Understanding the jailbreak necessity when it comes to Apple TV 3 – there are some extremely useful enhancements to be had if you jailbreak your Apple device, and one of these is XBMC. Xbox 360 owners might have heard about XBMC 11 (aka Eden) update, which has been in development for over a year, but the form of XBMC that can be installed on jailbroken Apple TV’s is a little different but still offers expanded abilities for creating the almost perfect multimedia center for Apple TV 3.

If you’re new to XBMC then we suggest you watch the video below this article, which gives you a visual look at an Apple TV 2 with XBMC installed, and this could help to open up your mind for what is possible with addons via new firmware.

Extra support for videos – one of the main reasons users jailbreak their Apple TV is for videos, which allows for a lot more support with different codecs. Some users store videos they have taken in their chosen format, which are then supported by XBMC and were not previously compatible with the standard Apple TV OS. You can get information on how to jailbreak the Apple TV 2 in this article, although at the time of writing it’s not possible to jailbreak the 3rd generation Apple TV.

Why would you want to jailbreak Apple TV 3? We’d love to hear your reasons for jailbreaking the latest Apple TV, also have you held out buying the new device thanks to the lack of a jailbreak? Another issue with encoding videos to work within the Apple environment is time, and encoding from AVI to MP4 can take a lot of unneeded time but also lose quality in come cases. This forum also has a lot of reasons why some people jailbreak, so have a read and let us know what you think in the comments.

Remember the negatives – it’s not always plain sailing and we’ve heard reports of users not being able to stream content from their iTunes accounts after jailbreaking, also performance has been affected as well. Doing this to your new Apple TV would be at your own risk and something we’d never recommend at Product-Reviews.net, even if Apple does lack a lot of features that could have been added easily in the first place. It’s worth pointing out that in most cases you can restore Apple TV to the factory settings in a couple of clicks.

More stories on Apple TV: You can read a little about changes that are needed for the next Apple TV 5.1 update here, see a teardown of the new Apple TV 3 via this article, and understand a little about the implications of Netflix enhancements.

More About: apple, Apple TV, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

We’ve been traipsing through websites and forums to try and see if there’s a jailbreak for iOS 5.1, but to our knowledge this doesn’t exist yet, what we did spot was some Twitter activity from some well-known iOS hackers which confirms our suspicions.

A tweet from @digidude512 (an iOS hacker since iOS 2.21) was retweeted by a very well known iOS hacker who goes by the alias p0sixninja (Twitter feed here). We’ve embedded the tweet below and as you can see it’s safe to say that if these people warn against jailbreakers updating to iOS 5.1 it should not be done.

Jailbreakers: Don’t touch iOS 5.1 no jailbreak tethered or untethered is out.Unlockers: LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE!

— usr:Leon Lionheart (@digidude512) March 7, 2012

If you check out this tweet you can see that someone is claiming that a jailbreak for the official version of iOS 5.1 is coming very soon. Apparently a team called the DyLibHackers have successfully jailbroken iOS 5.1 beta 3 and it’s just a matter of time until they finalize a jailbreak for the public release version of the software – we’re not sure how genuine this is at present, so we’ll have to keep you posted. Also the phrase “a matter of time” is very vague, a matter of time could mean, second, minutes, hours, days, weeks or more – we want specifics!

We tried to find out more about the DyLibHackers but there’s not a lot showing up, apparently they’ve also been working on bring BBM to iOS via an application called iBBM – but that’s about it.

As and when we hear more about a tethered or untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1 we will keep you posted, let us know if you hear anything.

More About: apple, iOS, iOS 5.1, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

You may have seen that iTunes 10.5 has gone live and maybe that software is already installed on your system, which means you are ready and waiting for the iOS 5 update to go live for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch then you find out the device is bricked, or in our case on a developer device, the software would not restore, or enter normal running mode.

In most cases this would mean your device is bricked, but there is no need to worry as in most cases it’s pretty easy to get fixed and ready for the pending update.

If you try and reset and nothing works, turn off your iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. Then hold down the home button and with it still pressed, connect to a computer and you’ll see your iDevice enter DFU mode. You should be able to restore now without any problems. If you’re looking for the iOS 5 download time then we recommend you check out our earlier post that shows you how to find out the moment it goes live.

This checklist will also help you get ready. Are you hitting the update button a lot to see if the update is live yet, or are you using social networks? In most most cases a simple jailbreak problem or bricked device can be fixed with the above tip, but if you know another way feel free to share. Apple iPhone 3GS users may want to read how this device gets a new lease of life with the new software, thanks to some pretty cool results in tests.

More About: apple, iOS 5, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

The video below this article shows you how to fix a problem some users have experienced with Jailbreak iPhone’s running iOS 5. The issue is known as the “1/4 Screen” problem, which is pretty obvious why when you see the video below.

This article reports that the problem happens when you install Activator (via Cydia) on a jailbroken iPhone that is running the latest iOS, which then sees an app run at a reduced size, roughly one quarter of the screen. At the time of writing it seems this issue only happens with iOS 5.

Have a watch of the video below to see how to fix the quarter screen issue, although you should know that this fix is only a temporary measure, and when you reboot your iOS device you’ll need to repeat the process. We expect Activator to be updated for iOS 5 shortly.

Have you had any problems with iOS 5? The new operating system for Apple devices will be released to the public in 3 days time.

More About: iOS 5, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

There are three main changes that are of use to you, the first is instant IPSW detection, second is that there is no longer any need for developer UDID check. The other two is the ability to hacktivate, and the final release note is that the iPhone baseband is still preserved. This is not an untethered jailbreak, although it is for the old version of the bootrom iPhone 3GS.

Don’t even try to apply Sn0wbreeze 2.8b8 jailbreak to the iPad 2, as it will not work with the iOS 5 GM that runs it. Visit iDownloadBlog for details on how to download the update. There is also a helpful tutorial on Sn0wbreeze, so if you have no experience with this tool, then we would advise you to read it.

Those who have already downloaded and installed Sn0wbreeze 2.8b8 and iOS 5 GM are reporting that they can create an account an iCloud account even though they are not developers. Have you been able to achieve this yet, if so then please let us know your thoughts before those who have not jailbroken their iPhones can get their hands on them.

More About: apple, iOS 5, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

It has taken some time to do, but at least these five userland exploits have finally been discovered, it’s only been about half a year for a jailbreak for the iPad 2 – at least we will not have to wait nowhere near that long for the iPhone 5. Normally when we hear of an exploit it is just one or two, so just imagine how shocked we all were when we learned from Redmond Pie of five of them?

We cannot say for certain how long it will be before iOS 5 gets an untethered jailbreak, but it will not be as long as we first thought – it could even be a matter of weeks after its launch. Both p0d2g and p0sixninja has been involved heavily with not only this upcoming jailbreak, but also with iOS 4.2.1, Greenpois0n and also the first version of iOS 4 for the iPhone 4 and iPad and iPod Touch 4G.

It is all very well saying that iOS5 will be jailbroken soon after launch, but there is just one thing missing from stopping them from doing that, and that is the iPhone 5. We still have no idea when it will be released, as Apple has been misdirecting us so we do not ask why it is so late as often as we should.

More About: apple, iPhone 5, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

AppleInsider are reporting that prominent hacker MuscleNerd, has confirmed via Twitter he has paid a visit to the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. This has started rumors that Apple could be looking to take on another person from the jailbreaking community onto its team.

Known only as MuscleNerd, the popular hacker whom is part of the iPhone Dev Team was also attending Intel’s IDF Conference in San Francisco. It was during this time that he made his visit to Apple’s campus for reasons currently unknown.

He went on to post an image to his Twitter account that showed a t-shirt that reads “I visited the Apple campus. But that’s all I’m allowed to say”. The same image showed an Apple nametag that showed his screen name MuscleNerd.

The Twitter post continues with a short tweet that says “well this afternoon sure was fun…… (What a great company!)”. MuscleNerd doesn’t go into any more details about the visit or if he is joining the team at Apple.

This news comes only a short time since another hacker called, Comex, confirmed that he was to join Apple. He is well known for his work with jailbreaking iOS devices, but has since said he won’t be doing such things in the future.

The two have worked along with other iPhone Dev team members in recent times finding various ways to jailbreak Apple products. Such work is legal in the US, and allows users to get full access to the operating system. This then allows for the installation of apps that are not supported in the Apple App Store.

Apple is obviously against any such tweaks and says any such use voids the unit’s warranty. Apple is always looking to patch any such security holes and was recently praised by the iPhone Dev team. They even wished Steve Jobs good luck following his recent resignation.

The company has also recently hired Peter Hajas who is known for working on an alternative notification system. This was used on jailbroken iPhones, but he has helped Apple to provide a redesigned system that will be coming with iOS 5.

The iphone Dev team also provides solutions for users to unlock their handsets for use on different carriers. They have so far managed to jailbreak all the current iOS 5 beta versions that have been released.

Have you jailbroken your iOS device?

More About: apple, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

iOS 5 beta 3 had only been released for a few hours when iPhone Dev-Team informed us all that there was a Sn0wbreeze update that would support the latest version of the developers iOS. It is not all good news though, as this jailbreak is tethered and there is still no support for the iPad 2. You may wonder how they were able to get it working on the iPad 2 in the video below?

Well we can tell you that this is a feature that could be coming to the full version of iOS 5, and will allow you to move your icons on the homescreen in any way you like. This means that the OS will not try to line it up. Now this might be good for some, but this feature will make your iOS device look very cluttered – surly not something that you will want to see when you go to use your device?

Having said that, this might not even make it into iOS 5, and we believe that Apple would not want it there either – but why would they put it there in the first place? If you have strong nerves then go on and give the new jailbreak a go, but we have to warn you that you could cause harm to your iPhone or iPod, but you all know that by now.

Some of the features that you can expect from this latest Sn0wbreeze iOS 5 beta 3 jailbreak are custom text message alerts, Assistive Touch that includes Gesture Control, along with increased speed improvement. We just hope that they are able to fix a few security issues that has been a pain for iOS since 2009.

You can find a full list of supported devices over on Redmond Pie, they also have download and instal instructions, which should take some of the hard work out of it.

More About: apple, iOS 5, Jailbreak, Sn0wbreeze

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

Without further ado, you can head to the official website here and download JailbreakMe 3.0 now when using your iPad 2. The download has only just gone live within the last hour, and judging by early feedback, it looks like the download works without any problems and the software will install on your iPad 2 effortlessly with just a single click.

One word of warning though that you’ll need to be aware of before you install, is the fact that JailbreakMe 3.0 will only be compatible with iPad 2 firmware 4.3.3. So if you are running versions 4.31 or 4.3.2, you’ll need to upgrade to 4.3.3 immediately unless you want to be met with a bricked device after installing the software. This has been confirmed by the software’s creator Comex, as his recent Tweet below shows:

‘”4.3.1 and 4.3.2 will not be supported since I’m in a hurry; upgrade to 4.3.3”

The good news however, is that Comex has also stated that a compatible version of JailbreakMe 3.0 for 4.3.1 may release sometime in the future, but for now you’ll have to upgrade to 4.3.3 if you want to enjoy the benefits of a jailbroken iPad 2 with full access to the Cydia store amongst other delights.

We’ve taken a look at Comex’s Twitter account and it looks like there are no major problems with JailbreakMe 3.0 at the moment, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try this out. Another factor which will be pleasing for iPad 2 owners, is the fact that Comex managed to release the full version of JailbreakMe 3.0 without the fears of Apple releasing a new iPad 2 patch in wake of the leaked version of the software which became available recently.

It will be interesting to see if Apple react to the first global iPad 2 jailbreak release, and if they have some sort of counter attack on the horizon. It has been well documented that the iPad 2 is the only Apple iOS hardware yet to fall under the jailbreak hammer, so we have a feeling Steve Jobs may have the last laugh when it comes to the next patch update for the iPad 2 – we shall see.

Have you downloaded JailbreakMe 3.0 for your iPad 2 device? If so, how did the installation process go for you – everything smooth or did you run into problems?

More About: apple, iPad 2, Jailbreak, JailbreakMe

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad

If you have been following the iPad 2 jailbreak siutation closely, you’ll know that the jailbreak software JailbreakMe 3.0 was leaked recently online, although it wasn’t the final version and contained many bugs.

However, thanks to a published conversion between the initial JailbreakMe 3.0 leaker and the creator of the software Comex, who you should also be familiar with since he’s a key member of the iPhone Dev Team. During this conversion, Comex revealed that the official release of JailbreakMe 3.0 is imminent, and could even be released at some point today.

He stated that he has been hard at work on the current issues within JailbreakMe 3.0, but revealed that it ‘could be ready by tomorrow’ with that comment coming at 12.15am as seen over at Redmond Pie.

Comex isn’t one to give out false information to users, so it is very good news indeed. The iPad 2 is the only mobile device from Apple that has yet to be cracked open, so it’s going to be a very momentous occassion once the jailbreak is finally available to the masses. The best thing about JailbreakMe compared to other jailbreak software, is the ease in which the jailbreak can be applied. No longer will you have to mess about finding tethered, or untethered jailbreaks as version 3.0 of the software just requires one click from a user to result in a jailbroken iPad device with easy access to the Cydia store.

No doubt that Apple will also be aware of this news, and perhaps the thing that is troubling Comex will be the fact that Apple may have gotten hold of the leaked version of JailbreakMe 3.0 and are currently figuring out how to fix up the loopholes so that the official version may be rendered useless if Apple add new security to the iPad 2.

Having said that, even if Apple do figure out a way to block JailbreakMe 3.0, it’s only a matter of time until Comex and the gang come up with another solution to users. If you are currently waiting for an iPad 2 jailbreak, let us know your thoughts on a potential release of JailbreakMe 3.0 today.

If we get an update on when the jailbreak will be available exactly, we’ll be sure to let you know.

More About: apple, iPad 2, Jailbreak

For more Product-Reviews.net coverage:

• Follow Product Reviews on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to PR
• Download our free apps for iPhone and iPad