iDongle hardware iPhone jailbreak tool makes hacker life a little simpler
If you needed any more proof that Apple's lame cat-and-mouse game with the iPhone jailbreak community has only served to increase the scene's resourcefulness and creativity, look no further than the iDongle, a slick piece of hacker-made hardware that can jailbreak and activate an iPhone 3GS or iPod touch running OS 3.1.2 just by plugging it into the dock connector. What's more, it allows a jailbroken iPhone to be rebooted away from a computer, which is currently a problem for on-the-go hackers -- just stick this guy in your bag and you'll be good to go. There's only a dozen prototypes right now, but pre-orders are being accepted to raise funds for production -- we've got a feeling quite a few people are going to be interested. Video after the break.
























hehe i had this idea a while back, nice to see people with more skills than me making it.
@choufleur47 My name is SamuelM and Jailbreaking the iPhone was my idea.
Sweeeeeeeeeet!
This should make apple release that new firmware a little quicker but they would need to add in something people will want to upgrade for or they'll just stay on 3.1
"What's more, it allows a jailbroken iPhone to be rebooted away from a computer, which is currently a problem for on-the-go hackers"
Might want to be more specific there. It's only the later models of iPod and 3GS that are stuck with tethered jailbreaks. (newer hardware, different bootrom)
My 3GS is doing perfectly fine without the need for a dongle, rebooting and all.
@Origin This always confuses me. I've never had a need to be 'tethered' when rebooting, and I'm jailbroken and unlocked. Only recently did I figure out this applied to late model iPhones.
Until then I thought I was just the miracle child of the jailbreaking community hahaha.
@Origin
Can definitely confirm that, this thing would only be necessary for users who have 3GS's and who have a serial number where the 3rd, 4th, and 5th digit is 940 or higher.
What?! People can't reboot their Jailbroken phones without using a PC? I have never jailbroken an iPhone, but I hadn't ever heard of such a horrible limitation.
@RandomGuy have you been living under a rock?
@unknownsolo I have a 3.0 iPhone (first gen) that is jailbroken and running on T-Mobile; I can reboot it at will with no issue.
Many of the newer apps that I want to buy require 3.1.2. I've been mulling an upgrade, but admit not keeping up with "the scene;" so this is news to me as well.
@RandomGuy
This only applies to the new iPod Touch and recently produced 3GSes. Apple decided to make it harder to jailbreak them... I would buy this in a second!
@RandomGuy
It's really not that horrible a limitation at all. The way iPhone OS is designed, you never need to reboot or power off. There are very rare occasions when installing a Cydia application will require a reboot, so I make sure not to install Cydia apps unless I'm at home.
@tonicboy "The way iPhone OS is designed, you never need to reboot or power off."
HAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA...
*Deep breath*
WAAAAAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA....
@unknownsolo goom be
Hmmm, hardware to get around software restrictions.
Sounds like a DMCA violation to me, how long before Apple's Gavel of iNjustice falls on this?
@jon
I wonder how long before Apple sues me for having a pc... you know, hardware to hack an iPhone.
@Avaviel
Well, now that you've admitted owning a PC?
A couple days, tops.
Those gloves are freaking me out!!
It's DEXTER!
AWESOME :D
Too bad it'll be obsolete soon, probably around the launch of 3.2 with the iPad
@tvick47
note the usb port used to update it
Its very SAD that the iphone is not sold unlocked even when you buy it paid in full with cash.
How can that be legal? How they can prevent a person from using a device in full that they buy in cash.
On contract is different, but paid in full, it should be 100% unlocked
@Hydra
Umm, well it sort of is.
Any iPhone bought out of contract is hardware unlocked by Apple, no jailbreaking required. Jailbreaking is different from unlocking...
@SolidSnake Not in US, full price no-contract iphones are AT&T locked :(
@SolidSnake
not in UK either... Locked to network, even at full retail price.
Sent using my full price £440, locked iPhone.
@SolidSnake You are wrong, any full price iphone sold in the usa is NOT unlocked , its still locked.
Im talking about carrier locks, its the ONLY phone in the usa that is gsm that has to be hacked to be unlocked, that does not have normal unlock codes
They should be sued, it would be like me selling you a car and telling you can only drive it on 1 road
@JonnySion
Full retail price is not the same as factory unlocked price. If you want a factory unlocked 16GB 3GS you'd be looking at around £750 brand new.
@GmanC
I understand, but I was referring to Hydra's description of locked/unlocked etc.
O2 now unlock iPhones for a £15 surcharge. Full and legal.
@Hydra
Sold full price and not unlocked? Nobody ever tried suing phone companies for that?
@davidmuful
Because I want to use Hava on 3G. Because I want Youtube videos on high quality on 3G. Because I want to listen to XM radio and surf the net at the same time.
I can keep adding more. Oh and I reboot just fine, no idea what they are talking about on that
this is AMAZING!!
Someone please enlighten me
so when you have a jail broken iPhone you need it to be plugged into a computer to turn it on?
@yulebellow
Not all iPhones/ipod touch. It is only the newer crop of 3GS/touch that have the latest bootrom that have this limitation (Some 3GS phones with older bootroms don't have this limitation). Whenever you reboot your device the screen on the phone will show the USB cable and ask you to connect to iTunes at which point you will need to connect to blackrain and click a button to rebreak. Phone boots in. In case you are wondering, your apps and all other stuff remains intact. Just booting is the issue here.
isnt there something called laptop? I remember the USmart MC1 one isnt much bigger than a CD case... that could help the hackers on the go... as well...
@davidmuful
ummm did i mention system wide themes mutitasking
my friend can keep 5 apps up and running at the same time
Just to clear the air on this.
Tethered (connecting to a computer) jailbreak is ONLY needed on late model iphones and ipod touches..for earlier models - it reboots just fine...And with Geohots JB, its a 20 second affair after connecting it to a comp.
For people who have not tried JB'ing their phones - u are missing out on a lot of things that it doesnt even make sense to elaborate here:)
They also have iPad next to it.. How did they get it?
/s
Are those... iGloves?
We need one for the iPad plz
Why bother with gloves to mask your identity/race/gender when your face is right there on the reflection of the iPhone screen? See 0:31.
@mike808 I think the gloves are just to cover his ugly hands and to keep his oily finger prints off the screen. I think it has nothing to do with hiding identity.
The fact you have even have to jailbreak for customization is sad, so sad.
@Accidental
don't buy one then. If by customization you mean uglying it up with some godawful theme a 12 year old created then stick with Android
@pukerocket
I agree that theming is pointless but it is sad that you have to jailbreak just to change the friggin email alert tone, or to get more than six choices for SMS/mms alerts, or to change the calendar alert, or to get notifications to show on the lockscreen and/or status bar, or to share Internet connection, or to multitask, or to make the iPod controls pop up whenever you double click the home button even when there isn't already music playing, or....should I keep going?
Those are just a few of the customizations that I have jailbroken for most of which pretty much every mobile phone allows you to do out of the box.
@synthesis777 +1 exactly when I found out that without jailbreaking there was so little customization and the lack some normal activities that my dumbass phones have been doing for 5 yearsI can't stand using a Non-Jailbroken i-pod/phone
A true professional.
All this jailbreakin'. Why not just get a different/more open phone?
@shishi
Only other phone that can VPN into my network is winmo which I find to be much less enjoyable than the iPhone to use. I think if apple doesn't want people jailbreaking, they should include, at the very least, some of the basic customization options that both smart and feature phones have offered for years.