“A teenager in New Jersey has broken the lock that ties Apple’s iPhone to AT&T’s wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones,” The Associated Press reports.
“The New Jersey teen collaborated online with four other people to develop the unlocking process,” AP reports.
“George Hotz, 17, confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile’s network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from San Antonio-based AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone’s cellular technology,” AP reports.
“The hack, which Hotz posted Thursday to his blog, is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software. It takes about two hours to perform,” AP reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Ryan” for the heads up.]
‘ It takes about two hours to perform,’ and voids the warrantee.
You can count me out for any thing that involves soldering.
No thanks!
But I’m impressed a 17 y/o was part of this – especially since he’s from NJ.
I hope he has a good pair of Nike running shoes to get away from Apple legal.
Does it provide visual voicemail? So you spend two hours of your time, minimum, to cripple your iPhone and void your warranty, so you can get poor service, at least where I live. Wow, sounds like a very worthwhile project to me. I’m impressed.
MW: effort – not worth the effort
Hell yeah! Whats next? they will be hacking hearing aids to be able to hear conversations from miles away even overseas too and the iPhone Update 1.0.2 will make it even snappier!
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It has to be a matter of time before Apple actually does this for real.
They’re loosing customers (i.e…money)
@ M@c,
You build a great platform slowly and steadily, that way problems can be addressed before they are widespread. Imagine the Hell there would have been to pay if Apple had released the iPhone through all carriers at once and all 2 million new users tried to activate their phones all at once.
> It has to be a matter of time before Apple actually does this for real.
No, because they signed a multi-year agreement with AT&T. Looks like that is the strategy worldwide, one market – one carrier. And Apple can dictate the terms of those agreements. Apple is not “loosing” any money.
Soldering. You must be joking. How many iPhones did these people kill to figure this out.
How about synching with iTunes ? If you can’t synch your iphone with itunes, all of this effort is not worth it. I’m sure Apple must be validating iphone during synch process.
Digital Mercenary says it’s not worth the effort.
Two hours of your time to mod the thing so it will work on a carrier that you may have access to (ATT doesn’t exists everywhere you know) and Digital Mercenary says it would just not be worth all that horrific effort!
His time must be awfully damned valuable. So much so that he has plenty of it to spend reading MDN but just could not devote two hours to making an iPhone work where it otherwise could not.
It seems a bit silly that people are so obsessed with the freedom to use the iPhone on any network they want when that freedom gives them two choices (AT&T and T-Mobile), voids the warranty (at least when soldering for sure), and disables at least one major feature (visual voice mail).
Now, if there were four or five different national GSM carriers, then one may have a reason to want the ability to take the iPhone to the carrier of choice.
It just seems like an excessive amount of effort is going in to unlocking the iPhone for just two choices…
MW=seven – Seven minutes is too long to spend on unlocking phones…
Ahh yes, almost everybody is handy with a soldering iron.
And when you need to get it fixed by Apple, sorry not only no warranty but they will flat out reject it as tampered with. Go buy a new phone.
Visual v-mail- nope.
Better coverage- That’s depends on where you are.
Better data price- I believe AT&T beats T Moble. Someone verify that.
T Mobile support- Nope, not our phone.
AT&T support- Nope, no record of your number.
What is the point?
Kids at play…
Will they ever learn…
Sounds like a lot of manpower and time wasted…
…especially <strike>since</strike> as he’s from NJ.
…They’re lo<strike>o</strike>sing customers (i.e.[,] money)….
…It <strike>has to be</strike> is only a matter of time before Apple actually….
…Hell yeah! Whats next? <strike>t</strike>They will be hacking hearing aids to be able to… <– oh, what a mess!
…ATT doesn’t exist<strike>s</strike> everywhere you know….
…If you can’t synch your iphone with itunes, all of this effort <strike>is</strike> would not be worth it.
Tha’t enough for today.
You go, girl.
Naah…one last one:
Kids at play… Will they ever learn… Sounds like a lot of manpower and time wasted…
Er… kidpower?
We are living in the age of entitlement. Truly sad.
I love it! Now, put on the flame-resistant suit before the hordes who don’t know your from you’re begin their attacks.
MDN Word: days, as in, I remember the days when schools taught spelling and grammar.
“Loosing” is a term I often see on boards where Brits are present. They also spell “whinghing” as opposed to whining. Annoying as heck, but that’s how they do things over there.
Dang it! I hate it when my keyboard doubles a keystroke. Especially in a grammar post.
I cannot believe what I’ve been reading from all of you people today.
What happened to the spirit you Americans used to have? The ‘lets take it apart & try something else with it” attitude…
It seems like all of you who are ‘bashing’ (for lack of a better word) these guys are acting like a bunch of old grannies. ‘Don’t touch the phone. It is not SUPPOSED to be adjusted’.
If these guys want to spend their own or daddy’s money, lett hem bloody well do it. And let’s hope that they figure something out that is useful in the future to more people.
People. Chill da f*#ck out.
It is Friday. Crack open one of those mini Heineken kegs and toast who ever you wish.
BTW, I think I luv you guys.
Now he can call his 5 favs
Who the F cares
With 2 hours and some soldering I can cram the guts of my Verizon RAZR in side an iPhone and use it on Verizon
@Idiot
“Whinging” (pronounced “win-jing” is a UK alternate term for whining. It’s not mis-spelt
“Loosing” however is just bad spelling..mainly by retards
It’s not a matter of entitlement, it’s a matter of people having options. Call me liberal, but I think the consumer should always win. And said consumer wins when there are choices. Love Apple though I may, choices aren’t on the menu for the iPhone–AT&T is prescribed.
I disagree with anything that is “exclusive” minus the Mac OS being exclusive to Macintosh Computers. Exclusivity means the consumer loses and business wins. And, being a consumer, I think I’d rather win over business.
-John