Jailbreaking iPhone 3GS

Posted Sat Aug 21, 2010 in Hardware

I’ve been working through the jailbreaking process for iOS 4.0.1 on my iPhone 3GS. I waited a long time before instituting the process because it’s a hassle. I only upgrade the iPhone’s firmware when there is a reason to.

The reason arrived last week. HDR Pro was upgraded and improved. It requires iOS 4 to install. Time for the upgrade…

I made a weak attempt at jailbreaking the new iOS a week or so ago, but gave up when Pwnage 4.0.1 err’d out with the cryptic error message “Wrong Firmware Version” even when I had the correct version of the 4.0.1 firmware downloaded. So, I gave up.

When I revisited the problem a few evenings ago, the issue remained. So, I spent some time using Google to search for an answer. There is a lot of material out there. Most of it seems untrustworthy and so I wouldn’t nibble (so to speak). However, directions (and the required iPhone 3GS bundle) provided by Blancer saved my ass.

I followed the directions, got the correct bundle stored in the application contents, and Pwnage built the custom IPSW. I backed up my iPhone (just in case — always recommended), then installed the new firmware. After a few minutes of screwing around, the iPhone rebooted and I was on Firmware Version 4.0.1.

The next step was to patch the security issue with PDF documents. Fortunately, Saurik and Cydia came to my rescue through PDF Patch. Even if you are not going to upgrade the firmware on your iPhone, you should install the patch if you’re running a jailbroken system. Someone will take advantage of the issue.

Unfortunately, the firmware upgrade broke my favorite iPhone Theme, Matte Nano. That’s because the underlying user interface modification, Matte Graphite UI is broken under iOS 4. The Matte Nano icons are fine, but the system icons do no rescale to the smaller size as they did under iOS 3. Urgh…

I’m an engineer. I’m not an obsessive-compulsive. But, I think things should be “right.” This wasn’t “right.”

I spent some quality time with Google searching for an answer. I tried uninstalling my non-Matte applications, but all that did was delete my user data. (D’Oh!) I tried deleting all the cached icons (using ssh to manipulate the iPhone’s file system — cool!). But again, no joy.

So, I diverted my attention to finding an alternative user interface and theme suitable for my well-refined eye. MP2 received some favorable reviews and the interface looked clean on the MBP screen. So, I decided to nibble and dropped $3US on a license.

MP2 will do the trick. It’s iOS 4 compatible, uses the faster Winterboard interface, and rescales the system icons well. I’m going to live with it for awhile. I think I found something I like — and that looks good.