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Free the iPhone from AT&T
Acererak was one of several readers who noted that DVD Jon has released information on unbricking an iPhone. You sacrifice all cel phone functionality of course, but you have an iPDA that will work on your WiFi. Currently the hack is windows only but it doesn't look very complicated.
Why would you pay that much money for a PDA, when you can get other devies whose only purpose it to be a PDA for less?
This is Slashdot! Give me the latest gadget, bug, or OS project! This ain't english class so don't confuse the two!
Why is it assumed that phone functionality must be sacrificed? Why can't another SIM be used?
So "unbricking" the iPhone means losing cell phone ability. What kind of unbricking this is?
How about a guide how to free my PC from Internet security vulnerabilities. By blowing up my modem with a hand grenade.
Exemptions are allowed for 1) the educational library of a university's media studies department, in order to watch film clips in class; 2) using computer software that requires the original disks or hardware in order to run; 3) dongle-protected computer programs, if the the dongle no longer functions and a replacement cannot be found; 4) protected e-books, in order to use screen-reader software; 5) cell phone firmware that ties a phone to a specific wireless network; and 6) DRM software included on audio CDs, but only when such software creates security vulnerabilities on personal computers. You are allowed to unlock your cell phone no matter what Apple or AT&T think about it. They can't sue DVD Jon for breaking their bullshit attempts to control hardware that they have sold. The purchaser can do what they want with their own phone.
Whole article is at: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061124-828
I am much more looking forward to unlocking the iPhone so you can use it with any GSM card - including those up here in the great white north.
1. Buy the phone 2. activate it through Apple 3. Cancel the plan within 2 days
Like anyone can even know that
He earned his name long ago. He has no need to 'justify' himself to anyone, and he certainly doesn't owe us anything. He can do whatever he damned well pleases, and you should be thankful for anything that happens to help you, instead of disrespecting him for the stuff that doesn't.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
I'm interested in a hack that allows tunring my nano into a phone. Let me know when this happens...
You can't use it for anything at all without activating it... ...without this hack.
Who's taking a loss? Apparently the mark-up on the 8 GB version is 55%.
He earned his name long ago. He has no need to 'justify' himself to anyone, and he certainly doesn't owe us anything. He can do whatever he damned well pleases, and you should be thankful for anything that happens to help you, instead of disrespecting him for the stuff that doesn't.
Showing your gratitude means you're weak. You gotta hate things. Hate Windows, hate Oracle, hate IBM, hate Intel, hate RIAA, hate Exxon. Hate the government, hate DVD Jon. Hate some guy who made a million by selling pixels on his home page and so on.
It's a survival technique. Now, of course, I kinda like Linux. I contributed a brightness adjustment to the "paste" icon in the KDE file manager, so by extension this puts me in the same group with the guys who created the Linux kernel.
But I'm not gonna tell you I like Linux. I'll just instead tell you you're an idiot for not using Linux, otherwise it means I'm weak.
I'll take one!
We came,we saw, we kicked it's ass!
would a voip webapp be feasible? then the iphone would be pretty cool even whitout gsm functionality
"Words of wisdom: drop that zero and get with the hero" -- Vanilla Ice
In order to justify his name he should do Blue Ray and HD DVD stuff.
Totally agreed. And he better do it quick, I'm on the phone talking with the head of the Name Giving Commission, and they're seriously considering taking his name back.
However, what to do with the 2 year contract you signed at the time you bought it???
You don't sign a contract at the time you buy it. Have you been ignoring all of the previous iPhone discussions?
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
Because HD formats aren't worth anyone's attention.
Yes, taking from the evil technology innovators and giving to the impoverished geeks who can't survive without the latest gizmo delivered on their terms. Robin Hood my ass!
Cancel within 4 days and you get the activation fee refunded; and since you are within 30 days there is no early termination fee.
Essentially you are buying a very expensive iPod/WiFi web browser.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
There doesn't appear to be anything windows-only about this hack. The Phone Activation Server is written on .NET. If this is anything like DVD Jon's other .NET programs, it will have no problem running under Mono in Linux. The only other part to the hack is to redirect a hostname to 127.0.0.1, which is also easily done in Linux.
;)
I'd be happy to verify this theory if someone wants to send me an iPhone
Freedom is the freedom to say that 2 + 2 = 4
It involves an elastic band, a free cell phone from the carrier of your choice (look around. They all have at least one model that's free) and your nano..
I never spellcheck and I freely admit it. Save your karma for more worthwhile "lol erorrs" replies
My hope is that the iPhone would bring into the limelight how restrictive all mobile phone service providers are. They do nothing but restrict progress and rip off the consumer. I think they're responsible for why phones in the US market lag behind the rest of the world in terms of technology. If US consumers had access to what's available elsewhere I think people would generally be less impressed by the iPhone.
To me the activities the US carriers engage in is just as bad if not worse than DRM. It's a big problem and unfortunately I don't see many people calling attention to it.
Sprint and Verizon each use phones specifically tailored for their service. Unlocked phones that'll work with both are a rarity and never quite work well. For it to be unlocked it'd have to be GSM, which leaves AT&T and T-Mobile. Features on the phone that Apple wanted to implement were carrier dependent (visual voicemail, etc)
Also the main reason: I'm a T-Mobile dealer that also sells unlocked phones. Both AT&T and T-Mobile want absolutely nothing to do with you if you're using an unlocked phone. They will literally get you off the line ASAP if they hear you're not using one of their branded phones... Plus typically some features are only locked to carrier locked/branded phones. This doesn't quite translate well to the "Mac experience" being "It just works, and if it doesn't we'll take care of it for you" So for them to offer the "experience" that makes Apple products unique.... they'd have to pair up with a carrier.
Viva La Revolucion! Buy a Mac!
Should be pretty obvious why they have the network lock: visual voicemail. Visual voicemail is a major change to the carrier's voicemail system, to get a network to agree to make the change Apple has to agree to the lock-in.
For me, the visual voicemail is the big win for the iPhone, the ability to have random access to voicemail is great. The other features are pretty, but visual voicemail is what makes me drool.
Sig is on vacation
I'd like to use the iphone as an ipod and a phone and save $20 /month on the data plan. (save $480 and not give up that much) Any hacks for that?
500,000 units sold in one day. That's one of the many reasons Verizon wishes they hadn't.
Visual voicemail is cool but, it hardly justifies such an odius 5 year AT&T lock-in. I'd would gladly give up visual voicemail for an iPhone that could be used with any provider. Think about that. Apple can't sell an iPhone that works with any other provider FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. That's an eternity in the tech industry and in 5 years, you better believe that all other major phone manufacturers will have easily surpassed the iPhone in terms of elegance and ease of use. Apple isn't going to sit on their thumbs for the next five years but they showed other phone manufacturers how to make a simple elegant device. They gave away the store with this AT&T deal.
Will it get me the iPoon?
Wouldn't it be a lot simpler to just use 999-99-9999 as the SS# when signing up for AT&T, which allows you to buy a prepaid phone plan? Then you pay $30, get access to the iPhone, have no AT&T contract, and can even use it to make phone calls if the mood ever strikes you. You also don't miss out on the software updates and new features Apple has already said are coming, and someday when someone offer unlocking for $50 you can get that done as well.
Recursive: Adj. See Recursive.
Maybe someone with an iPhone can see if this works.
I can confirm that it worked with an earlier AT&T-only phone on the pre-Cingular version of AT&T Wireless (circa 2002 version).
The phone is the Siemens S46. The unlock technique is simple.
Find somewhere without a cell signal. In my case, this is a corner of my basement, as long as the phone is in an old coffee can.
Turn off the phone.
Remove the AT&T SIM card.
Replace with a different SIM card.
Turn the phone back on.
Confirm you have no signal.
Dial 911.
Because the phone, by law, MUST make 911 calls, even without a SIM, the phone will eventually unlock and seek other GSM signals. With this phone, the Siemens S46, you can then stop the outgoing 911 call, attach the T-Mo signal, and you're in.
There you go.