This past week, the jailbreaking community hacked their way into Google TV, combining a hardware hack with a lengthy software hack to finally root the device. The jailbreak came months after Google TV and the Logitech Revue device hit the market. Apple TV, on the other hand, was jailbroken just days after release.
Still, the jailbreak was a bit complicated for the average consumer. Now, a new tool called Seas0nPass has stepped in to make jailbreaking your 2G Apple TV as simple as installing an app on your computer.
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According to Lifehacker, the Seas0nPass does two things – create a jailbroken “restore” point or boot your jailbroken device. Seas0nPass is a “tethered” jailbreak, which means that whenever you reboot your device, you need to plug it in to your computer. It’s not like you’re carrying your Apple TV all around town, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Lifehacker describes the steps:
Just like any other iOS device, you put it into DFU mode (in the case of the Apple TV, this is done by holding the MENU and PLAY/PAUSE buttons down for seven seconds) and restore the device and restore using the created IPSW. What’s especially nice about Seas0nPass, however, is that it will pretty much automate most of this process for you. It’ll even download the latest IPSW it needs to patch so you don’t have to find it yourself or worry about grabbing the wrong version.
Once you’ve successfully completed the jailbreak, you just need boot tethered and you’re done! So what can you do with a jailbroken Apple TV? You can install Plex and incomplete-but-functional versions of Last.fm and a web browser called Couch Surfer.
As PCWorld noted when the Apple TV was first jailbroken, “the real delight will come in the weeks and months ahead, as hackers and developers start figuring out what to do with Apple’s liberated set-top box.” We discussed a similar idea the other day when we looked at the Google TV jailbreak, noting that innovation occurs with developers. Making a jailbreak simpler means it will become more mainstream. What do you expect to see available on your Apple TV? And if you’ve jailbroken already, what are your favorite apps?
For full instructions, downloads and caveats, check out this page.
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