No I haven’t gone and bought a iPod Touch and no the iPhone hasn’t turned up BUT I know a number of you are waiting to see the iPod Touch hacked so that it can become a useful PDA etc.
Well this post has a health warning to it, and not just the one that you would expect regarding ‘hacking at your peril’. I wont spoil it for you yet, you can find out when you read the full post but needless to say it made me feel very very old and behind the times to say the very least!!!
If any of you give this a try let me know how it goes please …………
The amazing thing about iJailbreak is that is was written by a 13 year old hacker called Arix. If anything was needed to reinforce how old and behind the times I am on a Monday morning it was that bit of news!
Apparently it works just fine, but only on a Intel Mac (as if that is going to make me feel any less bad) and is a pretty simple process:
- Download the application, copy across the disk image to your application folder. Slightly confusing as the disk image and the application itself have the same icon
- Be sure to move the disk image and not the application on its own to your Mac’s Application folder
- Quit iTunes and run the iJailbreak app with your touch not connected
- A series of instructions will follow. With your touch disconnected from your Mac surf to the address given
- Safari will close, taking you back to the home screen
- Connect your touch to your Mac when prompted and follow the rest of the procedure. The actual “Jailbreaking” took around 7minutes
- Post connection, there will be three requests to restart your touch. Follow the onscreen commands each time
- Install “Community Sources” for a wealth of different applications
- Other noteworthy features include a full calendar fix. The calendar is now identical to the iPhone’s version. The fix must be installed additionally once you have Installer.app up
As with any such activity, you do it at your own risk and there is a chance you will ‘brick’ your Touch, but a full System Restore is pretty easy to do.
Via [Gizmodo]
This is great news for Touch owners. Now they could pretty much get an iPhone without the phone part. Email etc which have been disabled could now be hacked on offering a lot of really handy functionality.
God thats tempting…must… hold…on.
November 9th = iPhone day.
Thanks for this post! I spent some time at the weekend looking at what people had tried to do to the touch – a lot of discussion/possible hacks centred around copying apps from an iphone onto the touch – obvious problem (unless you are happy to torrent) – you need an iphone!
Part of me thinks – yeah go for it. But the sensible part says continue to play the waiting game. i’d rather have the back up of apple care if I splash out on a device. Also the email issue keeps swimming around my head and I already have a contract with O2….. uhmm. Nov 9th could be expensive!
@Danny: mentioning Nov 9th must mean you are uK based – do you have an Apple store close by or are you looking at using an O2/carphone warehouse store?
@Dunks: Im Burgess Hill (near Brighton) based so no true Apple store (yet, theres one coming apparently) but there are a couple of dedicated but unofficial apple stores (solutions inc.) I plan to either use one of them of a Carphone Warehouse, but I think CW will sell out much faster as the Apple stores are relatively unknown.
If everywhere is sold out il order over the net – that usually works out ok.
Cool. I’ve got Southampton 8 miles away so have all three possibilities open IF I decide to get one! I had a chat with the guys in the Apple store who were ‘suggesting’ they would sell out fast on the day but have plenty of stock coming in over the first couple of weeks.
Thinking I may hang back and watch what happens for a while before taking the plunge.
I support the saints so im down in Southampton quite a bit for matches. Have had some interesting experiences at that apple store. One of the “geniuses” came over and asked me to move macs (was on one of the new iMacs) if all I was going to do was “browse the net”. Of course he was stereotyping as I was a teenager in a saints shirt but he could of had a look at the screen: twitter was up with my thoughts on the new keyboard on one tab and my wordpress dashboard on another.
Not the smartest of moves…. considering my twitter post also said how I was considering buying one!
I will be getting a touch, after seeing it in the flesh so to speak I was sold. I won’t be hacking it though! I value the backup you get with Apple/Apple Care.
I wonder the 13 year old hacker called Arix offers support and or a genius bar??
The beauty of the iPhone and or the Touch is that can always be updated in the future by software from Apple.
I hope that the Jan keynote announces the 3rd party apps through iTunes – you never know!!
@Danny – that is one of the bravest things I have seen anybody write!! Admitting to be a Saint fan AND wear the shirt 🙂
I can see you three having a chrismarshall.ws meet up down there, without me!!!!
As for me – Sands picked up the post today and we found a delivery note fromm last Thursday which is 100% to do with the iPhone as the address includes the company that I am reviewing it for!!! Is weird as we were in at 11am last Thursday but as I couldn’t have done anything Friday or over the weekend the fact that we only just picked up the note hasn’t really cost us any time.
Is unclear if it is the parcel or a letter from customs at this stage, but as the PO is open until 8.30pm I think we will take a drive up after lunch and check it out.
@Chris – I was wearing the shirt because I was at the match! (If I recall it was when we thrashed Stoke but I cant remember)
Best of luck with the iPhone – and lets hope for some unboxing photos up tomorrow 😉
But Stoke and Saints both play in red and white stripes!!! You sitting on the fence again 🙂
argh – not when they come down to St Mary’s for a good thrashing they dont! :p
I should probably stand up for Stoke at this point as they are the local team where my parents live but I can’t say I have ever even been to watch them!
@ Danny…
You traitor – what about the mighty Brighton and Hove Albion?
@Darren 😀 sorry, family team takes precedence. That and I rather watch some football every now and again 😉
@Darren: I too loved the Touch once seeing it in the flesh – just the email issue but as you say, the Jan Keynote could be worth waiting for. Apps through iTunes would be a great announcement.
Didn’t know whether to add this to the iPod Touch Hacked post or iPhone Update post but just seen this note from Steve Jobs on the apple site. Interesting!
I saw that this morning – interesting. In fact I wrote a post for Appletell on it 7.30am this morning that they still haven’t posted which means you have just made my site more relevant news wise than a professional site 🙂
I am actually considering sneeking a iPod Touch past Sands next week as I have a friend going to the States 🙂
[quote comment=”13957″] you have just made my site more relevant news wise than a professional site :-)[/quote]
Hey – we all think this is the most professional site out there!! 😉
Now just watch out – you don’t have a good track record with friends buying kit in the states. I don’t think our nerves could stand another ‘waiting game’!
Now you may just have a point there regards the track record 🙂
I must say that jailbreaking the Touch was a bit daunting. iJailbreak has been updated recently, and after all it will install all the missing iPhone apps on your Touch. The nice thing is the knowledge that if something goes wrong you can easily go back to the original Touch, by doing the Restore. Makes things a little less stressfull. The process is fairly streight forward, just follow the prompts, and wait reboot, wait, reboot. I’ve done this jailbreaking 4 times on my Touch. So I think I know what works. First off sync your Touch at least once with iTunes (it seems to help, but don’t ask why). Then make sure that itunes does not open when touch is connected and make it sync manually, check off all the necessary check boxes.. (itunes still opens for some reason during the process, so just shut it down before proceding with the steps.) The initial jailbreak has the ability to install all the iphone apps, mail, calendar fix, stocks, weather, maps and notes. So once the process is complete don’t be fooled by the second button on the iJailbreak interface called “Install iphone apps”. OK so first time i didn’t sync with itunes, just run ijailbreak, and it sat there chewing up processor power for good 15 min, and did absolutely nothing. So I force quit the app, and tried syncing with itunes…. no go. Touch was working fine but would not sync at all. Time for a restore. Restored fine, and I decided to sync with itunes… at least my contacts. Once that was done I shut down itunes and run iJailbreak. All was going well untill the last step, which should automatically restart the Touch… it didn’t. Same thing no apps on Touch, can’t sync with itunes. Another restore. Third time it all went perfectly. But I got over excited and with out taking a good look at the main screen I clicked the button to install iphone apps (they were already installed byt the initial jailbreak… it actually asks if you want to install them… dummass!!!) After going through the step of installing iphone apps, they dissapeared from the main screen on the Touch. I could SSH into the Touch, SFTP to it as well. So it was jailbroken, but I could not get the apps to show up again. Oh well another restore. Fourth time again it went through the process of jailbreaking with out a hitch, and all the apps got installed during the process of jailbreaking. Now everything is working perfectly, I got a nice PDA with enough room for music and movies, and such. All the iphone apps work great so far, mail, weather, maps calendar. I’m absolutely in heaven. Now to get a nice case for it, and ….. bye bye Palm.
@Mac: Thanks for posting this detailed info. Couple of questions if that is ok! When you mention restore, is this back to factory settings ie. do you have the safety net there of undoing everything if required? The iPhone hack ended up with bricked iPhones once an update was rolled out – is this likely with the iPod touch or do you plan to roll it back before any updates or avoid updates all together? How is mail!!! thats what really interests me! Worringly, I am on a teacher training course in Southampton today 5 mins from the apple store. What with your hack experience and the awful O2 package I’m now even more tempted by the iPod touch and just keeping my blackberry as my phone.
Great news Mac congrats!
you near west quay then Dunks? What a great place that is!
Im going to stick with the iPhone I think, I am not happy at all with my current phone which is the motivation to get one anyway.
That is of course unless BitClamp makes me filthy rich and I get both to try them out. Mwahahaha.
….. Yeah.. I know, but you can dream right!?
@Danny – funny, I think the ‘phone’ is the least attractive element of the iPhone as it just doesn’t have any appeal as a form factor or way of use BUT I will let you know as and when mine arrives. I have had mobile phones for 20 years now since the very first one that was a huge battery with a phone on the top. I used to change phones every 3 months at one stage so I have been threw a lot and I very rarely find out that I like so I am fussy to say the least. I have had my V3 since it first came out and I would say it has been the best form factor I have ever had.
@Dunks – I think it will be an ongoing battle between Apple and the hackers for a little while yet and then when the developer kit is out it will all die down, so I wouldn’t have any concerns over hacking a Touch now.
@Mac – cheers for taking the time to post that, and for tempting me into getting one for Sands 🙂
@Danny: Yep! Can see the shopping centre from the window of the conference room I’m in. To think there could be an iPod touch with my name on it just over there!
Seems like time to skip class for a while then!!!! Good to see you are more interested in the site than the conference 🙂
@Chris: Kind of how I’m thinking except for a worry about spending out and then ending up with a brick. I guess it comes down to being sensible and waiting to see how the land lies but having played with a students iPod touch yesterday it’s proving hard!! If the restore would roll it back to ‘out of the box’ I’d feel quite confident.
@Chris: Yep! More intersted in this site. Guy sat next to me has just bought a mac and is watching me use Yojimbo to make my notes and has asked me to explain it at Lunchtime!! Spreading the word man, spreading the word.
@Dunks – Must resist! You know your going to want an iPhone on the 9th right? At least wait for it to come out so you know it isnt just lust!
West Quay is amazing – but the apple store isnt that great. Full of chavs taking photos of themselves in photo booth.
You don’t have to worry about restoring it, that is very easy and is what Mac did several times!
So go get yourself one my man, but only after you show the guy next to you my site and get him to comment – that is your task today 🙂
@Chris: Already given him the link! But accept the mission…..
………Oh bugger my Powerbook will self destruct in 15 seconds………..
Woops, that wasn’t meant to happen!!! Hope you got it off your lap in time, or better still handed it to the most irritating person on the conference with you!
Oh I will do – she’s on my table and I’m reconsidering my previously firm belief that punching women is bad!!!!
No doubt about it, you need a Touch – iPod that is, not of her!!!!
A legal note:
Chris marshall and his associates do not condone the beating of women for any reason.
Unless they break something recently purchased from an Apple store, then shes all yours! :p
Her surname isnt by any chance McKenny is it?
That wouldn’t be an old girlfriend would it Danny????
No just a bloody annoying geography teacher I once had.
Bearing in mind this may be an IT based course thats unlikely. However if there is a guy called Richard Hurley there, get him to email me!
Cheers dunks 😉
Hmmm – now that wouldn’t be an old boyfriend by any chance would it????
The restore takes the touch to the original factory settings. Like I said, I did the restore 4 times, and every time touch went back to the original out of the box state. If guys have any questions please ask. Touch is absolutely AWSOME!!!!!
Well resisted temptation today. Come home iPod touch-less to really think this one through.
@Mac: Thanks for the info. That would suggest you could avoid updates and see what happens to others – if they brick doing an update you’d have the option to restore and update unhacked to not update which is great. This hack makes the Touch much more appealing to me.
@Danny: No Richard Hurley on the course!
@Chris: the chap didn’t have laptop with him so unable to accomplish mission but he took the url away so I’m interested to see if he posts!
Well we have replaced Facebook and eBay with this site, so may as well turn into a gambling site as well……..what odds Dunks has a iPod Touch by the end of the month?
$50 says that Dunks will have ipod touch by halloween 🙂
$100 says he gets iPhone on November 9th – ipod or not
So if he waits until November 10th and hasn’t bought a iPhone or an iTouch he has $150 towards whichever one he chooses?
Think you have just made his day 🙂
Yipee! Nov 10th it is then! 🙂
No no no it doesn’t work that way. If he gets Touch by halloween it’s $50, but if he doesn’t all bets are forfeit 🙂
That doesn’t make sense! If he gets a Touch before Halloween he has to pay you $50, but if he doesn’t buy one before Halloween you have to pay him $50.
So as of 1st November assuming he doesn’t buy the Touch he gets $50 from you.
Then Danny’s bet kicks in saying that Danny is betting $100 that he will get a iPhone on the 9th, so if he buys a iPhone on the 9th he has to pay Danny $100, but if he doesn’t buy one he gets $100 from Danny to add to your $50.
Now the good news is that for a price I will delete these comments 🙂
I am ok, I never bet on anything!!!!!
No my works as the following:
If he buys an iPhone on November 9th he pays me $100, if not nothing happens.
😉
See that is what I don’t get. To me a bet has to have a upside and a downside – if something happens you win, if it doesn’t then you lose.
Can’t see how a bet can be a win-win for one side???
Never bet with Polacks 🙂
We have a strange outlook on the world.
Gotta be the first time I’ve had a book running on me!
Mac: What type of email have you set up on the mail.app? IMAP or POP3 and how is it running?