Jailbreaking iOS 5 for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS or iPad: Ready for Prime Time?

Jailbreakers, pull up your socks as finally you can jailbreak Apple's new operating system, iOS 5. And the tethered version of the jailbreak is now ready for prime-time.

It is not even a week since Apple launched iOS 5 with more than 200 new features, and jailbreakers announced two jailbreaks for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad and iPod touch on iOS 5.

Now jailbreaking using the Redsn0w version 0.9.9b5 will give the Apple iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, or iPad users root access to the operating system to download additional applications, extensions and themes that are unavailable through the official Apple App Store. However, jailbreak will also enable the iPhone, iPad users to make unauthorized tweaks to the device's mobile operating system and jailbreaking does not take the liability of user's warranty and could cause damage to the user's device if not done properly.

Currently, the Redsn0w version 0.9.9b5 is a tethered jailbreak which means that jailbreaking will be undone once you reboot the phone. So users have to connect their phones to their PCs or Macs to properly boot it. The problem with the tethered version of jailbreaking is that every time the user reboots the phone, the device has to be connected, or tethered, to the computer so that the hardware can boot with the help of the jailbreak application.

However, the iPhone Dev-Team which has developed the RedSn0w 0.9.9b5 tether version already has 15 updates to make jailbreaking more user-friendly, and the new updated version is known as RedSn0w 0.9.9b7. The Dev-team blog pointed out that the jailbreak is intended only for developers of jailbroken apps.

As soon as the tethered version of the jailbreak was released, an untethered version of the same was also released by a fake company named FastUnlockiPhone.com. The news got great attention from the worldwide users of iPhone 4 as users using untethered jailbreak will not have to reboot with a connection to an external device capable of executing commands on the device.

The news of the release of iOS5 untethered jailbreak version named FastRa1n 0.5. went viral on the Internet.

The tethered jailbreak version received two diametrically opposite feedbacks from the creators of tethered jailbreak, iPhone Dev-Teams.

When on the one hand, Joshua Hill or P0sixninja, one of the most prominent members of the Dev Team and a known figure in the jailbreak community, praised FastRa1n v5.0 saying it is the most amazing jailbreak found yet and that it can unlock and jailbreak iPhone 4/3Gs 4.3.5/4.3.4/4.3.3 and the latest iOS 5, another member using the name @comex on Twitter, validated that FastRa1n 0.5. is fake and advised users not fall for the fake untethered jailbreak software. He also assured readers that a free, reliable alternative jailbreak software will be available soon.

The jailbreakers also urge users to understand the difference between jailbreak and unlock. According to them, both processes are legal and do not encourage piracy. While jailbreaking allows the users to install apps from places without the Apple stamp, unlocking allows the user to use a different cellular carrier. To use unlock, one has to jailbreak the phone first.

On Oct. 12, Apple released the free iOS 5 for the users of iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4, the iPod touch (third and fourth generations) the iPad and the iPad 2. The launch of the free operating system with 200 new features generated so great an interest among the iPhone and iPad users that the software upgrade process got clogged for a time and users could only get through the upgrading process after many attempts.

Apple believes iOS5 and the 200 new features will take a mobile operating system that was already years ahead of anything else and move it even further ahead.

Among the 200 new features, iOS 5 has introduced a refurbished notification system, integrated iCloud and Twitter, and a new messaging service for all i-gadgets.

Must Read: iOS 5 Jailbreak: New App IntelliScreenX Enhances Notification Center (Video)