There’s just something about sticking it to “the man.” Sure, jailbreaking an iPhone is sticking “it” to Steve Jobs, which is or isn’t as satisfying (depending on your point of view) as sticking it to more prominent authorities. But, it sure beats sitting back and taking what they give you.
The latest iPhone jailbreak solution went live yesterday in the form of the iPhone Dev Team’s Pwnge Tool 2.0 – the successor to the original fool-proof jailbreak solution Pwnage Tool. Pwnage Tool 2.0 basically allows you to gain full read-write access (the “jailbreak”) to your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPhone 3G by modifying the firmware file to accept third-party code. The Pwnage Tool 2.0 can jailbreak, activate, and unlock the first-generation iPhone, but falls short of unlocking the iPhone 3G. (Keep in mind that iPhones with v1.1.4 firmware or earlier can still use the original, more user-friendly Pwnage Tool or iLiberty/ZiPhone to get to jailbreak-heaven).
Still, as a jailbreak solution for the iPhone 3G, there isn’t really any better method than the Pwnage Tool 2.0. That is, as long as you’re command line-savvy and have the fortitude to brave a process that could potentially leave you with a glossy iBrick 3G.
While the Pwnage Tool 2.0 represents the latest and greatest iPhone 3G jailbreak solution, most users will want to steer clear of the application until the iPhone Dev Team can sort out the bugs and streamline the process so that even novice iPhone 3G users can get their jailbreak on. The iPhone Dev Team has done an incredible job in getting the iPhone 3G jailbreak tool out in to the wild on such short order, but there’s still some ironing-out that needs to be done.
I’ve had friends and family approach me with advice on how to apply the latest jailbreak tool on their iPhone 3G, and I gave them the same piece of advice I’m giving all of you – wait for the iPhone Dev Team to release the super-official Pwnage Tool 2.0 Bug-free/User-friendly Edition. Or don’t, and make sure to let me know how it went.
UPDATE
The Pwnage Tool 2.0.1 has been released. It fixes bug issues and is safe for public consumption. Please find our iPhone 3G jailbreak guide here.