It's not the iPhone 3G unlock yet, but at least those of you who held-off from updating your iPhone to the 2.0.1 firmware are about to get a taste of improved stability and snappy keyboarding while early updaters will once again gain access to their jailbroken apps. Or so says the DevTeam who claim that PwnageTool 2.0.2 is "undergoing final checks and will be packaged, signed and should be uploaded within the next few hours, so count on it being released sometime on Thursday." The update will be provided via a direct link (which we'll pass along) and over the PwnageTool's software updater. So block out some time in your calendars, there's plenty of newbie hackery to be done later on today.

Update: Delayed, clearly, here's why.

As some of you already know, updating your iPhone to firmware 2.0.1 means that you've lost access to all your jailbroken apps. That's pretty much expected and should be rectified by the DevTeam soon enough. What's notable from an unlocking perspective, however, is that Apple's 2.0.1 release also updates the iPhone 3G baseband. This puts iPhone 3G owners in a bit of a quandary: update now via iTunes in desperate hopes of the stability and improved keyboard response we've been seeing but do so at the risk of not being able to unlock your iPhone 3G in the future (if and when the DevTeam gets around to releasing it for firmware 2.0). A lot can happen in the course of a 2 year (or longer) carrier commitment. According to the DevTeam, you'll get all the benefits of Apple's 2.0.1 update (without the pesky new baseband) just as soon as they can kick out the updated PwnageTool (current version is 2.0.1) onto the Internets. Decisions, decisions.

Seeing as Apple's FairPlay DRM has already been cracked for music and movies, it's not at all surprising that people are starting to poke holes in the FairPlay-based iPhone App Store. The first loophole is pretty simple, since it doesn't appear that FairPlay links the iPhone hardware to specific Apple IDs: just log into iTunes from any of the machines authorized to use your account, and every app you've purchased will be available for free re-downloading to any attached phone. Since music and movies wrapped in FairPlay can be transferred to unlimited iPods and iPhones, we're guessing this little trick will work indefinitely, but we wouldn't depend on it.

Sure, it was already possible (if complicated) to jailbreak a first-gen iPhone running the 2.0 software under Windows, but this is the one-click tool all you crazy cats with those extra G's need if you don't have a Mac -- too bad no one's come up with a better name than "pwn" yet. Please, people. Let's do better.

PS.- As usual, you run the risk of totally destroying your phone mucking around with this stuff, so don't say we didn't warn you.

Update: winpwn.com is down already, mirrors in the comments!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Feeling a little left out after yesterday's Mac-based Pwnage Tool festivities, Windows users? Fret not, because the ever-vigilant, ever-studious hacking community has managed to come up with a series of steps to get you back on your feet again with a fully pwned first-gen handset. The whole shebang isn't necessarily for the most casual jailbreakers -- let's just say it isn't quite as straightforward as the Mac procedure yet -- but it'll allegedly get you going if you're starting with an iPhone running 1.1.4 (there are additional steps if you jumped the gun on 2.0, you impatient son of a gun, you -- think of it as penance). As always, exercise extreme caution, understand that this could cause your iPhone to spontaneously combust into a useless pile of metal, plastic, and ash, and let us know how it goes in comments.

[Thanks, Z-]

Sort of. Pwnage Tool 2.0 can't handle 3G iPhone SIM unlocks just yet, though jailbreaking should work just fine, and we're also faced with the teensy little problem of the Dev Team's server being totally destroyed by downloads already -- mirror please? -- but the friendly little jailbreak app has finally been unleashed upon the earth. We'd never suggest trying out software like this right out of the gate, but, um, let us know how it goes, yeah?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: We're seeing mixed results so far in the comments, but no bricked phones to speak of. Always a good thing. Oh, and plenty of mirrors to be found in the comments, thanks guys!

Update 2: Looks like 2.0.1 is already out with a few fixes!

We can't say this is a surprise... but it is sweet to see. The iPhone Dev Team has added a video to their blog showing off the latest version of their upcoming PwnageTool 2.0, along with a video of what they claim is the "world's first" jailbroken iPhone 3G. Check the video after the break, and hit the read link to see how their progress is coming on the new case-cracker.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Steve Wozniak is much more than a throbbing brain with a tie. He knows that the quickest way to a girl's heart is to jailbreak her iPhone... on TV. As he tells Ms. Griffin, "You know, some people would criticize you for not having hacked your iPhone." Certainly not you, Mr. Apple Co-founder? Watch it all go down after the break.

P.S. Looks like Woz's watch is a Nixie -- the man's nerd to the core.

[Thanks, Karim S. and Jon]

We're not sure who nodded off in the art department, but we're fairly certain they're going to be wide awake come Monday morning. Apparently, Radio Shack is running circulars this week featuring the iPod touch... with the Installer and MobileChat icons. We're sure Apple will be stoked to discover that a jailbroken iPod is hanging out in one of America's most-viewed ads, and we're equally sure that buyers will be pleased to learn they don't really get an IM application with their purchase. Champagne for everyone!

Update: Take a look at a screen grab from the circular after the break.

[Thanks, Matt & Oscar M]

Just a few hours after we brought you the exclusive hands-on video with the DevTeam's PwnageTool... it's out! Mac only for now, Windows on the way shortly.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Those crafty kids on the iPhone Dev Team have already hacked the 2.0 firmware, but now they're getting ready to release the oh-so-creatively-named PWNED tool, which takes iPhone hacking to the next level by patching the bootloader to let you load any firmware image you want -- even images not signed by Apple. That means custom patched firmware can now be loaded directly from iTunes, which simplifies the jailbreaking / unlocking process tremendously, and also means that a patched version of the 2.0 firmware is coming soon. We're putting the tool through its paces right now and we'll have a hands-on with it (and the Dev Team's patched 2.0 firmware) as soon as we get it all working, but check out some highlights after the break, and hit the read link for more info.

Update: Looks like PWNED / Pwned Tool / Pwnage Tool / Pwnage / whatever they're calling it is being delayed for a week. Bummer. Thanks, Neophytos.

This is just getting silly, don't you think? The iPhone Dev Team has once again proven their totally gnarly talents by freeing up the latest firmware before it's even the latest firmware. Apple, here's our suggestion -- just let people do what they want with your devices, since they're clearly going to do it anyway. That way, instead of making enemies, you're making lifelong buddies. Reasonable, right? Steve, give us a call, we're more than happy to riff on some ideas for playing nice with the end-user.

Update: Dev chat room chatter claims that the 2.0 is now fully unlocked as well.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We know, we're flat on our backs from being blown away here, but Apple confirmed to us in a post-keynote Q&A session that SIM unlock software will not be allowed in the iPhone App Store. You know what that means? The Jailbreak community lives to crack another day.

If you happen to own an iPhone, and you happen to have updated to the 1.1.4 firmware, you can now easily jailbreak, activate, and unlock your phone with a couple of simple solutions. As you may have heard, iNdependence 1.4 beta 5 is out, which will do all sorts of non-Apple approved things to your device from OS X, though if you're looking for the ultimate cross-platform solution, you probably can't do better than the latest version Zibri's all-in-one package, Ziphone 2.5. Both apps make it about a million times easier than this was a few weeks ago, though we've seen video of a new solution -- jailbreaking directly from iTunes -- that could make this process even simpler (though considerably more illegal). Check that out after the break and get a glimpse of your deviant future.

[Via TUAW; Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - iNdependence
Read - Ziphone's Blog

We're not yet entirely sure how it works, but iPhone hacker Zibri's just released a new app he's calling ZiPhone, which claims to jailbreak any version iPhone -- including new 1.1.3 phones right out of the box -- without messy downgrades and baseband changes. We haven't tested it ourselves, but prepare for the onslaught of downloaders to take it offline in five... four... three...

[Thanks, Tyler and Eugene]

Update (2/13): Looks like v2 is out, and it's capable of downgrading the bootloader from 4.6 to 3.9. Thanks, Yuri.