An old exploit that worked to control the iPod Touch 2G can be used to take control of the iPhone 3GS, ensuring that carrier unlockers will soon be able to crack their fancy new phones. It seems a piece of boot code was left unaltered since August 2008, allowing the Dev Team to use an old exploit.

Apple released the iPhone 3G S on Friday, and the world is much better off because of it. What didn’t sit well with me is this CNBC segment that aired on Friday. It shows a several people clamoring over the device, saying how great it is, why they want it, etc. But fast-forward to 1:03 and you’ll see Prime Time Sam Roberts from the Opie and Anthony show. Here’s where the trouble starts.

First, an anecdote: when the iPhone first launched in 2007 I took it on a tour of Central Europe, namely Budapest and Warsaw. Communism had just fallen and the hopes and dreams of these benighted nations were dashed. But as I pulled the iPhone from its protective cozy, the eyes of those present were filled with hope again, hope that there was something better out there, something magical. That something was called the iPhone and it was this promise, the promise of a Jobsian escape from the gristmill of history. All of this in a cigarette-pack-sized cellphone.

Fast forward two years. With the release of the iPhone 3G S we can safely say that the bloom is off the rose. The 3G S looks exactly like the iPhone 3G in every way. There is no outward identification and, in those intervening years, Hungary, Poland, the UK, Russia – heck, everybody – got the iPhone. Pulling one of these out is like pulling out something like a tin of Altoids – a bit against the grain but common enough to discourage gawking. So we must answer a few questions in this review. They are:

* What are the major improvements?
* Who is this phone for?
* Should you buy one/should you upgrade?

And so we begin.

The sun cracked over the horizon, and off we went. Like any good Apple fan boys bloggers, we camped out (in multiple places around the country, even) to pick up our iPhone 3G S. We’ll have our final, non-rushed review up sometime in the next few days – in the mean while, it’s time for you to voice up.

We’ve got our opinions, forged from the steels of writing about and playing with too many cell phones cell phones. We want to hear what you think, dear iPhone owner. Whether that new iPhone 3G S is your first stab at this whole Apple-made cell phone nonsense or you’ve been rockin’ the fruitphone since the EDGE-only days of yester-yesteryear, we want your insight.

Love it? Hate it? Share your wisdom in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Jae Won Joh

Yes, the major media figure on the Internet has an iPhone 3G S. On initial examination, I’d safely say that this if you’re planning on getting an iPhone with a new contract, go ahead. The price is right and the features are great.

Everything on this phone is snappier – Maps especially – and the auto-focus and video uploads passed the wife test who said that this is what she’s been looking for from the iPhone from the beginning. Looks like someone is going to have to upgrade someone.

These instructions are pretty weird, but here goes. Bing has a 35% off offer for AT&T and to get it you need to go to the AT&T site and register under the “premier” moniker. Then go to Bing and search for ATT wireless. Notice the 35% off ad at the top.

Happy iPhone 3G S Day! We’ve got the tear down of the latest iPhone here so you don’t have to spend all day sitting and staring at your new phone, wondering how it ticks. Oh, and there is a small, and geeky, surprise hidden within the iPhone 3G S that might reveal upcoming features.

Do you get your mitts on your iPhone 3G S yet? No? Don’t worry – neither did we. Neither did most people, really. But somewhere out there, some guy did – and he’s already crackin’ away at helping people make informed decisions one video sample at a time.

We can’t say for absolute certain that this video comes from an iPhone 3G S, but it all seems to fall in place. Widescreen recording? Check. iPhone 3G S box in view? Check. Going through the effort of making a fake box this close to the eleventh hour just for the sake of faking a video sample seems a bit silly, so we’ll give him the benefit of a doubt. Good job, video-sample-shooting action hero. Check it out after the jump.

AI is reporting that Best Buy will be offering insurance on the iPhone 3G S when it goes on sale next week. Current Black Tie Protection plans range between $7 and $10, but protection for the iPhone 3G S will be significantly more. You’ll have to shell out $15 per month or $180 a year to protect your precious against drops, spills and whatever else you can throw at it. So who’s going to Best Buy to get their iPhone 3G S?

John Carmack loves the iPhone SDK. Last year he said he was working on an app that will take the iPhone to its graphical limits and Doom Resurrection is probably it. Thankfully, it was developed with the current crop of iPhones in mind so you don’t have to have the new iPhone 3G S to play it. But if the iPhone 3G supports games this graphically awesome, what can the iPhone 3G S with OpenGL support and a 600MHz CPU do? The mind boggles.

As always, Billshrink breaks it all down for us. Anyone want to guess how much cheaper the Pre is compared to the upcoming 3G S? Hit the jump to find out.

Apple has hired David Fincher, director of movies such as Fight Club, Zodiac or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, to direct a TV commercial for the iPhone 3G S. The 30-second spot is supposed to push the phone’s video recording feature. Fight Club cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth took over the camera work for the commercial, which was released today.

Commercial after the jump.

You would think this is planned, but there is no way that the FCC is efficient enough to release documents detailing the iPhone 3G S on the same day as the announcement. No way. But here they are anyway.

We’re trying to get through all of this Apple iPhone related news as fast as possible so just bear with us.

To start, AT&T will offer tethering, but there’s no official announcement on that just yet.

On the MMS front, AT&T will offer MMS on the iPhone 3G S later this summer once system upgrades have been completed. These upgrades are unrelated to the 3G network, says AT&T.

A few questions remain unanswered and we’ll update as we get the answers.