Hasta La Gadget!

If you want to install cool apps on your iPhone or iPod Touch for free, easily, breaking Apple-imposed limitations without breaking your warranty or Applethingie, here is the how-to guide for Mac and Windows users.

What is a jailbreak?

Jailbreaking is the process required to install applications in your iPhone or iPod touch. It is a very easy procedure. It’s also safe: There are no risks in this operation*, as you can easily use iTunes to restore your iPhone or iPod touch to the default factory settings. When you do that, the iPhone will be like new.

Why jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch from Apple’s iron fist?

You should jailbreak your iPhone or iPod if you want to install really cool and useful applications that are not in the iTunes App Store. Many of these apps are a complete must for any iPhone user but are not allowed by Apple in their iTunes App Store.

This is what you can do with a phone that has been jailbroken:

• Use your iPhone as a 3G modem with your laptop.
• Record video using Cycorder.
• Unlock your iPhone installing a simple program, so you can use a pre-paid card when you go out on vacation instead of paying outrageous roaming charges.
• Follow speech turn-by-turn directions in a GPS program.
• Copy and paste (yes, copy and paste).
• Play Nintendo Entertainment System games and other emulated classic cames (like Monkey Island!)

In other words: Do it.

*WARNING* Of course, the usual do this at your own risk and we are not responsible caveats still apply, but this process is really fool proof thanks to Apple’s iTunes factory reset. If you are looking to unlock your iPhone now or in the future, DON’T USE THESE INSTRUCTIONS or you won’t be able to unlock it. You will need a different process, which we will explain in another How To.

Opening the backdoor (Mac Users only)

The first thing you need to do to install free apps in your iPhone or iPod is putting it into DFU mode, or Device Firmware Update mode. Don’t worry, this isn’t anything weird: It’s what your device goes through every time you update the operating system in it. With this step, you will be making the iPhone go into this state.

This is the only long part of this tutorial because—since the 10.5.6 update—Apple has made it difficult to easily connect your Mac to a manually DFU’ed iPhone or iPod. This can be solved by replacing some USB drivers from a previous version of Mac OS X. If you have 10.5.6 installed, follow these instructions:

Step 1. To do this, you need to get yourself a free Apple Developer Connection account. Since you are using iTunes with your device, you are already almost there: Just log in with your Apple ID from here. The form will ask you to answer a couple of questions (just answer whatever you want), and you’ll be done as soon as you click the Accept button.

Step 2. Now you need to download and install the drivers. Go to this page and look for this file:

IOUSBFamily-315.4-log.dmg” for Mac OS X10.5.5 Build 9F33

Once it’s downloaded, disconnect ALL USB peripherals except for your Apple keyboard and Apple mouse and install the package included in the disk image.

Once you restart after the installation, you will be ready to run QuickPwn, the program that will allow you to install the applications.

Important: Once you complete the jailbreaking process, you have to restore the previous USB drivers. Go to to this page and download IOUSBFamily-327.4.0-log.dmg” for Mac OS X 10.5.6 Build 9G55, then repeat the same operation. Once you restart, Mac OS X 10.5.6 will be restored to its original state.

Freeing your iPhone or iPod touch (all users)

Here’s the easiest part: Running QuickPwn. QuickPwn is a program that will easily “jailbreak” your iPhone or iPod touch. Jailbreak, as the name says, just means breaking Apple’s limitations on accessing your device, allowing you put anything you want in it. This means installing any application you want, and not only the ones that Apple allows you to install.

Step 1. Download QuickPwn for Mac OS X or Windows from any of the following links:

Windows
• QuickPwn 2.2.5 for Windows: Get the official release via Torrent here.

Unofficial mirrors
• http://miphone.ca/iphone-dev/QuickPwn225-2.zip
• http://foskarulla.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip
• http://downloads2.touch-mania.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip
• http://www.applei.ph/devteam/QuickPwn-225-2.zip
• http://phonenews.com/phones/gsm/apple/QuickPwn225-2.zip
• http://rabstalk.bplaced.net/mirrors/QuickPwn-225-2.zip
• http://www.evil-crew.de/QuickPwn-225-2.zip
• http://daniel14.com/QuickPwn-225-2.zip

Mac OS X
• QuickPwn 2.2.5: Get the official release via Torrent here.

Unofficial mirrors
• http://iphone-dev.fgv6.net/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://iphone.schwarzmetall.cn/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://rabstalk.bplaced.net/mirrors/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://jmcoon.net/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://www.iphone-storage.de/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://downloads2.ipod.backshot.eu/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg
• http://miphone.ca/iphone-dev/QuickPwn_2.2.5.dmg

Step 2. Run QuickPwn and pick the kind of device you have: iPhone, iPhone 3G, or iPod Touch.

Step 3. Follow the instructions on the screen. QuickPwn is completely automated:

• Firstly, it will download all the necessary components from Apple on its own.

• Then the software will build a custom iPhone operating system, which includes Installer and Cydia, the two programs that will allow you to install the iPhone applications outside of the iTunes Apps Store microsystem.

• When QuickPwn asks you to enter your system password, do it. It’s not malicious. It just needs this to work.

• Finally, follow the precisely timed instructions on the screen to put your device on DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. QuickPwn will do the rest.

If something doesn’t work, don’t worry. Start the process again. If your device gets a bit nutty, restore it to default factory settings using iTunes, and you will be back to square one, no harm done.

Step 4. Be patient as your iPhone restarts. Once it’s done, you are done too. It’s fun time.

Installing the applications

This is where the fun starts. You will notice two new icons in your iPhone or iPod touch’s springboard: One says “Installer” and the other says “Cydia”. These are the two competing systems for installation of software. It doesn’t really matter what you use to install your software. Most applications can be installed from both—there are exceptions, like xGPS, which can only be installed on Cydia—and both allow you to browse and install software from a a variety of sources.

• Browsing the catalogs. Whatever system you choose, installing applications is as easy as going through the available catalogs and picking the application you want.

• Manually adding applications. There will be times in which you will discover applications on the web which are not in the default catalogs in Cydia or Installer. Fortunately, you can add these by just entering the URL provided by the developer in the web page, a process that is referred to as “Adding a source”. Here’s how to do it:

In Cydia

• Click on “Manage.”
• Click on “Sources.”
• Click on “Edit” and then “Add.”
• Enter the address in the dialog field.
• Click on “Add source.”

In Installer

• Click on “Sources.”
• Click on “Edit” and then “Add.”
• Enter the address in the field.
• Click “Done” and get back to sources by clicking on “Sources.”

And that’s it. Now you can install any application you want using either program. Have fun!

It’s hard to call two incidents of some occurrence around the world a trend, but, when those incidents both involve an electrical device catching fire spontaneously, it creates a situation that’s hard to ignore — especially when that device is the iPhone. On Saturday, Italian blogger Tim Colbourne was charging his 3G handset and, after three hours, it sparked and caught fire at the base. Tim did a little investigation and found a case of a Swedish handset doing the same thing back in 2008, making us a little concerned that there could be more melted chargers out there. Apple replaced that earlier phone after something of a fight, and while we’re hoping they’ll be a little friendlier here, we’re also hoping this gives Cupertino another bit of incentive to go ahead and switch over to micro-USB already. All the cool kids are doing it, and you don’t see their cables catching fire — usually.

[Via Cult of Mac]

Filed under: Cellphones

Is the iPhone hotter than we think? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on August 10, 2008 by CyberNet.

About a week ago we wrote a MyFive including five things we wished the iPhone 3G had. Among them were more than a 2 megapixel camera, a flash for the camera and video recording, multimedia messaging service, a replaceable battery, and a 32GB option. In the comments, Pieter pointed out that to be fair, we should write another article about five things that the iPhone can do better than other phones. We thought it was a great idea because as iPhone owners, there is a lot we do enjoy about the phones. Today’s MyFive will include things the iPhone does better than other phones out there.

1. Battery Life

The iPhone 3G offers up to 5 hours of talk time on 3G, 10 hours of talk time on 2G, 5 hours of Internet use on 3G, 6 hours of Internet use on Wi-Fi, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback, and 300 hours of standby time. Enough said.

2. Browser

When we had Internet capability on previous phones, we really didn’t use it much. Why? Well, because it was a pain in the butt to use! Apple did an amazing job with Safari for the iPhone which makes surfing the web hassle-free.

Studies have shown that iPhone users are more likely to browse the web on their device, more-so than other phones, simply because it’s easy to do. The device is what we like to call “Internet-centric” — it’s centered around the Internet and thus, people actually use it.

3. 3rd Party Applications

If you take the time to go through the applications that are available, you can find some really nice ones that will help increase productivity, and others that will give you a few minutes of fun. Not all are what we’d consider “quality” apps, but there are some great ones out there. For original iPhone owners, these 3rd party applications almost don’t make it a necessity to upgrade to the iPhone 3G.

4. Usability

The iPhone has a lot of features that other phones offer, but the ease of use is what stands out with the iPhone. Simple features that most phones have like a clock or calculator, are presented in front of you instead of buried with-in menus. And the clock is more than just a clock, it’s a stop-watch and a timer, and has an amazing alarm clock system. This alarm clock system has replaced my stand-alone alarm clock.

The camera is another great example. We’ve had camera phones in the past but this camera (despite the fact it’s 2MP) is easier to use than most cameras on other phones not to mention the fact that sharing those photos with others is great with the nice big touch-screen.

Apple definitely made a phone that their users will want to use, because of the ease-of-use.

5. Overall Experience

The overall experience of the iPhone is amazing. Sure, the new firmware has a few kinks, but the overall experience is what makes the iPhone worth all of the hype and the money. Great battery life, an awesome browser, a selection of quality 3rd party applications, and the ease of use provide the user with an overall experience that is hard to beat.

Copyright © 2009 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

• MyFive: Things We Wished the iPhone 3G Had
• Need an iPhone Relocker for your iBrick?
• Apple Warns iPhone Could Become iBrick
• MyFive: Most Popular Searches on eBay
• iPhone is Popular on Flickr

Not that we’ve never seen a jailbroken iPhone get cozy with a keyboard before, but this is just a match made in heaven. Not according to those who matter in Cupertino, mind you, but since when have you renegade hackers cared about those folks? The video waiting down in the read link shows off an Apple Bluetooth keyboard interacting with an iPhone 3G, but it seems that you’ll have to wait a bit longer before the general public gets instructions / files / etc. in order to replicate.

[Thanks, Ralf]

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

Video: Apple’s iPhone and Bluetooth keyboard get together, have a good ole time originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here.

Ashton’s just this guy, you know? He and his salt-of-the-earth wife Demi like to dodge the paparazzi at the airport, and on occasion he’ll take that painstakingly jailbroken iPhone 3G of his and turn the tables on their stalkers — he even upped the video to Qik, just in case you were wondering what other people just like you get up to in their free time.

Read – TMZ’s flattering coverage of Ashton and fam
Read – Ashton’s Qik video of the incident

Continue reading Celebrity Nerds: Ashton Kutcher jailbreaks his iPhone, fends off paps

Filed under: Cellphones

Celebrity Nerds: Ashton Kutcher jailbreaks his iPhone, fends off paps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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