jailbreak

Carrier unlock for iPhone 4 released

The iPhone Dev Team on Wednesday released the latest hack that allows a jailbroken iPhone 4 to be unlocked and used on any wireless carrier.

The unlock solution is called "ultrasn0w," and works with the latest version of Apple's smartphone, as well as iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

But to use it requires an iPhone that's been jailbroken. The same group released a jailbreak program for the iPhone 4 over the weekend by exploiting a security hole in the mobile version of the Safari browser. That jailbreak brought attention to the fact that navigating to a … Read more

5 killer apps for jailbroken iPhones

So you decided to jailbreak your iPhone using the fast and easy browser-based method that's been making headlines all week.

Now it's time to stock up on the apps Apple doesn't want you to have, mwa ha ha! (Don't you just love thumbing your nose at authority?)

As a first-time jailbreaker (finally got the aforementioned JailbreakMe to work early this morning), I've been test-tapping some of the most popular apps on my newly liberated iPhone 3GS. And already I'm wondering how I got along without them. Here are my five must-haves.

(Note: the links … Read more

iPhone jailbreak could double as security hole

The jailbreak for the iPhone released over the weekend may have exposed a flaw in the iPhone's mobile Safari browser.

Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the iPhone to be connected to a computer to run the software update, the latest jailbreak, posted by the iPhone Dev Team at Jailbreakme.com, is accomplished via the Safari browser loaded on the device.

But the fact that it can be performed just through Safari, and the way it's done, points to a larger problem, as several CNET readers and listeners wrote to us to point out Tuesday. It means potentially anyone … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1282: Think globally, store locally (podcast)

It's our annual scare-the-bejesus out of ourselves episode, wherein we discuss all of the scary things that were announced and demonstrated at DefCon this year. Seriously, DefCon is way past phone phreaking and seriously into national security right now. Yikes. Also, new Apple jailbreaks are available, the BlackBerry doesn't pass Middle Eastern muster, and we've got the ultimate solution to Internet privacy concerns: data locavores.

Easy iPhone jailbreak

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Easier way to jailbreak an iPhone? Windows Phone 7 devices shipping soon Pocket Camcorder includes 3D webcam, no glasses required AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile team up to challenge Visa and Mastercard Barnes & Noble's new store experience will include Nook E-readers for demo display

Hackers release browser-based iPhone 4 jailbreak

The unlocked iPhone 4 is now technically legal and technically possible.

Just days after the U.S. Copyright Office ruled that bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to allow "handsets to execute software applications" no longer violates federal copyright law, the iPhone Dev Team on Sunday released a jailbreak for the iPhone 4 at JailbreakMe.com.

Unlike previous jailbreaks, which required the device to be connected to a computer to run the update, the latest jailbreak is accomplished completely via mobile Safari loaded on the device. The browser-based software bypass reportedly works on all iOS devices, including iPhones, … Read more

The jailbreaking exemption has its limits

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Larry Downes' bio below.

The U.S. Copyright Office on Monday granted an exemption to users who install unapproved applications or switch carriers on their smartphones. That act, when applied to the Apple iPhone, is often referred to as "jailbreaking."

Apple and others have argued that such activities violate provisions of 1998 revisions to federal copyright law known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, specifically provisions that forbid the circumvention of security technologies a copyright holder uses to ensure that its software is not modified without permission.

The Copyright Office … Read more

Dialed In 136: RIM on the comeback trail? (podcast)

The summer has been dominated by Android and Apple news, but RIM's not about to let them have all the fun. The BlackBerry maker is set to make an announcement at an event in New York next Tuesday that might have a little something to do with all those BlackBerry OS 6 previews we've been seeing lately. We take a minute to discuss what the company might unveil. Also on this week's podcast, jailbreaking gets the A-OK from the U.S. Copyright Office and Nicole reviews a pretty cool beginner cell phone from Just5. Too bad it … Read more

On Call: Go ahead and jailbreak, it's legal now

On Monday, the U.S Copyright Office ruled that jailbreaking an iPhone or other mobile device will no longer violate federal copyright law. Some iPhone owners no doubt cheered the news, and I join them in supporting the decision.

"Jailbreak" entered the wireless lexicon soon after the iPhone first went on sale in 2007. Though some CNET readers have asked me if jailbreaking is the same as unlocking a handset, it's actually a different process. When you jailbreak an iPhone, you remove the Apple-imposed restrictions that prevent you from loading applications not sold through the iTunes App Store. Unlocking, on the other hand, only removes the restrictions that tie your iPhone to AT&T. So on the same phone, you can perform just one action or, if you prefer, both.

I welcome the decision because I've always advocated for giving customers as many choices as possible. Yes, I understand that jailbreaking carriers some risks--you void your warranty and you could wind up with a bricked phone if you're not careful--but those risks, rather than breaking the law, should be the only consequences that consumers should face. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1278: Pad, mouse, or nubbin? (podcast)

Who knew -- Apple still makes computers, and today launched a bunch of new ones, plus a ginormous desktop trackpad to go with them. Also: The robot that will make you breakfast. Eventually. Guest: Darren Kitchen of Hak5.org!