Warning: Recent Apple Software updates may 'brick' your iPhone if you carry jailbreak it or unlock the handset from Apple's preferred network provider.

The Apple iPhone was designed to be a closed system with Apple preventing any third-party applications, games or utilities being added to it.

However because the operating system is based on Unix industrious programmers have already found various methods of bypassing Apple's 'barriers' and allowing people to add new software to their iPhones.

At first this meant a lot of rather scary programming processes with names like 'jailbreak' which were enough to have the typical iPhone user running for the hills while cradling their iPod protectively.

But in recent weeks many of these indimidating command line routines have matured into simple, easy-to-install programs that safely open your iPhone to new features such as IM, RSS readers, games and more.

One of the best of these is called AppTapp and it's now available for both Windows and Mac computers - although inevitably it's easier to install on Macs.

Windows Instructions

1. Download iBrickr to your PC
2. Connect your iPhone to your PC
3. Run iBrickr and follow the onscreen instructions
4. Once iBrickr is up and running click on the Applications link then click the Browse Applications button
5. Scroll through the list of applications until you come to Installer. Install this onto your iPhone. You should now see an Installer icon on your iPhone's main menu

Mac Instructions

1. Download AppTapp to your computer
2. Run AppTap and follow the onscreen instructions
3. When it asks for you iPhone's firmware version check by going to the main menu, click on Settings then General and then About. Check the number next to Version - in this case it's 1.0.2 Choose your version and click Continue
4. The application will install and the iPhone will restart. You should now see an Installer icon on your iPhone's main menu

Using Installer

Installer is a clever application because its uses your iPhone's networking capabilities - via EDGE or WiFi - to access a central database of software programs and updates.

Click on the Installer icon on the main menu and it will automatically download links to all the latest software on its servers - it may even offer to update the Installer application itself. If it does click on Update and then click on the iPhone's Home button

Click on the Installer icon again. You should see a long list of programs subdivided by categories such as Featured, Development, Games, Multimedia, Network, Ringtones, System, Toys, Tweaks, Utilities and Wallpaper

The four buttons at the top of the Installer screen let you Install, Update and Uninstall programs - while the Sources button lists the providers of the programs you have already installed on your iPhone.

Installing a program

1. Click on the Install button
2. Click on the program you want to install. You will see a screen showing you information about the software including its version number and size.
3. Click on the Install button and then Yes to install the program
4. The software will be downloaded and copied onto the iPhone
5. When the transfer has finished click on the Home button
6. Your iPhone will then lock itself. Unlock the iPhone and you should see the icon of the program you installed in the main menu. Click on the icon to launch the program as usual

Uninstalling a program

1. Go to the main menu and click on Installer
2. Click on the Uninstall button
3. Click on the program you want to uninstall
4. Click on the Uninstall button to remove the program and click Yes to confirm. The program will be uninstalled and you will go back to a list of third-party programs that remain on your iPhone

Updating a program

Note: when you launch Installer it should automatically list any programs that have updates available - the icon will have a numeral on it in the same way as the Mail icon shows unread emails.

1. Go to the main menu and click on Installer
2. Click on the Update button
3. A list of programs that have available updates will appear. Click on the program you want to update
4. Click on the Update button to update the program and click Yes to confirm. The program will be updated and you will go back to the list of third-party programs that have available updates