iPhone 2.0 firmware gets jailbroken

A team of hackers has released a new tool that'll let you install unsanctioned applications on the latest iPhone—but it's not for the faint of heart.

BetaNews reports that the iPhone Dev Team has just unleashed "Pwnage Tool" 2.0 (since updated to 2.0.1), which will "jailbreak" either the iPhone 3G or any original iPhone/iPod Touch running firmware version 2.0. 

OK, you ask, but why jailbreak your iPhone when the iTunes App Store is here? Well, as BetaNews points out, there are still plenty of non-Apple-approved apps out there that'll perform tasks barred in the iPhone SDK, such as tweaking the main iPhone UI and running processes in the background.

That said, jailbreaking your iPhone can be a tricky proposition; you run the risk of bricking your beloved handset, and you'll most certainly void the warranty. If you're not comfortable performing unauthorized hacks on your gadgets, steer clear.

Then there's the time-consuming process of actually running the Mac-only "Pwnage Tool"; Lifehacker has a step-by-step (by step) guide right here, and here's a how-to for Windows users.

Finally, keep in mind that the tool won't unlock your iPhone 3G for use with any SIM card—or at least, not yet. (It will both unlock and jailbreak the original iPhone.) Hackers in Brazil said last week that they'd deveoped a hardware hack for unlocking the new iPhone, but so far, there's no software-only way to do it. 

Related:
Hackers unlock newest iPhone software, but 3G model still tied to AT&T [BetaNews]