For those of you who got burned upgrading their firmware to the 2.2.1 version on their software unlocked iPhones, it is now time to rejoice. Those feisty and curious internet helpers, theiPhone Dev-Team, have released a solution for you.
The iPhone 3.0 OS was jailbroken by the Dev-Team before its official launch last week and they released the solution last weekend giving new users the ability to jailbreak first generation and 3G iPhones and unlock the former. Now there is a solution for all users (with the exception of 3G S users).
If you’re a iPhone 2G user or a 3G user who ISN’T already using the previous Dev-Team release yellowsn0w, then you can use the newly released redsn0w to free your iPhone completely. Jailbroken and unlocked in one fell swoop. However, if you are a 3G user who was using yellowsn0w, redsn0w will not unlock your phone, you’re not out of luck. You just need to use the Cydia/Icy release Ultrasn0w. Check out the steps below taken from the Dev-Team site:
1. Ensure you have upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0
2. Jailbreak your iPhone 3G using redsn0w or PwnageTool (this will also install Cydia/Icy)
3. Run Cydia or Icy
4. Please add the repo repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia or Icy. That last “o” is actually the number zero “0”! If you use the letter “o” you’ll get an error.
5. Search for ‘ultrasn0w’ in cydia or icy and install ultrasn0w
6. Reboot your iPhone 3G
7. T-Mobile USA users should disable 3G before using ultrasn0w
8. Enjoy
What’s next is the Apple iPhone 3G S. Currently there is no jailbreaking solution for that model, but we imagine that it is currently in the works.
The Dev-Team has done it again. Let’s just wait and see how long it takes, before Apple releases a response to this unlock.
On the eve of the official release of the iPhone OS 3.0 and just a few days before the release of the iPhone 3G S, the iPhone Dev-Team has announced that they have unlocked the 3.0 OS and they will be demoing the method of how to use the new yellowsn0w carrier unlock tonight.
If we can trust the image above, which we do considering the Dev-Team’s previous record, users who upgrade to the iPhone OS 3.0 and new owners of the iPhone 3G S will be able to unlock their phones to let them operate on GSM carrier globally.
The new yellowsn0w carrier unlock is being kept under wraps for fear of Apple fixing the weakness that the Dev-Team has found that allows the device to be unlocked. This is also good news for any unlocked iPhone owners who lost their unlock when they mistakenly upgraded to the previous firmware.
The official release of the 3.0 firmware is tomorrow and the unlock will be released very shortly before that, so we’ll have to see how long yellowsn0w will stay functional before Apple puts the kybosh on it.
Apple is up in arms over a unaffiliated iPhone app store that has just recently started selling applications. The store Cydia is selling a number of applications which are not authorized for one reason or another to be sold in the official iTunes Apps store. This store isn’t accessible to all iPhone or iPod touch users. It is only available those who are willing to “jailbreak” their phones. A common term to most mobile heads out their “jailbreaking” involves taking certain Apple imposed locks on the device to allow to use a whole different variety of apps that Apple is not willing to offer.
Apple has responded to this with their regular legal threats. They are maintains that the jail breaking should not be permitted because it exposes iPhone users to security risks and lowers barriers which prevent their iPhones from being targets. Despite all of this being true it isn’t clear what law users would be breaking if they decide to do something like this to a piece of equipment they own themselves. Are they going to revoke iPhone privileges if they discover a user who has made unapproved modifactions to a device? This idea of outlawing certain actions you can do with your own property brings up privacy issues as well.
There are however copyright implications which definitely could cross the lines of piracy in regards to Apple’s OS and whether developers are allowed to manipulate it for their own gains.
A lot of Apple’s threats are on shaky ground and could be conceived as being anti-competitive, but their beef with copyright on the OS definitely has legs. But their motives should always be questioned as they have millions of iPhones in the world and currently have an almost complete strangle hold on the apps side of the business, which with tens of thousands of apps for sale and those numbers growing every day, has been very lucrative for them.
In the meantime Cydia is going to start offering some pretty cool apps that you won’t be able to get elsewhere. The only catch is that you do have to jail break your device. This will probably make Apple cry. Do you want to do that?
In any case, all of this does bring up questions of the value of open source programming and other OS options like Symbian S60 or Google’s rising start Android. Questions that we aren’t willing to answer, but maybe you are.
What do you think of Apple’s posturing? Do you think they have a leg to stand on.
Fear not frugal iPhone shoppers, Brazilians have come to the rescue with the first iPhone 3G unlock solution using a wafer-thin SIM adaptor.
Using methodology similar to the TurboSIM from the original iPhone unlock Paulo and Breno of DesbloqueioBr use a SIM adaptor which tricks the iPhone into believing a test SIM has been inserted and then allows functionality to continue unabated.
The SIM adapter and chip carry all the software/mechanics needed to complete the unlock and Engadget tested it with both Fido and AT&T locked devices with success - so how much? Where can you get it? When will it be available? Now word yet but check out the video and wait patiently dear reader, your Apple iPhone’s freedom awaits.
Is the Apple iPhone Firmware 2.0 Jailbroken already? Is Apple even trying anymore? Screenshots have emerged suggesting that the limited beta release to testers has already met its jailbroken ends.
Only released this month to limited number of testers the beta versions of the iPhone’s forthcoming firmware, slated for June release, the jailbroken firmware opens the prospect of users installing applications outside of Apple’s guidelines, and allow the prospect of bypassing Apple’s iTunes App Store.
From hackers post: “This image shows screenshots of apps running on the 1.2 firmware, which requires a dev certificate to do normally, although none have yet been issued. The jailbreak currently only works with hacked activation, meaning it won’t work with AT&T iPhone’s yet. However, come on, this is like 2 hours ago it happened, you AT&T folk won’t be left in the cold.”
