11/03, 3:10pm
Exposes security vulnerability
A hacker in the Netherlands has attempted to extort several iPhone owners, reports say. The hacker is believed to have used port scanning to identify T-Mobile-branded phones running SSH, commonly used in jailbreaking techniques. Because many people do not change the default root password on jailbroken devices, the hacker was able to take control of iPhones, and send custom text messages warning them to visit a website in order to resecure their firmware.
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11/03, 1:50pm
Utility supports hacktivation
Blackra1n coder George Hotz has released blacksn0w, a new jailbreaking utility that unlocks iPhone firmware v3.1.2 and the latest baseband v05.11.07. The tool now allows users to upgrade to v3.1.2 from older firmware without losing the unlock. The process also enables tethering, allowing the handset to be used as a computer-connected modem even on carriers, such as AT&T, that still block the function.
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10/26, 5:00pm
May legitimize many Chinese devices
Some users of gray-market iPhones will soon be eligible for an amnesty in China, writes the China Business Times. Official products for the region are set to go on sale later this week, after an unusually long negotiation period with Apple. Prices will be considerably higher than many Chinese are able to afford however, which could lead a number to choose unlocked import phones, which are also frequently less expensive.
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10/22, 5:45pm
Software assists DIY Mac clones
Psystar has begun offering its Mac virtualization technology in a software package, Rebel EFI, that allows users to install Snow Leopard on their own PC systems. The utility supports generic Intel hardware based on Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, i7 or Xeon Nehalem CPUs. The Darwin boot loader can also be used to load Linux and Windows XP, Vista or 7.
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10/15, 4:15pm
Closed exploit a minor obstacle
Jailbreaking indeed remains an option for the iPhone 3GS, says a member of the unofficial iPhone Dev Team. "It’s not going to be impossible to jailbreak even if the exploit we used is gone," notes Eric McDonald, responding to some media reports claiming that 3GS jailbreaks might be impossible with the closure of the 24kpwn exploit. Apple has begun shipping 3GS units with a new bootrom, rendering the hole ineffective.
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10/14, 9:35am
May force new workarounds
A minor revision of the iPhone 3GS is now shipping with a new bootrom, preventing the use of somecurrent jailbreaking techniques, hackers claim. Phones with iBoot 359.3.2 are believed to have gone on sale last week, quietly and without explanation from Apple. The new code is said to prevent the 24kpwn exploit, however, which has been used for some time in jailbreaking tools, including those from the unofficial iPhone Dev Team.
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10/13, 10:15am
Also jailbreaks 3GS
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team team has released PwnageTool 3.1.4, an update to its Mac hacking utility for iPhones and iPods. The latest version is mainly addressed at unlocking iPhone 3.1.2, which was released last Thursday. 2G, 3G and 3GS iPhones are supported, as well as the first- and second-generation iPod touch, though the latter devices can only be jailbroken. Second-gen Touches must have previously been jailbroken, while third-gen Touches are completely incompatible.
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10/12, 9:30am
Limitations persist
Coder George Hotz has released blackra1n, a new jailbreaking tool. The software is said to jailbreak "all" devices capable of running Apple's iPhone 3.1.2 firmware, including the iPod touch. It is also claimed to be quick, cracking the firmware open for unsanctioned access and applications in approximately 30 seconds.
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09/16, 10:10am
Current-gen devices must wait
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team says it has released a new version of PwnageTool, v3.1. The software jailbreaks various Apple handhelds, allowing owners to install unofficial apps, or unlock an iPhone in particular for use with unsupported carriers. The update is designed to circumvent blocks created by Apple's iPhone 3.1 firmware, released just last week.
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09/09, 6:15pm
Apple prevents Palm Pre sync with latest iTunes
Apple has made sure to prevent Palm Pre owners from syncing their smartphones with the iTunes 9 update released Wednesday, according to several user reports posted on PreCentral's forums. The company has worked to prevent compatibility, starting with iTunes 8.2.1, after publishing a technical note warning users that third party phones would not be able to sync.
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08/25, 10:50pm
User's MobileMe hacked
Philp Hayes, a self-declared IT expert, claims his MobileMe account was hacked. The user asserts that hackers accessed his account, changed the password and made a €55 PayPal purchase from RapidShare. The blog entry lends insight to the way Apple reps communicate with each other, suggesting those that assisted Hayes used iChat and prompted him to also chat online via an Apple Support page.
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08/24, 2:55pm
Legitimate iPhone unlock?
It is now possible to legally unlock an iPhone, one website claims. One of the site's writers claims to have unlocked an iPhone 3G as a result of paying for the remainder of a two-year contract with Sonera, the exclusive iPhone distributor in Finland. The writer gave his IMEI number to a Sonera store manager, alleged authorized to submit IMEIs to Apple using a "special piece of software." The manager informed the writer that the next time the phone was synced with iTunes it would be unlocked via a carrier settings update.
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07/29, 1:05pm
Windows 7 Ultimate cracked
People have already managed to crack Windows 7 Ultimate and distribute it online, accounts say. The pirated version is based on a Lenovo OEM release, from which an ISO file was created and posted on a Chinese forum. Hackers subsequently managed to extract the OEM-SLP key and the activation certificate, allowing users to bypass Microsoft's Genuine Advantage copy protection. The technology normally requires online validation.
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07/29, 9:35am
Apple fights EFF on iPhone
Offering sanction to iPhone jailbreaking would open the door to "potentially catastrophic" network attacks, Apple suggests. The company recently submitted a filing to the US Copyright Office, contesting a motion by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to make jailbreaking legally accepted. Jailbreaking is already widely practiced around the world, but potentially at risk from the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which presently states that "no person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title."
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07/15, 3:30pm
iPhone 3.1 b2 tethering
The beta 2 release of iPhone 3.1, seeded to developers on Tuesday night, also appears to undo tethering workarounds for AT&T subscribers, reports say. Through tethering users can turn an iPhone into a modem, providing Internet access where no landline connections exist. AT&T has only promised official tethering for later this summer however, which will also likely come at extra expense.
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07/10, 1:40pm
Palm Pre Verizon hack
Nominally a Sprint exclusive, the Palm Pre has been successfully hacked to work with Verizon, one owner claims. In a demonstration video, the owner shows himself calling a Verizon number to authorize the device; visible in one corner of the Pre's screen is what appears to be the proper carrier identifier. The hack is said to be relatively complex, involving multiple steps, such as getting a recognized MEID number.
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07/07, 4:00pm
ultrasn0w for iPhone 3GS
Owners of the iPhone 3GS should now be able to both unlock and jailbreak their devices, the unofficial iPhone Dev Team has announced. The group has released 3GS-ready versions of ultrasn0w and redsn0w, which respectively handle both halves of hacking an iPhone. The move was forced, the Dev Team says, by the announcement of purplera1n, which can only jailbreak a 3GS.
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07/05, 8:35pm
Mac iPhone 3GS unlock tool
George Hotz, creator of purplera1n, the first iPhone 3GS jailbreak tool, has announced that a Mac version is now available. In his blog, Hotz explains that he is not familiar with Mac coding and gives credit to AriX and westbaer for the port. The hack is still considered to be in the beta stage and users are reminded to backup any important data before attempting the unlock. The file weighs in at 458 KB and is available on the purplera1n website.
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07/03, 9:15am
First iPhone 3GS jailbreak
The first jailbreaking tool for the iPhone 3GS has been released, claims coder George Hotz. Called purplera1n, the hack is described as in beta but launched though an installer file, thus making it friendly to the general public. Due to potential problems, Hotz suggests users backup any important iPhone data before attempting to crack the phone's security.
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07/01, 9:35am
More iPhone 3.1 details
More features from the iPhone 3.1 beta have been discovered, according to reports. Aside from enabling MMS by default, and allowing third-party apps access to the video editing interface, the new beta is said to finally allow use of Voice Control through a Bluetooth connection. iPhone owners should thus be able to speak commands into a Bluetooth headset, as opposed to Apple's earbuds or the iPhone's built-in microphone.
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06/29, 4:05pm
Hack enables iPhone MMS
Owners of the original 2G iPhone should be able to enable MMS messaging, ignoring carrier support, hackers say. While a phone must first have jailbroken iPhone 3.0 firmware, the remaining process is described as relatively simple, requiring only the Cydia framework and the ActivateMMS2G distribution. Alternately, the manual process involves unpacking a file called mms2g.deb on an iPhone, then applying patch files and custom user settings.
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06/26, 10:25am
Dev Team on iPhone 3G S
The iPhone 3G S should be relatively easy to jailbreak and unlock, the unofficial iPhone Dev Team suggests. The group says it has discovered that the "24Kpwn" exploit, originally used to hack the second-generation iPod touch, remains usable on the bootrom of the iPhone 3G S. As a result, a variant of the current redsn0w utility should become practical for future iPhone jailbreaking.
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06/23, 9:15am
ultrasn0w unlock live
After some delay, the unofficial iPhone Dev Team has released the ultrasn0w unlocking tool for iPhone 3.0 firmware. The current version is only functional with the iPhone 3G, but enables use of the device with any unofficial GSM carrier. American T-Mobile customers must however disable 3G access before using the hack.
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06/19, 4:50pm
PwnageTool for iPhone 3.0
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team has released a new version of PwnageTool for the Mac, updated to jailbreak devices running the iPhone 3.0 firmware. Once jailbroken a handheld can load unofficial applications, and provide access to normally forbidden code. The software is not currently functional with the iPhone 3G S, but should work on first- and second-generation iPhones, as well as the first-generation iPod touch. Second-generation Touches must use redsn0w instead.
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06/18, 9:25am
iPhone 3.0 tethering
A simpler method exists for enabling tethering with unsupported iPhone carriers, a new report claims. Although the iPhone 3.0 firmware provides the appropriate framework for the technology, many carriers continue to disallow tethering for fear of oversaturated networks. Hacks to enable the feature have typically involved a complicated series of steps that discourage adoption.
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06/17, 1:35pm
ultrasn0w unlock for 3.0
As promised on Tuesday, the unofficial iPhone Dev Team has revealed ultrasn0w, carrier unlocking code for the iPhone 3.0 firmware. Creators note that the software injected into a phone's baseband is the same as that in yellowsn0w, designed for iPhone 2.x; the difference is simply the use of a new hole in Apple's security, found by someone outside of the Dev Team. The release of ultrasn0w is being delayed until Friday, to prevent last-minute interference by Apple.
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06/16, 4:20pm
aTV Flash 3.6 update
Life Core has announced aTV Flash 3.6, the latest version of it Apple TV enhancement software. aTV Flash adds a series of features, including video playlists, additional file formats, and the ability to drag-and-drop media. Among the supported file formats are DivX, XviD, AVI, WMV and VIDEO TS. Further tweaks allow the use of an external USB hard drive.
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06/16, 12:10pm
Dev Team iPhone 3.0 unlock
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team, best known for its yellowsn0w hack, has announced plans to demonstrate a new unlock for the iPhone 3.0 firmware. Although public downloads of iPhone 3.0 are only scheduled to open on June 17th, a live feed of the unlocking demo is expected sometime later on the 16th. Interested viewers must follow MuscleNerd through Twitter to learn the time and URL for the presentation.
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06/10, 12:35am
Palm webOS hacked
Although the Palm Pre is fresh on the market, users have already begun dissecting the webOS Root Doctor which includes 195MB of operating system files and code. Used as intended, the recovery tool restores the functionality of a crashed phone and updates the operating system. Forum posts on PreCentral.net indicate several interesting code comments, access passwords for the developer mode, possible designations for upcoming hardware, and icons for AOL and MSN.
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05/14, 7:00pm
Jobs' account hacked?
Steve Jobs' Amazon account has supposedly been hacked, claims an individual identifying himself as "orin0co," according to Cult of Mac. The hacker asserts he was able to gain access to the account by sending Jobs a forged, official-looking e-mail to Jobs, tricking the Apple CEO to log into a fake Amazon account, and subsequently providing the hacker with the personal login information.
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04/02, 9:40am
iPhone 3.0b2 jailbroken
Only a day after the release of the second iPhone 3.0 developer beta, the firmware has already been jailbroken, hackers claim. A new version of QuickPWN, described as "unofficial" because it is not based on iPhone Dev Team work, opens up iPhones and first-generation iPod touches for purposes such as file browsing and loading unofficial apps. Second-gen Touches are incompatible as a result of Apple's separation of the firmware line.
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03/27, 4:55pm
Recover PDF Password ships
Eltima has released Recover PDF Password for Mac, software said to recover the passwords of protected PDF documents, even when unusually complicated or long. Successfully unlocked documents are accessible without printing, copying or editing restrictions. Different user-selectable approaches are used, including length, template or exhaustive searches, with the exhaustive option taking the most time.
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03/20, 10:20am
iPhone 3.0 tethering hack
Tethering an American iPhone should be as equally viable as tethering an Irish one, a developer tells MacNN. While AT&T has not officially opened up tethering in the US, local owners of an iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3.0 beta firmware should be able to hack their phones to use the technology. The process begins by navigating to the "~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Carrier Support" folder, where users must rename an IPCC file as a ZIP document after creating a backup of the original.
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03/09, 3:55pm
Needham on App Str. rivals
The emergence of unofficial app stores as an alternative to iTunes does not pose a serious threat to Apple's bottom line, according to Needham analyst Charlie Wolf. Services such as the Cydia Store could in theory deprive Apple of its 30 percent commission made via the App Store, but Wolf proposes that the alternatives will be unable to sell sanctioned titles, which already number over 25,000. Instead, third parties may be limited to potentially offensive or poor-quality apps.
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03/06, 4:30pm
Rival iPhone stores loom
Several new online stores are threatening to challenge the current rigidity of the iPhone economy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Opening today is the Cydia Store, an extension of the software associated with browsing and downloading unofficial iPhone applications. While most apps available through Cydia have been free, some Cydia Store downloads will cost a fee, with the creator of the service reaping a commission similar to the one taken by Apple from official iPhone apps.
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02/19, 5:00pm
Mozilla, Skype vs. Apple
Two prominent companies, Mozilla and Skype, have joined in opposition to Apple's stance on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Apple recently challenged an exemption to the DMCA proposed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which would guarantee the legality of jailbreaking iPhones and other handsets. In its formal response, Apple complained that opening the law would risk damage to phones, and encourage breach of contract as well as copyright infringement.
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02/13, 2:55pm
Netflix through Front Row
A Google Code project, Understudy, now allows Hulu and Netflix streaming video to be played through Apple's Front Row software. Users can subscribe to multiple feeds and select individual videos to watch. The provided feeds for each service can be used, while the program also can automatically discover the user's profile or the feeds can be copied from the clipboard. To view the content, Understudy is accessible from within Front Row and the services and streams are available in the Manage Feeds section.
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01/29, 8:40pm
QuickPWN jailbreak
QuickPWN has already managed to release a jailbreak for the iPhone 2.2.1 firmware. The program does not yet provide a solution for owners of unlocked 3G phones, however, as the latest Apple firmware will revert any of the handsets back to a locked state. Nonetheless, the QuickPWN program will jailbreak the iPhone, iPhone 3G and first-generation iPod touch, but currently requires Windows for installation. The developers are likely working on a Mac version, although a confirmation or date have note yet been provided.
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01/14, 2:55pm
Apple threatens Wired
Apple has allegedly threatened Wired for posting a video tutorial that provided instructions for configuring a Mac-clone netbook, according to a tweet by Gadget Lab writer Brian X. Chen. Although his first message suggested the publication was facing a lawsuit, an update revealed that Apple likely sent a cease and desist order. Despite the lack of a formal lawsuit, Wired apparently conceded and removed the videos from its website.
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01/02, 9:20am
yellowsn0w beta unlock out
As promised in December, the unofficial iPhone Dev Team has released an initial beta version of yellowsn0w, its new iPhone hack. The code represents the first serious software effort to unlock the iPhone 3G, which has otherwise resisted any hacking beyond basic jailbreaking. Applying the unlock currently requires the use of Cydia or Installer.
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12/22, 9:30am
yellowsn0w unlock video
The unofficial iPhone Dev Team has released a video demonstrating its upcoming software unlock for the iPhone 3G. Dubbed "yellowsn0w," the hack is said to be relatively simple and quick to run; after substituting an iPhone-specific SIM card for one from an unofficial carrier, users launch the appropriate app or root code, which checks for baseband vulnerability before making necessary changes. When a phone is ready, the carrier identifier in the upper-left corner should switch over.
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12/18, 12:20pm
First Look: MacPilot
You can customize any good operating system, and Mac OS X is no exception. While the System Preferences window lets you tweak components like the desktop or audio output, many more customizable features of the OS are hidden away. To get at these buried settings the most immediate solution is to enter cryptic commands into Terminal, but if you’d rather modify a Mac using a familiar point-and-click interface, take a look at MacPilot.
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12/16, 10:15am
iPhone 3G unlock by Jan.
The iPhone Dev Team has announced that its long-awaited software unlock for the iPhone 3G should be released on New Year's Eve. The unlock has been completed, and is currently being packaged into a user-friendly application, expected to be no more complicated than other iPhone hacking applications such as QuickPwn and BootNeuter.
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12/12, 1:45pm
Millenium Mac clones
The American distributor of the EFi-X open-platform USB dongle has created the Millennium series of desktop computers that are designed to compete with the Mac Pro, according to AppleInsider. The Millennium 4 will be the first product released, featuring a Core 2 Quad processor overclocked to 3.8GHz, 4GB of RAM, a GeForce 8800 GTS video card, 150GB 10,000RPM drive and a 1TB 7,200RPM secondary drive. The company claims that its computer is 80-percent as fast as the 8-core 3.0GHz Mac Pro, but will sell for less than half of Apple's price.
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12/05, 5:10pm
SIM Unlock Card for iPhone
USBfever has released a new SIM Unlock Card, which it says is compatible with the v2.2 iPhone firmware. The card should theoretically allow the use of different networks' SIM cards in an iPhone 3G, without having to resort to the risks posed by jailbreaking. The 10mm-thick Unlock Card is positioned parallel to a user's own SIM card, and can also be used in any other locked mobile phone.
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12/01, 4:20pm
Linux on iPhone
Devteam member planetbeing has successfully reverse-engineered the iPhone and iPod touch platforms to run the open-source Linux 2.6 kernel. The port is still in the beginning stages of development, with limited functionality that lacks support for the touchscreen, sound, accelerometer, baseband and wireless networking. When the device is powered-on, OpeniBoot gives the choice of booting the iPhone operating system or a separate mode for the Linux kernel.
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11/25, 10:20pm
Bluwiki Apple conflict
Apple has allegedly sent a cease-and-desist order to the public Wiki site Bluwiki.com, demanding the removal of postings from users that were trying to figure out how to write software that could sync media, from sources other than iTunes, onto iPhones and iPod touch devices running the latest software, according to MacBlogz. The order reportedly claims that the threads violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which prohibits the writing of code or spreading of information that could be used to bypass copyright protection technology.
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10/27, 9:25am
iPhone 3G near unlocking?
An unlocking solution may finally be nearing completion for the iPhone 3G, an update from the unofficial iPhone Dev Team indicates. The group has posted a video, demonstrating a newfound ability to perform custom app execution on the iPhone's PMB8878 baseband chip. The hack relies on a special tool created by the Dev Team, launched by running a special AT command after having gained access to the iPhone via SSH. At this point users can display a list of tasks, though these have not been identified.
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10/24, 10:55am
MacBook Pro PhysX hack
Owners of MacBook Pros with GeForce 8- or 9-series graphics cards can use tweaking to enable physics acceleration in supporting Windows games and applications, an independent hacker claims. Tom Karpik notes that the GeForce drivers included with the latest Pro are already outdated compared to the latest desktop-level drivers, which allow recent NVIDIA cards with 256MB or more of memory to use the newly-acquired PhysX API. A special conversion tool and some file editing are all that is required to turn on PhysX support, says Karpik.
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10/01, 11:05am
Boxee loaded on Apple TV
Developer Scott Davilla has produced an alternative to the Apple TV's factory interface. Through the use of a USB flash drive, users can now add Boxee media player software to the device. Based on the open source XMBC platform, the software allows users view or listen to most forms of digital content, and share recommendations with friends online.
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