Following on from last week’s revelation that Apple’s new iPhone 3G handset has already had its network shackles ripped free courtesy of obscure but quick-fingered hackers in Brazil, the slightly more well known iPhone Dev Team has now added to the iPhone’s rush of consumer-based liberty by opening the smartphone to applications not approved by Apple.
Pwnage 2.0 removes Apple\'s App Store restrictions. Image: Kid_CL/Flickr.
According to a “Thanks for waiting” announcement post on the iPhone Dev Team blog, the new “Pwnage Tool 2.0” removes (or ‘jailbreaks’) application restrictions from the new iPhone 3G, the original EDGE iPhone, and also the non-telephony iPod Touch, which will enable users to load applications outside of those officially sanctioned through the recently launched App Store.
Freshly armed, software-hungry iPhone 3G users will have to look elsewhere (perhaps as far as Brazil) if they want their shiny iconic smartphone unlocked for use with any network carrier, not least because Pwnage 2.0 has been specifically developed for circumventing Apple’s restrictions on non-approved third-party applications.
“Just to clear up some confusion over what this actually does: yes, it jailbreaks and unlocks older iPhones, and jailbreaks iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touches,” outlines the team’s blog posting, while also noting that Pwnage 2.0 will “only support the 2.0 firmwares.”
Apple had hoped to dissuade those looking to unlock the iPhone 3G from its network exclusivity by requiring that consumers register their contracts and activate their new handsets in-store -- no online activations permitted.
The computer and gadgetry giant had also hoped to further curb software hacking and jailbreaking by offering up a wealth of official iPhone applications (first and third-party) via the online App Store.
However, while the App Store offers around 800 approved iPhone applications (200 of which are available for free) and has registered some 10 million downloads in its first week of service, the ever-diligent hacker community will always strive to provide themselves and willing consumers with the means to wriggle free of any brand-based shackling.
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