Veni. Vidi. Pwni. My iPhone has been updated to 2.0-pwnage, I have installed Open SSH and successfully run programs outside the official Apple boundaries. Without getting into details (I hope to do a live chat tomorrow, along with several other developers), I'd rate the new 2.0 Pwnage software as "for dedicated hackers only".

If you're a casual jailbreaker, or looking to simply unlock your iPhone, you probably want to wait for another week for the bugs to be ironed out of the system and the software to become more stable. The iPhone dev team have done a fabulous job as a first approach -- especially under the huge pressure and time constraints they've been subjected to -- but it's still not "ready for Grandma".

Be aware that a 3G unlock is not part of the current pwnage tool. You can still unlock first generation iPhones though. Jailbreak supports every platform: 3G, 1st Gen and iPod touches.

I'm heading off to bed right now so I've only had a few hours to play. 2.0 from the command line seems both slow and clunky, with a noticeable lag after running even just an "ls" command. In contrast, Applications run more sprightly. (Sprightlier?) They launch quickly and in the case of AppFlow (which was rejected from AppStore) with peppier interface interaction.

The Cydia software, a 2.0-ready Installer.app alternative, seems solid. I had no problems downloading OpenSSH and getting it going. Cydia provides several system optimization features that allow you to relocate space-consuming elements from the limited system partition into the more open user partition. Cydia assumes a more command-line friendly audience than Installer.app did and many of its features are best accessed from the shell.

All in all, it's nice to finally be back home on the phone.

If you've been thinking the iPhone Dev Team (the team behind the jailbreaking applications) would die out after firmware 2.0, then think again. That's because the dev team has just published a video showing the jailbreaking process for a 2.0 iPhone.

Update: We are currently uploading the video, in the mean time you can view the video on the iPhone Dev's website.

Back at the introduction of the iPhone (was it only just over a year ago? How the time flies) we all cast a jaundiced eye at Apple's "develop for the Web" philosophy for extending the platform, while simultaneously wondering if Apple might provide a true SDK for the device of the future; I seem to recall a conversation back on an early talkcast where a couple of people (yours truly included) stated for the record that a Apple SDK was an inevitability, with the only question being exactly when.

Now, on the cusp of the official App Store and 2.0 firmware launch and ensuing flood of iPhone/iPod touch native applications, we owe a moment of acknowledgment to the folks who refused to take "Safari" for an answer when it came to making iPhone applications: the jailbreakers and community toolchain developers.

Not to take anything away from the diligent work of the Mobile Safari application developers -- many of their results, including TUAW fave Hahlo, stand up well against desktop apps -- but it's hard not to feel some degree of astonishment when a few (sometimes fractious) loosely-affiliated bands of hackers, with some help from our friends, start from the barest hints of access to the iPhone's system and create castles floating on air.

Scores of applications (some great, some not-so) including music, games, dictionaries, utilities and not one but two complete or nearly-so ports of the BSD subsystem, complete with sophisticated software deployment capabilities, are currently available for jailbroken iPhones and iPod touch handhelds. This is a notable body of work, and what makes it more surprising is that it's been done over the course of one year, absent any support from the device manufacturer (to say nothing of active discouragement) and with no particular financial incentive to proceed. This is hacking in the original, non-pejorative sense: diving into the innards of the coolest gadget under the sun to figure out how it works and how far you can take it.

As exciting as the App Store is, there's a bit of wistfullness amidst the hype and enthusiasm; we are replacing the grimy, rough-edged and self-sustaining Times Square of iPhone application development with the sanitized, "Disney/Apple" reworking of the original. Knowing that a substantial fraction of the jailbreak app developers are under 18 and cannot legitimately join the authorized development program until they come of age, we can only hope that the energy and enthusiasm they brought to the iPhone will not be lost to another mobile platform.

With Apple's release of iTunes 7.7 and the new 2.0 firmware for iPod touch and iPhone, everything seems to be running a day early. Over at hacker central, the iPhone dev team guys are still in wait mode.

For those of you looking for a glimpse of hackage to come, they've posted a number of screen shots, showing all kinds of nifty Apple-unapproved applications.

I've been looking forward to the iPhone pwnage tool for some time now. When released, pwnage will allow you to load pre-customized iPhone firmware bundles via iTunes. This means that instead of jailbreaking your phone after updates, you can install already-jailbroken systems.

Yesterday, the iPhone dev team announced that the pwnage release has been delayed for at least a week. The team is responding to possible legal issues about the "validity and legality of the contents of the tools". The team promises they will not release third-party copyright materials.

When released, pwnage should work with 10.4, 10.5 and Windows.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

ZiPhone, the free jailbreaking and unlocking tool for iPhone, has hit version 3.0. According to the ZiPhone blog, new features include:

• NVRAM fix is no longer needed
  
• Greyed WiFi solution
• YouTube fix is no longer needed
• Apps installer is included
  
• Customized plug-ins
  

You can download the updated installer from the ZiPhone blog.

[via iPhone Hacks]

Thanks Leif!

My refurb AT&T iPhone finally arrived and I found a chance to test out iLiberty+ this afternoon. After wasting a day jailbreaking and messing with my new iPhone, I just could not bypass that annoying activation screen. Yes, I could ssh into the unit and run stuff from the command line but I had to keep working my way around "Connect to iTunes" to get to the SpringBoard screen. So I gave iLiberty+ a try.

After a few false starts, it got going and worked brilliantly. I was able to track progress with the on-screen updates and not only did it activate my iPhone but allowed it to work with a disposable Cingular SIM I had on-hand. All in all, a great success.

After activation though, I could not get iLiberty to work with the iPhone still connected. I wanted to grab screen shots and the program would not launch and stay launched. (I have crash logs if any of the developers are interested.) So in the end, I unplugged the iPhone in order to get the one screen shot you see here.

Part of me wanted to deactivate the iPhone and try again for a screen grab gallery but a much smarter part of me asked "why mess with success?" Given how badly I messed up the phone several times today, that was the part I listened to. A later, complete reboot seemed to fix the problem but I was in no position to go backwards after a day fending off cranky children and an impatient husband, all of whom seemed to think there was a world outside of iPhone.

Update: No, I did not unlock my iPhone.

If you're waiting for a jailbreak tool for the iPhone 1.1.4 firmware (and you aren't eager to hang around for the promised update to Ziphone), iNdependence 1.4 beta 5 might be for you. The latest version of the tool is built to work with the new iPhone firmware without difficulty.

iNdependence is billed as the "easy-to-use interface for jailbreak, activation, SSH installation, and ringtone/wallpaper/application installation on your iPhone." With the new beta, the SIM unlocking (gunlock) capability is rolled in. Full changelog is here.

As always, you jailbreak or unlock your device at your own risk.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

[via Digg]

Looks like the iPhone hacking teams are at it again. This time they have created a custom image where the normal "Connect to iTunes" image should be on a normal iPhone. This image, used when you restore your iPhone or iPod touch, was a yellow triangle and has been updated to the iPod connector and iTunes icon in recent iPhone/touch firmware versions.


Thanks to roxfan, Turbo, wizdaz, bgm, and pumpkin

Our own Erica Sadun has confirmed that Zibri's jailbreak does work with the 1.1.4 update, released today. We're told that Nate True has tried it out with the new update installed, and that it does work.

So big news for jailbreakers -- update away, because the jailbreak wasn't one of the "bugs" fixed. Although if this update is, as we suspect, laying the groundwork for the SDK release, we may not have to worry about applications not working on the phone too much longer.

Update: While some users have upgraded with no problems, Zibri is asking that users not upgrade until the tool can be thoroughly checked with the new firmware. "People who donated will receive the next version a day before everyone else. Expect a new version in 2 days (3 days for non-donors)," he says.

We covered Signal when it first dropped in the middle of last year, and now Alloysoft has sent us a note that they've upgraded to version 1.1. The app turns your iPhone into an iTunes remote through a server connection, so you don't need to jailbreak or hack the phone at all -- just run the program on your Mac, and you can use your iPhone as a replacement for the Apple Remote. And Signal actually works in Windows as well, so you can use it to control WMP, or even use a Windows Mobile device as a control instead. No idea why you'd torment yourself with Windows Media, but that's your row to hoe.

Version 1.1 brings control for AirTunes, so now you can switch speakers directly from the iPhone, and there's a host of new features -- Webclip support, an Alphabetic library, and Landscape support. Nice little program that's available as a free demo or as a registered version for $24.95.

It's been a busy few days in the iPhone 1.1.3 hackathon. After the Geohot software unlock, yesterday saw the release of the Zibri command-line and unlock.no Windows GUI versions of an all-in-one software jailbreak, activation and unlocking script for 1.1.3 iPhones. Just in the past few minutes, aCujo reminded us of the bootloader downgrade from 4.6 to 3.9, completely in software. Comments below also remind us that iJailbreak, the "bar mitzvah project" of iPhone utilities (both developers are 13 years old), has released both an automated jailbreak mobile tool and a Mac-compatible (Leopard-only for the moment) desktop utility for 1.1.3.

At this point, it seems that third-party application users are good to go on the new firmware, and overseas or non-AT&T iPhone owners are pretty well set for getting unlocked and rolling on native cell networks, noting as always that the hacks are not finished works and even the experienced few sometimes do themselves harm. (Wondering how to tell an unlock from a jailbreak? Check out Erica's iPhone hack glossary post from a while back.)

For those who consider themselves economically and intellectually distanced from the whole unseemly business of hacking iPhones and unlocking them from AT&T's network, consider these two BusinessWeek stories on the iPhone gray market. Not only is the iPhone unlock a money-making engine for thousands of opportunity-minded retailers and middlemen all across the globe, but the status of a functional software unlock means feast or famine (both essentially unwanted) for the maker of the TurboSIM adapter that enables a hardware unlock when software is foiled. It's astonishing that one little device can cause so many ripples in a worldwide chain of commerce and underground innovation.

Thanks to everyone who sent these in.

If you've upgraded recently to firmware 1.1.3 on your iPhone or iPod touch, you'll probably have first downgraded to firmware 1.1.1 and used the popular jailbreakme.com site. Well, it looks like jailbreakme has undergone some massive updates to make this process easier and more optimized. It now automatically oktopreps your 1.1.1 installation, installs the latest Installer.app version (including community sources so you get the new modmyifone source), and cleans up after itself more thoroughly (.svn and youtube.zip files anyone?).

Once you've done the 1.1.1 downgrade bit, be sure to check out the 1.1.2 upgrade guide as well. You'll quickly be on your way to 1.1.3 happiness. Doesn't seem to be working? Make sure you've connect your iPod or iPhone to your computer via the USB cable. There's a handy FAQ available that answers other common questions.

It has definitely been an iPhone-friendly day on the interwebs. It was just a few hours ago that the iPhone 1.1.3 jailbreak was released to the public by Nate True (from cre.ations.net). However, this was a Windows-only version of the jailbreak; but Nate was working on a Mac version and has just released it!

You can download the Mac version of the software from the cre.ations.net website. Please note that this jailbreak might be hazardous to your iPhone's health. Before you jailbreak your iPhone, be sure to backup in iTunes -- and as always, hacking your iPhone is completely at your own risk.

A splinter dev team has just released its 1.1.3 jailbreak. This jailbreak, as discussed in our earlier post provides a "soft upgrade" path for jailbroken 1.1.1 and 1.1.2 users. (See that post for many of the technical details.) For right now, this jailbreak is limited to Windows users only, with a Mac release expected shortly. This does not jailbreak the iPod touch--iPhone only for now.

A special edition of Nate True's iBrickr software will prepare the image used for the update and a second installer portion will flash the phone. Smxy repository maintainer, Shaun Erickson has packed up this second portion of the jailbreak, which will be available via Installer.app.

iPhone hacker NerveGas raised concerns as to whether this release would illegally distribute Apple software. Nate assures me that he merely uses a diff (differences) file between the 1.1.3 firmware as provided and the jailbroken 1.1.3 firmware. NerveGas asked me to mention that this release is not canon and distributed against his wishes and against the wishes of some of the dev/elite team. From what I understand, the dev team was behind this release until shortly before Nate took it live. NerveGas's copyright concerns divided the team, splitting opinions on whether it should go live just at the wire.

Huge kudos for this jailbreak go primarily to the awesome iPhone hackers "planetbeing" and _Fred bgm, who were the first to jailbreak. Other amazing developers include Zibri, netkas, NerveGas, asap18, bgm, Bugout, bushing, chris_, dinopio, drudge, gray, MuscleNerd, natetrue, pr3d4t0r, roxfan, Turbo, Zf[strike], np101137, pumpkin, and kroo, along with many contributors who wish to remain anonymous.

Update: How to fix GoogleMaps Locations--this fix only works for fully legal customers (at&t, orange, o2) (Thanks Netkas!)

Update: We're still fairly unsure as to what exactly is in the jailbreak software. Nate had told me the only possible infringement would be the difference file between the 1.1.3 dmg and the jailbroken dmg but I'm now told by others (thanks kroo!) that it includes Apple's iTunesMobileDevice.dll. Engadget's on-staff legal guru Nilay Patel says that you cannot include Apple's code in another release, whether or not Apple posts the code online for free, adding that there's probably a license agreement somewhere that prevents modification.

Update: The other "splinter" jailbreak is now available (1/26/08) here and 13-year-old AriX's jailbreak is here.