So with the release of the Spirit jailbreak for iPhone, 3.1.3, it’s only appropriate to post a quick how-to, so here it is.  And of course, with a jailbreaking tutorial, here comes the disclaimer:

If you’re not sure what you’re doing and have misgivings about jailbreaking, you probably should stray away.  I will say, out of all the jailbreaks that have been released, this one is one of the simplest, and I’m talking blackra1n easy.  Walkthrough and video after the break!

First, jump on over to download the Spirit jailbreak software onto your computer.  The download can be found here.  Download whichever version corresponds to your OS.  For those wondering, this WILL work with any version of iTunes, up to the current 9.1.1 version (that’s what I have on both my Macs and it works just fine).

Before doing anything else, back up ALL your data via iTunes.  I have had a few jailbreaks go downhill and it’s always good to have everything backed up just in case you have to restore or your phone gets stuck in DFU mode and you’re forced with no other option but a restore (and yes, it happens).  Spirit has an issue early on that apparently deleted people’s photos.  That’s supposed to be fixed by now, but I’d back up pictures just to be on the safe side.

Next, quit iTunes and launch Spirit.  Just click the button and wait!  After a minute you’ll see a status bar complete and you should be fully jailbroken!  You’ll be able to tell when you see the Cydia app on one of your homepages.  This is the icon you'll want to look for:

For anyone who is new to the jailbreak scene, you’ll want to open Cydia and download a few key things to enhance your experience:

• Winterboard (an essential for theming out your phone)
• Themes! (check out our jailbreak forums for some suggestions)
• Rock App (if you’d prefer it over Cydia, search “RockApp”)
• SBSettings (allows a quick swipe to access all your main toggles)

If you’d like the ability to SSH into your phone and edit themes, as well as other files, you’ll also need to download Terminal and OpenSSH.  I only recommend SSH’ing for those who have a pretty decent knowledge of the iPhone OS and how to SSH.  Deleting certain files or altering them can be disastrous if you aren’t sure what you’re doing. So again, approach with caution.  And as always, anytime you ever have software installed on your phone that allows remote access, change your root password!  If you need help doing that, jump over to the TiPb jailbreak and unlock forums .

YouTube link

Enagdget tipsters, digging deep into the iPad's iPhone 3.2 SDK and iPhone 3.1.3 firmware, have found more evidence of the 4th generation iPhone (likely to ship this June/July) namely it's code name -- N89.

Buried way inside the platform simulator lies a set of folders dedicated to specific models of iPhone OS-ready devices, including the iPhone 3GS, second generation iPod touch, something called the "K48" (yep, the codename we were told was the internal name for the iPad), and... the "N89." Sure, it sounds like a Nokia phone just waiting to happen, but this is -- according to our extremely knowledgeable and trusted sources -- likely the codename of the next iPhone (previous versions were called the M68, N82, and N88).

There's also news on the 4th generation iPod touch as well (likely to ship this September):

Apple's just released firmware (3.1.3) also includes another new model, the "N80," which we're told will most likely be the next version of the iPod touch.

Sure, they're little details for now, but there's always more to come... it's really only a matter of time.

Apple has just released iPhone 3.1.3 (7E18), a minor OS update for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, iPhone 2G, iPod touch G1, iPod touch G2, and iPod touch 3G.

The update includes:

• Fix for iPhone 3GS battery level reporting
• Fix for app crashes on launch
• Fix for app crashes while using Japanese Kana Keyboard

iPhone 3.1.3 security-related update details can be found in Apple's knowledge-base article.

If you notice anything else in the update, let us know in the comments!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

It’s time for some good old forum action. From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

• Our good friend from PreCentral.net, Dieter, needs your help. He's been stuck using the Palm Pre for so long he's forgotten all about his iPhone. Help answer some of his questions in this thread here!
• We've heard some rumblings of iPhone 3.1.3, so it made us wonder what Apple may have up their sleeves for us but an even bigger question is when will 3.1.3 actually be released?
• How many of you have left your iPhone to go to another platform just to eventually go running back to your lonely iPhone? Come on, we know you are out there... This is the thread for you.
• Jailbreaking is always a popular topic and lately it's been on fire. That being said, be sure to visit our iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock forum for some great conversation.

See you on the forums!

Boy Genius took a look at his server logs and found somethings (plural!) very interesting -- entries for both iPhone 3.1.3 and... iPhone 4.0!

iPhone 3.1.3 would denote a minor fix to iPhone 3.1 (currently at iPhone 3.1.2), and could drop any time. iPhone 4.0, if Apple keeps to their previous schedule, would get a Sneak Peak event in March, followed by a beta period for developers, and a public release in June or July to coincide with 4th generation iPhone hardware (also already caught in server logs).

No signs, of course, of the still missing-in-action iPhone 3.2. (Where are you?)

(Thanks Dylan for the tip!)