We did not report on the release of PwnageTool 2.0, because it didn’t work.
However, PwnageTool 2.0.1 is now out. And, with a little modification, the tool enables you to jailbreak (run applications without Apple’s approval) on iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch… all three now work with iPhone OS 2.0.
In addition, the update allows for SIM unlocking first-generation iPhone units with the updated firmware inside of iPhone OS 2.0. The iPhone Dev Team responsible for the creation of PwnageTool says that a release to SIM unlock iPhone 3G is forthcoming, but that they are waiting on Apple to issue a software update for iPhone 3G first.
As with many reports in the media, fools rush in, and reported on the initial release. PhoneNews.com held off on reporting until we got the tool working… properly.
Many may have issues with iPhone 3G’s jailbreak. This is because iPhone 3G has a slightly-different activation file that PwnageTool has trouble with right now. The best thing you can do is switch to Expert Mode, and simply uncheck the “Activate phone” option, and complete the process using the on-screen instructions. Doing so will defer to the standard activation. On iPhone 3G, this isn’t an issue since any valid AT&T SIM will work with iPhone 3G… something which we previously reported on.
Update: In addition, we strongly reccomend not SIM unlocking first-generation iPhones with this version. Our iPhone was permanently bricked when attempting PwnageTool 2.0.1, and it had not been unlocked prior to this. It appears that PwnageTool has a bug that can malform the configruation data, effectively destroying the phone’s baseband firmware.
To avoid this, go into Expert Mode inside of PwnageTool, and uncheck Enable Bootneuter after passing through the general configuraiton. That will strip your jailbreak of any unlocking procedures.
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First off, you did report on the Pwnage Tool just a few days ago when you tried to include it in your ill-fated attempt to be the first at getting an iPhone 3G on prepaid – you know you were gunning for the stature, not to help the consumer. You made mention of Pwnage as if it were the keystone of your “trick”.
Secondly, Chris…you’re hilarious…and you know that in the blogging world it’s bad manners to delete an entire post when you **** up – and that’s EXACTLY what you did. I’m sure you wanted to delete and start over once you posted your holier than thou rant above. You spent the entire post ranting about how you guys sat back and waited until Pwnage Tool worked and how your crack team of tech dorks was not part of the “fools rush in” party. Well guess what? You and your team are the fools, you did rush in and you now have lost all credibility with me – and hopefully a lot of other people that used to visit this site religiously will do the same. I will still be back to read, when Engadget Mobile or BGR point me to your second rate website for laughs, and I will definitely not come back for any real information. I will be back solely to laugh and ponder exactly what it is like when “fools rush in”. Congrats on bricking your phone!
Burton, the process which I posted in a comment (and not an article, was a suggestion to try for a user that was pulling their hair out). PwnageTool 2.0 did not consistently work… but it was certainly worth a try for someone that couldn’t activate their iPhone.
And, that’s especially since the need didn’t involve SIM unlocking a first-gen iPhone, so the process would have been non-destructive. And, as PwnageTool’s documentation says, you shouldn’t SIM unlock your iPhone if you don’t need to. That user didn’t need to, so I made a personal suggestion for that specific situation.
Our reporting clearly said that a jailbreak with PwnageTool 2.0 would fix the one instance where AT&T SIMs would not work on an iPhone currently. We made no mention of SIM unlocking as we had not yet fully tested it. Now that we have, we caution users to do what we indicated previously… jailbreak, but don’t unlock.
P.S. We never deleted a post about PwnageTool. I have no idea what you’re talking about there…
[...] It appears current events may have impacted this more than I thought. If you see the update to our PwnageTool 2.0.1 article, it’s pretty clear that the SIM unlocking process is unstable… and may brick your [...]