Month: February 2010

Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.3

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 31, 2010

Hours ago, Apple released iPhone OS 3.1.3 and as usual in this case, I recommended that you do not update if you care about your jailbreak or unlock.

Turns out we have some good news from the Dev Team. It is currently possible to jailbreak the iPhone 2G, iPhone 3G, and iPod Touch 1G running OS 3.1.3.

Update 1: [Don’t go near this if you have 3GS, newer ipt2G, or any ipt3G] Thanks to daring experimenters in the comments, we can confirm that yesterday’s redsn0w works for today’s 3.1.3 update for iPhone 2G. Just point it at the 3.1.2 iPhone 2G IPSW after doing update or restore to 3.1.3. So far we’ve only confirmed this for iPhone 2G. (Note that if this does work for iPhone 3G too, you can *only* use it if you don’t care about the unlock.)

Update 2: [Don’t go near this if you have 3GS, newer ipt2G, or any ipt3G] Can confirm that this method works for iPhone 3G and iPod touch 1G too. Don’t do it for iPhone 3G if you need an unlock though (really, don’t!). For older iPod touch 2G, we’ll need a small (1-character) change in redsn0w source.

What does that mean? It means that if you have an iPod Touch 1G, an iPhone 2G or an iPhone 3G, you can use RedSn0w to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.3. If you care about ever unlocking your iPhone, DO NOT do this. Just wait and stay away from the update.

Here is what you have to do to jailbreak your iPod Touch 1G, iPhone 2G or 3G. First, update to the latest 3.1.3 firmware from iTunes, then simply follow the directions in my RedSn0w tutorial. Download the latest version of RedSn0w and when asked to choose for a firmware, make sure to choose 3.1.2.

This method reportedly works for jailbreaking the 3 devices mentioned above. It doesn't work for the iPhone 3GS and for other iPod Touches.

The Dev Team is currently working on it. I will update you as soon as we get more info. Make sure to check the jailbreak section for up-to-date information about jailbreaking.

UPDATE: This post is outdated. Check out our jailbreak section for the latest information about iPhone jailbreaks.

iPhone OS 3.1.3 is Out. Jailbreakers Beware!

Sébastien Page ∙ February 2, 2010

Apple released iPhone OS 3.1.3 just a few hours ago and it it is now available for download directly from iTunes or from our iPhone downloads page.

This is a very minor update, and to be honest, it's almost deceiving. If I had to give my opinion on this, I'd say that Apple released firmware 3.1.3 just to piss off the Dev Team, who released RedSn0w 3.1.2 jailbreak just days ago.

The "fixes and improvements" for iPhone OS 3.1.3 are as follow:

improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS resolves issue where 3rd party apps would not launch in some instances fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard

Additionally, Apple has updated the baseband from version 5.11.07 to 5.12.01 on the iPhone.

As usual when a new firmware update is released, it is recommended for jailbreakers and unlockers alike not to update their device. If you update to 3.1.3, you will lose your jailbreak and/or unlock.

More info will follow as it comes. For up-to-date news about jailbreaking, make sure to read our iPhone jailbreak section.

499 Reasons to Buy an iPad

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Since it was unveiled last week, there has been no shortage of reactions on why the iPad might just fail and how underwhelming this new product really is. I myself took a good stab at it and trashed the iPad with my list of 17 reasons why the iPad sucks.

After torching the iPad, I wanted to come up with an article praising it and showing what a great device it will be. The reality is that it is much harder for me to find compelling reasons to buy the iPad than it is to not buy one. So I forced myself and came up with these reasons to buy an iPad.

It's cool. You know it! having anything branded Apple is cool It's going to kick ass as an eReader (that's at least what everyone thinks) The gaming experience will be awesome It comes with 140,000+ applications The big screen equipped with multitouch. Like the iPhone, but better because it's bigger! The battery life is (supposedly) great It's carrier unlocked. You can potentially use it on any network There is no contract for the 3G plan (at least here in the US) 3G plan is actually cheap External keyboard support It will soon be jailbroken Priced at $499, it gives you 499 reasons to buy an iPad

That's everything I can come up with. If you're not an iPad hater, I'd like to hear your reasons why you'd want to buy an iPad. Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

RedSn0w 0.9.3 Jailbreak Enables Tethering of iPhone 3.1.2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 11, 2018

RedSn0w has been very hot for the last few days. After releasing the beta version and testing it out for a while, the Dev Team officially released RedSn0w 0.9, which didn't contain the IPCC tethering hack that would allow tethering on iPhone OS 3.1.2.

It has now been fixed as the Dev Team updated RedSn0w to 0.9.3, which now includes the IPCC tethering hack. For those of you who have no idea what "IPCC tethering hack" means, here is more information:

It allows you to install cellphone Carrier Bundles that aren't officially signed by Apple. This lets you, for instance, install a Carrier Bundle that allows you to use your iPhone as a way to connect your PC to the internet (through your 3G cell connection). This hack is always installed on 3G and 3GS phones by redsn0w 0.9.3 (no selection is required). It isn't included at all in 0.9.2 (it's still in a trial phase). Note that carriers may not like you tethering behind their back so you do so at your own risk.

So by jailbreaking your iPhone using RedSn0w 0.9.3, you will automatically get the base for iPhone tethering, but you will still have to download the right MobileConfigs file from http://www.benm.at/help/help.php and install it, directly from your iPhone.

Note that this website has saved my butt many many times when traveling overseas. As a matter of fact, http://www.benm.at/help/help.php saved my butt just hours ago. I am currently in Thailand and the mobile carrier I am using doesn't allow tethering. I quickly visited BenM.at and downloaded the right MobileConfigs file, which allows me to write this article you are currently reading by tethering my iPhone (aka using my iPhone as a modem).

To get the tethering hack, you will have to jailbreak your iPhone using RedSn0w 0.9.3. It is available for download from here and here is my RedSn0w tutorial. For the latest information about RedSn0w, please check out this page.

ContactFlow Brings Coverflow to Your Contacts

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Those of you who have a jailbroken iPhone will probably remember ContactFlow [iTunes Link], the jailbreak app that brought coverflow-style management to your contacts. Turns out that the dev decided to go legit and removed ContactFlow from Cydia to submit it to the App Store.

When you launch ContactFlow, you have access to all your contacts. Just tap on a contact to flip the picture and display associated numbers and e-mails. By selecting a number, ContactFlow will simply call your contact. The SMS icon automatically send you to the SMS application. By the same way, in ContactFlow, selecting an e-mail will send you where you can write a new e-mail.

ContactFlow is available from the App Store for free for a limited time, so get it while you can. In the meantime, have a look at this video demo to see ContactFlow in action.

Install0us Is Dead

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 15, 2017

Those of you that are into downloading cracked applications (I know you're there) will be saddened to learn that Installous, the infamous installer app for cracked applications, is shutting down. Others will rejoice and see this as a victory, especially for developers.

puy0, the creator of Installous wrote a very naive posts about the reasons why he's giving up. He basically explains he didn't know what he was doing was illegal.

During all this time I have been actively searching for a lawyer to know how legal we were. Not the lawyer you can find just anywhere, but one that understands Internet legislations and specializes in copyright laws. Trust me, these people are rare, very in demand, and very expensive.

As such I have been looking for three months, and I finally found one recently. Unfortunately our discussion left me sad and even feeling stupid to have invested so much effort into this, and involved people with me... You see, after talking for more than an hour with him, I'm sorry but the conclusion is that what we do would be very hard to defend against in court.

I am at the moment already at risk, and would risk even more with the exposure that an Install0us v3 release will definitely bring me. Call me a coward, but as I said, hiding under covers is not a life for me. Moreover, these days in my country piracy is a hot subject among politicians... I do not want to be flamed in a trial for something that I do as a hobby, and I do not want to involve any people with me in this. I am sincerely sorry to the people who followed me thinking we were legit, my honest mistake.

This guy is either thinking we are dumbasses or he is very naive. Either way, and whatever your opinion about cracked applications might be, one has to admit that what puy0 did was big. I mean, he had a good 2-year run. In some ways, you can compare him to the creator of Napster. It sure was completely illegal, but it was the first of its kind.

What's your opinion on this?