George Hotz, who normally goes under the moniker Geohot, has released the world’s first iPhone 3GS jailbreaking software today, notably before the iPhone Dev Team.
Hotz came to fame (or infamy) in the online community when he released the first iPhone unlocking software in 2007.
The iPhone Dev Team has said they have software available but are waiting until after the upcoming 3.1 update to release it. Geohot did not feel the need to wait however.
Adds Hotz: “Normally I don’t make tools for the general public, and rather wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, whats up with waiting until 3.1? That isn’t how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn’t worth waiting because you might have the “last” hole in the iPhone. What last hole…this isn’t golf. I’ll find a new one next week.”
Despite the quick sales of the iPhone 3GS, the Dev Team felt an early release would benefit few users and felt it better for the community to keep the exploits or vulnerabilities used out of “Apple’s eyes” for the time being. Being that the new jailbreaking software is available now, Apple can possibly examine what hole is being exploited and patch it with their 3.1 release. Not that Hotz cares.
The software is dubbed purplera1n and you can find more information about it here in Hotz’s blog post: I make it ra1n
Result for: unlocking software
The iPhone Dev Team has now officially released the iPhone 3.0 software unlocking software, dubbed Ultrasn0w, which will help iPhone 3G users to unlock their phones that have been updated to software 3.0.
The Dev Team says to follow these simple rules:
1. Ensure you have upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0
2. Jailbreak your iPhone 3G using redsn0w or PwnageTool (this will also install Cydia/Icy)
3. Run Cydia or Icy
4. Please add the repo repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia or Icy. That last “o” is actually the number zero target=”_blank”>zero “0”! If you use the letter “o” you’ll get an error.
5. Search for ‘ultrasn0w’ in cydia or icy and install ultrasn0w
6. Reboot your iPhone 3G
7. T-Mobile USA users should disable 3G before using ultrasn0w
8. Enjoy
Result for: unlocking software
According to the iPhone Dev Team, unlocking software for iPhone 3G units can soon be a reality.
A video produced by the team shows that they have gained access to the baseband processor used in the iPhone 3G. CNET says the “the baseband chip is what controls the connection between the phone and the mobile phone network, meaning that a software download that could let you use your iPhone 3G on a carrier network other than the ones officially designated by Apple could be released soon.”
The original iPhone was unlocked within a short time from its launch but the 3G model has proven harder to crack. The baseband in the new model is more difficult to exploit than its predecessors.
Although it is possible to unlock the iPhone 3G by modifying a SIM card, there are no software-based unlocks available yet.
The demand for unlocked iPhone 3Gs is smaller than that of the original iPhone due to Apple’s decision to release the phone all around the world and on many carriers. However, there are still places such as China that do not have official iPhone carriers and where mobile phone users want iPhones.
