Everything you wanted to know about unlocking the iPhone
This past week there were numerous reports of folks hacking the iPhone and successfully unlocking it for use on other providers like Tmobile. Once the first news story broke, there have been so much news and information on unlocking the iPhone that it became a bit hard to digest it all.
We're gonna give you the rundown... right here.. info after the break!
We're gonna give you the rundown... right here.. info after the break!
The Scoop:
George Hotz hack - Not for the faint of heart. Involves hacking the hardware... yes that means taking the phone apart and soldering it!
The details:
One report showcased a 17-year-old hacker, George Hotz, who successfully unlocked the iPhone the old fashioned way: hacking the hardware. Hotz was the talk of the internet when he showed off via his blog that his hack did indeed work and that he could use the phone on T-mobile. He was covered in Newsweek and other heavy hitter media outlets too. So what does a 17-year-old do with a hacked iPhone? Sell it on eBay of course! Hotz apparently attempted to auction off the unlocked jewel but instead, ended up trading it for a Nissan 350Z and 8 iPhones. Hotz leaves for college this week.
You can simply follow the 10 warranty voiding, iPhone bricking steps in George Hotz blog if you're desperate to get your iPhone unlocked. Just remember that doing any of this will void... yeah okay.... we'll stop. Get yer soldering iron out and try it!!! Radio Shack has the thinnest wire in the three-spool pack : 30-gauge Kynar insulated wire.
The Scoop:
iPhoneSimFree claims they have a software solution to unlock the iPhone for use on T-mobile, the only other provider that can use the iPhone on it's network in the US. But... you can't get it.
The Details:
On August 24, 2007, Engadget broke the exclusive news that iPhoneSimFree.com team had indeed unlocked the iPhone with their software hack:
"Again: we can confirm with 100% certainty that iPhoneSIMfree.com's software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users outside of the US."
While no one else in this world has seen this unlocking software besides Ryan Block's Engadget, they do have a lot of photos of the iPhone running on T-Mobile's network. The iPhoneSimFree folks claim this hack is restore and upgrade resistant, but who knows! Apple could release an update and send them back to the drawing board. Engadget did do a full restore using iPhone Software restore (1.0.2) and the iPhone successfully put the foreign sim card back in and it worked for them.
It's easier to tell you what doesn't work on T-mobile's network so here we go: Visual Voicemail (duh), YouTube (you need to manually activate it using this guide)
The hack should go on sale this week and they also welcomed the press verify their claims for free. We've already signed up for this.
The Scoop:
John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland said 450,000 users already had signed up at iphoneunlocking.com, which the company set up soon after the iPhone was released. This is a software based hack.
The Details:
McLaughlin was supposed to have posted the hack for sale this past Saturday. He planned to charge US$25 and $50 for the software. Users who were already signed up would have received a 25-50% discount. Unfortunately it was widely reported that he received some "friendly advice" from an AT&T lawyer who phoned in the middle of the night:
"The man informed McLaughlin that if he posted the unlock code, he could be sued for copyright infringement and for dissemination of Apple's intellectual property (IP)." (via PCWorld)
So no telling when this software unlocking software is gonna come out or if it even will. McLaughlin says that litigation with AT&T could sink his company so the planned release is on hold until he can figure out the next move.
So does it work? McLaughlin claims he is using the iPhone on Vodaphone and T-Mobile UK networks successfully. Visual Voicemail does not work as this is tied to AT&T's network.
Is it illegal to unlock the iPhone?
No.. but maybe. Read this pretty good summary via Engadget on the legality of unlocking your iPhone.
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This but the latest - and welcome - unlocking of information and technologies in the digital age. AT&T etc should take heed: the way to best make money - and friends - in this age is to be inclusive not exclusive. iPhone and Intellectual Property Want to Be Free