Pwnage Tool Released – FAQ: What You Need to Know

Eureka! In about a week’s time the latest iPhone firmware 2.0 has been cracked and the Pwnage tool was released yesterday by the iPhone Dev Team. This is great news to people who are using first generation iPhones, iPod Touches, and the iPhone 3G. For all the people who aren’t hardcore iPhone users and have no clue what the heck the Pwnage tool is, I’m going to create the Coles Notes version of what this tool will do for YOU!

Pwnage Tool FAQ: Things You Need to Know

What does the Pwnage tool do?

  • The Pwnage tool will allow you to jailbreak and unlock your first generation iPhone after updating to the latest 2.0 firmware
  • The Pwnage tool will allow you to jailbreak but not unlock your iPhone 3G. Expect an unlock to come…soon?
  • The Pwnage tool will allow you to jailbreak and install firmware 2.0 on your iPod Touch (saves ya 10 bucks!)

What the F does “jailbreak” and “unlock” mean?

  • Jailbreak: in a nutshell this means to open up your iPhone/iPod Touch so you can install 3rd party applications. Read this for a blast to the past.
  • Unlock: this means you can use your iPhone with any GSM carrier, not just Rogers. Travellers love unlocked GSM phones because you can use local SIM cards and save big bucks on roaming charges.

Why should I use the Pwnage tool?

  • The latest iPhone firmware is 1.2.0, or know as firmware 2.0. This version has some new features that the previous 1.1.4 firmware does not have.
  • First generation iPhone users will be able to download and test out applications from the new iPhone App Store.
  • Personally, I find firmware 2.0 to be buggy and slow on my new iPhone 3G. After using my first gen iPhone on 1.1.4 firmware, I actually miss it. Super quick and responsive. I eagerly away a 2.1 or 2.2 update.
  • It sounds cool to tell your friends and family that you used the Pwnage Tool.
    • Teenager: “Hey Mom, I just used the Pwnage tool to update my iPhone to firmware 2.0!”
    • Mom: “That’s great–you deserve a medal. Now go clean your room!”

What are the current limitations of the Pwnage Tool?

  • It will NOT unlock your iPhone 3G.
  • It cannot free you of your 3 year Rogers iPhone 3G contract–nothing can (maybe the The Dark Knight?). You’re a sucker for paying almost $100/month for…err…wait a minute…that’s me…DOH!

Currently the Pwnage Tool is only available for Mac users. A Windows version will be out soon. I plan on using this tool to update my first generation iPhone to firmware 2.0. I’ll keep you guys updated. In the meantime, if you’re using a Mac and desperately want to update to firmware 2.0, check out this cool guide from our notorious iPhoneinCanada.ca member ruffdeezy.

For those that have updated, how did the process go for you?

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