Cydia upgrade fixes missing category on/off toggles, loading changes delay

Open up Cydia and do a complete upgrade!

The new Cydia seems to solve the problem of missing and disappearing toggles on categories (while editing), and also fixes the unusually long time taken by Cydia to show updates when you touch the 'Changes' section. It also shows a popup with a spinner that tells you changes are being loaded. These issues were mostly seen on the iPhone 3G[s].

What happens when you flash the 5.12 baseband with 5.11?

Now that Spirit came out and allowed all the 3.1.3/5.12.01 folks to have MobileTerminal on their iPhones, I tried a small #fail experiment: reflash the 5.12.01 baseband with 5.11.07.

To all those curious as to why and what: There is NO known software unlock for the baseband that comes with stock Apple 3.1.3 firmware. That baseband is 5.12.01. The older version, 5.11.07 that came with 3.1.2 can be unlocked using blacksn0w RC2 available from the Pushfix Cydia repo.

As described on extechblog by crazyfool2100 which only applies for re-flashing a corrupted 5.11.07 baseband, this was applied instead to a fresh 3.1.3/5.12.01. It was bound to fail, I was just curious to see the output to find out at what point it actually fails. Guess?

Validating parameters...OK

Disabling thermal Notifications...OK

Disabling sleep...OK

Configuring Hardware Mux...OK

Opening device path /dev/cu.debug, using initial baud 115200

- Ping failed, trying again, 56 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 55 tries left

- Ping OK

Gathering modem information...OK

Checking Static EEP backup...

- backup is OK

Checking Static EEP backup -- All OK

Firmware Version: ICE2-05.12.01

EEP Version: EEP_VERSION:708

EEP Revision: EEP_REVISION:1

Boot Loader Version: ICE2_BOOT_06.04_G2M3S2

FLS/EEP Mismatch: Match

Configuring Hardware Mux...OK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEGINNING BOOT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sending boot code...- GKEY: 0x21

OK

Reading Reference file ICE2_05.11.07.fls...OK

Sending EBL Loader...

Sending EBL Loader Length...OK

Sending EBL Loader Data...OK

Sending EBL Loader Checksum...OK

Sending EBL Loader -- All OK

Sending EBL...

Sending EBL Length...OK

Sending EBL Data and Checksum...OK

Sending EBL -- All OK

Getting EBL Version......OK

- Boot Mode 0xCC

- EBL Version Major/Minor: 6.2

- EBL Version 'ICE2_RAM_B'

- Flashing Compression: 0, CRC Type: 0, CRC Method: 1

Reading Reference file ICE2_05.11.07.fls...OK

Sending Protocol configuration...OK

Sending Flash ID...OK

Doing CFI Stage 1...OK

Doing CFI Stage 2...OK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DONE BOOT

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting software version of file ICE2_05.11.07.fls...OK

Increasing baud rate to 921600...OK

Validating EBL Version...OK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENDING FLS FILE: ICE2_05.11.07.fls

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loading FLS file ICE2_05.11.07.fls...OK

>> Sending Block of type CodeClass(0) from file ICE2_05.11.07.fls...

Beginning Dynamic EEP erase at 0x20E40000 to 0x20EBFFFE...

Progress: 0 percent, 0 of 524286

Progress: 100 percent, 524286 of 524286. OK

Sending Security Block...OK

Erasing Load Area from 0x20040000 to 0x20693196 (this will take some time)...OK

Sending data for mapping 0: progress: 0 percent, 0 of 6631832

...

progress: 100 percent, 6631832 of 6631832. -- OK

Checking validation result... - Warning: Validation result code indicates failure, result code = 0x0

OK

>> Sending Block of type CodeClass(0) from file ICE2_05.11.07.fls -- All OK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DONE SENDING FLS FILE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENDING EEP FILE: ICE2_05.11.07.eep

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Loading EEP file ICE2_05.11.07.eep...OK

>> Sending Block of type StaticEEPClass(0) from file ICE2_05.11.07.eep...

Sending Security Block...OK

Erasing Load Area from 0x20FC0000 to 0x20FC57FE ...OK

Sending EEP Payload...progress: 9 percent, 2048 of 22528

...

progress: 100 percent, 22528 of 22528. -- OK

Checking validation result...OK

>> Sending Block of type StaticEEPClass(0) from file ICE2_05.11.07.eep -- All OK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DONE SENDING EEP FILE

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Powering radio down...OK

Doing a hardware reset through AppleBaseband

Waiting for baseband power-up...

- Ping failed, trying again, 56 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 55 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 54 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 53 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 52 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 51 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 50 tries left

- Ping failed, trying again, 49 tries left

- Ping OK

- Baseband took 8.210041 seconds to power up

Powering off radio...

Powering off radio -- All OK

Waiting for baseband power-up -- All OK

Re-enabling thermal Notifications...OK

Re-enabling sleep...OK

The only thing that seems wrong is the line in red... but it's a warning, with status code zero, which usually means nothing went wrong?

So the flashing process reported an error... almost nowhere (captured both stdout and stderr). From the output, it seems that you've just flashed a 5.12.01 with 5.11.07. It's important to note that the files were taken from stock 3.1.2 firmware, any altered file will just not pass signature validation.

When you reboot (or re-enable CommCenter) after this operation, what modem firmware does Settings -> General -> About show? 5.12.01!

It's a well known fact that you cannot downgrade a baseband like you can downgrade OS firmware. Back in the days of baseband bootloader 5.8 on the iPhone 3G, an exploit was discovered which allowed the bootloader to be compromised. An older version of the baseband could then be flashed (that's what Fuzzyband does – iPhone 3G only).

Who's looking forward to the next Fuzzyband for 3GS?! Hope something comes out...

Spirit problems with Camera Roll!

A number of users have reported having problems with their camera roll contents getting deleted after applying the spirit jailbreak. So make sure to back up the contents of your camera roll! Also users have reported:

• Not being able to sync photos via iTunes
• iPod or iPhone not recognized in iPhoto and Image Capture apps

The only workaround known is to BACKUP your camera roll contents before applying Spirit jailbreak to your iPhone / iPod. Keep watching as this space updates possibly with new workarounds!

Update 1: Spirit is updated to fix the camera roll deletion bug and windows problems!

You can get spirit here: http://spiritjb.com

The Spirit is freed... finally!

What's Spirit?

• Spirit is an untethered jailbreak for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch on the latest firmwares.
• Spirit is not a carrier unlock.
• If you currently are using a tethered jailbreak, you have to restore to use Spirit. Do not upgrade if you use an unlock on an iPhone 3G or 3GS. (You can, however, restore to 3.1.2 if you have SHSH blobs for that version.)

Requirements

• Any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch on firmware 3.1.2, 3.1.3, or 3.2.
• An activated device: one not stuck on the Connect to iTunes or Emergency Call screen.
• Any version of iTunes 9 (including 9.1.1).
• Syncing with iTunes before trying this highly recommended.

Go get it now at http://spiritjb.com

iPad 3G confirmed unlocked!

The following post was made on the dev-team blog by a member rtheron. Good news for all those waiting for the iPad 3G – you can just cut out any SIM into a Micro-SIM and plug it in!

Hi

I'm a south african living in seattle, moved here about 5 months ago, and picked up my iPad 3G today

I still maintain my south african cellphone account, and decided to try the simcard out in the iPad 3G

I cut the mini sim to match the size of the micro sim, and so that the contact points that appear worn match the only contact points on the att micro sim, and put the custom cut vodacom micro sim inside the micro sim tray and locked it in the ipad

I had to manually configure the data apn for the cellular network, and go turn data roaming on, but after that, all was fine, data worked and I could use my iPad as normal

this confirms two things:
a mini sim can be cut into a micro sim
the iPad is indeed not network locked

Spirit intended for April 30, delayed by a few days

New dev-team member @comex (thanks to his mighty find 'Spirit') recently tweeted a reply to someone asking for an ETA on Spirit availability. According to this tweet, Spirit is intended for release on April 30, Friday!

Later on:
"Works for all *activated* iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches. Not Friday. about 13 hours ago via Twitterrific"

I turns out that Spirit is delayed by a few days. You can find official links and information ONLY on the dev-team blog: http://blog.iphone-dev.org

Unlocking an Orange UK iPhone 3GS (from another country)

Note: I have heard from many people that iPhones in the UK, though locked, activate with SIM cards from any UK provider. There is also speculation that these phones lock to the provider whose SIM was used to activate them. Unverified information. :)

If you have a phone that was bought from Orange (or from the Apple Store UK, for Orange) you can request Orange to unlock anytime if you have a contract SIM or anytime after three months of use for a Pay-as-you-go SIM.

If you are based out of the UK, got your phone from a grey market and were lucky enough that it turned out to be an Orange UK phone, you can do the following:

1) Buy an Orange PAYG SIM card on eBay.co.uk and have it shipped to you.

2) Register the SIM online on Orange's website. Use the correct iPhone IMEI when asked. Enter a valid UK address that you can remember later.

3) Activate your iPhone with this SIM if it isn't already activated (you can activate before registering as well)

4) Once you register the SIM it will become active within 24 hours. Note that you will be on International Roaming. If the SIM doesn't seem to be active even after 24 hours (you still get No Service on iPhone) then just put the SIM in another unlocked phone and it will have service. Put it back in the iPhone then.

5) When you register your SIM you are told you will receive a 4-digit secret identification code. If you do not receive this SMS you can always call up Orange Services and ask for this code (they might ask your address/postcode to confirm).

6) Set up your account on Orange UK website. You will need the 4-digit secret code to have full account access.

7) Top up some money. 10 pounds or 20. You do not need to top up every month, unless you want the animal benefits that come with the SIM. It's only useful for UK subscribers.

8) After 3 months call up Orange and ask for unlock. They will ask all sorts of information to verify your identity. They will ask your 4-digit code. Your postcode and address. If everything is right, your IMEI. You will need to allow them to deduct 20 pounds as an unlock fee.

9) Orange claims it takes 14 days to get your unlock code, but it's hardly over 3 days. That's the time it takes an Orange employee to forward your request. Once it reaches Apple the unlock is instant.

Locating iPhone Country of Origin (based on Model/Part number)

Thanks to plague on pinoyiphoneforum.com who preserved this list. This used to be on Apple's knowledgebase but now the model numbers are stripped. The Apple page only lists carriers in each country. That page is at: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1937


Belgium
Mobistar

MB489NF/A
MB496NF/A
MB500NF/A
MC131NF/A
MC132NF/A
MC133NF/A
MC134NF/A

CzechRepublic
O2

MB489CZ/A
MB496CZ/A
MB500CZ/A
MC131CZ/A
MC132CZ/A
MC133CZ/A
MC134CZ/A

CzechRepublic
T-Mobile

MB490CZ/A
MB497CZ/A
MB501CZ/A
MC139CZ/A
MC140CZ/A
MC141CZ/A
MC142CZ/A

CzechRepublic
Vodafone

MB489CZ/A
MB496CZ/A
MB500CZ/A
MC131CZ/A
MC132CZ/A
MC133CZ/A
MC134CZ/A

Greece
Vodafone

MB489GR/A
MB496GR/A
MB500GR/A
MC131GR/A
MC132GR/A
MC133GR/A
MC134GR/A

Hong Kong
3

MB489ZP/A
MB496ZP/A
MB500ZP/A
MC131ZP/A
MC132ZP/A
MC133ZP/A
MC134ZP/A

Italy
TIM

MB489T/A
MB496T/A
MB500T/A
MC131T/A
MC132T/A
MC133T/A
MC134T/A

Italy
Vodafone

MB489T/A
MB496T/A
MB500T/A
MC131T/A
MC132T/A
MC133T/A
MC134T/A

Macau
3

MB489ZP/A
MB496ZP/A
MB500ZP/A
MC131ZP/A
MC132ZP/A
MC133ZP/A
MC134ZP/A

New Zealand
Vodafone

MB489X/A
MB496X/A
MB500X/A
MC131X/A
MC132X/A
MC133X/A
MC134X/A

Singapore
SingTel

MB489ZA/A
MB496ZA/A
MB500ZA/A
MC131ZA/A
MC132ZA/A
MC133ZA/A
MC134ZA/A

Slovakia
Orange

MB489SL/A
MB496SL/A
MB500SL/A
MC131SL/A
MC132SL/A
MC133SL/A
MC134SL/A

Saudi Arabia
Mobily

MB489AB/A
MB496AB/A
MB500AB/A
MC131AB/A
MC132AB/A
MC133AB/A
MC134AB/A

United Arab Emirates
etisalat

MB489AB/A
MB496AB/A
MB500AB/A
MC131AB/A
MC132AB/A
MC133AB/A
MC134AB/A

South Africa
Vodacom

MB489SO/A
MB496SO/A
MB500SO/A
MC131SO/A
MC132SO/A
MC133SO/A
MC134SO/A


Taiwan
Chunghwa Telecom

MB489TA/A
MB496TA/A
MB500TA/A
MC131TA/A
MC132TA/A
MC133TA/A
MC134TA/A


Turkey
TurkCell

MB489TU/A
MB496TU/A
MB500TU/A
MC131TU/A
MC132TU/A
MC133TU/A
MC134TU/A

Russia
MegaFon

MB489RS/A
MB496RS/A
MB500RS/A
MC131RS/A
MC132RS/A
MC133RS/A
MC134RS/A

Russia
MTS

MB489RS/A
MB496RS/A
MB500RS/A
MC131RS/A
MC132RS/A
MC133RS/A
MC134RS/A

Russia
Beeline

MB489RS/A
MB496RS/A
MB500RS/A
MC131RS/A
MC132RS/A
MC133RS/A
MC134RS/A


Luxembourg
Vox Mobile

MB489NF/A
MB496NF/A
MB500NF/A
MC131NF/A
MC132NF/A
MC133NF/A
MC134NF/A


Luxembourg
LUXGSM

MB489FB/A
MB496FB/A
MB500FB/A
MC131FB/A
MC132FB/A
MC133FB/A
MC134FB/A


Luxembourg
Tango

MB489FB/A
MB496FB/A
MB500FB/A
MC131FB/A
MC132FB/A
MC133FB/A
MC134FB/A






Argentina
Claro

MB489LE/A
MB496LE/A
MB500LE/A
MC131LE/A
MC132LE/A
MC133LE/A
MC134LE/A

Argentina
Movistar

MB489LE/A
MB496LE/A
MB500LE/A
MC131LE/A
MC132LE/A
MC133LE/A
MC134LE/A

Austria
One

MB489FD/A
MB496FD/A
MB500FD/A
MC131FD/A
MC132FD/A
MC133FD/A
MC134FD/A

Australia
Optus

MB489X/A
MB496X/A
MB500X/A
MC131X/A
MC132X/A
MC133X/A
MC134X/A

Australia
Telstra

MB489X/A
MB496X/A
MB500X/A
MC131X/A
MC132X/A
MC133X/A
MC134X/A

Australia
Vodafone

MB489X/A
MB496X/A
MB500X/A
MC131X/A
MC132X/A
MC133X/A
MC134X/A

Chile
Claro

MB489LZ/A
MB496LZ/A
MB500LZ/A
MC131LZ/A
MC132LZ/A
MC133LZ/A
MC134LZ/A

Chile
TMC

MB489LZ/A
MB496LZ/A
MB500LZ/A
MC131LZ/A
MC132LZ/A
MC133LZ/A
MC134LZ/A

Colombia
Comcel

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Colombia
Movistar

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Ecuador
Porta

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Ecuador
Movistar

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

El Salvador
Claro

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

El Salvador
Movistar

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Estonia
EMT

MB489EE/A
MB496EE/A
MB500EE/A
MC131EE/A
MC132EE/A
MC133EE/A
MC134EE/A

Finland
Sonera

MB489KS/A
MB496KS/A
MB500KS/A
MC131KS/A
MC132KS/A
MC133KS/A
MC134KS/A

France
Orange

MB489NF/A
MB496NF/A
MB500NF/A
MC131NF/A
MC132NF/A
MC133NF/A
MC134NF/A

Guatamela
Claro

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Guatamela
Movistar

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Hungary
T-Mobile

MB490MG/A
MB497MG/A
MB501MG/A
MC139MG/A
MC140MG/A
MC141MG/A
MC142MG/A

Honduras
Claro

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

India
Airtel

MB489HN/A
MB496HN/A
MB500HN/A
MC131HN/A
MC132HN/A
MC133HN/A
MC134HN/A

Liechtenstein
Orange

MB489FD/A
MB496FD/A
MB500FD/A
MC131FD/A
MC132FD/A
MC133FD/A
MC134FD/A

Liechtenstein
Swisscom

MB489FD/A
MB496FD/A
MB500FD/A
MC131FD/A
MC132FD/A
MC133FD/A
MC134FD/A

Norway
NetcCom

MB489KN/A
MB496KN/A
MB500KN/A
MC131KN/A
MC132KN/A
MC133KN/A
MC134KN/A

Paraguay
CTI Movil

MB489LZ/A
MB496LZ/A
MB500LZ/A
MC131LZ/A
MC132LZ/A
MC133LZ/A
MC134LZ/A

Peru
Claro

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Peru
TM SAC

MB489LA/A
MB496LA/A
MB500LA/A
MC131LA/A
MC132LA/A
MC133LA/A
MC134LA/A

Poland
Orange

MB489PL/A
MB496PL/A
MB500PL/A
MC131PL/A
MC132PL/A
MC133PL/A
MC134PL/A

Poland
Era

MB489PL/A
MB496PL/A
MB500PL/A
MC131PL/A
MC132PL/A
MC133PL/A
MC134PL/A

Portugal
Vodafone

MB489PO/A
MB496PO/A
MB500PO/A
MC131PO/A
MC132PO/A
MC133PO/A
MC134PO/A

Romania
Orange

MB489RO/A
MB496RO/A
MB500RO/A
MC131RO/A
MC132RO/A
MC133RO/A
MC134RO/A

Spain
Movistar

MB757Y/A
MB759Y/A
MB760Y/A
MC131Y/A
MC132Y/A
MC133Y/A
MC134Y/A

Switzerland
Orange

MB489FD/A
MB496FD/A
MB500FD/A
MC131FD/A
MC132FD/A
MC133FD/A
MC134FD/A

Switzerland
Swisscom

MB489FD/A
MB496FD/A
MB500FD/A
MC131FD/A
MC132FD/A
MC133FD/A
MC134FD/A

Uruguay
CTI Movil

MB489LZ/A
MB496LZ/A
MB500LZ/A
MC131LZ/A
MC132LZ/A
MC133LZ/A
MC134LZ/A

Uruguay
Movistar

MB489LZ/A
MB496LZ/A
MB500LZ/A
MC131LZ/A
MC132LZ/A
MC133LZ/A
MC134LZ/A


Austria
T-Mobile

MB490DN/A
MB497DN/A
MB501DN/A
MC139DN/A
MC140DN/A
MC141DN/A
MC142DN/A

Canada
Rogers

MB629C/A
MB630C/A
MB631C/A
MB632C/A
MB633C/A
MB634C/A
MB635C/A
MB636C/A
MC143C/A
MC144C/A
MC145C/A
MC146C/A
MC147C/A
MC148C/A
MC149C/A
MC150C/A

Canada
Fido

MB629C/A
MB630C/A
MB631C/A
MB632C/A
MB633C/A
MB634C/A
MB635C/A
MB636C/A
MC143C/A
MC144C/A
MC145C/A
MC146C/A
MC147C/A
MC148C/A
MC149C/A
MC150C/A

Germany
T-Mobile

MB490DN/A
MB497DN/A
MB501DN/A
MC139DN/A
MC140DN/A
MC141DN/A
MC142DN/A

India
Vodafone

MB489HN/A
MB496HN/A
MB500HN/A
MC131HN/A
MC132HN/A
MC133HN/A
MC134HN/A

Ireland
O2

MB489B/A
MB496B/A
MB500B/A
MC131B/A
MC132B/A
MC133B/A
MC134B/A

Japan
SoftBank

MB489J/A
MB496J/A
MB500J/A
MC131J/A
MC132J/A
MC133J/A
MC134J/A

Mexico
Telcel

MB489E/A
MB496E/A
MB500E/A
MC131E/A
MC132E/A
MC133E/A
MC134E/A

Netherlands
T-Mobile

MB490DN/A
MB497DN/A
MB501DN/A
MC139DN/A
MC140DN/A
MC141DN/A
MC142DN/A

Philippines
Globe

MB489PP/A
MB496PP/A
MB500PP/A
MC131PP/A
MC132PP/A
MC133PP/A
MC134PP/A

Portgual
Optimus

MB489PO/A
MB496PO/A
MB500PO/A
MC131PO/A
MC132PO/A
MC133PO/A
MC134PO/A

Slovakia
T-Mobile

MB490SL/A
MB497SL/A
MB501SL/A
MC139SL/A
MC140SL/A
MC141SL/A
MC142SL/A

Sweden
Telia

MB489KS/A
MB496KS/A
MB500KS/A
MC131KS/A
MC132KS/A
MC133KS/A

UK
O2

MB489B/A
MB496B/A
MB500B/A
MC131B/A
MC132B/A
MC133B/A
MC134B/A

USA
AT&T

MB046LL/A
MB048LL/A
MB499LL/A
MB702LL/A
MB704LL/A
MB705LL/A
MB715LL/A
MB716LL/A
MB717LL/A
MB718LL/A
MB719LL/A
MC135LL/A
MC136LL/A
MC137LL/A
MC138LL/A

Egypt
Mobinil

MB489AB/A
MB496AB/A
MB500AB/A
MC131AB/A
MC132AB/A
MC133AB/A

Egypt
Vodafone

MB489AB/A
MB496AB/A
MB500AB/A
MC131AB/A
MC132AB/A
MC133AB/A
MC134AB/A

Jordan
Orange

MB489AB/A
MB496AB/A
MB500AB/A
MC131AB/A
MC132AB/A
MC133AB/A
MC134AB/A

Turkey
Vodafone

MB489TU/A
MB496TU/A
MB500TU/A
MC131TU/A
MC132TU/A
MC133TU/A
MC134TU/A

Source: http://pinoyiphoneforum.com/index.php?topic=1531.0

FAQ: Activation (official)

I had a lot of questions in my mind when I was sitting around with an unactivated iPhone 3GS on 3.1.3. These were answered, obviously, only after I went ahead and actually activated it by getting a legitimate SIM. For the record, these are a few of the questions that went on in my mind until I had a legit SIM in my hands.

Q. Do I need an Internet connection to activate my iPhone?

A. Yes, without exception.

Q. Do I need a working SIM card?

A. No. You just need a SIM card. It has to be a SIM of the actual network/country that the iPhone is locked to. For example, an O2 UK iPhone will not work with an O2 Ireland SIM, and obviously will not work with a non-O2 SIM.

Q. Does it have to have any balance (prepaid) or validity (postpaid)?

A. No, you can use a SIM of an account that is not functional.

Q. Does it have to have network signal of the home network?

A. No. Network signal is not checked during activation.

Q. What is checked during activation?

A. The SIM's IMSI. It is a code unique to each SIM card. The first 5 digits of the IMSI are the MCC and MNC, mobile country code and mobile network code. These identify the SIM as belonging to a particular network. The other digits just identify the SIM uniquely to the base station.

Q. How can I check the SIM's IMSI?

A. If you have another unlocked phone lying around that supports serial port (likely over Bluetooth) pop in the SIM in that phone and connect to its serial port via a terminal emulator like Hyperterminal or Minicom. Issue the command 'AT +CIMI' without quotes. The phone will respond with the IMSI of the currently inserted SIM.

Q. Can I activate in a country that is not the same as to which the iPhone is locked.

A. Most certainly. No special or different steps to follow.

Q. What are the advantages of official activation?

A. Push notifications and YouTube are not affected (they don't work if you hacktivate; though now there are workarounds to get them to work).

Saving your SHSH files

If you haven't already saved your SHSH files for 3.1.3, do so as soon as possible. You never know when it could come in handy.

If you were already jailbroken on 3.1.2 and had clicked Cydia's "Make my life easier" option, you probably have your hashes in Cydia's on-file system. Saurik tweeted recently:

In case anyone was wondering, every device (all 1.37 million of them) with an "on file" ECID now has a 3.1.3 SHSH saved in Cydia's database!2:39 PM Apr 1st via web

If you're not sure of having done that, or you bought a new phone, or otherwise know for sure that you don't have 3.1.3 hashes already, just download Firmware Umbrella (go to http://thefirmwareumbrella.blogspot.com). It runs on your Mac or Windows, and along with a local TSS server (Tiny TSS) allows you to save your device hashes for the firmware versions that Apple is currently signing. When you need to restore to one of those versions, and Apple has stopped signing them, you can set up TinyTSS on your local machine and bypass Apple's signature server to make your device eligible for the restore process.

p0sixninja posts a glimmer of hope on twitter

These tweets are pulled from p0sixninja's twitter page. 3.1.3 jailbreak coming up this month? Speculation has popped up on the dev-team blog comments as well.

1. http://twitter.com/p0sixninja
   @ronaldsb I'm bending over backwards trying to release something, but its been a very crazy and dynamic weekabout 3 hours ago via Twitterrific in reply to ronaldsb
2. @cafedelmarr don't sell it yet, I promise you'll see a 3.1.3 jailbreak this monthabout 3 hours ago via Twitterrific in reply to cafedelmarr
3. @iRealSMS I'll explain in my post, I promiseabout 3 hours ago via Twitterrific in reply to iRealSMS
4. @timblack2 ummm.. I did post a video, where were you?about 3 hours ago via Twitterrific in reply to timblack2
5. @tsuehpsyde jailbreaking it isn't the problem, it's deciding what to release and what not to released that's complicated

Sitting out the 3.1.3 Jailbreak

Tired of waiting? This blog is for all those who are stuck on 3.1.3 on their iPhone 3GS without SHSH saved in Cydia. We're all basically out of luck – there is no known way to jailbreak at the moment. For a lot of us this means not having unlocked phones, so they are probably reduced to iPods. For those who bought the phone new, or restored to 3.1.3, it gets worse – many of us cannot activate our iPhones at all.

Let's be together in this phase and wait patiently for the next jailbreak to come through. In all probability, with Apple's announcement of OS4.0, it looks like there is no JB solution coming before WWDC in June, when OS4.0 will be rolled out to the masses. It's for the greater good – to help ensure that when OS4 comes out, you can install and jailbreak it as quickly as possible.

Please use the comments to describe your situations and offer your thoughts.