Like the iPhone, new Windows Phone 7 powered smartphones are locked down as far as app installation is concerned, meaning users can only install new applications via the Windows Marketplace. Google’s Android OS allows end-user app installation, but the functionality must be manually enabled in the Settings menu.
But just as the iPhone and iPad have been “jailbroken,” the colloquial term for bypassing various OS lockdowns, so too has Windows Phone 7.
The free software tool that makes this possible, ChevronWP7, was created by Windows enthusiasts Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh and Long Zheng, and each is prominently listed on the utility’s main screen (seen above). There’s no reason to hide, of course, since jailbreaking is openly sanctioned by the U.S. government.
ChevronWP7 works over a USB cable and requires a PC running Windows XP SP2 (or higher), Windows Vista or Windows 7. The unlocking process is also reversible using the same tool, should you wish to undo the procedure for whatever reason.
For the average Windows Phone user, this development doesn’t mean much today – but in the coming weeks and months, the ability of end users to freely install home brewed and third-party apps without going through Microsoft may prove as popular for Windows Phone users as it has for Android and the iOS – not to mention Windows Mobile.