Confused by all the terms being banded around when trying to learn about the iPhone? Then you’re in the right place! Below are the most common words and phrases, along with a short description of what they mean. If there’s any we’ve missed, let us know and I’ll add it for you.

Jailbreak

• The process of making your iPhone open to unsigned code. This lets you install all the cool apps found on installer and elsewhere.

Unlock

• Unlocking allows you to use an iPhone with any sim card (except 3), meaning you don’t need to take out a lengthy official contract.

Activation

• When you first buy an iPhone, all you can do with it is ring the emergency services. With an official contract, you would activate using iTunes. If not, you’ll use something like Ziphone or Pwnage. Either way, until activated you can’t do much !

Baseband

• The baseband controls the communication between the actual phone part of the iPhone, and the OS. Without the baseband your iPhone wouldn’t be able to latch onto any cell towers, or connect to your carrier. It’s pretty useful then.

Bootloader

• The bootloader courses quite a stir on the internet, and I’m not really sure why. Basically, the bootloader controls what happens when you turn your iPhone on. The current bootloader is 4.6, which gets downgraded when you use Ziphone. To some people this is a drawback, as it apparently can not be upgraded again. Bearing in mind that older offical iPhones will have the 3.9 bootloader, I don’t personally see what the problem is. Perhaps I’m missing something though. I’m led to believe that other unlocking tools will install a fake bootloader, negating this problem.

Springboard

• This is what you see on your iPhone. Rather like a desktop on your computer. The springboard is where all your icons are.

Summerboard

• Summerboard, or SMB, is the application that allows the editing and skinning of the springboard. This is available via installer.

Installer

• The gateway to new and interesting applications. Installer is where you will download and install all the 3rd party apps. Some are fantastic, some not so much. For more on must have apps check out another of our guides.

Recover Mode

• If you want to do a completely clean restore of your iPhone, you can use recovery mode. Hold the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until the iPhone reboots. When the iPhone reboots and you see the Apple logo, let go of the sleep/wake button while still holding the home button. Now you should see the iTunes logo with a dock cable. You can now use iTunes to restore.