A software-based jailbreak update for iPhone software version 1.1.3 has been released. Jailbreaking an iPhone makes it possible for unathorized, third-party applications to be installed on the iPhone.
This new jailbreak requires that the user have a previously-jailbroken iPhone running software version 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 with Installer.app installed and a Windows computer. According to reports, unlocked phones appear to remain unlocked following the jailbreak/update; however, this new jailbreak method will not unlock an iPhone — it will only update a previously jailbroken unit to version 1.1.3.
Update: Following the initial release of the iPhone 1.1.3 jailbreak software, the group responsible for most of the software’s development claimed that the software had been released against its wishes, and ejected the member responsible for the early release. iPhone Dev Team member Jonathan Zdziarski has posted an update on the situation, explaining that the initial release by former member Nate True “included both files belonging to Apple and patches which contain copyrighted information by Apple, making his personal release illegal and unethical.” The iPhone Dev Team has since released its official 1.1.3 jailbreak, which functions on both the iPhone and iPod touch, and is performed on the device itself.