Jailbreaking is officially legal now.  Since everyone can do it out in the open, it's become excessively simple too.  How simple?  As simple as visiting a website with your iPhone and clicking on a button.  No, really.

All iPhone owners have to do is visit the Jailbreakme.com website on their handset's Safari browser, hit the cheeky Slide to Jailbreak button and the service does the rest.  No more downloading programs and plugging in to your computer. A few minutes right on your iPhone is all you need.

Since the procedure is legal, Apple can't have the site shut down for whatever reason.  That means jailbreaking a new iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad is always a single URL away.    The device identifies the jailbreak version your device needs on its own and, based on feedback so far, it's been working without hitch for most people, with the occasional few experiencing issues.   Needless to say, be sure to back up all your important files before trying the service, just in case.

Of course, jailbreaking remains a cat and mouse game, so expect Apple to do some nefarious things with future updates.  Otherwise, everything seems peachy. By the way, Jailbreakme.com uses Safari’s PDF decoder to run the code, essentially tricking the browser into recognizing it as a PDF file and having it run the script automatically.  Expect Apple to plug the hole (and the iPhone Dev Team to find another way in) soon enough.

Hit the link below to visit the site.  A mirror is also available, since people are jamming the servers right now unlocking their devices.

[JailbreakMe.com, mirror]

This week, Apple has been reported to be shipping iPhone 3GS handsets using a new bootrom, one that's expected to keep jailbreaking hacks at bay.  However, a source from the popular hacking group iPhone Dev Team, which publishes jailbreaking tools for the platform, says it only makes the process a little more cumbersome.

That means earlier news of a jailbreak-proof (seriously, though, nothing's ever exploit-proof at this day and age) iPhone 3GS isn't even close.  With the new hardware, users will be required to connect to a computer before being able to power up a jailbroken iPhone 3GS that's been shut down.  Obviously, if you never turn off your handset, you won't be affected.

In a conversation with Wired.com, team member Eric McDonald explained that the current set of tools will continue to work for the latest batch of shipments.  While the new bootrom disabled the "24kpwn" exploit currently used in the process, he said that the tool merely made it easier to boot up the phone after shut down.  With the change, you can no longer boot solely via the handset.

Is it a hassle?  Most definitely.  Imagine running out of power on the road.  Sure, you can charge at the nearby Starbucks, but without an available computer, you can't turn the phone on.  At the least, jailbroken devices will feel like an impractical burden.  Will it discourage people from jailbreaking?  I doubt it.

According to the Dev Team, they have also found a new exploit that can potentially be used to jailbreak the new hardware without dealing with a tethered boot.  Implementing it into a new PwnageTool may take some time, however.  I have to say, though, that was exceptionally fast.

[via Wired]

The iPhone Dev Team, who were behind most of the key iPhone 3G and iPod Touch unlocking tools in the past, have had their iPhone 3GS Jailbreak ready for several days (or weeks?) now, but have held off unleashing it until Apple releases the official OS 3.1 software. The reasoning makes sense - releasing it now might allow Apple to patch it along with the impending update.

George Hotz, the first person to originally unlock the first iPhone, has broken rank and released the tool into the wild anyway. "That isn't how the game is played. We release, Apple fixes, we find new holes," Hotz wrote on his blog, adding that "It isn't worth waiting because you might have the 'last' hole in the iPhone. What last hole... this isn't golf."

The jailbreak tool is called "purplera1n" and can now be downloaded from George's website. If you're looking to jailbreak your brand-new 3GS, simply grab a copy of "purplera1n" on a Windows PC (only Windows Vista and below are supported - no Macs). After you get the necessary applications, install iTunes, run "purplera1n" and run Freeze (which will install Cydia), in that exact order. Simply reboot afterwards and you should be good to go.

Once jailbroken (and with the Cydia installer in tow), the old "ultrasn0w" app can be used to unlock the phone from its mobile carrier. As always, proceed at your own risk.