To upgrade or not to upgrade...

[fre_ber]

The agony of indecision. I have a jailbroken iPad2 3G GSM, OS 4.3.3. I have several JB tweaks installed and i recently discovered that the built-in mic is, and probably always has been, broken. Since I made this discovery I have been fretting about restoring my pad to factory settings and asking the store for a replacement. Now the JB for OS 5.0.1 is out and the race is on before Apple releases the next version and the signing window closes.

I don't really use my iPad for voice communication, I didn't even notice that the mic was broken until over six months after the purchase.

I don't really know if I need or want any of the new features of OS 5.0.1.

I don't really know the easiest way to get my JB tweaks and their settings back if I upgrade.

I don't really know if I want to lose the screen protector I have on my iPad. I assume that if I can get a replacement with a functioning mic, it will probably not include a screen protector.

Can you please help me decide, and since time is short, please do it quickly...

 

[AfternoonShift]

Some apps require iOS 5. And if you ever FaceTime or skype down the road, no one will hear you. Just write down what tweaks you have and get a new one. Seems like a no brainer to me!

 

[Pjon]

I understand you fre_ber. Almost in the same issue here but I will update to 5.0.1 since there is already a JB and saw goodbye to 4.3.3. Now since the mic is broken on you iPad 2 I would take to Apple to have it fix or replace and lose the JB.

 

[fre_ber]

Thanks for the input. I will at least investigate the possibility of a replacement. I don't quite see a future of me going nuts on the facetime thing, but it annoys me that the pad is broken.

 

[guthrien]

Go for the replacement and jailbreak ASAP. You can write down your tweaks and backup your apps and data to restore. It's not simply the new features, which will be fun and useful. The speed boost is considerable in the browser and UI. This jailbreak runs more optimized than my 4.3.3 did despite its relative newness and expected growing pains. Not to mention having your working hardware (how about Siri on your iPad being a possibility?)

 

[fre_ber]

Would "dpkg -l" be a good way to make that list of installed tweaks? It looks about right at first glance, but of course it shows all packages - not only ones i have selected to install but also packages that the ones I chose depends on. Do you think that I will be able to find all my tweaks with the output from that command?

I noticed that the command suffers from the truncated package names bug when run on the console, however when piped to a file it works as I want it to.

 

[Mickey330]

The easiest way, for me, to keep track of Cydia tweaks I've downloaded, have installed or have tried and deleted - is to use an Excel spreadsheet.

May I suggest you go to the Installed tab in Cydia and write down (or type) the list of tweaks currently installed on your iPad. Make sure you have the gray box in the upper right titled Simple showing. Or, you can take screenshots... This way, you only get the list of Cydia tweaks you have installed - not all the ones that get installed along with your selections. You'll still get some that are included with various tweaks, but it won't be as big a list as running "dpkg -l" would get you.

In addtion, on the main page of Cydia, in the left column, is a line titled "Manage Account." If you press on it and sign in, you'll see a box of "Installable Purchases." This'll be the list of tweaks you bought at any time. It won't help, obviously, for the free tweaks, but it'll help.

Good luck with your decision.

Marilyn

 

[fre_ber]

Thanks. I saved both the "dpkg -l" output and took screen shots of the list in Cydia to be safe.

Now it feels odd. I am no longer jailbroken. Scary feeling to be back in jail. I tested the mic again since Apple support insisted that it could be a software error. Of course it wasn't. Still nothing but static. So tomorrow I will go to try and get a replacement. Hopefully I will still be in the window when I get the new one - that is if I don't get one right away in the shop. But even if I don't and Apple ships the new OS tomorrow, I still have a good chance of getting a device with 5.0.1, even if it takes them a few days to decide if they want to repair it or give me a new one... Hopefully...

If all this goes well, however, I will be back to the dilemma of screen protector or no screen protector. I was happy with my protector, it felt safe. But I will tackle that one when the time is right. *grin*

 

[fre_ber]

Ok, I got my replacement iPad today and now it is time to take it out of jail.
Edit: jail broken, restored and sync in progress. Looks good so far.

 

[Mickey330]

Yay!

Good to see it all got sorted in the end.

Marilyn

 

[fre_ber]

Yes, unfortunately some of the tweaks I used does not work on iOS 5. But I am looking for suitable replacements.

 

[fre_ber]

I apologise for the repeated double post, but has anyone tested "SwirlyMessage for iPad 3G" or "KBShortcuts" on iOS 5.0.1, iPad2 GSM?

I would like to be able to send and receive SMS natively on my iPad and I have grown dependent on the "cursor" keys of KBShortcuts. Before my upgrade I purchased KBShortcuts but used the free SwirlySMS thingy. Since the latter is no longer functioning, I would like to know if the bigger version works before paying for it.