But with both of these fine programs, one the default, one seemingly a potential “killer app” of that default, which to choose?! It’s such a dilemma! Fortunately, your good friends at Apple Juice have got all the info.

.:Installer:.

Installer has been the only software for installing packages and applications on the iPhone/iPod for quite some time. Testament to its reliability is that every hacking method has used it as the default, from ZiPhone and iJailbreak to iLiberty and Pwnage

Installer has a very user-friendly interface, with 4 main functions: Install, Update, Uninstall, and Add Sources. Very simply, just find your package in its category (which, given, might have been a hassle) and touch “Install” to have your package installed. Installer will alert you whenever a new update to your package appears, and the uninstall process is even easier than the install.

The big selling point on Installer is the ability to add sources, that is, repositories of packages. Through this, more applications not available initially can be made available. Want a game from Repository X? Don’t see it in Installer? Just go to Sources and add it, quick and easy!

And, with the advent of version 3.1, finding your packages in Installer has never been easier with the new Search bar!

.:Cydia:.

Cydia is really the Firefox to Installer’s Safari. It got in late to the iPhone packager game and sorta got shadowed by Installer, but they do have a few things over Installer. You have your same basic install/uninstall function, which works about as well as Installer’s.

Installer’s Update is replaced with a Changes function, which, instead of alerting you of packages only you have, tells you of recent changes to any package in your list of sources.

Until Installer’s update 3.1, Cydia had a big thing over Installer: a Search tab. It let you search for any package by name, and install it. It had the “A-Z” list down the side (the one that’s in Music) to make going through the list easier. However, because Installer has this Search function now too, it’s not that big of a deal.

.:Which to choose?:.

Now for the big question. We’ve seen the features of both Installer and Cydia, and now we need to choose one. So here’s a comparison of some of the contest points between Installer and Cydia:

~Search Function: For a long time Cydia liked to boast of its Search function, and how it made everything easier. Well, now Installer users know that too, because Installer added it in.

~Open-Source/Closed-Source: Cydia’s main selling point is the fact that its source code is free and available. Well, that’s all well and good, but for the average owner of a hacked iPod/iPhone, we’re not going to need us, and it’s not going to benefit us in the long run.

~BSD Subsystem: Another “benefit” of Cydia’s is that it pre-installs the UNIX tools set BSD Subsystem. This package is required to run most programs out there. To have this in Installer is not hard, it comes with the default sources when Installer is first installed. But not having to go and get it is one less thing to install and saves us time, right? Wrong. Sure, Cydia pre-installs the BSD Subsystem, but most of the packages that need it won’t recognize it in the system! So, you have to install something called “Fake BSD Subsystem,” which is going to get one more package anyway!

~Sources: The biggest argument for Installer: The ability to add sources. If you don’t see a package on Installer but know it exists, you can just add the repository URL to the Sources list. Cydia doesn’t have a sources list. What you see, you’re stuck with. Given, that may be a lot, but it’s not everything. On Cydia’s website, the creator states that “the plan is to have sources be administrated from the Settings application on your device rather than cluttering Cydia with this information.” However, this system hasn’t been implemented yet, and I’m not sure I want to wait.

Another problem with sources in Cydia is that even when this new method is implemented, Installer’s sources are written in Objective-C property list code, which Cydia doesn’t recognize. So, even when Cydia has that Sources option up and running, you won’t even be able to use a good number of sources.

.:The Verdict:.

With all these things taken into account, Apple Juice has this to say: Cydia has some potential, but until it has its kinks worked out, or something truly innovative comes out of the project, average users might want to stick with Installer. It’s had the test of time and millions of users to hone it to as perfect as it can be, and really, what more can you ask for?

.:How It Works:.

Built into the iPhone OS is a system that checks firmwares to prevent things like the custom firmwares , to make sure the firmwares are from Apple. As opposed to jailbreaking a phone, which allows limited file writing access to the Apple-made firmware, Pwnage tells that low-level firmware system to ignore the check, and allows far freer customization.

The best part about this is, because the check is very low-level, it’s basically the same in all versions of iPhone OS. Right now only 1.1.4 is supported by PwnageTool (along with one of the 2.0 betas), but in the future the 2.0 firmwares will be just as easily hacked.

As of right now, the official version of Pwnage is only available for Mac (10.4.11 and above). However, a separate party has been working on a Windows version, Winpwn. It’s still in beta though, so be careful.

.:How to Use:.

Using Pwnage is probably one of the easiest iPod/iPhone hacking processes yet. Here’s how it goes.

(May ’08: For now, this is only for iPods, because I do not have a phone and don’t know how different the process is. Apple Juice hopes to have an iPhone writer soon.)

PART 1: Downloading

A) Download Pwnage here: http://iphone-dev.org/

B) We need a firmware file to activate the program. Currently, the only supported iPhone OS 1.X supported is 1.1.4: iPod1,1_1.1.4_4A102_Restore.ipsw. Make sure you keep it in a folder that is easy to find later.

PART 2: Preparation

There are a couple of steps you need to take before we can get a’Pwning.

A) First, we need to load that IPSW iPod restore file. Open up Pwnage and click on the “Browse .ipsw” button. Navigate to wherever you saved that file, highlight it and click “Open.”

*NOTE: Custom firmwares you create later cannot be loaded in this way. Much like the iPhone OS checks, PwnageTool has its own checks that only allows the original 1.1.4 firmware file (along with, at time of writing, the firmware file for the iPhone OS 2.0 beta 5a225c).*

B) Pwnage requires your iPod/iPhone to be in Recovery mode. To do this easily, follow these steps:

1. Turn the iPod/iPhone off by holding down the “Power” button and sliding the red slider when told.
2. Plug the iPod into the computer while holding down the “Home” button. The iPod should turn on, Apple logo and all, but keep holding that “Home” button until the “Connect to iTunes” screen pops up.

C) iTunes will pop up with a message saying “iTunes has detected an iPod in recovery mode. You must restore this iPod before it can be used with iTunes.” Ignore it, and quit iTunes. PwnageTool cannot pwn an iPod if iTunes is open.

PART 3: Pwnage

Now for the fun part!

A) Click the “iPwner” button.

And that’s it. This message will come up:

And the process will run itself. In about 2 minutes the iPod will restart, only instead of the traditional silver Apple, a pineapple will appear! That’s your cue to start uploading new custom firmwares. Which leads us to…

PART 4: IPSW Builder

The whole idea behind the custom firmware business of Pwnage is that you can upload firmwares with extra programs already installed in them (as opposed to jailbreaking and adding them through Installer, one by one). Thus, a firmware file has to be created with these packages in them. Fortunately, the good iPhone Dev Team have provided us with a tool to do just that. To create your very own custom firmware file, follow these simple instructions:

A) Click the “IPSW Builder” button, which will bring up a new menu window thing. The first page, “General,” is all deactivated. This is because these options are for iPhones only, and, seeing as we’re not focusing on iPhones, this doesn’t bother us. (If Apple Juice finds an iPhone correspondent, you can be sure there’ll be an appendix to this guide pertaining to this page.)

B) Go to the tab labelled “Custom Packages.” Here you’ll find the list of custom packages you are able to install into your firmware. You’ll also find it… Rather empty. The only options by default are Installer (the standard package installer used by jailbreak methods such as ZiPhone), BSD Subsystem (a set of UNIX tools), and OpenSSH (a way to see the file systems of the iPod). Not very much choice. However, there are ways to add more options. The catch is, it’s a very complicated process. See the section “For Advanced Users” below.

Anyway, choose which packages you want to use by checking them off on the left.

C) This step is optional, but PwnageTool allows for the addition of custom boot and recovery images. There are STRICT guidelines for these though:

• 320×480 maximum resolution
• RGB or Greyscale
• Needs to be transparent at some point (don’t worry, it shows up black); stated in PwnageTool as “alpha channel”
• 24-bit PNG
• Less than 100 KB in size

As long as you follow those, you can add any image you want. I like adding my own personal touch to any iPod I pwn, just as a hint of advertising.

D) Then, once you’re satisfied, hit the “OK” button. PwnageTool will ask you where to save the file. Choose somewhere that it’s easily found later on. And, like magic, your custom firmware is made while you wait!

PART 5: Restoring with your custom firmware

The last piece in the puzzle, this is how you enact all the changes you’ve made so far.

A) Open up iTunes and navigate to your iPod. WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE OPTION KEY, hit “Restore” in iTunes. Theoretically, Upgrade would work too, but using Restore is cleaner and easier.

B) Navigate to your custom firmware, and hit OK. If everything went right so far, iTunes should restore your custom firmware with no hiccups.

And you’re done! You’re ready to install any number of cool applications just as you normall would with any jailbreak.

.:For Advanced Users:.

For those of you that just aren’t satisfied with PwnageTool’s limited number of packages, there is a solution: You can make your own custom bundle. Bundles are the packages in which Installer, BSD Subsystem, etc are stored. These bundles can be found by:

1. Right-clicking on PwnageTool.app
2. Selecting “Show Package Contents…”
3. Navigating to Contents > Resources > InternalPackages

Bundles are made very similarly to making an Installer repository: each requires folders of the files you want uploaded and a property list which states what you want done with each of them. I’ve had trouble with creating one of these from scratch, so for more information I direct you here: http://www.ipodtouchfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57676

For a process a little bit easier (and what I use), there’s a program in development called iBuilder. It works just like Installer: you add sources, and double-click packages you want put into your custom bundle. When you’re done, hit the “Build!” button and a personalized Pwnage bundle will appear on your desktop. you then move it into that InternalPackages folder, and your package will show up under “Custom Packages” in PwnageTool.

The catch: iBuilder’s only for WIndows, while PwnageTool is only for Mac. Weird. Also, be careful, because some applications (mostly those that require file manipulation from multiple folders across the iPod file system, like MobileScrobbler or AFPd) won’t work when installed by this method!

And there you have it! Everything you ever wanted to know about Pwnage. Enjoy.

~Mike

Coming hot off the recent atrophy of RupertGee’s iBlog, Apple Juice is committed to answering any and all questions you may have, as quickly as possible. With an American and an Aussie on staff, you can be sure that your problems will get round-the-clock support, alongside (what we hope to be) the most user-friendly and comprehensive guides, reviews and info articles. As two frequent iBlog posters, TheGPC and Vanya, we are ready and willing to help you as much as we can.