It took me 5 hours (multi-tasking) to finally jailbreak my old iphone. The primary reason I did it was to install Qik, the live video-streaming app. I will ignore the discussion about adding Qik to the iPhone store, plenty of people talking about that. Added bonus, Winterboard is cool, adds a few bells and whistles to the generic iPhone interface, and they seem to have done a good job making it separate from the core code and impervious? to upgrade woes.

My thoughts on the process. Please add yours as a comment. I’m ok with the five hours. Caveats include me making some stupid mistakes (RTFM), the documentation is so-so, the process is convoluted for mere mortals and it takes forever to build the app on my ancient powerbook (which will be replaced with whatever goodness Apple unleashes next month.)

Get rid of the external application. iphone dev team should create a plug-in for itunes if it’s possible.

Create a repository for the .ipsw files – you have to download files to build the application on your desktop, then install onto your iPhone. Remove this cumbersome step of having to download the files and link to a repository, behind the scenes. Protecting user from making bad decisions (props to Vince Vaughn).

Looks like something is in the works to simplify the process, Windows only, best named hack of the year so far, My little Pwnie.

Ziphone. Installer app, BSD subsystem, SSH. Bricked iPhone. Terror. Long walk. Hard reset. Twitter Rant. Backlash. RTFM. Passwd borked. Blush.

Installer or Cydia. Fink-like fence-sitting. RTFM for 135 minutes. Cydia. Installing. Moving sensitive data across partitions. Do NOT reinstall BSD Subsystems, _Fake_BSD instead. SSH to iphone works. iPhoneNotes too. Time to dive into Cydia and see what’s out there.

Today I find out about the theiphoneproject.

iPhone custom firmware http://theiphoneproject.org/b/macosx/iphonepwned/ but I just learned about Cydia yesterday! BootNeuter is what I need when I take my car into the shop and have to swap out the computer (custom turbo booooost controller.)

theiphoneproject: Can you give us an overview of the process?

The Devs: In all honesty, it’s quite simple. This is the first release of Pwnage, and the process of building an IPSW is thus far only supported on Mac OS X. The first thing to do is make sure you have the Official IPSW of the firmware you are running (eg. If you are running 1.1.4, download 1.1.4). Now open the Pwnage tool, and click “Browse .ipsw” and browse to the firmware file that you just downloaded. Next you click the “iPwner” button, and watch as PWNAGE patches the iPhone bootlader, making it possible to circumvent any code signing checks. After this, your iPhone will reboot. As the iPhone reboots, exit the Pwnage app, and reopen it.

Here is where the magic happens, once the phone has rebooted, click on “IPSW Builder,” and you are presented with a list of the building options (jailbreak, unlock, etc..) including the all new “BootNeuter,” the ultimate iPhone unlocking solution. Once you have customized your IPSW, hit OK and let Pwnage build the restore file. Next we head to iTunes, option+click on the restore button, and navigate to the custom ipsw that you just created,. Hit OK and we’re done! iTunes will restore the iPhone to the state of your choosing (Be it jailbroken, unlocked etc…).

iPwner has released PWNAGE into the wild. Anyone try it yet?

Thought you couldn’t read PDF’s on the iPhone? Thanks to the data:URI feature in Safari, converting PDF’s to URI’s to read in Safari on your iPhone is easy. Create a bookmark with the URI in Safari, sync with iTunes and you’re all set.

Rapleaf Updates reputation widgets (login required).

Technorati introduces Topics. The hunt for a revenue stream continues. There are at least three people pitching better blog categorization last night.

Another reason to buy an iPhone, Edit your Movable Type blog from your iPhone.

Before you rush out and buy an iPhone tomorrow, think about  the MacBookPro launch. Bad screens, fans, batteries and don’t forget the problems with the motherboard. Owning version 1.0 of any electronic product is a dicey proposition.

Apple just increased the battery life and went from a plastic to a glass screen. Think about that.

If you already own a Treo, the jump to a $600 phone may not seem so bad. For many, it’s a huge jump from the free Razr to half a month’s rent.

People argue it’s a phone and an M3 player. Try going jogging with the iPhone. Not to be a naysayer, I’m sure the user interface and navigation will be intuitive and brilliant, as most Apple products are.

Speaking of getting something right, have you heard about the activation process?

Apple also said today that iPhone buyers will be able to activate the device using its popular iTunes program on either Macs or Windows PCs, a move that should cut down on the time people spend in stores this weekend. “Users will be able to activate their new iPhone in the comfort and privacy of their own home or office, without having to wait in a store,” said Steve Jobs.

I’m excited to see the iPhone, and I’m looking forward to owning the next version.

 John Heilemann has written about Steve Jobs in New York Magazine.  Regarding his “fourth act”, the iPhone:

Apple’s competitors, by contrast, find the prospect of the iPhone terrifying. “The entire fucking Western world hopes that it’s a case of imperial overstretch,�? says the CEO of one of the planet’s largest communications companies. “But everybody is quietly saying, er, what if people want to buy a $500 phone? What if, er, people have been waiting for a device that does all these things? What if this thing works as advertised? I mean, my God, what then?�?

I’m not buying an iPhone last week, I know too many people with broken MacBook’s to take a chance on a $500 phone that had it’s case and battery replaced a week before launch.
But what if Jobs is right and everyone forks over $300-$500? What will handset makes like Nokia do?