Everybody's making an online application store for mobile devices these days. Palm, Google, Microsoft, RIM, and, of course, Apple, already have or are working on their offerings. Apple's caught a good deal of flack for the heavy-handed control it wields over its App Store, restricting everything from games with minor political content, to programs adding functionality Apple doesn't want its users having (video recording, for one), to pretty much anything with adult content in it. Frustrated users have taken to jailbreaking their phones, letting them install un-Apple-approved software. app , planning their own App Stores.

Users who want to take the plunge into hacking their iPhones start off by tracking down a jailbreak program. These take advantage of flaws in Apple's software to inject code into the phone that disable the check on only letting Apple-approved App Store downloads run. Though Apple fights back by often disabling these hacks in their firmware updates, the hackers inevitably find another way in. Once the handset is open, many users install a program called Cydia which provides a gateway to track down and install other apps. These apps are mostly free, though developers can set up their own payment structures if they want to support paid versions of their programs as well. Cydia is looking to change that by providing a unified payment system, similar to what the App Store uses. Considering all the work users must go through to jailbreak their phones and even get to the Cydia storefront, any step like that to make purchases go smoothly should really help sales.

Besides Cydia, there are companies planning to set up similar systems. One called Rock Your Phone is working on what looks like an all-in-one solution, handling not only the sales and app distribution, but jailbreaking your iPhone in the first place. We've heard no word on just how they're going to manage that, and what it would cost you, but it's definitely a great idea, lowering the bar for entry into the world of unauthorized apps. If you've been wishing that your clean-cut iPhone could be a little more blue, there's also a plan in the works from a company hoping to bring adult-oriented games to its own online store.

Of course, all of this is predicated on it being legal. Apple doesn't think so, so we're sure to see a court or two weigh in on the issue before any of these 3rd-party app stores go live.

 

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