iPhone unlocking is a little more cash-intensive now that Apple and AT&T are all contract-happy with the 3G, but it looks like would-be unlockers will have a little more time to save up those pennies -- the erstwhile hackers on the iPhone Dev Team say that while a forthcoming version of the sadly-named
Pwnage tool will activate and jailbreak the iPhone 3G, unlocking is taking a little longer than expected, and they don't want to release the code until it's exactly right. The tool still unlocks first-gen iPhones running 2.0 and allows jailbreak apps to co-exist with the App Store, so if you're desperate to unlock right away, we'd say a first-gen unit is your best bet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rudiger @ Jul 17th 2008 3:41PM
I like these guys. They care about quality, and I'm sure the Pwnage tool will be a nice lil' iPhone unlocking application.
Gonna be traveling soon, so I can't wait!
--Rudiger
Brent @ Jul 17th 2008 4:09PM
not a good idea...
i just called rogers and the representative said that rogers is tracking the imei number on all iphones sold, so this better come with an imei changer like ziphone...its needed this time around.
Dranon @ Jul 17th 2008 4:29PM
Can someone help me. I want to get the iphone. I will use ATT. I doNOT need cellular internet just wi-fi so I dont want to pay for it. Help me to understand. An UNLOCKED phone just alows you to useanother carrier rather than ATT correct? 2. Jailbreaking then does exactly what?
Angelo @ Jul 17th 2008 5:37PM
Yes, an unlocked phone allows you to use another carrier that's not ATT. Jailbreaking allows you to install third party apps outside of what is available on itunes. Among these kind of applications are things not yet available through the app store such as MMS and a Video Recorder.
Angelo @ Jul 17th 2008 5:41PM
Brent, all carriers track IMEIs, but they don't do anything about it unless the phone is reported stolen. If an iphone imei pops up on another carrier's network, there's not really anything they can do unless the IMEI was reported as stolen. Unless of course there's a clause in the user agreement that forbids the end user from selling a phone they legally own and paid for.
Dranon @ Jul 17th 2008 9:23PM
Can someone help me. I want to get the iphone. I will use ATT. I do NOT need cellular internet just wi-fi so I dont want to pay for it. Help me to understand. An UNLOCKED phone just alows you to use another carrier rather than ATT correct? 2. Jailbreaking then does exactly what?
Dranon @ Jul 17th 2008 9:55PM
Thanks Angelo So I can buy one thats locked and not jailbroken and just put my sim in it (fromATT) and NOT have to pay the monthly internet charges? I do not need 3G internet just wi-fi. Or does ATT somehow know and just start charging me?
retro77 @ Jul 18th 2008 6:38PM
Just get an iPod touch, it has the wi-fi on it. Then get a VoIP client on it.
Angelo @ Jul 18th 2008 1:21PM
Dranon,
I wouldn't recommend buying the iphone if you don't have data plan just because it's such a data intensive device. If you have constant wi-fi no matter where you go, I can see how the no data plan could be a mimimal problem, but you would have to be conscious of turning off any data services (push e-mail, exchange server, IM, maps, mobileMe, etc.) every time you left the range of a hot spot, otherwise the phone would automatically switch to 3g and you would wind up getting charged per kb. So if you do manage to score a non-contract iphone (right now, you can't buy one at either apple or at&t without signing up for a two year contract with a mandatory data plan) and just pop in your sim card, be wary of your wi-fi coverage.
That being said, if you are on AT&T and you put in a sim card from a different AT&T phone, I'm honestly not really sure whether or not you'd have to re-activate the phone in itunes or if it would just work as any other AT&T phone. I can tell you when I bought it, it came pre-installed with a SIM card and the minute the transaction went through, the AT&T sim card in my other phone deactivated and I was phone-less until I got home and activated the iphone on itunes. But I guess to answer your basic question, if just swapping in an AT&T sim card into an activated iphone works like any other AT&T phone, then no, you don't need a phone that's unlocked or jailbroken.
Hope that was clear. I'm a little scatterbrained right now. Take care.
wirelessjunkie @ Jul 18th 2008 9:00PM
I wonder if the 3G iphone can be downgraded to 1.1.4 like the 2G iphones? 1st Gen iphones that were upgraded to 2.0 firmware can be downgraded to 1.1.4 to be unlocked. Could the same thing be done to the 3G? Anyone? Anyone?