Long before the launch of Apple’s official App Store, Jay Freeman (otherwise known as Saurik) unleashed Cydia, an open repository of third-party applications for jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches. If you knew the right server addresses (or “Sources”), you could get just about anything. Sure, some folks use it for getting around that whole “paying for stuff” thing – but for the most users, its primary use is the distribution of applications that Apple won’t allow in their store. It’s the only way to get recording or streaming video apps (Cycorder and Qik, respectively) or tethering apps (PDANet) onto your iPhone, for example. The only snag: if developer’s want to sell their application, they have to handle payments themselves. But that’s about to change.
