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Unlocked iPhone users on T-Mobile again reporting 3G data speeds

Cody Lee ∙ June 7, 2012

T-Mobile and the iPhone have a love-hate relationship. While the carrier often bashes the handset in its print ads and TV commercials, it obviously benefits from the 1 million+ unlocked iPhones on its network, and would love an official partnership.

Why else do you think the carrier continues to speak publicly about its plans to launch a new 4G network — one that would finally allow iPhones to get 3G data speeds? Because it's dying to show iPhone owners (and Apple) that it's willing to play ball...

How to restore SAM unlock activation tickets with RedSn0w

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 4, 2012

The latest version of RedSn0w now includes a new option nestled under the extras menu for restoring SAM unlock activation tickets. The iPhone Dev Team relates in the release notes that "you can now include your SAM tickets as part of your initial ramdisk jailbreak of iPhone 4 or earlier, or alternatively you can upload your SAM tickets to any device after its been jailbroken."

Previously, we posted a manual method to go about restoring your activation tickets, but this newer method is preferable due to its simplicity.

Since the SAM ticket upload feature works universally with A5 and A4 devices, we suggest sticking with this method when it comes to restoring your unlock activation tickets. We've also posted a full video walkthrough; be sure to take a look inside...

PwnageTool, RedSn0w, cinject, and UltraSn0w tools updated for 5.1.1 untether capability

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 4, 2012

The iPhone Dev Team has been mighty busy as of late, updating their popular jailbreak tools with 5.1.1 Untether compatibly using the Rocky Racoon 5.1.1 Untether. The updates include PwnageTool 5.1.1, Redsn0w 0.9.12b1, cinject 0.5.4, and UltraSn0w 1.2.7.

If you've already jailbroken your device, and everything is working fine, they suggest, as do we, that you stick with your current jailbreak. If, on the other hand, you've experienced problems with tools like Absinthe, then you may welcome the addition of these updated tools from the iPhone Dev Team. Keep in mind that the underlying jailbreak is the same across all tools; they all utilize the Rocky Racoon untether where appropriate; the only difference is the way the exploit is injected.

Take a look inside for notes from the iPhone Dev Team, as well as download locations for the new tools.

Friday is Funday: the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak is coming tomorrow

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 24, 2012

As of this post, at about 4:45AM EST, it is 10:45AM in Amsterdam where the Hack In The Box conference is currently taking place. Just as pod2g alluded to in a previous post on his blog, it looks like the iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak will be demonstrated live at the conference, along with its highly awaited released before the conference concludes.

The official Twitter account for the Hack In The Box Security Conference just sent out a tweet confirming "Jailbreak Live" will take place tomorrow, and they are offering special 1-day passes if you happen to be in the area and wish to watch history take place.

What time can you expect to see the untethered jailbreak released in your neck of the woods? We analyze the likely time for the release inside...

Gevey Ultra S unlock for GSM iPhone 4S works with iOS 5.1.1

Cody Lee ∙ May 8, 2012

Great news today for folks with a GSM iPhone 4S who are using, or planning to use, GEVEY's Ultra S product to unlock their handset. It appears the popular SIM interposer is compatible with the new iOS 5.1.1 update.

Apple released the update yesterday, equipped with a handful of bug fixes and improvements. And although its future is still a bit murky for jailbreakers, it looks like it's ok for unlockers to upgrade...

T-Mobile: iPhone-compatible HSPA+ network coming later this year

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Folks looking to move their iPhone service to the often-cheaper T-Mobile network will be happy to hear this. The nation's fourth largest carrier has just announced that it plans to roll out an iPhone-ready network by the end of the year.

According to a recent press release, T-Mobile is modernizing its 4G network this year by launching HSPA+ services in the 1900 MHz band. This will improve data speeds, in-building service, and yes, compatibility with Apple's smartphone...

The New Yorker profiles infamous hacker George “GeoHot” Hotz

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2012

George "GeoHot" Hotz has been described as one of the most famous hackers of our generation. Most of us know him for his work in the jailbreak community, and his original iPhone unlock that launched him into the public eye.

But Hotz is much more than that. He's a a former Facebook and Google alum, and a two-time finalist at Intel's International Science and Engineering fair. And more recently, he's the subject of a lengthy article in The New Yorker...

Cookie: backup and restore your unlock activation ticket right from your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ April 27, 2012

We've shown you how to manually backup your iPhone's unlock activation ticket. And then a new version of Red Sn0w came out that made the process even easier. Well now, thanks to a new jailbreak utility, you can do it right from your iPhone.

Folks using the new SAM method to unlock their handsets have been directed to backup their activation tickets to make unlocking a possibility in the future. And now with Cookie, the task is as easy as opening an app and tapping a button...

How to restore your SAM unlock activation ticket to unlock your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 27, 2012

Since it appears that Apple has fixed the issue with their activation servers, latecomers to the SAM iPhone unlock party are left in the lurch. Fortunately, not all users have lost the potential to unlock their iPhones.

Those who were proactive enough to unlock their iPhone using SAM, and backed up their activation tickets can still easily restore those tickets and unlock their iPhones if they have to restore their device for whatever reason.

If you're currently unlocked on an unofficial SIM by means of the SAM unlock, backup your activation ticket now before you lose it. We can't stress this enough.

Keep in mind that you will still need a jailbroken iPhone to accomplish this, and you will need your backed up Lockdown folder that you saved-off after successfully unlocking your device the first go-round...

If you meet the criteria, step right inside and take a look at our easy to follow guide for restoring your iPhone unlock...

It looks like the SAM iPhone unlock no longer works

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 27, 2012

Many readers are reporting that — as suggested last night — Apple has fixed its issue with its activation server that the SAM unlock method relied on.

I've tested the tried and true unlock method that I posted yesterday, and indeed, it's not working for me either.

For those that did successfully use the SAM tool to unlock your iPhone before today, congratulations. Now we just hope that you are proactive enough to backup your activation ticket either manually, or via RedSn0w...

If you haven’t unlocked your iPhone with the SAM unlock, you better act fast before it’s too late

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 26, 2012

iPhone Dev Team member, MuscleNerd, just tweeted that Apple is currently working on fixing their activation servers.

This means that sooner or later the SAM unlock will no longer work for your jailbroken iPhone.

The good news is that if you backed up your activation ticket like we instructed in our tutorial, your current unlock should be safe for good.

How to reliably unlock your iPhone with the updated SAM tool

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 25, 2012

If you haven't had much success unlocking your iPhone with the SAM tool, then perhaps this will be of interest to you.

The developer of the SAM tool has updated it to make unlocking much easier than before. In fact, it only takes a few steps in most cases.

You don't need iTunes, you don't need the original SIM that you device is locked to, SIM ID's, or anything like that.

Check out our full how to inside...