An audience of two

Wednesday October 31, 2007

Jailbreak!
Okay, I finally did it. I hacked my iPhone. Which makes it sound like I did something clever, but really it was nothing at all. There's a new web site, jailbreakme.com, that exploits a bug in the TIFF handling code to install the jailbreak hack. It takes two minutes, and there appears to be almost no risk of damage to the phone or voiding my warranty. All I did was visit a web site with Apple's buggy browser - if Apple have a problem with that, they are really going to get into a whole lot of trouble.

Two things convinced me to do it, though. The second thing was the fact that the jailbreak hack exploits and then fixes a security hole in the phone. With all the virus writers and bitter students around I figured that it wouldn't be long before a malicious hacker found a way to screw with my new toy, and that's the last thing I want. I won't touch Internet Explorer or LookOut since they are just hack magnets, and now it seems that Safari is no better. Bring on Firefox for the iPhone. Maybe now it's hacked I can install it?

If you want to hack your iPhone, just visit jailbreakme.com, scroll to the bottom and select "Install AppSnapp". After a few seconds Safari will quit and return you to the home screen. Maybe a minute later you'll see the "busy" disc in the centre of the screen, then it'll go back to the Unlock screen. Slide the slider and you're in. You'll see that iTunes is now on the left and there's a new icon.

Two tips: 1) Don't try to do this over EDGE. Make sure you're connected to a WiFi network. 2) If it doesn't work, reboot your phone and try again. Hold down the "home" button on the front and the "lock" button at the top until the phone reboots and you see the Apple logo.

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