![\"ChevronWP7\"](\"http:\/\/www.pocketpccentral.net\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/chevron7.jpg\" "\\"ChevronWP7\\""){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Like the iPhone, new Windows Phone 7 powered smartphones<\/a> are locked down as far as app installation is concerned, meaning users can only install new applications via the Windows Marketplace. Google\u2019s Android OS allows end-user app installation, but the functionality must be manually enabled in the Settings <\/em>menu.<\/p>\n But just as the iPhone and iPad have been \u201cjailbroken,\u201d the colloquial term for bypassing various OS lockdowns, so too has Windows Phone 7. <\/p>\n The free software tool that makes this possible, ChevronWP7<\/a>, was created by Windows enthusiasts Rafael Rivera<\/a>, Chris Walsh<\/a> and Long Zheng<\/a>, and each is prominently listed on the utility\u2019s main screen (seen above). There\u2019s no reason to hide, of course, since jailbreaking is openly sanctioned<\/a> by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For the average Windows Phone user, this development doesn\u2019t mean much today \u2013 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 \u2013 not to mention Windows Mobile. <\/p>\n via Engadget<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2019s 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 […] Continue reading