The developer behind Cydia, a package installer and manager for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches, is opening an App Store-like service, according to the Wall Street Journal. Cydia will offer applications not allowed onto the App Store, such as the free Cycorder app, which allows the iPhone to shoot video, and PdaNET, a $29 program that allows the iPhone to function as a cellular modem.
Jay Freeman, developer of Cycorder and the Cydia Store, says he decided to launch the service so developers whose work is either outlawed or denied access to the App Store have a way to make money from their efforts. A 27-year-old computer science doctoral student in Santa Barbara, Freeman says he intends to charge developers no more than the commission Apple does for his site’s billing services.
Apple recently argued to the U.S. Copyright Office that jailbreaking constitutes copyright infringement and a DMCA violation, and is therefore illegal; Freeman says he has a lawyer lined up in case Apple takes legal action against him.
