Revirginize Your iPhone
Added on 2007-10-20 20:32:00
by Richard Baguley
 If you're still resisting the iPhone 1.1.1 update because you've unlocked your iPhone and are worried about damaging it, there's a way around it. This forum post at Hackintosh explains how to restore the original firmware for the baseband (they call it “revirginizing”) so you can update the iPhone to 1.1.1 and run the recently released 1.1.1 firmware unlocking program. We haven't tried it ourselves, so no guarantees, but it looks like it should work. But there are no guarantees that it won't damage your iPhone or summon an angry and vengeful Steve Jobs to repossess your iPhone. So, don't say we didn't warn you.
[Via Gizmodo]
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New Technique to Fix Busted iPhones
Added on 2007-10-12 10:31:00
by Richard Baguley
 Regular readers may recall that our iPhone laid down its life in the pursuit of knowledge a few days ago, ending up being useless when we isntalled the 1.1.1 firmware update after unlocking it. But it's just been resurrected; using the iPhoneSimFree method that is described here, we were able to restore it to full function. This required a paid unlock, though, but now it seems that there is a free method to do the same thing.
It's described here, and relies on zapping the baseband firmware (the baseband being the chip that controls communications with the cell phone network) , then restoring it to the original. At the moment, this technique only works on iPhones running the 1.0.2 firmware, so you have to first revert the phone and then run through the process. You should, in theory, then be able to reinstall the 1.1.1 upgrade, and it should work. We've shown you how to do the reversion process here, and the process to downgrade the baseband is described here.
As with anything like this, proceed at your own risk; we have no idea if this works or not. Brian at Gizmodo tried it and says that it works, but the potential for damaging your iPhone by doing this is huge.
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iPhone Hackers Release Access Tool
Added on 2007-10-10 19:35:00
by Richard Baguley
Eager iPhone hackers have a new tool in their arsenal; the iPhone Dev team have just released a Jailbreak tool for iPhones upgraded with the 1.1.1 firmware patch from Apple. This tool provides a way to gain access to the iPhone; files can be copied to and from the iPhone, which is the first step to getting third party applications running again. You can download this Jailbreak software here (direct link to the Zip file), but it's not a tool for casual users; it is a command line tool that requires some knowledge to get working. And it still doesn't deal with the problem that we had with our iPhone; the 1.1.1 update busts unlocked iPhones.
[Via Gizmodo]
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New iPhone Hack Provides Some Access
Added on 2007-10-05 12:28:00
by Richard Baguley
 Erica's hard work on the iPhone seems to be beginning to pay off; she's now managed to gain access to the files on an updated iPhone, and to copy files to and from it. That's a huge start, but it is only a start; it is still not possible to run programs on it. So that means that it's a step on the way to third party applications, but there are still plenty more steps on the way to getting the same level of access that was available before the update. And, of course, Apple could undo all of this again if they come out with another update soon.
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Liveblogging An iPhone Hack
Added on 2007-10-05 09:26:00
by Richard Baguley
 Ace iPhone hacker Erica Sadun is on a mission; she's working to unlock the secrets of the iPhone 1.1.1 firmware update, using a new technique discovered by a fellow hacker. Most hackers work away in dark, secret rooms away from the public gaze, but Erica is doing it out in the open, liveblogging as she hacks. We're rooting for her success in revealing what Apple changed with the 1.1.1 update and helping us get our iPhone back up and running...
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Apple To Offer Expanded iPhone SDK in January?
Added on 2007-10-03 15:41:00
by Richard Baguley
Ars Technica is claiming that a source within Apple has told them that Apple is developing an SDK (Software Developer's Kit, which allows developers to write programs) for the iPhone, but that this SDK won't go as far as many users would like. The source claims that the SDK (which will be available in January) will be an expansion of the existing approach, where Apple encourages users to write applications that run inside the Safari web browser. The new SDK will go beyond just having smart web pages though; it will allow applications to be cached (so they can be run when there is no Internet connection), allow more access to local resources (so a word processor, for instance, might be able to save documents on the iPhone itself) and will allow application icons to be placed on the home page.
This will go part of the way to alleviating the concerns of many (including us) that the iPhone needs third party applications to thrive; if true, it will expand the range of possible applications that could be written with the official SDK. But it wouldn't allow the level of access that developers had before Apple locked them out; applications like the various user interface tweaks and command line utilities wouldn't be possible with this rumored SDK. So it's unlikely to satisfy many of the developers who were hoping to get deeper access to the iPhone. And why Apple doesn't want to allow that is an interesting question; Ars Technica says that their source claimed this was because Steve Jobs is a control freak, and this is definitely possible.
[Via MacRumors]
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New Version Of iPhone Unlocker Released
Added on 2007-09-26 13:36:00
by Richard Baguley
 We'd probably recommend that you wait until after Apple issues their forthcoming iPhone update, but if you're in a hurry to get your iPhone unlocked, there is a new version of the AnySIM unlocking app now available. The programmers claim that version 1.02 (direct link to the zip file) fixes some bugs and speeds up the unlocking process. It should also be available though the installer.app system soon, which will make it even easier. So, if you have installler.app onto your iPhone, you should be able to unlock with just a few touches. Or at least you will until Apple busts the whole thing with a new firmware update.
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iPhone Hackers Respond to Apple
Added on 2007-09-25 13:49:00
by Richard Baguley
 The Unofficial Apple Weblog is featuring a response to yesterday's Apple statement on unlocking the iPhone from the hackers behind the unlock; the iPhone Dev Team. They don't really confront Apples comments directly, beyond saying that “The removal of those firmware problems, which were built in in favor for AT&T, does not cause "damage" as they want to make us believe.” By firmware problems, they mean the fact that the phone is locked to AT&T's network.
The interesting thing that they do say is that they are coming out with a tool which will revert the iPhone to its factory state. This means that if the forthcoming update does not work with an unlocked phone, a under can run this reversion program and install the update. And I'll bet that as soon as the update goes live, the iPhone Dev Team will jump into reworking the unlocking program to work with an updated iPhone. We'll keep you updated on this.
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Dial 0 For Opinion: Apple's Third Party App Policy Is A Mistake
Added on 2007-09-24 20:05:00
by Richard Baguley
 Apple's recent press release warning users that unlocking their iPhone may void the warranty has me worried. Not for my warranty, but for Apple. I think they may have lost the plot, and they are going to pay the price in the long run.
Read more
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iPhone one-touch unlock program released
Added on 2007-09-16 13:19:00
by Richard Baguley
 It's here: the iPhone development team have just released their long-awaited graphical version of their iPhone unlock program. To run it, all you need to do is to copy the application to the iPhone, then run it; there's no need to uplaod any other files or run anything from the command line. At the moment, you still have to copy the program to the iPhone yourself, but it will be listed in the application loader installer.app soon, and then all you'll need to do is to install it from there on the iPhone itself. It's still beta software, so the usual caveats apply, but we've heard that it is working without any major problems.
[Via TUAW]
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Hands-on With An Unlocked iPhone
Added on 2007-09-13 12:07:00
by Richard Baguley
 So we finally managed to get the iPhone unlock process to work; here are our experiences with an unlocked iPhone. The good news is that it works; we now have an unlocked iPhone that works with T-Mobile for making calls, and should work with any GSM network. And all without having to crack open the case or do anything unpleasant.
The unlocking process is complex, but not all that difficult. We followed the steps outlined here, using the programs they linked to. If you are familiar with things like using the SSH shell and STP transfers, it's not difficult to do. However, it is best avoided if you are a novice user or aren't happy running programs from the terminal; if the process fails, it won't come up with a helpful error message, and you could end up with a dead iPhone. If you aren't sure about running this, wait for the new point-and-click unlocker that is on the way.
[Read More]
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How To Break Your iPhone
Added on 2007-09-12 14:01:00
by Richard Baguley
 Here's a lesson in why you ought to wait for these things to be tested: I managed to break my iPhone by trying the unlocking process. The programs that are out there at the moment work by patching the firmware (the internal programs) on the baseband chip the communicates with the SIM and the cell phone network to get past the blocks that Apple put in there. But if this process doesn't work, you've got a problem.
That happened to me this morning: part way through running the GUI unlocker, while it was writing the firmware out, the iPhone crashed. I'm still not sure why (although this program does seem to have some serious bugs in it), but it was still completely locked up after leaving the process (which should take 20 minutes) running for over an hour and a half. So, I restarted the iPhone. But it refused to start properly, claiming that I need to activate it, and that the SIM is invalid. That's despite the fact that it is the original SIM that came with the phone. Presumably the partly-rewritten firmware on the baseband controller is failing one of the checks that Apple uses to verify the SIM.
[Read More]
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New GUI Version of free iPhone Unlock Software
Added on 2007-09-12 11:10:00
by Richard Baguley
 A new version of the iPhone unlock hack has been released that runs on the iPhone itself and doesn't need you to run any commands. The new software is created by freeiphoneunlock.com, and they claim that all you need to do to get it running is to copy the software to the iPhone and run it from there. We are trying it out now: we'll report more when it has run.
UPDATE: Gizmodo is claiming that the freeiphoneunlock.com people are not the authors of this application: it was apparently written by iPhone hacker extrodinaire Erica Sadun, who blogs at TUAW.
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IPhoneSimFree Goes Live With iPhone Unlocking Service
Added on 2007-09-10 11:19:00
by Richard Baguley
 As promised iPhoneSimFree have gone live with their iPhone unlocking service. In the USA, the service is being sold by WirelessImports for $99 a phone. We'll be trying it ourselves later on; check back on this blog for more details.
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New iTunes Version Blocks iPhone Ringtone Hack
Added on 2007-09-09 13:06:00
by Richard Baguley
 Apple has released a new version of iTunes (7.4.1), which stops the iPhone ringtone hack that we detailed here from working. Some people are reporting success with an alternative way of renaming the files, but that didn't work for me. Instead, I'd suggest you use iFuntastic on the Mac or iBrickr on the PC to upload ringtones.
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Make Your Own iPhone Ringtones in iTunes
Added on 2007-09-07 11:43:00
by Richard Baguley
 Apple hasn't opened up their iPhone ringtones store yet, but an enterprising user has worked out a way to make your own ringtones and send them to your iPhone using iTunes. Here's how to do it, step by step on the Mac.
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New iFuntastic iPhone Hacking Tool Version Adds File Uploads, Multiple Home Screens
Added on 2007-08-29 21:03:00
by Richard Baguley
 A new version of the popular iPhone hacking app iFuntastic has been released. The new version 3 adds a number of new features, including the ability to install applications and copy files to the iPhone through the new file manager. Previous versions could only edit existing files: the new version can create them from scratch or copy them over from your Mac.
There's also a new way to open the iPhone up for hacking, called unshackling. This new access method means that you don't have to mess around with killing off iTunes and the iTunesHelper program, which makes the whole process much easier. Unshackling takes longer than jailbraking, but only has to be done once; no more jailbreaking every time you wanted to add a new file or change a setting. It also restores your iPhone to its origional state, so do a synch before you start it.
Another significant upgrade is the ability to set up multiple home screens. With only four vacant spots on the hom4 screen for installed applications, there wasn't much room. Now, iFuntastic allows you to create multiple home screens and switch between them with a click, letting you install as many applications as you want. It's well worth the free download if you are looking to customize your iPhone.
[Via Gizmodo]
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iHacks: Install third party applications on the iPhone
Added on 2007-08-20 13:16:00
by Richard Baguley
 A new version of the installer.app program for the iPhone has just been released, and this new version makes installing third party applications onto your iPhone much easier. In fact, once the installer.app is on the iPhone, it can install applications directly over a WiFi connection; no need to attach the phone to a PC or Mac and run lots of arcane shell commands.
We haven't written a how-to on this before, because previous versions required some serious hacking; if you weren't a command line geek, the potential for busting your Mac or your iPhone was way too high. This new version of the installer.app is much easier to use; it only requires a couple of shell commands and automates most of the more complex parts of the process. Here's how to install it, and how to use it to install other third party applications on your iPhone. Click on read more for details.
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iHacks: view files on your iPhone
Added on 2007-08-06 14:31:00
by Richard Baguley
 Are you sick of your BlackBerry owning friends crowing about their ability to view spreadsheets, word documents and the like? Well, with a quick hack, you can do the same, and then boast about how your screen is bigger and you can see more of the document at once. And then you can crow about how you can zoom in on the document by pinching, see more of a document by rotating your iPhone and generally be cooler than them. Click on Read More for the details...
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iHacks: Activating the iPhone Without AT&T
Added on 2007-08-03 13:30:00
by Richard Baguley
 In this new series of blog posts, we are going to show you how to hack your iPhone, ranging from complex hacks that change the way it works, to simple hacks that make it easier to use. For starters, here's how to activate a new iPhone without signing up with AT&T. Click on Read More to see the whole procedure...
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