
Today Geohot released his blacksn0w software unlock for the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS. If you would like to unlock your iPhone on firmware 3.1.2 and use them with other carriers, this tutorial will show you how.

Today Geohot released his blacksn0w software unlock for the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS. If you would like to unlock your iPhone on firmware 3.1.2 and use them with other carriers, this tutorial will show you how.

blacksn0w is a software unlock developed by Geohot for both iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users. It works with the latest baseband 05.11.07 and is scheduled to be released on November 4.

Two weeks ago, Geohot released his blackra1n iPhone 3.1.2 jailbreak. The blackra1n jailbreak software worked with all iPhones and iPod touches running on iPhone 3.1.2 firmware except for the newer 8GB iPod touch (MC models) that Apple released after the September 9 event. The blackra1n jailbreak also did not work on the newer iPhone 3GS which Apple patched the 24kpwn exploit in. blackra1n RC2 works with all iPhone and iPod touches, but the newer iPod touch and iPhone are only tethered jailbreaks. Tethered means that you will need to run blackra1n each time you reboot your iPhone or iPod touch. If you were an iPhone 3G user, you most likely had to try many different methods to get blackra1n to work. Geohot has fixed the iPhone 3G problem so blackra1n should now jailbreak without any problem.
If you already did jailbreak your iPhone or iPod touch, you don’t need to use blackra1n again.
Here is how you can jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 firmware using blackra1n RC2.
1. Download blackra1n RC2 (Available for both Windows & Mac)
2. Follow the steps at my jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 post.

I tried blackra1n on Windows 7, but it crashed when I first tried opening it. To get blackra1n to work on Windows 7, do the following:
1. Right-click the blackra1n icon and click properties.
2. Click the Compatibility tab.
3. Under compatibility mode click the box to enable it and select Windows XP (Service Pack 2). Click OK, and then run blackra1n.
I’ve only tried this on a Windows 7 32-bit setup, but it should work on a 64-bit setup as well.

The Droid is not out yet, but the Droid does website and commercial have been up since Satuday. The commercial makes some fair points about the iPhone not having certain features, but what Verizon does not know is that most of the “i Don’t” remarks are not true for iPhone users who are jailbroken. If you don’t know what a jailbroken iPhone is, go to the jailbreak page to find out. If you want to jailbreak your iPhone, check out our jailbreak iPhone 3.1.2 post.
Here is a list of the features mentiond in Verizon’s iDon’t commercial. Jailbroken iPhone users can already get these features.
If Apple were open source, the iPhone could really take on all their competitors. Unless Apple opens up, their competitors like Verizon Droid, Palm Pre, or other phones do stand a good chance at beating them. It doesn’t seem likely that Applew will ever open up. They are always trying to patch the exploits that allow iPhone users to jailbreak. They love playing the cat and mouse game. Will the Verizon Droid cause Apple to open up? I really hope so!

Yesterday I checked the XML file on the Verizon Droid Does website and noticed that the XML file had a countdown timer to October 30,2009. I thought that this date was the Droid release date, but it looks like I was wrong.
I’ve looked at web ads of the Droid, and they all say “November“. No release date for the Droid has been announced, but we know that it will be released in early November. One of our commentors told us that he saw a Google Ad for the Droid which said November 6, but that no longer appears in the Google search results. If you come across any information feel free to share in the comments.

One important feature that Verizon forgot to include in their Droid Does commercial is that the Droid phone does support Flash while the iPhone doesn’t! Earlier this year, Adobe announced that they will be releasing a mobile version of their Flash Player for Android, Windows Mobile, and the Palm webOS. The iPhone OS was not included in this list.
The Droid will be running Android 2.0 operating system. Flashplayer is expected to be released for the Android OS and other mobile operating systems some time in early 2010. With multi-tasking, Flash, and the most popular carrier, the Droid does stand a pretty good chance at competing with the iPhone. Will it be an iPhone killer? We’ll find out soon enough! The launch date is expected to be some time in early November.

Today Apple sent an e-mail to iPhone Developers notifying them of an iPhone Tech Talk World Tour event that they are holding soon. This event is only available for developers registered in the iPhone Developer Program and is free.
Here is what the iPhone Tech Talk will include:
If you are an iPhone developer, you can go to the iPhone Tech Talk World Tour website and check if this event is available in your city. Remember to register ASAP, space is limited!

The Verizon Droid does have a release date! The Verizon Droid phone will be released on October 30,2009. You can find that out by going to the Droid Does website (www.droiddoes.com) and decoding the timer at the bottom of the page. You can also enter in your e-mail to be notified once Verizon actually releases it.

Most of the features of the Droid have been posted on the Droid Does website. The important features that the Droid includes, and the iPhone doesn’t are:
I’m really looking forward to October 30. The Droid really sounds like it will be a great iPhone killer! What do you think about it? I haven’t actually tried Android before, but now that it’s coming to Verizon I’ll finally get the chance to try it. Remember, this is Android 2.0 so it’s going to be better than the current Android OS in all the other popular Android phones!

After I saw the Droid Does commercial, I just had to look for Verizon Droid pictures. Usually pictures of new phones are leaked on the web before they are released. I searched on Google and I noticed that the Boy Genius Report had already found what appeared to be leaked pictures of the Verizon Droid phone.

Pictured above is supposedly a Verizon Droid phone. Below are the specs of the Verizon Droid:
Sorry for the low quality pictures, that’s how leaked pictures usually are. If you find any other pictures please feel free to post a link to them in the comments.
Thank you BrightHand and Boy Genius Report for the pictures!

Verizon recently aired a Droid Does commercial during the Yankees-Angels game on Saturday. This commercial does a good job of making the iPhone look bad. I really liked this commercial, and I hope that the Droid Does commercial pushes Apple to improve their iPhone and make it more open! Obviously Verizon hasn’t heard of jailbroken iPhones, because if they did then they would know that we can already get most of the features by jailbreaking. You can watch the Droid Does commercial here.

I am kind of disappointed about this commercial because it means that the iPhone will not be coming to Verizon any time soon. I do look forward to seeing what Verizon comes out with. Anyone else excited about the Verizon Droid? It really does have the potential to be an iPhone killer, especially since it’s being launched on one of America’s most reliable network.
Here is a list of some features of the Droid that Verizon has listed on their website.
You can sign up to be notified once Verizon launches the Droid. No release date has been announced, the DroidDoes.com website just says “Coming Soon”.
