carrier has to give the manufacturer consent (terms of contract have been honored) to unlock the device or you can basically hack the device to eliminate the line of code tying the device to a specific carrier.

Many unlock hacks begin with jailbreaking. Jailbreaking is required to eliminate the manufacturers choice to disallow access to the 'root' of the operating system. Imagine using a PC that can only download software from a store owned and managed by Microsoft. Access to windows explorer and the structure of the computer are essentially locked. Only changes specifically allowed by MS can be performed. It's Windows Media player or nothing.

Jailbreaking alters the boot sequence of the phone and skips the portion of booting which requires every app installed to be 'digitally signed' by Apple.

The phone is now open. Any app can be installed by any developer. Use at your own risk.

There is an app store called Cydia that allows these non approved apps to be accessed from a central location. One can also install apps directly from any developer since the structure of the phones files are now accessible.

One of my favorite changes I like to make is speeding up the graphic processor. While the phone is not technically faster, it sure feels that way. A tap on the screen brings an instantaneous result.