Jailbreak For A5 iOS Devices Released

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Jailbreak For A5 iOS Devices Released

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 21, 2012 @12:12PM from the just-a-matter-of-time dept.

tlhIngan writes "It certainly took long enough, but the untethered jailbreak for Apple's A5 based iOS devices (iPad 2, iPhone 4s) has been released (official site, struggling due to traffic). It's currently only available for OS X, though ports of it to Windows are forthcoming."

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Not being a troll, Serious question. by allaunjsilverfox2 · 2012-01-21 12:15 · Score: 0

Will there be a way to port it to other OSes? I assume since MacOS is unix based, It wouldn't be a HORRIBLE job to port it to your favorite *nix?

--
Restore the madness of youth's lechery
1. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by FreeCoder · 2012-01-21 12:16 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  What interests me is the promotion of these jailbreaks as a good thing. It's an exploit, after all. That allows the attacker to completely root your device, often just by visiting a website. It's not only limited to iOS either, this is rampant in Android too. The only current devices with no known exploits are Windows Phone 7 based, which is very telling.
2. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:17 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  A windows version is already out, google for "absynth 0.2 win".
  If I were in your shoes, I'd be waiting. Usually, when a jailbreak comes out, lots of bug happen to be found and fixed in the first week.
3. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Cryacin · 2012-01-21 12:18 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  What interests me is that you obviously don't own your own phone according to the gospel of Jobs. This is why I moved from Apple. Unless Apple Inc. wishes to give me a free phone, I OWN THE DAMN THING.
  
  --
  Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
4. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:21 · Score: 0
  
  You don't have the foggiest idea of what you're speaking about, do you?
  You may have set a new record for the number of incorrect assertations in only 5 sentences.
5. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by sirsnork · 2012-01-21 12:30 · Score: 2
  
  Uh.. what?
  To begin with, if you go to the official site, you'll see a linux port is also coming.
  As this is a jailbreak for an iOS device. All the host computer does is connect to the iPhone/iPad and throw data at it until the exploits can be... exploited.
  So spending the time to port an application that only needs to be run once, to OS's with a small userbase just isn't worth the time. If you have one of the devices that needs this JB, and don't have access to a Windows, linunx or Mac based system, then you wouldn't have been waiting for this JB to begin with, since you never would have done it before and probably aren't even aware you could, or why you would.
  
  --
  
  Normal people worry me!
6. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by ozmanjusri · 2012-01-21 12:39 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  FreeCoder is another of the Bonc/Sharklaser/OverlyCriticalGuy gang.
  Every posting from them is slanted as an attack on Android, Google or Linux.
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
7. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:51 · Score: 0
  
  Apple will give you a free phone with a 2 year contract.
8. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by rvw · 2012-01-21 12:57 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  What interests me is that you obviously don't own your own phone according to the gospel of Jobs. This is why I moved from Apple. Unless Apple Inc. wishes to give me a free phone, I OWN THE DAMN THING.
  In Jobiet Russia, the phone owns you!
9. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by R.Mo_Robert · 2012-01-21 13:04 · Score: 1
  
  There are already Windows and Linux links on the site. Didn't try them, but they're right by the OS X one, so I'm assuming it's the same...
  
  --
  R.Mo
10. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by hedwards · 2012-01-21 13:09 · Score: 1
  
  And the GP will probably end up handing over double the cost of the phone to the carrier in the process. You don't get a free phone with a contract, that cost is tacked onto the bill and requires a multi year contract.
11. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by 0100010001010011 · 2012-01-21 13:14 · Score: 1
  
  It was easier to jailbreak my iPod touch than it was to root Android Optimus V.
12. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 13:22 · Score: 0
  
  Unless you use t-mobile, you pay the same price, contract or not. Even on t-mobile, it's only a few dollars (under $10) a month cheaper.
13. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by ozmanjusri · 2012-01-21 13:22 · Score: 2
  
  I googled it for you.
  
  Instructions
  1. Extract "ov-root.zip" to a convenient location, you will use this later.
  2. If your Optimus V isn't already connected to your PC with a USB cable, go ahead and do that.
  3. Extract Super One Click and run "SuperOneClick.exe".
  4. Select Shell Root.
  
  http://www.prepaidandroid.org/index.php?title=How_to_root_your_Optimus_V
  If you need any more help, there's plenty of Android forums with tips for people who aren't good with technology. They're used to dealing with novices, and are likely to be patient with your questions.
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
14. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by schnikies79 · 2012-01-21 13:25 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  How to jailbreak or 4S/iPad 2:
  1) Download Absinthe
  2) Click jailbreak
  
  --
  Gone!
15. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by TheCouchPotatoFamine · 2012-01-21 13:41 · Score: 1
  
  which means they are ripping you off if you don't buy a phone, not the reverse. Geez, you act like their motivations are as pure as wind driven snow.
  
  --
  CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
16. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by tripleevenfall · 2012-01-21 13:46 · Score: 1
  
  If you're going to pay the same rate for two years, why not get a free phone thrown in?
17. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by ToasterMonkey · 2012-01-21 13:53 · Score: 1, Flamebait
  
  What interests me is that you obviously don't own your own phone according to the gospel of Jobs. This is why I moved from Apple. Unless Apple Inc. wishes to give me a free phone, I OWN THE DAMN THING.
  So go nuts with a soldering gun, but you don't own Apple's software.
  You can make that little A5 chip or the other components do anything you want electrically, but nobody is compelled to give you software that logically does anything you think of simply because the hardware is programmable and Turing complete.
  That goes for anything, not just Apple's gear. I'm sick of all this "you don't own it" bullcrap because some people feel entitled to development frameworks, flashing tools, specifications, etc. for anything with a programmable chip inside it. I'm sorry, that's actually giving most of you too much credit because you don't want to do actual work, you just want the software that someone else wrote to do what you want, probably for free. /rant
18. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by ozmanjusri · 2012-01-21 13:58 · Score: 1
  
  So what you're saying is that Apple customers have not bought the operating systems for their devices, just the hardware?
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
19. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:03 · Score: 0
  
  I said nothing about their motivations, I just stated the way it is. If i'm paying the same price, I might as well get a subsidized phone too.
20. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by 0100010001010011 · 2012-01-21 14:08 · Score: 0
  
  I double clicked on the .exe my my Mac and Linux machines don't know what to do with it.
21. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by hedwards · 2012-01-21 14:17 · Score: 1
  
  Contract is why. I don't get a new phone every year which means that when the carrier pisses me off I can walk immediately if I choose. The fact that most of the carriers are engaged in this kind of activity is more an argument for the government breaking up the cartel than it is to bend over even further.
22. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:46 · Score: 0
  
  It same for most software. You don't own your copy of Ubuntu. You don't own the copyright.
23. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by CohibaVancouver · 2012-01-21 14:47 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So what you're saying is that Apple customers have not bought the operating systems for their devices, just the hardware?
  Well, I haven't read the Apple EULA, but if it's like similar EULAs (and I assume it is) then the answer is yes. It's the same with Windows.
24. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by IKnwThePiecesFt · 2012-01-21 14:50 · Score: 2
  
  While there have been some exploits that allow jailbreaking via website, the vast majority (all of the IOS 5, so far) vulnerabilities require the phone to be put into DFU mode. If there's a vulnerability in the OS while running in a mode specifically designed for altering the OS from outside of the OS, I don't think that's a very big deal (security wise).
25. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by sqrt(2) · 2012-01-21 14:50 · Score: 0
  
  You do own the phone. You're free to do whatever you want with it if you can figure it out. Oh, you mean you want Apple to do all the work for you, release all the documentation and provide you with the tools you need? Sorry, but they have no obligation to do that. You're still free to do it on your own, but then don't come crying for Apple to replace it for free when you void the warranty trying to hack/mod your hardware. You are free in every way to use the hardware as you wish, what you are really angry at is that Apple makes no attempts to help you in that endeavor.
  
  --
  If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
26. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:51 · Score: 0
  
  So you think that you own the Windows OS on your PC?
27. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:52 · Score: 0
  
  Only a couple of minor revisions of IOS had jailbreaks offered through the web.
  The vast majority have been breaking the bootloader over USB. This, to me, is not only acceptable but downright expected in hardware I OWN. Your point is like saying that being able to take over another device (router, set top box, etc.) via JTAG is a vulnerability.
  Now, it is true that it is a bug in IOS we take advantage of. In some cases it has been a userland bug, in some case the kernel, and in others, the bootloader. An exploit using vulnerabilities are dependent upon the platform you tether to (with an IOS device, typically Windows or OS X) so the exploit would have to incorporate code for both the host device AND the IOS device, PLUS you have to manually put your phone into DFU mode. The chances of a cracker spending the time to attack such a slim vector and engage in sufficient social engineering to convince a user to get into DFU mode are vanishingly slim - especially when you take into account that a much wider audience can be scammed through attacking desktop Windows and installing $FakeAV $20XX,, or simply spamming people.
  In other words, it's not something to really get worked up over, but is beneficial for people who want to jailbreak their phones and gain access to a shell prompt, run ssh, enhance the GUI by adding sbsettings, actionmenu, add more columns to the dock and more columns and/or rows to springboard, and so on, it is a feature not a bug.
  Besides, when you do jailbreak the versions that have the web exploit, the jailbreak can patch that vulnerability for you, while Apple is sitting on their asses taking their sweet time to release a fix.
28. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by ozmanjusri · 2012-01-21 14:59 · Score: 1
  
  I Googled that for you too.
  https://www.google.com/search?q=Android+Optimus+V&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&lr=lang_en#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&tbs=lr:lang_1en&source=hp&q=mac+Android+Optimus+V&pbx=1&oq=mac+Android+Optimus+V&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3796l4458l0l4984l4l4l0l0l0l3l680l2010l3-1.1.2l4l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=16c1cac6da449bf6&biw=1910&bih=986
  Good luck with any other new technology you're struggling with.
  
  --
  "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
29. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by AmigaMMC · 2012-01-21 15:06 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  You do own the phone. You're free to do whatever you want with it if you can figure it out. Oh, you mean you want Apple to do all the work for you, release all the documentation and provide you with the tools you need? Sorry, but they have no obligation to do that. You're still free to do it on your own, but then don't come crying for Apple to replace it for free when you void the warranty trying to hack/mod your hardware. You are free in every way to use the hardware as you wish, what you are really angry at is that Apple makes no attempts to help you in that endeavor.
  Really? So why did Apple feel the need to file a patent under which they can kill an iphone by distance when they find out it's jailbroken?
  Who know if they'll use it or not, but that's not the point, they have a patent for it.
30. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by BasilBrush · 2012-01-21 15:15 · Score: 1
  
  They've bought the device as described. With all the features listed on the box/marketing materials. If someone can hack it to do something else, then good luck to them. But the manufacturer of the device doesn't owe any purchasers assistance with that.
31. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by BlackThorne_DK · 2012-01-21 15:17 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, I think that once you have broken your device, and loaded a custom firmware, it is no longer in a state, where the FCC allows you to connect to the cell networks. It of course depends on the state of the radio piece of the firmware, but you can't do _everything_ you want with it, just because you own the damn thing..
32. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by jc42 · 2012-01-21 15:33 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Of course you own your own phone. You can make calls on it. You can run apps on it. You can smash it if you want. What else do you want?
  Well, I'm a programmer, of the "system programmer" and "network programmer" variety. Apple (and/or my cell-phone company) doesn't permit me to write and test my own software on their phones, unless I pay a special price to get a temporary "developer" account. So no, with the standard contract, I don't "own" my phone in the way any programmer would mean by that word. Someone else has the legal right to deny me the ability to write the kinds of software that I make a living writing.
  So to me, it's as if I were, say, a taxi driver, and I bought a new car, and found out that it didn't permit me to enter any taxi stands. To do that, I'd have to pay the auto maker an extra "professional driver" fee every year. Any taxi driver would say "WTF?!!", and ask some mechanics how to break that idiotic lock. Car makers have no right to restrict where we can drive their vehicles.
  As a professional software geek, I respond the same way to the usual smart-phone "jail". An iPhone or iPad isn't a "computer" as I define the term. That is, it isn't programmable; it's a datacomm appliance, but not a computer. To get access to the (fairly powerful) computer hidden inside them, I have to pay an extra annual rental for a temporary permit to use them as my jobs require. "Buying" the gadget didn't give me the right to develop and test my software on them.
  And yes, I have been bitten by this problem on several projects, where we bought "smart phones" for the explicit purpose of developing and testing software. With several of them, we proved eventually that our problems were due to the blocks that the vendors (well-known cell-phone companies) had installed, and didn't remove even when our employer paid their "developer" fees. Funny thing; when we proved to their support people that there were still blocks installed that explained why our stuff failed, they weren't the least bit apologetic. It's more like they were annoyed that we'd found out how they did it.
  
  --
  Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
33. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by 0100010001010011 · 2012-01-21 15:33 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't say it was impossible. I said it was more difficult to. It was in response to the OP that is being all high and mighty because he's avoiding Apple. Android cell phone companies are no better.
34. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by anethema · 2012-01-21 16:44 · Score: 1
  
  Mod parent up. 99% of jailbreaks are not based on exploits in userland through safari, they are based on USB flaws, bootrom flaws, kernel flaws, etc. They can not be remotely exploited.
  
  I haven't read into it too much but it appears that the A5 jailbreak gets in through a hole in (the local setup of) the VPN tunnel in the OS.
  
  Same as a real computer, once your attacker has physical access you're hooped.
  
  --
  
  It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
35. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by mr100percent · 2012-01-21 17:12 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  Apple lets you run your own deep code on the phone, they just charge a $99/year developers fee. Once you pay that, basically you "own" the phone by the terms you set. Complain about the extra charge, but don't complain about lack of ownership.
36. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 17:13 · Score: 0
  
  Not sure about the custom firmware part, but the FCC can go knock on the Library of Congress's door. They're the ones that declared once and for all it's legal to jailbreak and unlock.
37. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by rohan972 · 2012-01-21 17:21 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  A charge for use for a period of time is rent. Renting is not the same as owning.
  
  --
  http://marriedmansexlife.com/
38. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by rohan972 · 2012-01-21 17:29 · Score: 1
  
  That allows the attacker to completely root your device
  Attacker? Owner! If I pay for a device, it's mine and I shouldn't be regarded as an attacker.
  
  If anything, an attacker has locked me out of my device. These tools are for freedom fighters. The fact that they are also available to attackers is an unavoidable effect of progress.
  
  --
  http://marriedmansexlife.com/
39. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by sjames · 2012-01-21 18:02 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, it tells us that there aren't enough Windows 7 phones in the wild to interest anyone in creating an exploit.
  I know for some Android phones, there is no actual exploit of the production firmware involved. Rather, a reverse engineered key is placed on the SD so that the bootloader will willingly load an unsigned OS (this is a feature for development). Then an older OS with an exploit is loaded and exploited. That approach also involves attaching the debugger (just try that over the web).
  Honestly, a proper method for a user to root their own device should be mandated by law. We shouldn't need an exploit to gain full control of the devices we own.
40. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by sjames · 2012-01-21 18:18 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I just want Apple to not actively work against me doing what I want with my phone. It's also not a huge ask to expect complete documentation.
  And before you say "so don't buy one", I didn't and won't.
41. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by morgauxo · 2012-01-21 19:03 · Score: 1
  
  What question? All you did was make a statement?
  
  What I don't get is how so many commenters aren't getting taken to task for comments that issues are 'rampant' on Android. I use Android and I know several other Android users. Yeah, I'm pretty technical compared to the average population (probably pretty average here) and can probably better recognize things to avoid but most of my friends/family are not. Not at all! And yet.. I don't know anyone who has ever been hit with a piece of malware or a hacker on their Android phone. I suspect if I knew people with jailbroken i-devices I would be saying the same but I just don't know anyone using one.
  
  Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think reports that exploits and malware exist are lies. It's just that from what I can see they are not rampant and the odds of getting hit by one are very low. My phone could get hit by a car too (while in my pocket). That is a much more serious threat and probably more likely. From what I can see these reports of attackers or malware being RAMPANT on Android is just the work of shills and fanbois parroting FUD.
  
  If you are going to get any kind of smart device (smart phone, tablet, etc...) know this.. They ARE computers. You SHOULD at least learn the basics of taking care of it and protecting yourself from malware/hackers but you don't have to be paranoid or know how to build one from scratch or anything like that. If you are afraid of an Android or jailbroken iDevice just because someone told you they are particularly unsafe then relax and get it anyway. Come on in, the water is fine!
42. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2012-01-21 19:11 · Score: 1
  
  It same for most software. You don't own your copy of Ubuntu. You don't own the copyright.
  Ubuntu grants you a license that says you can do with it pretty much whatever you like (as long as you make source available for any binaries you've modified and distributed). They don't charge you for the OS, and they don't charge you extra just to be able to run "gcc hello_world.c".
  That's a hella better "ownership" deal than you're ever going to get out of Apple.
  
  --
  Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
43. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by jones_supa · 2012-01-21 19:46 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I'm a programmer, of the "system programmer" and "network programmer" variety. Apple (and/or my cell-phone company) doesn't permit me to write and test my own software on their phones, unless I pay a special price to get a temporary "developer" account. So no, with the standard contract, I don't "own" my phone in the way any programmer would mean by that word. Someone else has the legal right to deny me the ability to write the kinds of software that I make a living writing.
  A lot of devices include proprietary parts and technologies that you or me don't have access to. How could that mean that you wouldn't still own the device? Do you fully own your microwave oven only when you get the specifications to reprogram the microcontroller? I think a better word would be "hackable" or "programmable". And sure, those are good values to seek from a product.
44. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by http · 2012-01-21 19:51 · Score: 1
  
  Whoosh!
  
  --
  If opportunity came disguised as temptation, one knock would be enough.
  3^2 * 67^1 * 977^1
45. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by http · 2012-01-21 19:53 · Score: 1
  
  Double whoosh. Windows is software; an iPhone is hardware.
  
  --
  If opportunity came disguised as temptation, one knock would be enough.
  3^2 * 67^1 * 977^1
46. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Your.Master · 2012-01-21 21:31 · Score: 1
  
  Having that patent is irrelevant to the issue at hand. They could do that without the patent, they can decide not to do it with the patent. There doesn't seem to be any correlation between having that patent and likelihood of using it to jailbreak, particularly when you consider that said patent wasn't specific to jailbreaking.
  In fact, looking at it, it seems like the most obvious purpose of the patent would be dealing with stolen iPhones, and dealing with stolen iPhones even if they were jailbroken and SIM-swapped. The most *reported* possible purpose, of course, was arbitrarily killing jailbroken phones for no apparent reason while giggling uncontrollably in a windswept castle as lightning flashes and thunder peals.
  It seems pretty similar to most other smartphone remote wipe technologies, really -- not sure what the patentable piece is and I'm not going to read the claims in detail. But since jailbreaking is something you do with iPhones, the remote wipe feature on iPhones gets automatically associated with jailbreaking.
47. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Eunuchswear · 2012-01-21 21:47 · Score: 1
  
  Unless you use t-mobile, you pay the same price, contract or not. Even on t-mobile, it's only a few dollars (under $10) a month cheaper.
  My phone contract is only 20 EUR (USD 26). Adding $10 a month would be a 38% increase!
  (Free mobile - 20 EUR gets me unlimited calls to the EU and US, unlimited data (speed reduced after first 3Gb in the month)).
  
  --
  Watch this Heartland Institute video
48. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by makomk · 2012-01-21 22:37 · Score: 1
  
  3) Get jailbreak removed at next minor OS upgrade, with no option to downgrade because Apple have designed all modern iOS hardware with anti-downgrade protection. If you install the next upgrade and then want to jailbreak just forget about it altogether.
49. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 23:06 · Score: 0
  
  likely but its not impossible they miss it on the next minor update. if you look at the cat & mouse game recently, the mouse has survived unscathed an update in the past.
  who even wants all their updates? they posted an update which the sole functionality was to lock down device from a jailbreak.
50. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Bert64 · 2012-01-22 00:00 · Score: 1
  
  There are two reasons for the lack of exploits in windows phone 7...
  First there was such an exploit, and MS decided to work with the jailbreakers and they now offer an official, albeit crippled, jailbreak option.
  Second their marketshare is so tiny that very few people are even interested in writing a jailbreak.
  Incidentally, neither WebOS nor Meego (or whatever its called this week) have jailbreak exploits available, because both platforms provide simple official ways of getting root. That doesn't mean there aren't vulnerabilities to be found, it just means there is very little incentive for people to find them.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
51. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Bert64 · 2012-01-22 00:01 · Score: 1
  
  And even worse is that they provide a locked handset, if they were to provide an unlocked handset you could take it anyway, then sell it or give it to someone else. It's stupid to not take a phone given that the contract is the same price regardless.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
52. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Bert64 · 2012-01-22 00:07 · Score: 2
  
  I don't expect assistance, but i also don't expect them to go out of their way to hinder me either and that is the key difference.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
53. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by LordVader717 · 2012-01-22 00:17 · Score: 1
  
  0) Check to see if Jailbreak will brick your phone
  0.1) Double check
  0.3) Triple check
  0.4) Find a detailed guide on which firmware version you can use with your specific model of phone.
  Then, the procedure can be anything from downloading the program and executing it, to creating a modified firmware file from Apple's old firmware archives and using weird button combinations to get the device to launch in recovery mode.
  I recently spent hours trying to update my 3g to iOS4. Not so much because I wanted the feature updates, but because you can't download the majority of Apps for iOS3 any more and they don't have old versions on offer. Since then the phone's also been running like shit. Closing an app and initiating a call can take anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute.
54. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Cryacin · 2012-01-22 00:19 · Score: 2
  
  Would you be prosecuted by the manufacturer for altering it? Put the strawman down buddy.
  
  --
  Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
55. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Oppiet30 · 2012-01-22 00:51 · Score: 1
  
  Well, being that Android is linux. That is easy to get into.
56. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 00:56 · Score: 0
  
  Would you be prosecuted by the manufacturer for altering it? Put the strawman down buddy.
  No, neither by Apple nor the microwave manufacturer, Mr Strawman.
57. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by CohibaVancouver · 2012-01-22 02:42 · Score: 1
  
  The question was about the software the runs the device. When you buy a Dell laptop you get hardware and software. Same with an iPhone.
58. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by BasilBrush · 2012-01-22 02:45 · Score: 1
  
  Why would you not expect it? It's not as if it's not well known.
59. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 02:56 · Score: 0
  
  There's no Windows OS on my PC. I deleted that malware right after I got home with it.
60. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by kagaku · 2012-01-22 03:10 · Score: 2
  
  It's next to impossible to "brick" an iPhone. Even the most seriously messed up firmware update (read: battery dies in the middle? you jailbreak and it gets stuck in a reboot loop? etc..) is just a restore away. Hours to update a 3G to iOS4? Really?
  1. Plug iPhone 3G into computer
  2. iTunes will ask if you want to upgrade to the latest version of iOS (in the case of a 3G, I believe it is 4.2.1)
  3. Jailbreak, if you're so inclined.
  Honestly, it sounds like you just don't know what you're doing.
  
  --
  everyday is another shooter.
61. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 03:33 · Score: 0
  
  So you got completely shut down with facts and that's the best retort your addled pea brain could come up with?
62. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by oakgrove · 2012-01-22 03:38 · Score: 1
  
  And every poster that points out the elephant in the room gets modded down. Welcome to NuSlashdot. When Slash dot turned to a shill infested shithole, I stopped caring about karma.
  
  --
  The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
63. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by toriver · 2012-01-22 03:43 · Score: 2
  
  Um, that is only a point if you forget that you have a jailbroken phone and choose to update from Apple instead of waiting for a untethered jailbreak of the new release. iOS software updates are not mandatory.
64. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by toriver · 2012-01-22 03:45 · Score: 1
  
  Plus, it's easy to do a "factory reset".
  1) Turn off the iPhone
  2) Connect it to a machine running iTunes while holding down the home button
  3) Answer "yes" when prompted whether you want to do a reinstall.
65. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by LordVader717 · 2012-01-22 04:12 · Score: 1
  
  If you want to be picky it's technically impossible to brick almost any kind of modern hardware, it just depends on what length you're willing to go to to unbrick your device, whether someone's already done the hard work and documented it. You might say there are multiple levels of "brickness"
  Honestly though, it's you who doesn't know what you're doing. If I had done what you suggested, I would have ended up with a brick, as in "an unusable device with no clear way of restoring functionality and a negligable chance any of the hacker groups will dedicate their time to fixing". This is because the iOS4 firmware contains specific firmware for the radio processor, which hasn't been hacked yet. In order to safely update my device I needed to generate a iOS4 update firmware with code from the old firmware for the radio.
  Here's one of the tutorials I found, but I had to check with numerous different ones and search for solutions to error messages that kept popping up.
  Before I done all this I had to back up all my apps. I underestimated the importance of this last time I updated as numerous apps were no longer available for the slightly dated firmware version I was able to get running, so I ended up losing half my apps. This took a while too.
  All in all it was a good afternoon's work, which I had been putting off for almost a year, but finally had to give in when I couldn't find any apps that worked with iOS3 any more.
66. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 04:58 · Score: 0
  
  I don't remember which version this was, but I recall that after jailbreaking your phone using one of the jailbreakme.com exploits, they offered a patch which closed the vulnerability. For quite some time, the only way to protect your phone from this exploit was to jailbreak it!
67. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by popoutman · 2012-01-22 05:03 · Score: 1
  
  EULA? What's that?
  Seriously - given that EULAs are nothing more than a wishlist for a software supplier and are *not* legally enforceable, the content of said EULA is non-relevant. If I purchase (with language like "buy" "Sale" or "yours for €x a month") an appliance I consider myself to have complete rights to use and break anything in or on said device. I can uninstall the OS and run my own. I can break through the security restrictions and mess with the innards as I see fit. I can root or jailbreak as I see fit. I can't redistribute that OS as that is covered under copyright law.
  Now, as for my contract with the carrier - that is a different story altogether - I have paid for that, and I have entered into an agreement there with another legal entity, and as such I will agree to be constrained by that contract and its terms and conditions. If I have bought and I own an iPhone, as far as I am concerened that includes a copy of the OS to allow that hardware to be used, and I can do whatever I like with that OS copy without distributing it.
  If your local laws are different, get on to you local representative and get them changed..
  
  --
  - This sig deliberately left blank. Nothing to see, move along.
68. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by TheCouchPotatoFamine · 2012-01-22 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  except, moron, you don't have to sign a *contract* if you don't take the phone. You can change, whenever you like, and take your number with you (okay, your not a moron. your sentence was tho)
  
  --
  CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
69. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by psiclops · 2012-01-22 10:44 · Score: 1
  
  except he didn;t mention anything about the app store in his post. he spoke of writing software for his OWN phone not selling it.
  Seriously, if you can't even figure out the meaning of a post before you troll back then maybe you need to find a better way to spend your time.
  
  --
  i spent five minutes thinking and all i got was this crappy sig
70. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by exomondo · 2012-01-22 11:04 · Score: 1
  
  Would you be prosecuted by the manufacturer for altering it? Put the strawman down buddy.
  Of course not, just like you won't be prosecuted by apple for jailbreaking your iphone. Not sure what point you're trying to make.
71. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by MacDork · 2012-01-22 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  I don't understand the way slashdot commenters use the word "own." What do you mean, "you don't own your own phone?" Of course you own your own phone. You can make calls on it. You can run Apple approved apps on it. You can smash it if you want. What else do you want?
  There, fixed that for you. The answer should be obvious.
72. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by mjwx · 2012-01-22 13:10 · Score: 1
  
  What interests me is the promotion of these jailbreaks as a good thing. It's an exploit, after all. That allows the attacker to completely root your device, often just by visiting a website.
  The Reality Distortion Field.
  
  this is rampant in Android too.
  As yet, there has been no remote exploit for Android, nor any single exploit to gain root that is consistent across different phones on the same version of the OS. So rampant is the wrong word.
  
  The only current devices with no known exploits are Windows Phone 7 based, which is very telling.
  Google ChevronWP7.
  
  Exploits have been out for a year. MS simply paid the ChevronWP7 team to sit on it.
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
73. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by mjwx · 2012-01-22 13:17 · Score: 1
  
  How to jailbreak or 4S/iPad 2:
  1) Download Absinthe
  2) Click jailbreak
  How to get access to 99% of the functionality a jailbreak provides on IOS on Android.
  
  1) Turn it on.
  
  Root on Android is a lot harder because it provides a whole different level of functionality. Basically the only reason someone Root's their Android device now is to install a custom ROM. Most of the reasons people Jailbreak their iDevice is available as standard on Android (tethering independent of the carrier, being able to install applications from third party sources) and as yet, there are no custom IOS ROM's, so comparing Root to Jailbreaking is like comparing sex to masturbation. In theory they have the same effect, in reality they are worlds apart.
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
74. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 14:38 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, I'm jumping to the head of the line on your post (sorry), but jeez - I picked through these comments and this whole Slashdot thing is full of the whiniest, self-entitled assholes that could possibly be assembled. Ooooo Apple sux, they're so arrogant, they don't care about my freedom, I want to write whatever I want and get everything for free.... bullshit. You're just a bunch of arrogant piss ant Ritalin kids.
75. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by hobarrera · 2012-01-22 14:52 · Score: 1
  
  Where's the exploit for maemo 5?
76. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 15:50 · Score: 0
  
  Then how do you play Skyrim? /trollface
77. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by cduffy · 2012-01-22 18:16 · Score: 1
  
  You don't own your copy of Ubuntu. You don't own the copyright.
  You have that backwards. You do own your copy, even though you don't own the copyright. Not the case for software that's "licensed, not sold" (if your jurisdiction recognizes EULAs), but Free Software licenses don't tend to pull that kind of BS, only regulating actions (such as making copies or preparing derivitive works) that copyright would prevent even if you fully and properly owned your copy, thus avoiding any incentive for the "licensed, not sold" silliness.
  Think of it as if you were buying a book. You don't own the copyright just because you own your copy of the book, but you certainly do still own that copy.
78. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-23 19:24 · Score: 0
  
  And why are you defending giant multi-billion dollar advertising companies? How much does google pay you?
79. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by milkmage · 2012-01-25 04:26 · Score: 1
  
  what EVIDENCE do you have of Apple ever enforcing those rules. trivial for them to block or otherwise disable, but they NEVER have. Apple's never tried to "prosecute" me for re-selling "their" devices when I was upgrading.
  http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/feds-ok-iphone-jailbreaking/
  "Federal regulators lifted a cloud of uncertainty when they announced it was lawful to hack or “jailbreak” an iPhone, declaring Monday there was “no basis for copyright law to assist Apple in protecting its restrictive business model.”
  meanwhile....
  http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/18/motorola-locks-razr-bootloader-angers-rom-happy-lovers-of-anore/
80. Re:Not being a troll, Serious question. by Bert64 · 2012-01-27 11:36 · Score: 1
  
  Some providers don't provide equivalent service under any other terms...
  Prepaid plans don't require a contract, but are likely to be more expensive...
  Contracts are often the same price and length wether you take them with a subsidised phone or not (ie if you don't take a phone you are being ripped off badly).
  Generally the shorter the contract term, the worse deal you get, its quite common that a 24 month contract including a handset will cost less per month than a 1 month contract without a handset while providing equivalent voice/sms/data service.
  It seems mobile operators want to make you pay for the ability to change whenever you like.
  
  --
  http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
With Apple's silent permission? by LostCluster · 2012-01-21 12:18 · Score: 1

If Apple really wanted to stop jailbreaking, they'd just have to issue a required iOS update that patches the hole and cut off access for the older release, They don't do that. Instead, they allow the jailbreaks to happen and learn from what they develop such as teathering going from non-existent to paid to included.
1. Re:With Apple's silent permission? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:26 · Score: 1
  
  They do Patch and they DO block access to older releases. Any reflash/recovery of an iPhone hits Apple servers just for this reason... Do some homework. There are ways around this also, however...
2. Re:With Apple's silent permission? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:39 · Score: 1
  
  If Apple really wanted to stop jailbreaking, they'd extend provisioning portal access to people with free developer accounts. The only reason people jailbreak in the first place is so that they can run apps that aren't in the app store. (Okay, so some people do it to pirate, but they're in the minority.)
3. Re:With Apple's silent permission? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:58 · Score: 0
  
  We do it to customize the inner workings of the phone. Themes, animations, fonts, sounds, notifications, etc. Simply extending provisioning portal access to people with free developer accounts wont allow people to make software for the iPhone that does these things as these things aren't apps. They are modifications to the OS and GUI.
4. Re:With Apple's silent permission? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:59 · Score: 0
  
  Indeed. Apple allowing jailbreaking is much like MS allowing their operating system to be illegally copied by individuals, back in the 80s. In the end it will serve them.
Dualboot Android ICS / iOS on iPhone by muon-catalyzed · 2012-01-21 12:26 · Score: 3, Interesting

I do not expect that anybody has done this yet, but it might be possible.., right?
1. Re:Dualboot Android ICS / iOS on iPhone by DanTheManMS · 2012-01-21 12:39 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe not dual-boot, but look into Open iBoot. Android on iPhone hardware has been done before.
2. Re:Dualboot Android ICS / iOS on iPhone by Script_God · 2012-01-21 15:13 · Score: 2
  
  I was able to dual-boot Android on my iPhone 3G a year and a half ago. It was pretty bad, but it ... functioned.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:27 · Score: 1

I'm on my 2nd wipe/restore because my Galaxy Tab goes into a reboot loop when bluetooth is enabled. Fuck Android.
iOS 5.0.2 update to be available on Tuesday! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:28 · Score: 0

*NM*
Windows Release by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:31 · Score: 0

http://www.iclarified.com/entries/index.php?caid=1&scid=25
Jailbreak for Windows? huh? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 12:38 · Score: 1

Last I checked, Windows is not installed on iPhone. Why would there be a Windows jailbreak? This makes no sense.
1. Re:Jailbreak for Windows? huh? by 0123456 · 2012-01-21 12:57 · Score: 0
  
  Why would there be a Windows jailbreak?
  You'll need one once Microsoft pushes 'secure boot' on all Windows systems.
2. Re:Jailbreak for Windows? huh? by MichaelSmith · 2012-01-21 14:16 · Score: 1
  
  They mean the external system you need to jailbreak the iOS system.
  
  --
  http://michaelsmith.id.au
Great accomplishment, but only temporary by DanTheManMS · 2012-01-21 12:44 · Score: 4, Informative

It's great that they managed to extend the Corona jailbreak to the iPhone 4S. But unfortunately, very soon all their hard work will be rendered useless once iOS 5.1 hits release. As 5.1 is already in the beta-testing stage, there's only a window of a few weeks before it drops. Unlike iOS 4 and below, there is currently no way to downgrade any iPhone to an earlier version of iOS5. The SHSH method does not work anymore because of something new on Apple's end (I believe involving something called an "AP Ticket" but I honestly haven't looked into it very deeply).

The point is, if you want to make use of this jailbreak, you must go to iOS 5.0.1 RIGHT NOW and jailbreak or you won't get another chance until 5.1 is hacked, which is of course never guaranteed.
1. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:47 · Score: 0
  
  iOS 5? Wonderful. Another update that doesn't give my 3G any useful new features but does slow it down even more, like iOS 4 did.
  Dear Apple,
  Kindly explain why you think my 3G isn't powerful enough to do something simple like custom SMS alerts when my HTCs and Sony-Ericssons from over 7 years ago weren't so hampered?
2. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 15:16 · Score: 0
  
  Because it's Apple.
  
  What further explanation do you need?
3. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by hcs_$reboot · 2012-01-21 15:17 · Score: 1
  
  you must go to iOS 5.0.1 RIGHT NOW and jailbreak or you won't get another chance until 5.1 is hacked
  You could also keep 5.0.1 for as long as necessary, reject the 5.1 upgrade, and jailbreak when you wish. No hurry.
  
  --
  Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
4. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by yuhong · 2012-01-21 16:09 · Score: 1
  
  Last release for 3G was 4.2.1.
5. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by Pausanias · 2012-01-21 16:17 · Score: 1
  
  The problem is that if you install something that makes your phone unstable, and need a restore, you will also lose your jailbreak when you restore. This wasn't true in previous jailbreaks.
6. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by MrCrassic · 2012-01-21 16:23 · Score: 1
  
  You can still downgrade to pre-iOS 5 releases if you have SHSH blobs saved for those revisions. Downgrading has been rendered "impossible" because the APticket used to verify ipsw's is now generated randomly instead of being solely comprised of data from the phone's ECID and firmware version.
  
  More info here.
  
  Sent from my easily jailbroken Android tablet.
7. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by anethema · 2012-01-21 16:40 · Score: 1
  
  Actually for any of the pre-A5 devices this is not true. They have figured out a way to save the ticket AND shsh blobs and stitch them into your firmware file so you can flash back to it any time you'd like.
  
  A5 devices do not have any bootrom level exploits though so this is not possible. You basically have to get 5.0.1 going now before 5.1 comes out. If not you will be stuck with 5.1.
  
  BTW A5 devices are iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
  
  --
  
  It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
8. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by anethema · 2012-01-21 16:42 · Score: 1
  
  As I replied before you can restore as many times as you like with pre-A5 devices like the iPhone 4, even in iOS5. Just a bit of a new procedure.
  
  --
  
  It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
9. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by Pausanias · 2012-01-21 16:56 · Score: 1
  
  Pre-A5 isn't what this news item or Absinthe is all about. The news item is about the A5 devices, which it will not be possible to downgrade once iOS 5.1 is made live. Yes, you can downgrade and untether A4 devices, but that is old news from December.
  So one mistake and your jailbreak is gone for good, probably.
  There isn't any guarantee that this will be remedied but I believe the jailbreakers make a living out of donations and expensive tweaks and such, and so they will eventually release some sort of tool to make downgrades possible on A5 devices.
  The bigger problem is look how long it took them to find the 5.0.1 jailbreak. What will happen when the next iPhone is released? Will it be completely locked down?
10. Re:Great accomplishment, but only temporary by anethema · 2012-02-02 03:23 · Score: 1
  
  The great grandparent up there said there is no way to restore ANY iPhone since iOS5. This isn't true. Only A5's currently can not be downgraded.
  
  I know the point stands for A5 devices though that does suck. Finding a tethered bootrom level exploit would be nice. I'm personally sticking with my iPhone 4 until a bootrom exploit is found on the next iPhone whatever it is.
  
  --
  
  It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-21 12:50 · Score: 4, Funny

I turned off Bluetooth on the 4S as it drains battery. With that, GPS, SIRI, brightness, notifications and whatever else I could think off I pushed battery life up to a whooping 3 days.

/Disappointed with iPhone.

My sis say I should turn of 3G. It apparently drains the battery a lot, but I must be getting really old as I haven't figured how to do that, and no way will I ask her how.

/Embarrassed
re: not trolling, but serious answer by King_TJ · 2012-01-21 12:54 · Score: 5, Interesting

The only reason Windows Phone 7 hasn't caused any ruckus over concepts like rooting/jailbreaking/unlocking is because it has such a small market-share to begin with. The few people using those phones are typically not even the "power users" who'd care about such things, and the overall lack of developer support for their phone means there's little incentive to CARE anyway.
Really, before smartphones even came out, this was a problem everyone had to put up with. I remember having a Moto Razr with downloadable apps using the proprietary "BREW" language, all locked down with DRM. Your phone got lost and had to be replaced? You lost your apps and had to beg them to let you re-download them without paying again (which they'd often not do).
Re:Fuck IOS by NiceGeek · 2012-01-21 13:16 · Score: 1

I seriously doubt you'll get much more battery life out of any modern smartphone - at least without disabling most of what makes it "smart"
If you really do want to disable 3G, go into Settings>General>Network>Enable 3G
Re:Fuck IOS by Tsingi · 2012-01-21 13:26 · Score: 1

My sis say I should turn of 3G. It apparently drains the battery a lot, but I must be getting really old as I haven't figured how to do that, and no way will I ask her how.
/Embarrassed
+1 funny, Sure made me laugh.
Mod me down all you like,.. by AbRASiON · 2012-01-21 13:30 · Score: 2, Insightful

but goddamn do news posts like this make me â(TM)¥ my Galaxy S2, I owned 3 iphones, never again - EVER.
1. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by thegarbz · 2012-01-21 18:49 · Score: 1
  
  make you what?
2. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2012-01-21 19:27 · Score: 1
  
  Google Translate be thataway.
  
  --
  Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
3. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 19:29 · Score: 0
  
  â(TM)¥ , duh.
4. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by AbRASiON · 2012-01-21 19:33 · Score: 1
  
  It was an ALT-3 (loveheart) symbol :/ I should've opted for 3
5. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by AbRASiON · 2012-01-21 19:35 · Score: 1
  
  Looks like greater than less than are cut also, lovely! :/
6. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 20:48 · Score: 0
  
  <3
  Quote me to see how it is done (the use of HTML-like markup is also the reason whitespaces, & and ; disappear in some slashdot posts). Slashdot only allows symbols in the ISO/IEC 8859-1:1998 (or some similar) range + the EURO sign (€), so you can't make UNICODE/Windows ASCII/Mac ASCII hearts. But you can use ÅÄÖØÆÜÑ and some other random non-English characters without resorting to HTML entities. Unfortunately, many slashdotters have computers/web browsers that lack the fonts to display all characters the slashdot webpage do allow in articles and comments.
7. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 22:06 · Score: 0
  
  You're so cute. I <3 you.
8. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by jones_supa · 2012-01-21 22:45 · Score: 1
  
  You can instruct it without quoting too (err...quote me to see how it is done).
  < is <
  > is >
9. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by arnodf · 2012-01-22 09:55 · Score: 1
  
  you must make a lot of money :-s
10. Re:Mod me down all you like,.. by de_smudger · 2012-01-23 01:54 · Score: 1
  
  I'm a mobile QA guy and work with both platforms - I needed a rooted Galaxy S2, since Android (even as of ICS) still doesn't respect the proxy setting properly for apps (so I need a requires-root app called 'Autoproxy' which lets me intercept and modify HTTP requests, I use it to inject error conditions and such).
  I have to say that at least in terms of the end-user tools, rooting an Android device is *much* more difficult than jailbreaking iOS. Also there's the fact that on iOS I don't need to do any of that, I can just use a stock phone and it'll send everything to the proxy defined in the wifi settings.
  Obviously personal preferences differ, but based on what I've seen of Android from working with it every day, and the things that annoy me about it vs. the things that annoy me about iOS, at least for the moment I'd never choose Android for my personal phone or recommend it to friends who ask what to get.. (although I'm constantly re-evaluating that as we get new 'gifts' from the project manager, it's just that Android has never won so far..)
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-21 13:38 · Score: 1

I seriously doubt you'll get much more battery life out of any modern smartphone - at least without disabling most of what makes it "smart"
My old Smartphone got a week when it was new. It's down to 4-5 days now. Its screen is smaller, CPU slower and what not, so it's not a fair comparison I suppose, but it did most of the stuff the iPhone does well enough. Including GPS, Wifi, 3G, Video chat, MP3, etc.

I had expect the iPhone to at least mach that old thing. It's newer tech and all that.

If you really do want to disable 3G, go into Settings>General>Network>Enable 3G
Nope, there's nothing about 3G there. Closest is "mobil nettwork" but that seems to be about the operator.
Re: not trolling, but serious answer by Microlith · 2012-01-21 13:42 · Score: 1

Really, before smartphones even came out, this was a problem everyone had to put up with
Yep, I remember that. It was disappointing and sucked. I was always interested in the Windows Mobile devices, at least the ones that weren't deliberately crippled by the carrier (lol Verizon.)
This push to return us to those bad old days sucks, especially as devices are even more connected and powerful than ever. The worst is the spread of it into tablets and, slowly, into desktop PCs.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 13:59 · Score: 0

Fuck iOS... because misery loves company. FTW
Re:Fuck IOS by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-01-21 14:04 · Score: 3, Informative

My sis say I should turn of 3G. It apparently drains the battery a lot, but I must be getting really old as I haven't figured how to do that, and no way will I ask her how.
The battery does last longer with 3G off, however you cannot turn it off wit the 4S, presumably due to Apple arrogance. However, there's a rumor floating around that the 5.1 update will put that switch back in. The source of that rumor is that the current beta builds has it available.

--

"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Windows is Already Supported by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:06 · Score: 0

...just not with a GUI tool. cinject.exe works fine in windows. I know because I'm posting this on an iPad 2 broken on Windows 7. And that was hours and hours before this story hit. Bad editors.
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-21 14:13 · Score: 1

Ahh, that's nice to know. Thanks.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 14:21 · Score: 0

ROFLMAO! my throwaway terrorist burn phone (samsung 105) lasts *months* on a charge - but then again i only use it for outgoing calls and turn it off when not in use - oh, and service is $49 a year w/my minutes covered at about $6 a month
Re:Fuck IOS by CohibaVancouver · 2012-01-21 14:50 · Score: 3, Informative

battery life up to a whooping 3 days
Don't you sleep? Plug your phone in when you go to bed, unplug it when you wake up. Then it's always juiced up. I do this as a matter of rote.
Untethered? by MichaelJ · 2012-01-21 14:52 · Score: 0

How is this an untethered jailbreak when step 4 is to connect via USB cable?

--

Michael J.
Root, God, what is difference?
1. Re:Untethered? by geekdoc · 2012-01-21 15:02 · Score: 2
  
  Untethered means you don't need a USB connection to boot the phone, not that you don't need one to install the jailbreak.
2. Re:Untethered? by BlackThorne_DK · 2012-01-21 15:26 · Score: 1
  
  You don't need to plug it back in, every time you reboot it afterwards, just the one time.
3. Re:Untethered? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 16:10 · Score: 0
  
  How is this an untethered jailbreak when step 4 is to connect via USB cable?
  The same way that 'get root' doesn't mean the same thing as 'jailbreak'. The people involved are retards.
4. Re:Untethered? by MichaelJ · 2012-01-21 18:09 · Score: 1
  
  Thx for the clarification.
  
  --
  
  Michael J.
  Root, God, what is difference?
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-21 15:12 · Score: 2

Weeel... I prefer leaving the phone in my jacket, as I don't use it much when I'm home, and I charge it on weekends or at work. I also like going places without bringing charger cables, as the less I have to bring with me on my travels the less I forget on my way home :-)
This story ... by shutdown+-p+now · 2012-01-21 16:49 · Score: 1

... is exactly why you can't meaningfully compare jailbreak on Android devices that's there by design (e.g. Nexus, or most Samsung phones) to one on iOS where, every time there's an OS update, you have to wait and hope that someone will find an exploit to squeeze through.
Parent post is ignorant by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 17:03 · Score: 0

Turning off 3G on a cell phone would disable the ability to place and receive cell phone calls, which is, after all, the primary purpose of the device.
1. Re:Parent post is ignorant by Hamsterdan · 2012-01-21 18:02 · Score: 1
  
  No... The phone will simply revert to Edge speeds. On my iPhone 3G it helped with battery life (at the expense of much slower data speeds)
  
  --
  I've got better things to do tonight than die.
2. Re:Parent post is ignorant by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-01-21 19:15 · Score: 2
  
  Turning off 3G on a cell phone would disable the ability to place and receive cell phone calls, which is, after all, the primary purpose of the device.
  You don't know what you're talking about.
  I really am tired of this know-it-all attitude lots of people around here have. Normally I wouldn't mind, but thanks for jumping to the conclusion that I was giving him useless advice to conserve battery power. It's nice to see somebody who thinks I'm a moron come by and correct me on something and turn out to be completely wrong.
  So, if you don't mind me asking, do you think you're an expert on all topics and were attempting to prove that, or were you just trying to get the word Insightful to appear next to your post?
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
3. Re:Parent post is ignorant by BlueBlade · 2012-01-21 19:42 · Score: 1
  
  Not to be pedantic, but there are some carriers for which this is true. For example, in Canada, if you're with Bell Canada or Telus, if you turn off 3G you do lose the ability to make phone calls. This is because their network is CDMA and not GSM, and they only support LTE (so no Edge or even standard non-data GSM). I think there is now a CDMA version of the iPhone, but I have a 3GS phone with Telus that can't receive or place calls if I turn off 3G.
  
  --
  Religion is the best example of mass psychosis
4. Re:Parent post is ignorant by kagaku · 2012-01-22 03:15 · Score: 1
  
  There is no CDMA version of the iPhone 3GS. You're correct though, both Telus and Bell are CDMA/HSPA providers and thus don't provide 2G GSM voice/data service. Turning off 3G support should mean no service, or at least significantly reduced service.
  
  --
  everyday is another shooter.
5. Re:Parent post is ignorant by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-01-22 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  Thank you for the information, I guess I should take my own advice.
  Time for me to eat my humble pie.
  
  --
  
  "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 17:07 · Score: 0

I remember this used to be, er still is an issue with laptop chargers. What has changed is that we no longer carry a laptop to and from work daily because the internet is now snugly available through pocket devices.
A nighly charge for your smartphone is no comfort because not all chargers are standard. (1) By 5PM an Android phone will be more than halfway drained if you play music to/from work and browse the web in your lunch break under bright backlight, (2) by 9PM you'll have only juice for emergency web access, lose camera access completely on the stock app (it arrogantly shuts off under the 25% power alert condition). Worst, I find myself needing to turn on GPS fully knowing that every second I'm trying to point the phone at the Southern Hemisphere is x amount of juice lost for a phonecall I could be making to reach that new party location that I'm trying to map.
The problem is this: if you have to plug in / unplug based a home anchor location, you will usually never take the charger to work. But due to #2 you'll *sometimes* wish to break the habit and charge the phone halfway through the day to delay situation #1 till #2's timesteam. The problem is whether you'll ALWAYS remember setting the charger's-not-at-home mental location flag, and safely pull it from under your office desk and back to your home's bed where it belongs. Worse for your holiday weekends, and God forbid, vacation time. This wasn't resolved with 2 decades of laptops, and it's not about to get resolved in the days of every-growing displays with multi-core 3D environments with growing feature radio-frequency feature sets (NFC, the much-expected 5GHZ band on Wireless n, and any 4G bands)
Unlock by phorm · 2012-01-21 17:37 · Score: 1

So once it's been jailbroken, does anyone know what the status of unlocking is for the 4S?
I believe that there have already been successful IOS5 unlocks for earlier phones, will they still work on the 4S now that it's jailbroken?
Some people jailbreak to just get 3rd-party apps etc, but a lot of people do so to install the unlock and NOT be chained in yet another way to a given carrier.
Re:Fuck IOS by Hamsterdan · 2012-01-21 18:03 · Score: 1

^ this

--
I've got better things to do tonight than die.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 18:05 · Score: 0

Uh, every phone except the iPhone charges off a standard micro-USB connector. Buy a second micro-USB cable for $5 (or really, iPhone charger cables aren't that much more expensive) and leave it at work. Problem solved.
Re:Fuck IOS by thegarbz · 2012-01-21 18:48 · Score: 1

/Disappointed with iPhone.
You're not disappointed with the iPhone, you're disappointed with Smartphones, and quite frankly you've just disabled most of the things that makes it smart to begin with.
Here's a novel thought, rather than buying a shiny phone with a beefy CPU, hardware acceleration, a phone which could change the way you work forever, why not buy a feature phone if battery life is your most important goal?
Here's another view. I have a Samsung Galaxy S. The battery lasts for a full day of (in my opinion) reasonably heavy use. A FULL DAY! The damn thing is more powerful than the laptop I had a few years ago, more useful as I can carry it everywhere and the battery life lasts about 4 times longer!
IT'S AMAZING and not a disappointment at all.
Re:Fuck IOS by MobileTatsu-NJG · 2012-01-21 19:20 · Score: 1

If that switch does return, you'll notice a couple of things. 1.) The reception/coverage is better and 2.) You won't be able to use data and voice at the some time unless wifi is around.
Also, I thought about it a bit, and I'm not sure if disabling 3G will actually extend your standby time.. in theory it should but I'm unclear on that. I can say that the actual talk time using Edge seemed to use only half as much battery power. I didn't measure that scientifically, though. It was *very* noticable.
Have a good weekend.

--

"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Fuck IOS by Zontar+The+Mindless · 2012-01-21 19:22 · Score: 1

My Samsung Galaxy came with a USB charging cable included. Guess some vendors really need that extra 5 bucks.

--
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Jailbreak For A5 iOS Devices Released by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 19:30 · Score: 0

I don't think I'll bother to use the jailbreak. I've been running so long now without one that I don't really miss it all that much anymore. It took 3 or 4 months for a real jailbreak to come out after ios5 was released (I don't count the tethered crap as a real jailbreak). Evidently it's getting harder and harder to find an exploit that allows a jailbreak, since the hole is closed each time the OS is updated. There are certainly a finite number of security holes that can be used to create a jailbreak, so eventually it must become impossible. With ios5.1 coming pretty soon the jailbreak will again become useless and who knows when or if one will be found for 5.1.
Re:Fuck IOS by tlhIngan · 2012-01-21 20:22 · Score: 1

/Disappointed with iPhone.
You're not disappointed with the iPhone, you're disappointed with Smartphones, and quite frankly you've just disabled most of the things that makes it smart to begin with.
Here's a novel thought, rather than buying a shiny phone with a beefy CPU, hardware acceleration, a phone which could change the way you work forever, why not buy a feature phone if battery life is your most important goal?
I find it funny people are complaining that they only get 4 days between charges. What do people do, play Angry Birds in their sleep? The 4 or more hours you're asleep should charge most smartphones from dead to fully charged. All it takes is putting the phone on charge when you go to bed and it'll be fully charged when you wake up. Maybe a couple days or so is still decent if you forget to charge it overnight once in a while.
Though, for bad battery life, I have to admit the Galaxy Nexus I have seems to have battery issues. I can go from fully charged to dead in less than 24 hours. Though apparently it's firmware issues (the firmware is carrier specific still - though you can always restore official Google images) and an update can fix it.
I can't do it as it's not my phone, so I can't do anything that'll ruin the phone.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 21:07 · Score: 0

Uh, every phone except the iPhone charges off a standard micro-USB connector.
Since 2009, it is the international standard for charging mobile phones. A requirement for a mobile phone to be allowed to be sold in many countries (including EU), it had been requirement for mobile phones sold in in Chine a couple of years prior to that.
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-21 21:11 · Score: 1

You're not disappointed with the iPhone, you're disappointed with Smartphones, and quite frankly you've just disabled most of the things that makes it smart to begin with.
You know, I already have a Smartphone. With touch, internet, GPS, and the list goes on. Is it so wrong to expect an iPhone to at least mach older tech? It's not like the iPhone is a whole lot better than that oldy. The only true/real advantage (to me) is that my bank has made an app for the iPhone, I can't use the old mobile's browser as it does not have java.
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-21 21:13 · Score: 0

OMG! What is this aversion people have with plugging in the god damn thing when it's not in use ... whatever. Take it back and stay off the grid. Moron.
Re:Fuck IOS by adolf · 2012-01-22 01:22 · Score: 2

And I prefer coming home to a blowjob, but somehow my wife isn't compatible with that function.
It's all tradeoffs. You can't have it all.

--
Kid-proof tablet..
Re:Fuck IOS by CohibaVancouver · 2012-01-22 02:35 · Score: 1

I prefer leaving the phone in my jacket
Delete your preferences. Problem solved.
What good is it? by Celarent+Darii · 2012-01-22 03:03 · Score: 1

Just a serious question - what will this hack allow me to do that I couldn't do before?

I can already install my own apps on the phone with a developer account. Does this make it any easier?

What does the hack install? Does the hack phone home? Why does it need to connect to a database?

It might be interesting to install a new OS on the phone, but seriously for a $600 device I want something that works.

So long story short what does this jailbreak give me that I don't already have?
Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 05:17 · Score: 0

Buying that shit is the same as selling your future to the Communist. A full fledged endorsement of Communism and a loud statement that you want to be exploited as a worker too.
Damn buy stuff made in America and they will have no choice but to hire you and endorse your way of life if the rich elite of America still want to make a buck.
You have the power not them use it.
Or watch your family slowly starve.
Re:Fuck IOS by anss123 · 2012-01-22 06:05 · Score: 1

Deleting preferences causes too many glitches, so I'm right now simply using my trusty old HTC something something smartphone. I'm sure the iPhone can be sold, as it's not tied to any operator. Then I'll do a bit more research for my next phone, instead of listening to others.

All in all, no great loss.

Except that AppleID stuff, that was bloody annoying. It kept glitching out with a server connection error at the very last step, so I had to redo the whole blasted wizard over and over until it went through. Bet it was Apple trolling me.
Jailbreak is not the problem by shugah · 2012-01-22 08:53 · Score: 1

If you have the latest 4.11.08 baseband, there is (to the best of my knowledge) no way to un-SIMlock it.

My wife is travelling in Australia and China and wanted to use her iPhone there. Rooting and unlocking my Samsung Galaxy S took about 10 minutes, but there is no way to unlock the iPhone 4 if you upgraded to iOS 5. We could have paid Rogers (Canada) $60 to do it, but we didn't think of it until we left for Australia and it was cheaper to just buy a cheap nokia prepaid burn phone and then only use her iPhone on WiFi.

--
If you aren't part of the solution, then there is good money to be made prolonging the problem
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 10:19 · Score: 0

you sound like a real genius...
Settings > General > Network > Enable 3G
Re:Fuck IOS by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 10:24 · Score: 0

The 3G setting is not on the 4S
Re: not trolling, but serious answer by cbhacking · 2012-01-22 11:06 · Score: 1

Actually, there's a reasonably active hacker community working on WP7. Nobody has yet found a universal full-unlock (the closest was the ChevronWP7 Unlocker, which let you developer-unlock a device without buying a Marketplace Developer account), but certain types of low-permission homebrew are available for all phones. Some phones (HTC gen1 and some gen1.5, Samsung gen1) have ways of getting full "root" access, and the developer of one of the tools has promised support for more HTC and LG devices in his next release (he's apparently already found the holes that will give sufficient permissions). Nothing very eciting for Nokia yet, but not as many hackers have access to them yet.
The key point in all cases is that it requires the device be unlocked and the user be interacting with it. You can "unlock" your phone, but you can't use the same hacks to steal data off a phone you stole from somebody or something like that, and you certainly can't use them for a drive-by attack.

--
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
Closed Devices by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-22 17:32 · Score: 0

It's interesting that closed devices such as iphone/ipad gets jailbreaked while devices with "open" OS (Android) gets harder to root with each iteration, take for example the Acer Iconia Tab A500, from Honeycomb 3.0 to 3.1 rooting was pretty simple, 3.2 included new locked bootloader, you are screwed, there is still no way to root the device other than reflashing, IC update may even close that option too. So yeah, for a walled garden there is already clearly a superior competitor (ipad).