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10 iPhone Apps to Save the Planet

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

I don't know if you guys are aware of it but today is Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. The goal is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion about important issues. This year's topic is climate change so we selected a few applications that will help you lower your environmental impact on our planet.

iLocavore

iLocavore (download for free) will be your mobile tool for finding locally grown foods and locally made products at home and on the road. Never get stuck shopping at the big box stores or the giant chain restaurants again. You will always be able to find the independent retailer, the farmers’ market, the restaurant that supports local farms. Really experience the local scene when you travel, and easily support your local economy, local farmers, artisan producers, and independent retailers while at home.

Carticipate

Save money on gas while helping the environment by carticipating with friends, family, groups, or co-workers. Coordinate driving plans, carpool, or a ride share by indicating where you are going, when, and post your ride. The app will match you to local carticipants going your way. Carticipate (download for free) is also available on Facebook, for those friends of yours unfortunate enough not to have an iPhone and want to rideshare.

iRecycle

iRecycle (download for free) makes it easy to access over 100,000 recycling and disposal locations for over 200 materials anywhere in the United States. Find places to drop-off your old cell phone, get directions and find out what else they accept. With information provided by local governments, industry insiders, organizations and everyday consumers, you can recycle hundreds of products from packing peanuts to computers.

Carbon Tracker

Carbon Tracker (download for free) enables you to manage your personal carbon footprint from commuting, vacations, or business trips. Use the iPhone GPS feature to determine the approximate distance of each leg of your trip, select the mode of transportation, and let Carbon Tracker calculate your carbon footprint. Set monthly maximum footprint goals, and play an important role in helping to reduce carbon emissions globally.

greenMeter

greenMeter (download for $5.99) is an app that computes your vehicle's power and fuel usage characteristics and evaluates your driving to increase efficiency, reduce fuel consumption and cost, and lower your environmental impact. If you're into hypermiling or eco-driving, want to make your transportation more efficient, or are simply interested in maintaining a green lifestyle, give greenMeter a try! It pays for itself within 1-2 tanks of gas.

Green Outlet

One of the easiest ways to save money is to reduce your electric use and while you save money on your bill your also helping save the environment. Green Outlet (download for $2.99) helps you identify which of your household appliances are costing you the most to run so you can make informed decisions about your electric use. By selecting the types of appliances you use in your home and entering how many hours of use per day for each green outlet will give you a detailed list of what your appliances are costing you and will show you how to save money.

GenGreenTips

Many people are dedicated to going green on Earth Day, but we believe making small changes are the way to take better care of the planet every day! GenGreenTips (download for free) will suggest a Green Tip of the Day that you can use to decrease the environmental impact of your daily routine in a small, but significant way.

AllOrganic

Want to eat healthy and naturally? Want to help reduce the negative impact that we have on the environment? Find it difficult to locate and find establishments that sell & serve organic and local foods? Then AllOrganic (download for $0.99) is for you. AllOrganic is a green resource for people who want to eat healthy, and eat organic in the city you live in, or while traveling.

Cruelty-Free

Published by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics’ (CCIC) Leaping Bunny Program, Cruelty-Free (download for free) is a shopping guide that lists over 200 U.S. and Canadian companies that do not test ingredients, formulations, or finished products on animals. The Leaping Bunny Program certifies that no new animal testing is used, so you can be confident about your cruelty-free choices.

GoodGuide

GoodGuide (download for free) helps you find safe, healthy, and green products while you're shopping in the store. GoodGuide strives to provide the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental and social impacts of products and companies. This app makes it fast and easy to get the information you need, to help you make better decisions on everyday purchases based on what's important to you.

Do you use green apps? Let us know in the comments...

Apple Makes Future iPhones Jailbreak-Proof

Sébastien Page ∙ October 14, 2009

In a not so surprising move, Apple decided to give some hard time to jailbreakers by fixing the 24Kpwn exploit on the iPhone 3GS bootrom, which is the exploit that allows you to jailbreak your iPhone.

If like me you're not much of a technical person, here is an explanation from MobileCrunch:

If you want the full technical rundown of the exploit, you can find it here. In its simplest form: as with all computers, the iPhone requires something called a “Bootrom” to startup. During the startup process, one stretch of code in the Bootrom fails to ensure that the content being loaded is within a certain size limit. By throwing more instructions at that chunk of code than it’s intended to handle, exploiters are able to make the iPhone do damn near whatever they want; in this case, the jailbreaking process.

The reason for patching this exploit is unknown but we suspect it is to prevent applications piracy.

What's next? Well, the Dev Team and other iPhone hackers now have some more work to add to their plate. No code is perfect and there's probably other holes to exploit. It's now just a matter of time...

This cat and mouse game between Apple and the jailbreaking community is far beyond ridiculous now and iPhone users are getting tired of it. Yes, the iPhone is without a doubt the best mobile device out there, but all these stupid restrictions from Apple are leaving us tired and frustrated.

Apple was once famous for its "1984 commercial" that wanted the Mac to symbolize the idea of empowerment, with the ad showcasing the Mac as a tool for combating conformity and asserting originality. Look at what Apple has become. A perfect case study of irony and hypocrisy in business.

What do you think?

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/10/13/apple-moves-to-block-jailbreaks-once-and-for-all/

BlackRa1n for Mac is Now Available

Sébastien Page ∙ October 13, 2009

It is a very busy jailbreak day today with the release of PwnageTool 3.1.4 by the Dev Team and now GeoHot who just announced the release of BlackRa1n for Mac.

It is important to note that jailbreaking your iPhone 3.1.2 with BlackRa1n requires you to update to 3.1.2 prior to jailbreaking the firmware. If you are looking to unlock your iPhone later on, it is not recommended using BlackRa1n as it will update your baseband.

Should you want to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.2 to unlock it later on, I suggest you use PwnageTool instead as it will not update your baseband. As a matter of fact, I recommend using PwnageTool over BlackRa1n if you can.

You can download BlackRa1n for Mac from our downloads page. For a step-by-step guide on how to use BlackRa1n, please read our BlackRa1n jailbreak tutorial.

Jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 3, 2009

Since the release of OS 3.1.2 last week, there has been a friendly competition to release a jailbreak for the iPhone 3.1.2. GeoHot was the first to release the iPhone 3.1.2 jailbreak called BlackRa1n, followed by the Dev Team and their PwnageTool.

If I can make a suggestion, do not use BlackRa1n. It is buggy and unstable. PwnageTool is much more stable and "clean".

This article is a summary of the options you have to jailbreak your iPhone 3.1.2 depending on your model.

Unlock iPhone 3.1.2

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 3, 2009

With every new firmware comes a new unlock. Once again, it only took the Dev Team a few days to release an update to their PwnageTool and UltraSn0w to bring a safe and reliable iPhone 3.1.2 unlock.

This article is a summary of the different options you have to unlock your iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPhone 3GS running 3.1.2.

Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 2G 3.1.2 Using PwnageTool

Sébastien Page ∙ October 13, 2009

A few weeks ago, I wrote a step-by-step guide and tutorial that shows you how to jailbreak and unlock your iPhone 2G 3.1 using PwnageTool for Mac OS X. I could very well rewrite this tutorial again and call it "jailbreak and unlock your iPhone 2G 3.1.2 with PwnageTool" but that would be a waste of time as the steps are identical.

I suggest you check out this tutorial and follow the steps over there. The only thing that will change is that instead of using the firmware 3.1, you will have to use firmware 3.1.2 (iPhone1,1_3.1.2_7D11_Restore.ipsw). Everything else is exactly the same.

Jailbreak iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS 3.1.2 with PwnageTool

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

This step-by-step guide and tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone 3G or 3GS OS 3.1.2 using PwnageTool 3.1.4 for Mac OS X. PwnageTool is a Mac and Mac only tool. There is no equivalent for Windows and no one knows yet when such a tool for Windows will be released.

If you updated your iPhone via iTunes to 3.1.2 or if you bought your iPhone with 3.1.2 pre-installed, you will be able to jailbreak it, however, you will not be able to unlock it. On the other hand. if you are still on 3.0 or if you have updated to 3.1 using PwnageTool, you preserved your baseband and you will be able to unlock using UltraSn0w.

This tutorial is written for both the iPhone 3G and 3GS. The steps are identical. The only thing that changes is the file you have to download in order to create your custom IPSW.

How to jailbreak iPhone 3G/3GS 3.1.2:

Dev Team Updates PwnageTool for iPhone 3.1.2

Sébastien Page ∙ October 13, 2009

Late last night, the Dev Team released PwnageTool 3.1.4 jailbreak for Mac OS X. This updated version of PwnageTool now supports the iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.1.2. PwnageTool 3.1.4 for OS 3.1.2 comes just a couple days after BlackRa1n, a tool labeled as the "easiest and fastest jailbreak ever", which doesn't come without its share of issues.

What can PwnageTool for OS 3.1.2 do for you?

PwnageTool supports the iPhone 3GS OTB. If you recently bought your iPhone with 3.1.2 or if you updated via iTunes, you will now be able to jailbreak your iPhone PwnageTool will not update your baseband, so if you want to unlock, you have to use PwnageTool. In contrast, BlackRa1n will update your baseband If you jailbroke your iPhone using BlackRa1n, you may install a custom IPSW cooked with PwnageTool (this will fix many issues you may have with BlackRa1n) Updating to a custom 3.1.2 IPSW will kill the tethering hack. If you need tethering, do not update You can jailbreak your iPod Touch 2G only if it was jailbroken before PwnageTool doesn't support the iPod Touch 3G yet PwnageTool is Mac only but you can use a custom firmware cooked with PwnageTool on a windows machine (just make sure you can trust the source) There is no ETA for a Windows tool There is no ETA for a software unlock for the latest baseband

PwnageTool 3.1.4 is available for download from our downloads section.

I will write PwnageTool jailbreak tutorials within the next few hours. For the latest jailbreak info, please visit our jailbreak page.

For more detailed information about the release of PwnageTool 3.1.4 for iPhone OS 3.1.2, please visit the Dev Team blog.

BlackRa1n is NOT the Easiest and Quickest Jailbreak Ever

Sébastien Page ∙ October 12, 2009

Since the release of BlackRa1n yesterday morning, many people have qualified it as the easiest and quickest jailbreak ever. I have to admit it is very fast and pretty straightforward, that is if you can have it to work of course, as many jailbreakers out there are having issues with this jailbreak (see comments on my tutorial).

This being said, BlackRa1n is NOT the fastest, bestest, quickest, most awesomest jailbreak of all times. If you think so, you probably were not around when iPhone OS 1.1.1 could be jailbroken directly from your iPhone. Those were the good old days of JailbreakMe.com. For those of you who don't know about jailbreakme, let me explain you briefly how it worked.

You had to go to www.JailbreakMe.com from your iPhone. After reading some type of warning message, you had to agree to run the jailbreak and 30 seconds later, you had Installer (Cydia's ancestor) on your springboard, ready to install a bunch of jailbreak apps. This, my friends, was the quickest and most simple jailbreak ever made.

Heck, it was so simple that I would go to the Apple Store in San Diego and jailbreak a bunch of iPhones on display, just for the fun of it. I would also install the NES emulator and pretend I didn't know anything about the iPhone, call up a so-called "Genius" and be like: "OMG, this iPhone thing is awesome, you even have the NES on it". Needless to say that the Genius didn't really know what to say about that.

I have nothing against BlackRa1n, except maybe it was released too quickly. GeoHot is a freaking genius and he deserves all the props he's getting right now, but I just wanted to make things straight. I had wanted to write something in memory of JailbreakMe for a while so I thought this would be the perfect occasion.

Do you remember JailbreakMe? I would love to hear your comments about it.

Weekly Wrapup: BlackRa1n, Jailbreak, and More…

Sébastien Page ∙ October 11, 2009

The big news of the week is of course the release of BlackRa1n but this new jailbreak wasn't the only thing we talked about. Here is a summary of the articles that were published this past few days on iDB.

Jailbreak iPod Touch 2G 3.1.1 - A tutorial to show you how to jailbreak your iPod Touch 2G on OS 3.1.1.

Jailbreak them all - GeoHot announced a new tool that will jailbreak all iDevices.

Action Menu app review - Action Menu takes a stab at enhancing the copy/paste function of your iPhone by adding a bunch of add-ons to it.

BlackRa1n announced - GeoHot reveals the name of his new jailbreaking tool.

iPhone OS 3.1.2 is out - Apple released the latest iPhone and iPod Touch OS 3.1.2.

BlackRa1n works on 3.1.2 - GeoHot confirmed that BlackRa1n will work on 3.1.2.

Join our Facebook page - We created a Facebook page for the blog. Join us!

BlackRa1n to be released soon - GeoHot tell us he's getting closer to release BlackRa1n.

FWchanger review - A jailbreak app that lets you fake your firmware.

BlackRa1n released - GeoHot finally releases BlackRa1n.

BlackRa1n jailbreak tutorial - A guide that shows you how to use BlackRa1n.

Jailbreak Your iPhone With BlackRa1n Tutorial

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 24, 2010

This step-by-step guide/tutorial will show you how to jailbreak your iPhone using BlackRa1n, the latest jailbreak tool by GeoHot. This BlackRa1n tutorial is for Windows and Mac. Note that this tutorial was written for a PC but the steps are identical for Mac.

Before we get started, I highly suggest you read this post I wrote earlier today. There are a few requirements and restrictions about BlackRa1n and it is very important you read and understand them all.

BlackRa1n will not unlock your iPhone. Also you should not update to 3.1.2 if you want to be able to unlock. If that's your case, you will have to wait for the Dev Team to update PwnageTool.

This tutorial was written for an iPhone 3GS but the process is exactly the same for all iPhones and all iPod Touch.

UPDATE: This method is completely outdated. Check out our Jailbreak Section for the latest jailbreaking methods.

BlackRa1n RC2 is out! Check out this tutorial for a step by step guide on how to jailbreak your iPhone or iPod Touch with BlackRa1n RC2.

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone Using BlackRain:

BlackRa1n is Now Available

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 31, 2010

Waiting time is over! The long-awaited BlackRa1n jailbreak by GeoHot is now available for download.

So, what is blackra1n? blackra1n is a 30 second ALL device 3.1.2 jailbreak. Even the ipt3, but the ipt3 is tethered. In order to boot it, just rerun blackra1n. As far as donations go, they are much appreciated, but not until after blackra1n works for you. I never ask for donations before the tool is released.

Warning 3g and 3gs unlockers, do not upgrade to 3.1.2 using iTunes if you want to keep your unlock. Baseband cannot be downgraded. Check out the dev team's offerings. Also blackra1n doesn't hacktivate.

UPDATE: This post is outdated. There is now an easier way to jailbreak the iPhone. Click here for more info.

There are a few important things to note about BlackRa1n:

BlackRa1n can jailbreak OS 3.1 and 3.1.2 BlackRa1n is for Windows only so far. If you're using Windows 7 , run BlackRa1n as an admin with “Windows XP Compatibility” mode by enabling it from the “Properties” tab BlackRa1n does not hacktivate your iPhone, which means you must be using an official carrier BlackRa1n does not unlock the iPhone iPhone 3G and 3GS users should not upgrade to 3.1.2 if they want to keep their unlock. You will have to wait for an updated version of PwnageTool if you want to unlock the latest OS. the iPod Touch 3G is supported but it is a tethered jailbreak which means you'll have to use BlackRa1n everytime you want to boot your iTouch

This is the RC1 of BlackRa1n and it is still a little buggy so be careful.

I think it's worth highlighting again that if you want to keep your unlock, you should NOT update to 3.1.2. Simply wait for the Dev Team to update PwnageTool.

You can download BlackRa1n from the website or from our downloads section. I will be writing wrote a BlackRa1n tutorial. Check it out for more information on how to use BlackRa1n: BlackRa1n jailbreak guide & tutorial.