jailbreaking

Apple

Did Justin Long Jailbreak His iPhone?

The Get a Mac ads have been laid to rest, but Justin Long isn't ducking out of the spotlight just yet.

The Get a Mac ads have been laid to rest, but Justin Long isn't ducking out of the spotlight just yet. He sat down with Jimmy Kimmel last night to promote his new movie Going the Distance, in which he costars with ex-girlfriend Drew Barrymore, and ended up talking in length about a texting mix-up he encountered with a stranger (something you guys are familiar with).

But things got really interesting when he closed his text app, clearly displaying the Cydia application, which is used to load apps on jailbroken iPhones. Sure, jailbreaking is legal now (and quite a few of you are into it), but is the Mac turning away from his roots by jailbreaking? Check out the entire clip of Justin on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the break.

Poll

Do You Jailbreak?

Over the weekend, a web-based jailbreak solution was released to iPhone-toting masses called JailbreakMe.

Over the weekend, a web-based jailbreak solution was released to iPhone-toting masses called JailbreakMe. This jailbreak is accessed through a website on your iPhone's Safari browser, and all you have to do is follow a few simple steps to set your phone free of Apple restrictions. Sounds easy, but some folks have been complaining that it doesn't work, and after allowing the program to run, their iPhones become "bricked" (or rendered unusable). Seems pretty risky to me.

I don't quite understand why Apple customers would want to jailbreak their iPhones — since you know what kind of environment you're getting into with Apple products — instead of just buying a comparable Android-run smartphone (like the Droid X, perhaps) or other device. Now that jailbreaking is legal, I'm betting there will be more stories like this to come. But I'm curious to know — how many of you have jailbroken your phones in the past, or are planning to jailbreak your iPhone now?

News

Apple: Jailbreaking iPhone Is Legal, but Voids Your Warranty

The US Copyright Office released updated versions of a few laws yesterday morning, one of which says that bypassing your mobile phone's restrictions (aka jailbreaking) in order to download apps or take your phone to a carrier of your choice is totally legal.

The US Copyright Office released updated versions of a few laws yesterday morning, one of which says that bypassing your mobile phone's restrictions (aka jailbreaking) in order to download apps or take your phone to a carrier of your choice is totally legal. This could be great news for iPhone owners who want to ditch AT&T for, say, T-Mobile, but Apple warned customers yesterday afternoon that if you do jailbreak your iPhone for any reason, it could cost you in the long run. Find out what Apple has to say about jailbreaking after the jump.

News

Jailbreaking, DVD Ripping Now Legal in US

The US Copyright Office made big moves this morning when it announced revisions to its copyright laws, and concluded that the act of jailbreaking your iPhone and ripping a DVD (for educational purposes) are now legal.

The US Copyright Office made big moves this morning when it announced revisions to its copyright laws, and concluded that the act of jailbreaking your iPhone and ripping a DVD (for educational purposes) are now legal. Every three years the office reviews the laws in order to adjust to the changing digital environment, and this year, not only did it deem jailbreaking legal (in order to operate legally obtained open apps, or run it on another network, i.e. take your iPhone to T-Mobile), but it also made some changes to laws dealing with ebooks and video games. Find out what they are after the break.

Software

Jailbreaking Software Coming to an iPhone 3G Near You

With all the iPhone 3G madness from the past week, I've had many people ask me about the taboo topic of "jailbreaking the iPhone 3G."

With all the iPhone 3G madness from the past week, I've had many people ask me about the taboo topic of "jailbreaking the iPhone 3G." Yes it is possible, with developers creating numerous ways to jailbreak the pristine iPhone 3G at this very moment. If your phone is jailbroken, you'll have read/write access, which will give you access to all of the official third-party apps plus the unofficial ones — oh what fun. Here's a video of the latest piece of software that will help you in your jailbreaking quest, which will soon be making its way to the public. As always, please use at your own risk!