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The cat and mouse game continues between Apple and the Dev Team, a group of guys who are passionate about freeing Apple handheld devices from the company's short leash. The Dev Team has been jailbreaking new Apple firmware for years, and it just did so again--though this time around it seems Apple is still taking the decisive lead.

The team announced Friday the availability of PwnageTool 3.13, which allows for jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone 3GS running the latest firmware, version 3.1. Currently only a Mac version of the tool is available, but the Windows version will be out soon. (Keep in mind, however, that you download and use the PwnageTool at your own risk.)

A jailbroken iPhone can do a lot more than what Apple wants it to do.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

The tool creates a custom firmware from the version 3.1 firmware released by Apple. To install it, you put the phone into recovery mode (turn it off, then plug it in while holding down the Home button) and use iTunes to restore the phone with the custom firmware (hold down the Option key while clicking on the Restore button).

The custom firmware, apart from jailbreaking, will not upgrade the baseband--the chip that connects the phone to a service provider--and therefore still allows the phone to be unlocked.

But there's a catch here. The tool only works with the iPhone 3GS that has been jailbroken with the firmware version 3.0 or 3.0.1. This means if you buy a new iPhone 3GS that already has version 3.1 on it or you have updated to version 3.1 using iTunes, there's still no way to have your phone jailbroken. There's even a rumor that there might never be one, unless a new exploit is found.

If this is true, it seems Apple has finally been able to gain significant ground in stopping the practice it claims could pose a threat to national security. And for thousands, if not millions of iPhone 3GS users who rely on jailbreaking and unlocking to use their phones with the service of their choice, this is sad news.

If you're one of the millions of iPhone users who've jailbroken their iPhones or iPod Touches--the desktop hacking trick that allows you to use non-Apple approved apps, access the iPhone's file system, and other tweaks--you'll want to hold off on the latest software update (3.1) that Apple announced Wednesday. Updating your iPhone or iPod Touch will break your jailbreak, meaning any services and apps you've installed via Cydia will be gone, as well as Cydia itself.

The Dev Team is working on a new app to jailbreak the current version, but no word yet from them on an expected launch date. That being said, the Dev Team traditionally has had a jailbreak method out within a few weeks of a software update.

Since none of the features of 3.1 is stand out "I have to have it now!" (OMG! Bulgarian keyboard!) you're better off downloading it for now via iTunes so you'll have it handy when the jailbreak software is out, which we'll tell you about here, naturally.

(Credit: Matt Hickey)

So Apple on Friday released an update to the iPhone OS (3.0.1) that takes care of an SMS vulnerability. It's a fairly important patch, and usually when Apple updates the iPhone OS, jailbreakers have to wait until the Dev Team comes out with a new version of jailbreaking software before they can update.

But according to the iPhone Dev Team's Twitter, this is not the case with the 3.0.1 firmware. In fact, the current versions of redsn0w and ultrasn0w work the same with the 3.0.1 firmware as they do with the 3.0 firmware that came out a few weeks ago. In short, the jailbreaking software already works. I checked with the Dev Team community and had this confirmed. "Restore to 3.0.1, run redsn0w, select the 3.0 file... Bang zoom."

So go ahead, iPhone hackers, and secure your devices soon. You don't have to worry about losing Cydia and other rogue apps.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Apple published Thursday a support article cautioning users about jailbreaking the iPhone (as well as other Apple handheld audio devices).

Unlike the company's recent filing to U.S. Copyright Office that suggested that jailbreaking the iPhone might pose a national threat and be the cause of AT&T's unreliable service, the article states that "customers who have installed software that makes these modifications have encountered numerous problems in the operation of their hacked iPhone."

This means that if you get your iPhone jailbroken, for example, you will cause yourself, not others, problems. This is such a relief for me.

The problems that Apple mentioned include:

• Device and application instability: Frequent and unexpected crashes of the device, crashes and freezes of built-in apps and third-party apps, and loss of data
• Unreliable voice and data: Dropped calls, slow or unreliable data connections, and delayed or inaccurate location data
• Disruption of services: Services such as Visual Voice mail, YouTube, Weather, Stocks as well as push-based third party applications have been disrupted or no longer work on the device
• Compromised security: Security compromises have been introduced by the modifications that could allow hackers to steal personal information, damage the device, attack the wireless network, or introduce malicious software or viruses
• Shortened battery life: The hacked software has caused an accelerated battery drain that shortens the operation of an iPhone or iPod Touch on a single battery charge
• Inability to apply future software updates: Some unauthorized modifications have caused damage to the iPhone OS that is not repairable
... Read more

I just got my new iPhone 3GS the other day and the first thing I did with it was get it jailbroken, just how I handled my iPhone 3G.

This time around, it was not really because I was in dire need of any extra functionality (the 3GS now can do video recording out of the box, which my 3G could only do when jailbroken). Most importantly, I wanted to feel like I could do anything with a device I paid almost $600 for (I couldn't wait until December to be qualified for the discount upgrade).

Cydia store for jailbroken iPhones, where developers can summit their applications without having to deal with Apple App Store's policies.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Little did I know what would constitute "anything" in this case.

Apparently, as Apple claimed via comments filed last week (PDF) I, and my newly freed phone, could be the culprit for AT&T network unreliability and even more seriously, when disgruntled, I could use it as a weapon of mass wireless disruption by taking down AT&T wireless towers. (OK, honestly this revelation makes me feel kind of powerful.)

First reported by Wired.com, Apple's comments explained that jailbreaking allows hackers to alter the phone's baseband processor (officially called the BBP chip), which is the chip that enables the phone to connect to cell towers.

(A personal note: The only purpose of altering of the chip, via software or the hard way, I've known of so far is to unlock the phone, which allows it to work with other carriers other than AT&T. Jailbreaking doesn't necessarily mean unlocking and therefore is very much risk-free.)

Apple stated in its filing that by changing the BBP's code, "More pernicious forms of activity may also be enabled. For example, a local or international hacker could potentially initiate commands (such as a denial-of-service attack) that could crash the tower software, rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data. In short, taking control of the BBP software would be much the equivalent of getting inside the firewall of a corporate computer--to potentially catastrophic result."

Now this is scary because I've never thought the iPhone--being the "Jesus" phone as it is--would have that capability. I always thought that Apple has been trying to keep it locked simply so AT&T could offer it exclusively in the States, which has been possibly the most successful exclusive offer a wireless carrier has ever had; and so Apple could keep tight control over its App Store, which is also a huge success. How naive and non-vigilant of me!

Another somewhat less serious manifestation of jailbreaking the iPhone that Apple mentioned is the fact that when changing the BBP code, a hacker can also change the iPhone's unique Exclusive Chip Identification (ECID) and therefore enable phone calls to be made anonymously, which "would be desirable to drug dealers".

As for AT&T's service, Apple claims that jailbroken phone owners could be the cause of its reportedly problematic network. This is because these unsuspecting users "encounter functional problems with the phone that result from jailbreaking. Such users often call AT&T to report such problems, believing that they may be the result of problems on AT&T's network. AT&T is then forced to spend significant resources investigating and diagnosing the problems to determine whether, in fact, there is a problem with AT&T's network or service."

This seems to explain why my co-worker Eric Franklin always has a high drop-call rate and bad 3G performance on his never-been-unlocked iPhone 3G. And why my friend in New York who uses a locked AT&T's Samsung BlackJack also has problems with dropped calls. (None of us, by the way, has ever called in to report problems. We just suck it up and have faith that AT&T would someday improve its service.) Now it turns out to be all my fault. (I am sorry, guys.)

What makes me feel a little better for my wrongdoing with my iPhones, however, is the fact that the Electronic Frontier Foundation has asked regulators for the DMCA exemption (PDF) that would allow consumers to run any app on the phone, including those not authorized by Apple. This would basically legalize the jailbreaking practice of the iPhones.

And Apple's claims are its response to questions submitted by the U.S. Copyright Office, which is considering EFF's request.

Editor's note: due to some technical issue, comments left prior to 9 a.m. PDT Jul 30 were accidentally removed. We're sorry for the inconvenience.

Just as America gears up to celebrate Independence Day comes news that iPhone 3GS owners are getting some freedom of their own.

This is the site for purplera1n, which enables the installation of third-party software not approved for Apple's App Store.

George Hotz, who you may recall as the teenage hacker who originally unlocked the iPhone, has let loose a jailbreaking app for the iPhone 3GS code-named purplera1n. It enables the installation of third-party software not approved for Apple's App Store.

For now, purplera1n is Windows-only (but not Windows 7) and requires the latest iTunes installed, as well as an iPhone 3GS with the 3.0 firmware. In a Friday blog post titled "I make it ra1n," Hotz says a Mac version is "coming shortly."

Hotz notes that he normally doesn't make tools for the general public and would rather wait for the iPhone dev team to do that.

"But guys, what's up with waiting until 3.1? That isn't how the game is played," he chides on his blog. "We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes. It isn't worth waiting because you might have the 'last' hole in the iPhone. What last hole...this isn't golf. I'll find a new one next week.

John Biggs over at CrunchGear is among those who have already given purplera1n a go and declares the jailbreaking process "amazingly simple."

Why do we get the sense jailbreaking is going to be part of a whole lot of Fourth of July agendas? But take note: Hotz does caution that purplera1n is in beta and suggests backing up your data before running the app.

It's bad enough that Sling Media charges $29.99 for its SlingPlayer Mobile app (which you can see demonstrated in the video at right), but limiting it to Wi-Fi connections? That's downright criminal.

Fortunately, the gadget gurus over at Gizmodo have documented a way to stream SlingPlayer video across 3G connections, thereby overcoming one of the app's major annoyances. (Now if they could just talk Sling Media into a reasonable price tag. Like, say, $5.99.)

As you might expect, there's a catch: You have to jailbreak your iPhone. It's not hard to do, particularly if you follow Gizmodo's iPhone jailbreaking guide, but it's definitely a do-at-your-own-risk procedure. (Fortunately, you can undo it if the need ever arises, like for support or warranty service from Apple.)

Once you've completed that step, all that's left is to install an app called Tricker Three3G. After that, SlingPlayer will always think it's running on Wi-Fi, even when it's running on 3G. (Bonus: Tricker pulls the same trick on Skype and Fring--great if you're looking for a way around their own connectivity restrictions.)

I haven't put this to the test myself, as I'm slightly chicken when it comes to jailbreaking my iPhone. Plus, I don't own a SlingPlayer. But based on anecdotal tests I've read elsewhere, it works as advertised.

What do you think? Does this improve SlingPlayer Mobile's functionality enough to justify the $30 price tag? Are you willing to jailbreak your phone just for this app? Share your thoughts in the comments!

(Credit: quickpwn.com)

If you blinked again, you might have missed it: several days after Apple released an update to the iPhone OS 3 beta, hackers have already jailbroken the OS 3 beta 3 release.

A new version of QuickPWN for Windows only (direct download link) has been released. This version should work with all versions of the iPhone or the iPod Touch. We have not yet tried the jailbreak, but our sources have not reported any trouble with the hack. (As usual, however, download and use QuickPWN at your own risk.)

(Credit: QuickPWN.com)

Jailbreaking is competitive in the hacking community. The Dev Team, the favored jailbreak provider, has an opinion and some words of warning about hacks like this.

(Credit: The Dev Team)

If you blinked, you might have missed it: one day after Apple released an update to the iPhone OS 3 beta, hackers have already jailbroken the OS 3 beta 2 release.

A new version of QuickPWN for Windows only (direct download link) has been released. This version should work with all versions of the iPhone or the iPod Touch. We have not yet tried the jailbreak, but our sources have not reported any trouble with the hack. (As usual, however, download and use QuickPWN at your own risk.)

(Credit: QuickPWN.com)

Jailbreaking is competitive in the hacking community. The Dev Team, the favored jailbreak provider, has an opinion and some words of warning about this hack.