With every iPhone update that Apple releases they try to find ways to crush advancements that the iPhone Dev Team are making. We expect firmware 2.2 will have a few different tweaks to prevent jailbreaking, what we didn’t expect was that the new MacBooks would be the next wave of defense.

People over at Howard Forums are complaining that they are unable to jailbreak their iPhone using the Pwnage Tool on newly purchased MacBooks.  The new MacBooks do not recognize iPhones that are placed in recovery mode (DFU Mode), a vital step in the jailbreaking process.  It seems the creation of the modified firmware is where Apple has decided to put an end to it. This is going to create problems because users who are not trying to jailbreak their phones can not restore their iPhone anymore.

It seems the way Apple has stopped progress is in a small software modification as not much else has changed. It looks like the culprit in this case just may be the new build of iTunes. As with all the attempts that Apple makes to stop people from jailbreaking their phones, it is only a matter of time before the iPhone Dev Team finds a way around it.

[Via Engadget and HowardForums]

First, we found out that AT&T is planning an iPhone U-verse IPTC interface, which would combine the carrier’s Internet and video service with mobile-controlled PVRs. An Apple patent application was also uncovered this week that shows a new “At a Glance” screen for the iPhone.

The iPhone 3G was discovered to have a hidden data matrix code printed on its side and the Genius playlist-making ability was added to the Remote app. The iPhone 3G adapter was recalled this week in fear of electrocution risks as well.

QuickPwn 2.1 for Windows was released by the Dev Team, which makes jailbreaking iPhone 3G’s latest update a snap.

In application-related news, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the iPhone was released to the App Store this week as a companion to the also just-released console game by the same name. We also learned that Trism has made over $250,000 so far in sales.

Fonolo was demoed this week and we got video footage of the “deep dialing” system in action. Finally, the Griffin AirCurve acoustic amplifier was introduced, which boosts the audio output of your iPhone which docking it.

The App Store was in the spotlight once again this week as several new apps were announced. iVerse Comics will be coming to the App Store soon, which allows users to access comic books via individual icons on their iPhone home screens. An LED football game, that is very reminiscent of the old handheld games is on the way, too. BeeJive, which was formerly called JiveTalk, offers a more functional IM experience and is even outfitted with background notification should Apple activate it.

We got our hands on a leaked video that showed Last.fm v2.0 in action and Sharpcast’s SugarSync was revealed to be a MobileMe alternative for those who are fed up with the Apple cloud. Most interesting of all, however, is a possible Steve Jobs email that revealed an official tethering function might be coming to the iPhone soon.

The reception issues that dominated last week’s news carried over into this week when a series of independent surveys revealed iPhone 3G performance varies over regions and the networks themselves are what need fixing, not the phone’s internal antenna. Over the course of these tests, Orange France admitted to capping their 3G speeds, but now promised to raise them. We also got a good look at just why the 3G is so slow. It seems all iPhone users need to update to the latest firmware version–otherwise the users with the old version will continue to bog down the network.

Two new international data plans from AT&T were made available to iPhone users on Wednesday and though its intent was to lower prices, it’s still rather steep. A security flaw was revealed this week as well that made it so even password protected phones could be hacked by a few taps of the home button. But not to worry, Apple has admitted to the flaw and will include a fix in the next update.

If you’re keeping up with the Dev Team, you already known Pwnage Tool 2.0.3 is already out. Plus, a brand new iPhone magazine will be released on September 9th called iPhone Life that gives readers the scoop on the latest news, reviews and more.

Finally, this week we featured a review of the BlueAnt V1 Voice Control Bluetooth Headset, which features voice activation functions. And though the audio wasn’t quite as good as it could be, this headset offers functionality like to other.

Included in the update is an update Installer.app beta (b6) and a new .de localization for those in Germany. A word of note: don’t decompress the file using “the unarchiver” as it breaks permissions within PwnageTool. The standard OS X Archive Utility will do.

The ’150 beta update for the Windows QuickPwn was also released yesterday, which has a revised GUI and tighter integration. QuickPwn for Mac is under testing right now, and should be released to beta soon.

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]

QuickPwn was also released this week, and has been updated once already. You don’t have to worry about updating to 2.0.2 now with this latest fix from the Dev Team. In fact, an update to the GUI was also made to give it a newer look.

You will still need to update your iPhone software via iTunes to 2.0.2. But you can pwn it by following the directions below taken from Boy Genius Report:

1. Download and open QuickPwn
2. Select iPhone 3G
3. Browse to the IPSW (you can download this file from iTunes, then dig it up)
4. Select Cydia / Installer / Boot Logo etc in QuickPwn
5. Go! (read instructions on screen)
6. Wait
7. Enjoy

[via The Boy Genius Report]

MagicPad came to the App Store as well, giving us a look at what copy and paste could be like if it were native to the iPhone. And if you’re an app developer, you got some seriously good news this week when it was revealed just how profitable app sales can be. 

The iPhone 2.0.1 Firmware update hit iPhones this week as well, and as shown in our side-by-side comparison, gave the phone a considerable speed boost. During the week, Installer 4 was leaked in beta form, but it got an official beta release alongside PwnageTool 2.0.2. 

More countries are getting the iPhone 3G on August 22, plus, we learned that it may be possible to stream your iTunes library over Wi-Fi onto your iPhone in the future, due to a new patent Apple has filed. We also took a look at several apps in the App Store to give you an idea of what’s available, including Dice Bag, Frogger, Cubes Lite, Sudoku Unlimited and Dizzy Bee. 

Finally, you can’t have an iPhone without something stylish to keep it in. The Dapper iPhone Pouch is a unisex slip case that gives off a masculine vibe. JAVOedge’s embossed leather back cover protects the back of your iPhone with textured, feminine designs and ColorWare can customize your iPhone’s back, border and buttons to a color coating of your choice. And that’s all for this week’s news!

The iPhone DevTeam have done it again, folks! There are a few extra mirrors posted up on their site so downloading should be a bit easier now.

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]

Yesterday, the DevTeam reported that there was a slight hold up with PwnageTool 2.0.2 and that we wouldn’t see its release until sometime later today. But they’ve stayed up late, fixed the bug and you can download the tool right this second!

They recommend that you update your current version by using Sparkle, the tool’s internal updater. Included in the download is the newest Cydia and the Installer 4 Beta.

Good luck to everyone giving this a try!

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]

It looks like those anxious to really crack into their iPhones won’t have to wait much longer. The DevTeam announced yesterday that PwnageTool 2.0.2 will be released very soon. Like, I’m talking today soon. 

The only thing holding up the release now for the guys over at RipDev to finish up their beta of Installer 4. Plus, the DevTeam needs to make a few tweaks here and there to ensure 2.0.2 works well with the beta. That way, you can download both in one convenient package. 

If you’re thinking about downloading this when it’s released, you might be interested in knowing it will contain an updated version of Cydia. The DevTeam does provide those thinking about unlocking their phones in the future with a warning, however: 

If you care about the possibility of a GSM/3G unlock in the future (there is no unlock available as yet), do not update your 3G device with iTunes unless you do it via PwnageTool 2.0.2 (this means you’ll need to create a custom .ipsw with PwnageTool 2.0.2 and install it using iTunes) – If you have updated over the last few days with iTunes, you’ll still be able to Jailbreak using PwnageTool 2.0.2 but it may reduce the chance of you being able to unlock the Phone to be able to use a SIM card from all carriers in the future.

Update: Looks like the DevTeam are uploading the new PwnageTool to their servers as we speak. 

[via blog.iphone-dev.org]

If you’ve updated already, you may have noticed that you lost access to any jailbroken apps you may have had. But don’t sweat it. The DevTeam is on it. However, the iPhone 3G’s baseband has also been updated making it a possibility that once the new Pwnage Tool comes out, you may be out of luck. 

So, that puts many in a bit of a predicament. Update now and get greater functionality or wait it out and hope the new Pwnage Tool will fix the same problems and let your iPhone stay unlocked. It’s quite a pickle, if you ask me! 

[via Engadget]

iPhone Dev Team's Pwnage tool for iPhone 2.0

In case you’re worried whether your newly jailbroken iPhone 3G will also be able to install official apps from iTunes as well as the bastard child apps, the answer is yes.  The tool is only available for Mac OS, Windows users lose out for now – or find someone with Mac OS if you’re desperate to jailbreak your iPhone 3G.

You can download Pwnage Tool 2.0 (file size: 19.7 MB), by clicking this link; just do yourself a favor and back up your iPhone before mucking around with this tool.

The first generation of iPhone was jailbroken and unlocked by the devs team, however having 3G baseband, the unlocking algorithm for iPhone 3G is not quite the same. Here is the breakdown of what pwnage tools 2.0 can do at this time :

iPhone (1st Gen) with 2.0 – Activated, Unlocked & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications).
iPod Touch with 2.0 – Activated & Jailbroken, (with support for third party applications).
iPhone (3G) with 2.0 – Activated, Jailbroken (with support for third party applications).

Still no release schedule yet, but the iPhone Dev team’s blog post suggests the tool will be available soon.

“We’ve added lots of new features, including 2.0 support, spotlight file indexing of .ipsws, canned websearches, installer custom configuration, custom root partitions and various other things that you’ll see on the release” iPhone Dev Team

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R63lKICiWfg[/youtube]

So far the tool itself is yet to be released.  The Team are saying it’ll be “soon”, although not this weekend, and that the wording in the video should be pretty much ignored since it’s mainly just placeholder text.

Some have questioned the need for Pwnage now that Apple have released the App Store and made the iPhone available in many more countries.  The increased tweaking tools, such as predefined websearches and custom root partitions, are obviously a move by the Team to keep the tool relevant.  True, casual users probably won’t need to use it, but those looking to get the most out of Apple’s “21st Century Newton” should start biting their nails in anticipation now.

[via Engadget]

A freight of ocean containers arrived on shore this week. The containers are from Apple’s manufacturing partners across the seas. The containers were marked ‘electric computer’. Apple’s Macs are traditionally market with the customs label ‘desktop computer’. The rumor is these containers have over 1.7 million 3G iPhones in them. Since everyone else is guessing, I threw in mine as well. I think that ‘electric computer’ sounds a lot more like a Mac tablet than an iPhone, just me?

We all know that the 3G iPhone will be fast, thanks to the HSPA networks set up across the world. We don’t know how fast though. How does 42mbps down and 22mbps up sound? That would be how fast it would be if the device has HSPA+, the fastest revision of HSPA. If it does, it will be the first general market device ever that has the HSPA+ ability.

Location based services are compatible with the current iPhone, even with its lack of GPS. Cell site triangulation works relatively well. Geo tagging is a capability that more and more devices are getting. It tags images taken with the device with your current location for when you share them. The latest iPhone firmware was discovered to have this option.

We saw a beta version of WinPwn about a month back. The official version of utility was finally released recently though. The tool allows custom firmwares to be loaded onto the device. For example, you can build a firmware with the device pre unlocked, and loaded with your settings and favorite firmware. Somewhat similar to cooking custom ROMs for Windows Mobile.

We finish out the week in review with the rumor that the 3G iPhone launches at WWDC. We have all heard the rumors of it, and it is assumed that the device would surely launch then. Gizmodo says that they have sources that have 100% confirmed the June 9th launch.

The promise came about a month late, but it is finally here now. Not only is it here, but it packs a large number of improvements over the beta that we saw last month. The software is totally free, and allows you to take control of your device. Features that it has allows you to load custom ROMs and change out the boot logo etc.

The new version of the tool is available now. You can get it from WinPwn.com. The software does have the potential to brick your device, so please if you do not know what you are doing, read up on the tool, or just avoid using it.

[Via iPhone Alley]