Apple’s latest software for the iPhone (3.0) adds many nice and a few needed features to the iPhone. Many of the sorely missing features addressed by Jailbreaking your phone are now in the core Apple source. So is JB still worth it? I say yes. JB for 3.0 still offers:
- Tethering (without additional monthly fees)
- Categories (organize your apps into folders like games)
- Free turn by turn GPS (still coming soon from Apple)
- Cut & Paste w/ save feature (ie never type your email out again)
- Video recording for non-S iPhones
- Additional customization options (lots)
I Smash Phone has a nice guide for Jailbreaking but I would make one change that will save you some time: Don’t download the Apple 3.0 firmware from his site. Instead, let iTunes do it’s thing and update your phone to 3.0. Then when asked for the *.ipsw file find the Apple one on your computer. See below for locations:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[user]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
Vista or Windows 7: C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates
Note: replace [user] with your username on the computer.
For Mac users, the file will be here: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates/
If multiple *ipsw files are listed, make sure you grab the one with the most recent timestamp.
ISmashPhone.com: How To Jailbreak iPhone OS 3.0 On Windows and Mac Using redsn0w