Last December, word got out from distant China that a local hack team, named POANDSOUL, busted the Nokia Lumia 920 open. Now, the same guys have published some photos and information on their Weibo account, outlining a first of its kind tweak app for Windows Phone 8.
It looks like something that came straight out of a WP8-based Cydia app store. When the jailbreaking method goes out in the wild, it will be the first step towards forming an open developer community around Microsoft's tightly controlled platform.
POANDSOUL's tool lets the user get around some of Windows Phone's limitations. For example, it has an option to turn off the display's auto-timeout feature. It can make the text in system apps smaller.
Notably, the tool lets you choose the number of columns on your start-screen, making it possible for the Lumia 920 to display three columns of Live Tiles - a privilege only for 1080p Windows Phone 8 handsets.
The app also has the ability to save maps to the SD card, disable the FM Radio option, and enable Data Sense. It's not yet clear whether this tool works only on the Lumia 920, or covers all Windows Phone handsets.
Currently, POANDSOUL is keeping the jailbreak method and tool to themselves and their friends, as they fear the hack would lead to rampant piracy. We agree, it doesn't take a Nostradamus to predict that this will be the exact outcome.
Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.
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