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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How To Restore An Unlocked Upgraded iPhone
Added on 2007-09-29 22:49:00
by Richard Baguley
If you are one of the people who took the risk of upgrading an unlocked iPhone with the 1.1.1 firmware update, only to realize that it renders your iPhone unusable, here's how to restore it by reinstalling the previous version of the firmware. This won't allow you to make calls, but it will allow you to use the iPhone as an iPod and browse the Web over WiFi. And hopefully it will allow you to restore the phone to full function soon.
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The iPhone Update: FAQ
Added on 2007-09-28 14:01:00
by Richard Baguley
So the dust is settling after yesterday's iPhone update, and we thought we'd answer a few of the common questions about it we are getting. Here's the answers to the frequently asked questions on the iPhone update.
I don't want to unlock or run third party applications on my iPhone. Should I install the update?
Yes; it adds lots of new features and makes the iPhone more flexible. The new iTunes WiFi music store in particular is great; it really does take just a few touches to buy a song, download it and play it.
[Read more]
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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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Apple To iPhone Unlockers: Your Warranty is Voided
Added on 2007-09-24 17:25:00
by Richard Baguley
Apple has just sent out a statement on the iPhone unlocking situation, and the bottom line is that if you've unlocked your iPhone and a future update renders your iPhone unusable, then that's your problem; Apple won't help, and they won't replace the phone. The full statement is after the jump, but it remains to be seen if the update (which, they say will be released later this week to enable the iTunes WiFi music store) works or not with an updated iPhone. It might be a good idea to wait until after the update has been released and has been tested before unlocking your iPhone if you haven't done so already. And the more paranoid amongst you may want to think about undoing the unlock before updating. We'll bring you the full details on the update and if it works with unlocked iPhones as soon as possible.
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iPhone Hackers One Step Closer To Unlocking
Added on 2007-08-05 12:03:00
by Richard Baguley
It's another step on the road to unlocking the iPhone to work with carriers other than AT&T; the hackers at the iPhone Dev Wiki have managed to gain access to the code that runs the radio baseband chip. This is the piece of silicon that communicates with the cell phone network, and somewhere in this code are the instructions that tell the iPhone to refuse to talk to any network other than AT&T, so this is a huge step on the way to unlocking the iPhone. Once they understand how this works, they can start to look at ways round it, hopefully eventually leading to a way to unlock the iPhone.
[Via Gizmodo]
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iPhone Partly Unlocked
Added on 2007-07-18 10:11:00
by Richard Baguley
 Looks like the walls around the iPhone are beginning to crumble; the clever hackers at the iPhone dev Wiki have just created a new tool that they claim allows the iPhone to be used with a non-iPhone AT&T SIM. The hackers also speculate that this should work with virtual networks which use AT&Ts network, but they have not tested that yet. That might not sound like a big deal, but it is a significant step on the way to unlocking the iPhone.
Their new tool is called iASign, and what it does is to create a special file that helps to activate the iPhone, based on some details that the user supplies to the tool (such as the unique Device ID and the IMEI code). however, the process is complex, and shouldn't be approached lightly; as we found when we tried adding ringtones, it is rather easy to cause problems by making mistakes when you are hacking the internals of a complex device like the iPhone.
[Via Gizmodo]
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