PwnageTool 3 released

Following hot on the heels of Apple’s firmware 3 for iPhone and iPod Touch is the release of PwnageTool 3 to jailbreak some of those devices. Available for Mac only at the moment, this software is capable of jailbreaking the iPhone 2G and first generation iPod Touch, as well as unlocking the iPhone 2G for any network. Support for later devices will follow soon with QuickPwn.

It’s worth mentioning that PwnageTool wiped my iPod Touch when I used it, where upgrading to firmware 3 using iTunes will leave the content on the iPod. This meant a long sync after using PwnageTool to replace all the music/video/photo’s. Not a problem, just remember to sync your iPhone/iPod using iTunes before upgrading to firmware 3 or using PwnageTool to create a custom firmware.

As ever, thanks to the iPhone Dev Team for their continued hard work bringing us the option to jailbreak and unlock our iDevices. Below is a video walkthrough, click on Read the rest of this entry for a screenshot gallery.

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iPhone/iPod 2.2.1 Update

Apple has released an update for the iPhone and iPod Touch to firmware 2.2.1. This looks to be a bugfix release with no new features, and the iPhone Dev Team has upgraded their QuickPwn and Pwnage tools to handle the new firmware. Read the release notes at the Dev Team Blog before upgrading as their recommendation is to NOT use QuickPwn with a 2.2 iPhone 3G if you want to continue using it unlocked.

iPhone 3G Unlock due today

Due sometime today, the iPhone 3G unlock is compatible with firmware 2.2/baseband 02.28. This contradicts the previous recommendation to iPhone 3G users to NOT update to firmware 2.2, but is a welcome bonus allowing the latest software to be unlocked. The package will be released through Cydia and requires the use of Quickpwn to get the iPhone into a jailbroken state with Cydia installed.

Just to repeat what has been stated many times before, this is free software, so don’t be conned into paying for it on any of the rip-off sites. It’s also beta software, so there may still be bugs. Thanks to the iPhone dev team for their work and continued support of the jailbreak community.

Pwnage 2.0 released, screenshots

The iPhone Dev Team has released Pwnage 2.0 for jailbreaking and unlocking 1st gen iPhones, jailbreaking the V2 iTouch and iPhone 3G. Only firmware 2.0 is supported in this version.

I’ve tried unlocking my iTouch this morning with mixed results. The creation of the modified firmware completed with no problems but the process failed when PwnageTool tried getting the iTouch into DFU mode to enable iTunes to restore the new firmware. iTunes wouldn’t install the firmware when I manually put the iTouch into DFU mode. I eventually got around that by starting with the iTouch in DFU mode, coming out of it and going back in when the PwnageTool prompted. Following the PwnageTool instructions got the iTouch into a state where iTunes could restore the new firmware. Other users have reported success starting the process with the iDevice disconnected, and connecting when prompted to enter DFU mode.

What’s new with iPhone?

Things have moved on a bit since I jailbroke my 1.1.1 iPod touch using the iJailbrake V0.4.1 method to upgrade it to 1.1.3. iJailbreak is now up to V0.5.3 and can jailbreak a new 1.1.3 iPhone, with iPod touch support on the way. TUAW has a nice article summing up the last few days progress, but it looks like there are now several methods of jailbreaking your iPhone and unlocking it to work on any cellphone network.
With the recent speculation that there are as many as one million unlocked iPhones in use it’s starting to look like Apple isn’t trying too hard to stop the practice. The hacking effort certainly seems to be gaining momentum. This may change with the next update which is rumoured to be hitting soon with flash support in safari. We should know by the end of February, the original target for the software developer kit’s release.