How to customize your iPhone or iPod Touch with SummerBoard

April 22nd, 2008 by Ross McKillop | Print This Post Print This Post
iPod/iPhone

SummerBoard is an extension to the iPhone and/or iPod Touch SpringBoard user experience. SummerBoard adds a variety of useful and fun features to your iPhone/iPod Touch, including scrolling icons, wallpaper and themes.

Get started by installing SummerBoard - if you’re using the iPhone/iPod Touch firmware 1.1.3 or higher, you can use Installer.app. Otherwise, head to the SummerBoard home page and manually install it (instructions are found inside the .zip file).

  1. Once SummerBoard is installed, you’ll have a SMBPrefs button on your SpringBoard
  2. smbprefs springboard icon
    click to enlarge

  3. Select it and from here you can customize your SpringBoard
  4. SummerBoard prefs
    SummerBoard Preferences
    the rest of the SummerBoard prefs
    scroll down to see the rest
  5. One of the first things you’ll want to do is check out some of the themes. Select the Themes entry from the top of the SummerBoard prefs. There are 4 themes included with SummerBoard - Leopard, Louie Mantia, Panther and SummerBoard
  6. default list of SummerBoard themes
    click to enlarge

    Default SummerBoard Themes

    Leopard theme for SummerBoard
    Leopard Theme
    Louie Mantia theme for SummerBoard
    Louie Mantia Theme
     
    Panther Theme for SummerBoard
    Panther Theme
    SummerBoard theme for SummerBoard
    SummerBoard Theme
  7. To install more Themes, open Installer.app, select Install from the bottom button bar, and scroll down to Themes (SummerBoard).
  8. Installer.app categories
    click to enlarge

  9. From here you’ll have dozens (hundreds?) of themes to choose from.
  10. SummerBoard Themes list in Installer.app
    click to enlarge

  11. There are a number of other things you can do to customize your SpringBoard with SummerBoard. One is to “Skip Last Row” - which will set your iPhone/iPod Touch to use one less row, increasing the “black” space between your apps and the Dock.
  12. springboard with last row skipped
    First screen of apps
    another view of the springboard with last row skipped
    Second screen of apps
  13. You can also hide your Icon (app) labels..
  14. hidden icon names in the SpringBoard
    click to enlarge

  15. or hide your Dock labels.
  16. Dock labels hidden in SpringBoard
    click to enlarge

  17. Play around with the various SummerBoard options until you’ve customized your SpringBoard to suit you :)

Related Posts:

 How to customize the music icons (buttons) on your iPhone or iPod Touch
 How to accurately relocate the cursor in Notes for your iPhone or iPod Touch
 How to access uTorrent from your iPhone or iPod Touch
 150 Great Themes for your iPhone or iPod Touch (SummerBoard)
 How to install the iPhone applications Mail, Notes, Stocks, Weather, and Maps on your iPod Touch

  1. 8 Responses to “How to customize your iPhone or iPod Touch with SummerBoard”

  2. By Tom on Apr 30, 2008 | Reply

    Hey!
    Nice post, read it after the 150 themes one. Might just be me being silly but i have looked quite alot and i can’t find a decent tutorial on how to get SPRINGboard onto you iphone. Just thought you might be interested in havin a go.

  3. By Nick on May 8, 2008 | Reply

    It wont work on my 1.1.4 iphone…

  4. By Ross McKillop on May 8, 2008 | Reply

    @Nick:

    I just installed version 3.2 of Summerboard, via Installer.app, on my 1.1.4 iPod Touch. It worked perfectly. Did you reboot your iPhone/iPod Touch after installing Summerboard?

    Ross

  5. By itworkslol on May 8, 2008 | Reply

    one thing you have to do is restrat the whole ipod touch/iphone in order for it to take effect. that was a problem on mine.

  1. 4 Trackback(s)

  2. Apr 22, 2008: Ipod » Blog Archive » How to customize your iPhone or iPod Touch with SummerBoard
  3. Apr 22, 2008: Iphone » How to customize your iPhone or iPod Touch with SummerBoard
  4. Apr 24, 2008: 150 Great Themes for your iPhone or iPod Touch (SummerBoard) - Simplehelp
  5. Apr 27, 2008: joost

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