jailbreaking
Latest
iCade-like "Freekade" iPad arcade cabinet up for auction
Last April -- as is their recent tradition -- ThinkGeek put on its show of April Fool's Day items. Most of these fake items are of the "OMG I need to have that!" variety, like the Tauntaun sleeping bag from a past year. This past April's list included the "iCade" iPad gaming cabinet, which would have allowed you to slide your iPad into a wood-vaneer, classic-looking mini arcade cabinet. Just because it was a fake item doesn't mean someone else could take a stab at it, and that's just what happened. You can now bid on the pictured item -- dubbed the "Freekade" -- to have your very own iCade-like iPad mount. The controls work via Bluetooth and require a jailbroken iPad and emulated games provided via the Cydia store. Check out the video demo after the break (just turn your volume down -- the clackety-clack of the arcade buttons is annoying as hell). If you're not one to go bidding on something like this, it'll reportedly be available on an online store in the future. I half wish someone would just make a cheaper, non-functional version of this thing just to serve as an iPad dock.
Apple Stores block jailbreakme.com, can't stop the jailbreaking (video)
So we all had a big laugh when people started jailbreaking iPhones inside Apple's stores this week, but inevitably that fun's been ended by the retail spots wising up and banning jailbreakme.com from their WiFi networks. Well, not so fast. A tipster of ours, identifying himself as IT Geek, has gone and busted a demo iPad wide open by using his Nexus One's mobile hotspot capabilities. Yes, jailbreaking has become that easy. See him sticking it to the Best Buy man on video after the break.
Visualized: iPhone 4 jailbreak makes itself at home
Sorry folks, we don't think this one falls under "fair use." Nice try though.
Official: iPhone 4 jailbreak hits from iPhone Dev Team (updated with video)
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Official_iPhone_4_jailbreak_hits_from_iPhone_Dev_Team'; The Library of Congress made it legal, MuscleNerd showed us it was a go, and now Comex and company have delivered the long-awaited jailbreak to the fourth rendition of iPhone. According to their new page JailbreakMe, the hack works right on the iPhone 4 (or 3GS, or 3G, or iPad, or...) itself, using via the handset's Safari browser to reportedly break into most any iOS device. The servers are getting slammed pretty badly, and only a few Engadget editors have so much as seen the page pictured above so far, but rest assured we're testing this as we speak and will have more details up soon. Update: Sorry folks, we've tried repeatedly, but apparently the servers just can't handle the load -- Comex tweets that the purple screens we're seeing are evidence of server fail. Here's hoping for a Cydia celebration when the stampede is over. Update 2: Comex says you might want to reboot if you got stuck staring at that purple screen, and you could also try their backup server (click our second source link) to help the Dev Team divide the load. Update 3: We successfully got the jailbreak to start working, but it crashed Safari. Upon reboot of our phone we've got... nothing but the Apple logo. Take note, this can brick your phone, so proceed with caution! Video of the experience after the break. After a reset, our phone is giving us nothing but the Apple logo. (Update to the update, the phone has been restored). Update 4: Our intern Sam has successfully jailbroken his iPhone 4 according to this pic, so it can be done! Update 5: Comex reports that iPads running iOS 3.2.1 aren't presently working properly, and that MMS problems after jailbreak are a known issue. Update 6: Good news? Saurik (of Cydia fame) has pitched in to secure JailbreakMe some better hosting. Bad news? Reports indicate that FaceTime doesn't work after jailbreak, either. Update 7: Seven updates? You bet, because it's looking like there's already a fix for the missing FaceTime and MMS features. Head on over to Redmond Pie (in more coverage below) for instructions to install the Cydia package that brought video chat back to two of our iPhone 4 handsets. If you're just downloading JailbreakMe for the first time though, you shouldn't need to do a thing, as Comex claims both have been fixed in a new version of the hack that just went live.
Library of Congress rules in favor of jailbreaking
Today, the Library of Congress has ruled in favor of both jailbreaking and unlocking phones according to an Associated Press Statement published on the New York Times. The Library of Congress statement can be found here if you'd prefer to read the original. The Washington Post has also picked up this story. This ruling responds to an EFF petition, one opposed by Apple, that maintains the current status quo, allowing iPhone owners to continue both practices, and pushes things even further. Jailbreaking allows iPhone owners to download third party applications outside of Apple channels and unlocking offers a way to use iPhones on third party GSM networks, typically T-Mobile.
Library of Congress adds DMCA exception for jailbreaking or rooting your phone
This is a wild one, and we're still parsing through the announcement, but on the surface it looks like the Library of Congress has added new anti-circumvention exceptions to the DMCA that, among other things, allow people to tweak their handsets for the purpose of installing legally obtained software -- known as jailbreaking in iOS land, and rooting in the Android / webOS world. Check out the full statement from the Librarian of Congress, which is mostly an update of existing exceptions on record, after the break, but here's the primary excerpt: Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset. Now, before all you EFFers go all totally wild (although it's undoubtedly a win for the EFF line of thinking on this issue), you should know that this in no way requires Apple to jailbreak your phone for you, or lay down its arms in this ongoing fight. Basically, they just can't sue you for the specific act of breaking their protections, but there's nothing stopping them from putting those protections in there in the first place, or for suing you for an infringement not covered in this exception -- like distributing Apple code in a non-Apple-approved way, or installing illegal or pirated software. Not that any of you jailbreakers would ever do that. What's more, the DMCA still broadly forbids distributing to the public any "technology, product, service, device, component, or part thereof" that's primarily designed to break access controls, so Apple can always go after the Dev Team directly -- and we'd still keep those dreams of opening Joe's Jailbreak Hut on ice for now. On a more minor note, the language pertaining to unlocking a handset to work on another wireless network has also been expanded from "firmware" in 2006 to "firmware or software" in the 2010 revision. Also, and very exciting for the YouTube set, the section pertaining to cracking a DVD video and excerpting scenes for commentary or criticism has been expanded beyond educational use into documentary and non-commercial applications. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Geohot teases iPhone 4 jailbreak, no plans for release
Is this the honest-to-goodness iPhone 4 jailbreak we've been waiting for, or just another userland JB? It's hard to say from here... but either way, don't expect Geohot to release it into the wild. In a mildly jaded blog post, the original iPhone hacker makes it clear that whatever he did here was for his own amusement, and judging by the title of that entry ("Meh") the whole breaking-and-entering bit isn't giving him quite the same chuckles it used to. That's a shame, but we hear the iPhone Dev Team is making progress apace, so let's leave Geohot to tackle one of his other promised hacks, mmmkay? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
How-to: Install Flash on your jailbroken iPad (for real)
We just saw Flash 10.1 ported to the iPad demonstrated in video form by Comex, and now you can get in on the action too, as long as your iPad is jailbroken. It's called Frash, and while the plugin is still pretty early and doesn't do video playback yet, you can definitely play games and other animations right now, and we're told video support is forthcoming. Okay, so let's try this out, shall we? It's not point-and-click simple, but it's not that hard, either. Full instructions after the break.
Rumor: Apple's iPhone 4.0 to support multitasking, Expose-like interface
Rumors are flying hot and heavy about a new update coming to the iPhone this summer. AppleInsider has another big rumored feature: Multitasking. According to their sources, Apple will finally introduce third-party multitasking on the new iPhone. Of course, they're doing it the way that they want to and utilizing an Expose-like interface. Two presses on the Home button will supposedly bring up a list of icons, or names of the apps currently running, and then the user will be able to choose from those. Notifications won't go away; AI says that Apple is still concerned about battery life and network performance, so whenever it's possible to keep an app alive simply with notifications, they'll advocate that solution rather than running it in the background all of the time. However, it's also noted that jailbreaking is currently the only way for a third-party to multitask on an iPhone, and the company hopes to end a lot of piracy and jailbreak concerns by providing an official solution. This isn't the first time we've heard rumors about a multitasking system like this, and it probably won't be the last. Once the iPad is out of the way, it's very likely that we'll next see the iPhone updated, and it would be a smart move to finally allow users to run more than one app at a time.
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.
Found footage: iPhone + Arduino + Heartrate Monitor = HumanAPI
HumanApi, Sports ECG in real life from uxebu on Vimeo. iPhone developer Nikolai Onken has been hard at work putting together what he calls the Human API. He wants to explore how real life can be the source of data that can be gathered and analyzed using web technologies. In the project demonstrated in this video, he has put together a prototype that gathers heart rate data from a Polar T31 transmitter, and collects it on his iPhone using Bluetooth transmission. An Arduino kit receives the Polar data using a custom receiver and transmits it via Bluetooth, where it is read on the iPhone using the open source BTstack, that we've covered before here on TUAW. As the video shows, the iPhone provides live feedback of his heart rate as he engages in running and deep knee bends. His custom application tracks the data as it streams in via Bluetooth and displays that data on an on-screen graph. In the end, he has created a customizable iPhone solution that communicates with external hardware in real time. Pretty neat stuff, and a great example of how a jailbroken iPhone can provide a great prototyping platform.
Flash on the iPhone, in demo form
Flash has finally made its way to the iPhone, with the help of some sneaky developers. The open source Gordon project, hosted over at github, has provided a JavaScript-powered Flash runtime. With it, you can actually load and view Flash's .swf files, even on the iPhone's Mobile Safari browser. I gave it a try earlier today and was delighted to find that several Flash demos ran fine on my 3GS, no jailbreaking or other installation necessary. Admittedly, this is a very preliminary build, that supports just these SWF tags. Also, to make this work, Flash developers will need to encapsulate the SWF into an HTML wrapper, importing the Gordon JavaScript source and then loading the swf, as shown here. I am not a Flash expert by any means, but this seems like a pretty cool development for any iPhone enthusiasts who would be interested in seeing the platform support that technology. At this point, there's not much to show for it besides a few demos (and who knows what Apple will think about this), but at least there's a currently viable way to run and view Flash on the iPhone. Thanks, August Joki. And yes, the project name is apparently a riff on Flash Gordon
Contract-free refurb 8GB 3G $430 with free shipping
TUAW reader Conrad N. tipped us off to a nice 3G iPhone deal this morning. Buy.com is offering an 8GB 3G for just $430 with free shipping. While I wouldn't classify this as a red hot deal (a 3GS would have qualified) it's not bad for anyone who wants to pick up an inexpensive contract-free unit, for generous interpretations of the word "inexpensive". The 3G model works right out of the box with any AT&T SIM, although AT&T encourages you to sign up for an iPhone-specific plan. If you're only interested in basic phone service without data, you can buy a $10 O2 SIM at Best Buy (it's a re-branded AT&T SIM) good for 3 months of use, at 5 cents a text message and 17 cents per minute of airtime. That's great for developers who want to add a telephony-ready unit into their testing arsenal without signing up for a full contract, who don't want to use the phone except for testing and occasional use. If you want to use data, however, your best economy bet probably lies in jailbreaking and unlocking (with a tool like blackra1n or pwnage) and using one of T-Mobile's better-priced data plans. But be aware: because T-Mobile uses a different 3G frequency than AT&T, their data plans can only use EDGE service when accessed on the iPhone 3G. Want to use an existing AT&T data-plan enabled SIM? It should work out of the box but AT&T generally disapproves of that approach, and may (ahem) "encourage" you to upgrade to a (contract-enforced) official iPhone plan. So is the 3G a good iPhone to buy for four-hundred-plus dollars? Recall that the 3G is just a 1st generation system (model 1,2 -- i.e. 1st gen, 2nd iteration) with a few extra bells, whistles, and case design beyond the original model. The 3GS (model 2,1) is a far better system in terms of processor power and features, and we're half a year out from what will likely be the next (model 3,1) iPhone, let alone any (possibly mythical) tablet. I'd call this a "warm deal" at best.
Ven1 vid1 ja1lbreak1: Hands on with blackra1n
When it came time recently to jailbreak an iPod touch, I decided to take a look at George Hotz's BlackRa1n tethered solution. Unlike the Pwnage approach that creates a custom ipsw (iPhone software) bundle that you install via iTunes, the tethered approach communicates directly with your iPod or iPhone via the USB connector cable you use for normal syncing. That makes the tethered solution a very fast and easy-to-use approach, especially for units shipped with the 3.1.2 software installed. Download the BlackRa1n tool for both Windows and Mac from the GeoHot site. Complete instructions are available at his Weblog. If you own more than one iPhone unit, make sure you unplug all but one from the system before you start the jailbreak. Launch BlackRa1n and click the "make it ra1n" button. Then be patient and wait as the software does its job, including replacing your recovery logo (normally a picture of the iTunes logo and the connector cable) with a vanity image of the software's author. Be aware that the blackra1n jailbreak may present issues during reboot, forcing you into recovery mode and requiring BlackRa1n to launch properly. Hotz writes, "If your ipt2/3GS/ipt3 is rebooting into recovery after running blackra1n, this isn't a bug. It's a feature. You need to run blackra1n every time to boot it. This 'feature', called tethered jailbreak, is enabled by upgrades Apple made to the bootrom and the fact ipt3 uses nand flash." I did not experience this behavior on my iPod touch 2nd generation unit. It reboots without problem, and, no, it had not been jailbroken before. Once the jailbreak has finished and your iPhone has rebooted, you can run the on-device version of the BlackRa1n software to install Cydia, the Rock store, and (for iPhones) the sn0w unlock that allows phones to be used with other carriers. I found the whole process extremely easy to perform and would recommend it to anyone who had difficulties using Pwnage. The trade off, of course, is an easier install versus possible long-term reboot issues. It seems that my touch ducked the bullet on that one but that's only one experience among many. Although BlackRa1n is free software, the author asks for donations to support this effort, so he can continue providing tools in the future. A donate link appears on his home page.
Hiring a new sheriff: Apple clamping down on jailbreaking to soothe corporate angst?
With the latest jailbreaking code, blacksn0w, now available for Geohot's blackra1n utility, iPhone owners who want to free their favorite smartphone from the constraints of the App Store and the AT&T network may do so. But a recent report by PCWorld / Network World indicates that Apple is hiring a new "sheriff" to lock up the iPhone platform for good. Is this true? Maybe not. According to the post by Network World blogger John Cox, an Apple corporate website is showing a job posting for an iPhone platform security manager. The manager would lead a team aimed at creating methods for secure booting and installation of the iPhone OS, strengthening the platform's cryptographic services, partitioning and hardening internal security domains, and providing risk analysis of security threats. The post goes on to breathlessly state that this job posting (which is noted as filling an existing position, not creating a new one) is indicative of Apple's concern that enterprise users might jailbreak and unlock their iPhones. The jailbroken phones would let enterprise users load apps that could "threaten corporate data or back-end Exchange servers," and "unlocking the phone... makes it hard to track, monitor and optimize wireless costs and could open the enterprise to legal problems." Why is it so important for Apple to crack down on jailbreaking and unlocking? Well, the post says that many enterprises are adopting the iPhone "despite the fact that Apple provides virtually no security or management infrastructure..." That last statement is a bit ridiculous, considering that Apple even provides a series of white papers on exactly how to implement secure, managed iPhone deployments in enterprises. Perhaps the author has been out the enterprise world for a while, since alterations like jailbreaking and unlocking are forbidden by policy in almost all big businesses that provide their employees with phones. As Mike Rose put it succinctly, "What enterprise user is jailbreaking their phone to use T-Mobile when that means they won't get reimbursed for their cell costs? What enterprise user wants to risk getting cut off from Exchange access?" And what enterprise employee is going to risk his or her good graces with the corporate security team for the sake of being able to run SplatCam or Cycorder on the iPhone? The post tries to tie the rather innocuous task of filling an open job posting to an attempt by Apple to try to shut off the jailbreak world -- which, if it is doing, isn't necessarily about covering corporate requirements. As long as there are people who want to jailbreak their phones or unlock and move them to a different GSM carrier, hackers will find a way to do it. To us, it appears that Apple is just trying to maintain and improve security for the iPhone platform, something that will benefit all iPhone owners.
Latest iControlPad prototype bulks up, gets handled on video
It's been a while since we last got an update from ZodTTD on his iControlPad iPhone controller accessory, but this latest prototype looks like it was worth the wait. The controls have been moved from the sides of the phone to a more comfortable-seeming bottom placement with dual analog sticks and rear-mounted triggers, and the whole thing's gotten bigger and badder -- there's even an internal battery for charging your phone as you play. ZodTTD says actual shipping hardware is coming soon -- just make sure you change that default root password if you decide to jailbreak and grab one, mkay? P.S.- ZodTTD says another video featuring psx4iphone and a "pretty sweet Wipeout XL demo" is coming shortly on his YouTube channel, we'll keep you updated.
Dutch hacker seeks out jailbroken iPhones for fame and fortune
Jailbreaking an iPhone certainly brings many benefits, but it's also fraught with some peril, as amply demonstrated by a Dutch hacker who decided to go snooping around for vulnerable jailbroken iPhones in the Netherlands. While he apparently didn't actually swipe personal information or cause any damage, he was able to find some jailbroken iPhones with SSH running, which allowed him to display a message saying "Your iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure your iPhone right now!" A noble gesture of a white hat hacker? Not exactly, 'cause that site demands €5 for the "fix" to let folks go back to using their phone securely -- or it did until the hacker apparently had a change of heart and posted the instructions for free, along with an apology for his misguided moneymaking scheme.
Blacksn0w unlock available now for iPhone 3G and 3GS
There's no stopping the eternal tug-of-war between the powers that be and the hackers that will, and for the time being it looks like things are back in the hands of the hackers. As of noon today giddy jailbreakers can take the next step and go full-on with blacksn0w, the unlock for the latest 05.11.07 baseband (with tethering enabled to boot). And if that weren't enough, it looks like blackra1n RC3 is alive as well, with Mac and Windows support. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link to get started, if that's your thing. And the battle for the iPhone's immortal soul continues... [Via On The iPhone]
MMS for iPhone 2G and tethering on OS 3.1.2 explained, not for the faint of heart
Let's be clear upfront that this isn't for the casual iPhone jailbreaker, but if you feeling like living on the edge, you can give your original model an added boost of MMS capability, or any device with OS 3.1.2 the power to tether. Highlighted in a series of tweets today by iPhone dev team lead MuscleNerd, whiterat (for MMS) and two-bit (for tethering) will get the job done, but both require tinkering with the baseband, which is exponentially more advanced and brick-inducing than, say, installing Cydia. Venture forth with the instructions beyond the read links below. [Via 9 to 5 Mac] Read - iPhone 2G MMS Read - OS 3.1.2 tethering
Recent iPhone 3GS shipments block jailbreaking, jailbreakers still in business
Well, if you can't beat 'em, then just keep 'em busy. That seems to be the thinking at Apple these days at least, which has ratcheted up its fight with the iPhone jailbreaking community once again by updating the bootrom on iPhone 3GS units that started shipping in the past week. That was apparently first discovered by Mathieulh and later verified by iPhone Dev Team member "Muscle Nerd," who confirmed that the update (iBoot-359.3.2) renders the iPhone 3GS "impossible" to jailbreak for the time being. Of course, that time could well end up being fairly short, but if you just have to jailbreak a 3GS right now, you'll probably want to try to track down some old stock or snap up a refurbished unit.[Via Daily Tech]
