Hackers Finally Unlock iPhone 3G

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Hackers Finally Unlock iPhone 3G

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday January 3, 2009 @01:18AM from the information-and-iphones-want-to-be-free dept.

nandemoari quotes a story at Infopackets: "2009 has gotten off to a great start for a team of iPhone enthusiasts with little regard for Apple's licensing requirements. They've finally figured out a way to get the phone to work with any cell phone carrier (and not just AT&T). The iPhone Dev Team is best known for their work on 'jailbreaking;' the technique of altering an iPhone so that you can run any applications on it, not just those approved by Apple. Given the company's questionable vetting policy for entry to the official App store, it's not surprising many users approve of jailbreaking."

186 comments

Finally by slugtastic · 2009-01-03 01:19 · Score: 4, Interesting

I can use Opera Mini on my iPhone.
1. Re:Finally by zobier · 2009-01-03 01:23 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  I'm hoping we can get Android fully running (including supporting all hardware devices) on it.
  
  --
  Me lost me cookie at the disco.
2. Re:Finally by Hal_Porter · 2009-01-03 01:31 · Score: 0
  
  There's an irony that if Apple had selected a secure browser like Opera in the first place it would have been harder to jailbreak the device.
  
  --
  echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
3. Re:Finally by sunnytzu · 2009-01-03 01:35 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Well, Android has been made able to support all the features of the iPhone (or so it seems), just need some crafty driver developers now.
4. Re:Finally by schmidt349 · 2009-01-03 01:47 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Um, you should probably watch the iPhone Dev Team's recent presentation at CCC if you want to sound like you have any idea what you're talking about. This wasn't some simple privilege escalation coming out of a buffer overflow in the web browser. Apple signs the shit out of every binary on the phone. The kernel won't execute a binary in userland unless it's signed; the firmware loader won't execute the kernel unless it's signed; the low-level bootloader won't execute the firmware loader unless it's signed.
  The iPhone 3G is a paragon of embedded device security, at least by way of making sure unapproved code doesn't run on the device, and it's a testament to just how amazing the iPhone Dev Team guys are that they actually found a way to (a) defeat the whole chain of trust in the iPhone firmware in order to jailbreak it. This by the way doesn't even take into account their real genius, the hack into the baseband firmware for the S-Gold radio device, which executes code in its own universe, completely separate from the S5L application processor.
  In short, this hack wasn't some bunch of script kiddies having a sleepover and cracking the copy protection on Arkanoid 2 for the C64. This was a brilliant circumvention of some of the tightest security ever found on a PDA or mobile phone. So please don't disrespect the people who made it possible.
5. Re:Finally by xmpcray · 2009-01-03 02:14 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  And to add to this, they explicitly say they don't want any donations.
  
  We've seen some comments about you lovely people wanting to donate money to us. We'd just like to say that we DO NOT accept donations. There is no paypal account associated to us, there is no way to donate to us, we do this as a hobby and don't want to be paid and we fund all of this ourselves and it works out just fine.
  Anyone who says "donate to DevTeam" in our name is lying, so don't send them anything, you'll just fund their crack habit.
  Keep your dough for the lovely shiny Apple products, we think you'll need it.
  If you do want to send us something, please send a scan of a postcard from your city, handwrite a nice message scan it and sent it over to blog@iphone-dev.com
  http://blog.iphone-dev.org/post/41744653/donations-to-dev-null
  
  --
  
  --
  I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer.
6. Re:Finally by PopeRatzo · 2009-01-03 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  The iPhone 3G is a paragon of embedded device security
  Sadly, no.
  (as they say)
  
  --
  You are welcome on my lawn.
7. Re:Finally by drei22 · 2009-01-03 03:07 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't that what he basically stated and you so arrogantly rehashed? "In short, this hack wasn't some bunch of script kiddies having a sleepover and cracking the copy protection on Arkanoid 2 for the C64. This was a brilliant circumvention of some of the tightest security ever found on a PDA or mobile phone. So please don't disrespect the people who made it possible."
8. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:26 · Score: 0
  
  Funny.
9. Re:Finally by Hurricane78 · 2009-01-03 04:05 · Score: 1
  
  And yet, what have they got. A free (as in freely usable) iPhone. But still an iPhone. Who the fuck seriously wants that piece of shit (old but funny)?
  
  --
  Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
10. Re:Finally by moxley · 2009-01-03 04:34 · Score: 1
  
  Good post.
  Hopefully the sophistication of this community and the hopelessness of DRM will further encourage those who make decisions about DRM to abandon this sinking ship. Anyone with a brain knows that all DRM can eventually be circumvented, and that there is no such thing as perfect security - thus, it makes much more sense to come up with a cooperative model that works with the community of users. I am not saying that anything goes, but what I am saying is that if Apple were to embrace the enthusiast community to enable them to use the device in the ways they want to to enable increased functionality and compatibility with the caveat that the community polices itself so that cetain things that both sides can agree would be harmful to Apple and the community, or would threaten the continued cooperation of the community and the corporation wouldn't be tolerated.
  I look at the community of live recording traders online that use bittorrent to distribute live recordings through membership based trackers as an example of how communities can thrive all while respecting the business model of the artists and labels - and how well those communities police themselves...There are rules, like that you canot uplaod or trade anything that is officially released; it's all not-for-profit....If any user tries to circument the rules they're dealt with quickly by the community...
  Now certainly it's more complicated when dealing with the Apple store and different carriers and business agreements, etc - and it's not something that could happen overnight, but I think the general principle of working with your commmunity of enthusiasts instead of fighting againsst them and what they are doing would work out much better for both sides than the current state of affairs.
11. Re:Finally by rvw · 2009-01-03 05:46 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  Done.
  That's the first coatse I've seen. Nice dough. Never knew cakes could have ass.
12. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 06:01 · Score: 0
  
  And to add to this, they explicitly say they don't want any donations.
  
  We've seen some comments about you lovely people wanting to donate money to us. We'd just like to say that we DO NOT accept donations. There is no paypal account associated to us, there is no way to donate to us, we do this as a hobby and don't want to be paid and we fund all of this ourselves and it works out just fine.
  Anyone who says "donate to DevTeam" in our name is lying, so don't send them anything, you'll just fund their crack habit.
  Keep your dough for the lovely shiny Apple products, we think you'll need it.
  If you do want to send us something, please send a scan of a postcard from your city, handwrite a nice message scan it and sent it over to blog@iphone-dev.com
  http://blog.iphone-dev.org/post/41744653/donations-to-dev-null
  Please ignore this non-financially motivated faction... I will accept all your cash donations and use them towards this project.
13. Re:Finally by Hal_Porter · 2009-01-03 06:06 · Score: 2
  
  Running Opera Mini requires jailbreaking the phone, i.e. finding a buffer overflow. The original jailbreak exploit was in Safari. My point was that if they'd have used Opera in the start there was less chance of finding something like this.
  This exploit SIM unlocks the iPhone which requires cracking the radio, which is something else entirely.
  Actually the best thing to have done would have be to allow people to run whatever browser they wamt but SIM lock the radio for subsidised phones but leave it unlocked for non subsidised ones. That takes away most of the reasons to crack the device.
  Releasing a device which is SIM locked and locked for applications only on approved operators means that there will be enormous pressure to find cracks for both the user mode and the radio, both of which have now been cracked. This is bad for Apple and the operators because it means people can buy a phone subsidised by AT&T, unlock it and use it on another operator. AT&T loses around $200 in subsidy each time this happens.
  These people made the same point about consoles -
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxjpmc8ZIxM
  The XBOX360 was locked against both piracy and alternate OSs. The PS3 allowed Linux but was locked against piracy. The end result was that hackers cracked the XBOX360 but not the PS3.
  In a sense most mobile phone manufacturers follow their appeasementish advice - they sell SIM locked phones which are subsidised for $x-$200 and non SIM locked phones which not subsidised for $x where $x is the market price. Increasingly open OS phones (Symbian, Windows Mobile) allow users to install their own applications.
  I once had a client which made mobile phone chipsets and they took security very seriously, that's where I got the $200 figure from. Obviously it's a ballpark figure and is somewhat out of date, I suspect looking at prices that most SIM locked phones now are much less subsidised than this. Mind you it shows you how pissed off AT&T would be if SIM locks are broken. No one cares about jailbroken phones of course, apart from maybe Apple.
  
  --
  echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
14. Re:Finally by DECS · 2009-01-03 06:09 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Except for a multitouch screen. And Android doesn't support Bluetooth any better than Apple's nearly worthless level of support.
  What exactly do you even have in mind when you say "all the features"? Because the features of the iPhone that are novel are not supported in Android, and those that are nothing special. What sets the iPhone apart is mainly its user interface, its software store, its smart integration into iTunes/iPod stuff. Android offers none of those things. It give users a DIY-UI, a software "store" without security, merchandising, or sales, and no PC connectivity.
  Google's Android Platform Faces Five Tough Obstacles
15. Re:Finally by sunnytzu · 2009-01-03 06:18 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Apologies, I had misread regarding Android's capabilities for multitouch. And when I said features, I was of course talking about the hardware.
16. Re:Finally by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 06:49 · Score: 0
  
  Um, you should probably watch the iPhone Dev Team's recent presentation at CCC
  The iPhone 3G is a paragon of embedded device security, at least by way of making sure unapproved code doesn't run on the device, and it's a testament to just how amazing the iPhone Dev Team guys are that they actually found a way to (a) defeat the whole chain of trust in the iPhone firmware in order to jailbreak it.
  Wheres the (b)?
17. Re:Finally by Guy+Harris · 2009-01-03 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  I can use Opera Mini on my iPhone.
  Unlocking an iPhone has nothing to do with that. To quote the introduction to the article:
  
  They've finally figured out a way to get the phone to work with any cell phone carrier (and not just AT&T). The iPhone Dev Team is best known for their work on 'jailbreaking;' the technique of altering an iPhone so that you can run any applications on it, not just those approved by Apple.
  "Finally, I can use Opera Mini on my iPhone" would be a response to jailbreaking an iPhone, not to unlocking one.
18. Re:Finally by JuniorJack · 2009-01-03 09:22 · Score: 1
  
  "The iPhone 3G is a paragon of embedded device security"
  Hmm, you care to share with us how many embedded devices security you have evaluated ?
  "In short, this hack wasn't some bunch of script kiddies having a sleepover and cracking the copy protection on Arkanoid 2 for the C64."
  It is exactly this and the crack sucks big time, just check user forums how the solution performs.
  "some of the tightest security ever found on a PDA or mobile phone."
  Again such a big claim. It is visible you have never done and embedded hacking in your life.
19. Re:Finally by xjerky · 2009-01-03 09:39 · Score: 1
  
  Um, huh? Since when is there a version of Opera Mini for the iPhone?
  
  --
  A sentence you'll never see on an Internet discussion board: "You know what? You're right."
20. Re:Finally by atraintocry · 2009-01-03 14:09 · Score: 1
  
  This is bad for Apple and the operators because it means people can buy a phone subsidised by AT&T, unlock it and use it on another operator. AT&T loses around $200 in subsidy each time this happens.
  The original iPhone was unlocked in (I think) early 2008. They must have learned their lesson with the 3G because you couldn't get one of those without activating it in-store. But now it's the same as the original and you can activate it at home. I'm guessing that it was annoying customers because now the activation for the 3G is the same as the original (at home, with iTunes).
  This was all following techniques using SIM-cloning devices, however. Those will always be around.
21. Re:Finally by gustar · 2009-01-03 14:24 · Score: 2
  
  i can ride my bike with no handle bars...
22. Re:Finally by aliquis · 2009-01-03 17:43 · Score: 1
  
  ... I can keep on ignoring the iPhone and wait until I can get an Android phone internationally such as the Kogan one.
  Sure Android don't look nearly as polished but atleast if offers potential, can be hacked and tweaked with less issues and will likely offer me a better phone than the one I bought two years from now..
  Apple seem to do decent user interface guidelines but that's kind of it. I could have said applications but most of them is so very limited I won't.
23. Re:Finally by aliquis · 2009-01-03 17:44 · Score: 1
  
  Why on earth would you buy an iPhone to run Android on it?
  (I'm not saying "use OS X it's much better", I wonder why one would consider Apple hardware if Android is the choice. It's like buying a Macbook for Windows or a Mac Pro for Linux (Yeah I know plenty of reta... err.. casual users do that.))
24. Re:Finally by aliquis · 2009-01-03 17:54 · Score: 1
  
  Actually I like all the "lacks" of Android except the user interface part, but I'm sure it will improve, it's the first version damnit ..
25. Re:Finally by pdclarry · 2009-01-04 03:46 · Score: 1
  
  The killer for me is that Android doesn't support ActiveSync.
26. Re:Finally by skaag · 2009-01-04 08:57 · Score: 1
  
  And about that Bluetooth thing, watch for BlueSn0w which have only just recently released a demonstration of a working hack. This is going to open many exciting capabilities to iPhone users, such as Stereo Audio, sending contacts via BT, and many others.
  
  --
  All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... time... to... die...
27. Re:Finally by GooberToo · 2009-01-05 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  I also forget to mention the G1 has 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis magnetic sensor. The iPhone only has a 2-axis accelerometer. AFAIK, the iPhone does not have a magnetic sensor; please correct me as needed. Likewise, the G1 has stereo bluetooth. It is softwares support which is lacking. In the near future, the G1 will have full software support for bluetooth as well as allow users to take full advantage of its stereo capabilities.
  As of now, the G1 does have superior hardware compared to the iPhone and iPhone 3G. Unfortunately, everyone is simply waiting to take full advantage of it.
28. Re:Finally by GooberToo · 2009-01-05 02:48 · Score: 1
  
  Except for a multitouch screen.
  The G1's hardware supports multitouch. It is very likely the next OS update will enable multitouch. The G1's hardware is superior to the iPhone in every measure. iPhone's battery life is superior but that is likely to improve in the near future. Of course, the fact that Android applications can actually run in the background, which is impossible for 3rd party apps on the iPhone doesn't help battery life on Android either.
  To summarize The pros and the cons of the platforms:
  iPhone Pros:
  o Currently has superior battery life (1)
  o At least two major generations of optimizations and improvements for the platform
  o Interface is slightly smoother and more responsive (1)
  o SDK supports C and Obj-C
  o Low latency, native interface
  iPhone Cons:
  o No 3rd party apps can run in background (1). This greatly limits application capabilities but greatly enhances battery life.
  o Apple has the final word on allowed applications.
  o SDK is primarily in Obj-C
  o Limited hardware scope and future
  o Targeting new hardware architecture requires recompilation and shop does not have support - would be confusing to purchase
  Android Pros:
  o Can be developed on all major platforms (win/linux/osx)
  o Google's Android platform developers are accessible and friendly.
  o 3rd party applications can run in the background; continuously or periodically - Drastically enhancing application capabilities
  o Native application development is not officially supported. C++ development is painful; using the provided compiler, exceptions and templates are not possible and static linking is required making for huge binaries and no reuse. Dynamic linking is possible with C.
  o Google has some minor restrictions of types of allowed applications - which are actually carrier restrictions.
  o Versatile application approach is architecturally independent because of reliance on DEX+VM
  o GoogleMap support is built into platform - making many complex, location based applications easy to develop
  o While not technically Android, currently the G1 has superior hardware capabilities including stereo bluetooth, 3-axis accelerometer (versus 2-axis), and a 3-d magnetic sensor.
  Android Cons:
  o Relatively high latency interface because of DEX-VM implementation. Optimizations coming.
  o API is immature but stabilizing - some inconsistencies exist
  o Platform is immature but stabilizing - Additional optimizations for both performance and battery life are coming
  o The only officially support language is Java
  o Officially, only Java -> DEX development is supported.
  o DEX-VM has significant performance and memory implications. Optimizations coming.
  o DEX-VM requires multi-language development (Java + C/C++; with C best fit) for performance critical code
  o In some corner cases platform have odd notion of security requirements and associated limitations - which limits some corner case applications and/or application capability
  (1) The lack of applications running in the background conserves battery but limits both functionality and scope of application capability.
  Long story short, Android looks to have an excellent future in front of it. Each platform has its own advantages. Right now, Android is available on superior hardware platforms (G1 vs iPhone 3G); sadly, software limitations prevent leveraging its full capabilities.
29. Re:Finally by ncc74656 · 2009-01-07 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  I can use Opera Mini on my iPhone.
  
  You say that like it'd be a Good Thing. Having tried using Opera Mini on my Treo, I have just one question: Why would you want to do that? AFAICT, it didn't really do anything better than Blazer; given that that's not a particularly high hurdle to jump, that makes it somewhat of a disappointment. If Opera couldn't even beat Blazer, what makes you think it'd outdo Safari on the iPhone?
  
  --
  20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
Yes! by XPeter · 2009-01-03 01:35 · Score: 5, Funny

I can't wait to put Windows Mobile on my 3G!

--
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein
1. Re:Yes! by iammani · 2009-01-03 02:52 · Score: 1, Redundant
  
  Atleast RTFS, the story is that now you can use other GSM carriers on your iphone.
2. Re:Yes! by initialE · 2009-01-03 03:05 · Score: 1
  
  At the very least, a wine environment.
  What?
  
  --
  Starbucks, Harbuckle of Breath.
3. Re:Yes! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:55 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  looks like that one went WAY over your head
4. Re:Yes! by rvw · 2009-01-03 05:54 · Score: 1
  
  At the very least, a wine environment.
  What?
  No wine! Beer please!
5. Re:Yes! by HartDev · 2009-01-03 06:39 · Score: 1
  
  I wanna put ubuntu on it!
  
  --
  To see a few of my Android apps goto: www.hartwired.com
Is it worth it? by rolfwind · 2009-01-03 01:39 · Score: 4, Interesting

I've been thinking about one, but:
a)How do you get around activation at purchase time?
b)Does Apple break this later on, especially when I need it?
I could buy a legally unlocked iPhone from Hong Kong, but it costs $700+. In the unlocked countries, Apple prices it through the roof, I suppose. Although there has been talk about a prepaid version here for some time...
1. Re:Is it worth it? by frdmfghtr · 2009-01-03 02:29 · Score: 1
  
  How do you get around activation at purchase time?
  That's an easy one...you buy it used on eBay, Craigslist, etc.
  
  --
  Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
2. Re:Is it worth it? by Richard_at_work · 2009-01-03 03:29 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  The UK has prepaid versions on sale currently - 8GB for ~ Â£350GBP/$510USD, and 16GB for ~ Â£390GBP/$570USD. Free 3G internet access on O2 for the first year with the purchase of the handset, and you buy voice minutes and sms credit.
3. Re:Is it worth it? by v1 · 2009-01-03 05:12 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  I can't imagine the odds of someone selling their new iphone 3g while still under contract. Wouldn't the odds of such a thing for sale being hot be incredibly high? Those things have serial numbers (SSIDs) that they will need to activate the phone wherever so if you do get a hot iphone you probably won't have it for long.
  
  --
  I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
4. Re:Is it worth it? by Helios1182 · 2009-01-03 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  So they cancel their account, pay the termination fee, and keep the phone. At this point they can sell the phone for a profit if they want.
5. Re:Is it worth it? by rolfwind · 2009-01-03 05:37 · Score: 1
  
  Sounds like a very good deal. One question: is the prepaid locked to O2 somehow? The only prepaids I'm used to are the cheap ones like tracfone, which are locked to the carrier for life (but they're $10 phones to begin with).
6. Re:Is it worth it? by v1 · 2009-01-03 05:53 · Score: 1
  
  But the "early termination fee" is going to be ugly. Add that to the cost of the phone to begin with, and either it won't sell cheap, or if it does, it's hot.
  
  --
  I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
7. Re:Is it worth it? by fermion · 2009-01-03 07:55 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  Alternatively, one could just buy another phone. As continuously mentioned, the iPhone is just a phone that can run some apps. Not the best phone, not the best interface. If one want to play music, the iTouch is smaller with more memory.
  If one wants to be an app junkie, by something that runs the Android. That way one cdan not only run any app available, but can write personal custom apps. This has never been the case with Apple, so is a non issue. When the iPhone came out is had no apps. When apps were available, Apple said they were going to vet them, and anyone with a brain knew that they were going to be unfair.
  If one wants to be an OSS advocate, buy an open moko. By buying an iPhone one is not hurting apple, or promoting OSS. They never sell anything at a loss, and they get to put the sales figures, not activation figures, in their annual report stating how much people love the phone, so why should they change? Moko is available now for $399. For that price, one can do whatever one wishes, even to write one's own phone software. Standing up for one's values is not free, it cost a buck o' five.
  There is a theoretical importance to this work which I respect, and I am glad it goes on. It advances the art and keeps Apple on it toes. OTOH, complaining that the phone is locked and that the apps are controlled is just juvenile. It is not like, for instance, the new display port on macs that prevent legally acquired content from being displayed on normal display devices. This was a specific reduction in rights that was not initially disclosed to the consumer.
  In any case, I feel like most of the people who complain are just like those posers that carry fake Prada or LV bags. People who think that conformity is the ultimate in life, but aren't quite sure why.
  
  --
  "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
8. Re:Is it worth it? by Richard_at_work · 2009-01-03 08:59 · Score: 1
  
  When it comes to the iPhone, I have no idea - every previous phone I used on O2 was unlocked, even when it was purchased as part of a contract, but the iPhone is locked to O2 even on contract. Your guess is as good as mine, and my guess is that its locked :)
9. Re:Is it worth it? by plantman-the-womb-st · 2009-01-03 11:31 · Score: 1
  
  Is it worth it? No, not in my opinion. The iPhone lacks the single most useful feature of any mobile phone, a built in LED flashlight. I still use seven year old phone because it has this. I use it way more than anything else.
  
  What to do when it finally breaks... ...hack a luxeon LED into my skype phone maybe...
  
  --
  Say bad words about my book, in cold oatmeal, or I shall sue!
10. Re:Is it worth it? by tlhIngan · 2009-01-03 15:56 · Score: 0
  
  a)How do you get around activation at purchase time?
  b)Does Apple break this later on, especially when I need it?
  a) You jailbreak it. Activation has always been "an issue" since the original iPhone, and the jailbreaks all offer the ability to pre-activate the phone in the firmware. This pre-activation also fixes up lockdownd in whatever means necessary to ensure it doesn't go into "brick" mode.
  b) Yes, Apple with break it. So, if you're going to need it, don't update the iPhone software. Just because iTunes pops up that friendly dialog saying there's a new update available, doesn't mean you have to click "Download and Install". YOu can just click "Download", or even "Cancel". You may wish to check the box marked "Don't remind me again" so iTunes won't keep popping up the alert (until the next update).
  iPhone firmware updates are optional to install. People with an itch to run the latest and greatest shouldn't jailbreak because it takes time from when Apple releases an update to when there's a jailbreak, and from that update to when the unlock is published. I ran with iPhone software 1.1.2 on my iPhone until very recently - and iPhone 2.x software was available for about half a year.
11. Re:Is it worth it? by frdmfghtr · 2009-01-03 15:57 · Score: 1
  
  It generally will not sell cheap, as the auctions on eBay show. Buyers will pay a premium to get an iPhone sans contract to unlock and use on the carrier of choice. Also, the early termination fee only applies if you cancel service entirely. I just canceled my data plan and went back to my RAZR, no termination fee required since I kept the voice service. Now I also had my service for four months so that may have been a factor.
  
  --
  Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
12. Re:Is it worth it? by cheros · 2009-01-04 10:16 · Score: 1
  
  Unless you want to combine an iPod with a not terribly useful phone you're wasting your time (and money). The iPhone is not multitasking so app switching (which always needs to go via the "home" screen) means unloading one app and loading another making it dog slow. I use a Sony Ericsson P1i and after 3 weeks of iPhone I use the Sony again as it's much faster for what I need it for - the iPhone is now only a form of non-RIM crackberry (mine's from work). The whole UI is far overrated, it doesn't even have cut & paste unless you install a 3rd party app, auto correct sucks in languages other than English (especially if you live in a multi-lingual area) and cannot be corrected - the list is long.
  In summary, it depends on your needs but I can't recommend it. If you already have an iPod Touch, I would not bother.
  (Just my personal opinion, of course, YMMV etc etc).
  
  --
  Insert .sig here. Send no money now. Owner may sue, contents will settle. Batteries not included.
13. Re:Is it worth it? by SeaFox · 2009-01-04 10:49 · Score: 1
  
  Sounds like a very good deal. One question: is the prepaid locked to O2 somehow?
  :facepalm:
  Maybe you need to go back and read the article summary again.
All comments on this story by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 01:44 · Score: 3, Funny

I'll summarize every comment on this story, which will be of two types:
1) OMG APPLE IS TEH EVILZ, SUPAR CLOSED. Information wants to be free!!1 All things apple fail, apple will close all business and lose EVARATHING coz I think they suxxor even though I would never try it!
2) Apple is heaven and they're just doing this for your own protection, it saves you and gives a you a better phone experience! Now suck on Stevies cock like a good little bitch.
1. Re:All comments on this story by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 02:01 · Score: 0
  
  -1 Narrow minded
I do not understand... by Extremus · 2009-01-03 01:47 · Score: 0, Troll

... why people NEED to have an iPhone. There are alternatives in the market.

Please, somebody tell me why anyone should buy an iPhone.
1. Re:I do not understand... by Mononoke · 2009-01-03 01:54 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Please, somebody tell me why anyone should buy an iPhone.
  Because it meets their requirements, and the manufacturer support and aftermarket accessory selection is second to none.
  
  --
  NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
2. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 01:54 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Because the iPhone happens to be an alternative to the iPhone alternatives.
3. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 01:57 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  ... why people NEED to have an iPhone. There are alternatives in the market.
  Few people NEED to have an iPhone. Many people WANT to have an iPhone. I won't buy an iPhone due to the operator locking-thingie/price, so I'd be happy to hear about the alternatives.
  
  Please, somebody tell me why anyone should buy an iPhone.
  It is a nice device. It reportedly works very well.
  What the nerd community most often fail to realize is that all features aren't equal. A well implemented and well integrated feature in a convenient interface is worth way more than the same feature implemented crappy, or accessed through a annoying interface.
4. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 02:11 · Score: 0, Insightful
  
  My iphone is great. Why shouldn't I have it, you troll?
  The other knockoffs are patheticly ugly, clunky, and don't do half the things my iphone does in the way that it does them. Yes it matters. The seamless integration between the Phone OS, the standard apps, the 3rd party apps, my mac, iphoto, itunes, ical, mobile me.
  For you to have asked this question, you clearly haven't used it for more that a minute if at all.
  I don't give a frack about steve jobs, I just like the product.
  I already had ATT so wtf do i care about jail breaking. i also have netshare. :D
  This phone is fracking awesome. Frack all you haters.
5. Re:I do not understand... by MtViewGuy · 2009-01-03 02:11 · Score: 1
  
  I cite two reasons why people are buying iPhones:
  1) Built-in full iPod functionality, so you can play music and videos processed through [i]iTunes[/i].
  2) The App Store has allowed for a lot of very interesting third-party applications that you don't see on other "smart phones."
  My major gripe is that typing messages on an iPhone still leaves much to be desired, which keeps the iPhone from being a serious competitor to a Blackberry or Plam Treo phones. They really need to either a) integrates a real keyboard like the LG Voyager or b) integrates a haptic response touchscreen like the LG Incite including the ability to type in landscape display mode. Once Apple does either they will literally clean up the smart phone market among business users.
6. Re:I do not understand... by WhatAmIDoingHere · 2009-01-03 02:11 · Score: 1
  
  I always remembered to grab my iPod when I headed out the door. I almost always forgot my cellphone. When the iPhone was announced I knew that it was a solution to my problem. I haven't left the house once without my iPhone.
  
  And there are some people, believe it or not, who actually like buying music and video through the iTMS.
  
  --
  Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
7. Re:I do not understand... by knutkracker · 2009-01-03 02:12 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Because compared to the windows mobile device I had for three years previously, the iPhone's interface and tight integration of functionality feels like having a scented massage from a bikini-clad swedish pin-up girl.
  
  Pretty much *everything* I wanted to be able to do previously is now possible in an elegant way, and I'm serendipitously finding that loads of oh-so-simple intuitive shortcuts have been quietly added and left to be discovered.
  
  I won't bore you with details, but there is a good comparison to be made with open source - you sometimes need the BDFL to bring out the best in a project, simply to avoid the endless conflicts and design by committee which can lead to a product which does everything poorly, rather than doing a small number of things in a superbly polished way.
  
  I have only bought an iPhone in the last three months, having held back since their launch on the grounds that slack-jawed fanboi drivel was not something to take seriously, but I've had to grudgingly admit that Apple have got something very right. Perhaps best summed up with Oliver Wendell Holmes' famous quote (take note, usability engineers!):
  
  "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity."
8. Re:I do not understand... by MtViewGuy · 2009-01-03 02:15 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Except it's still not the smart phone of choice for business users, due to its poor ability to type out messages. Apple needs to learn from two LG smart phones, the Voyager with its flip-open keyboard or the Incite with its haptic-response touchscreen; a third-generation iPhone with a haptic-response touchscreen (including the ability to type out messages when displaying in landscape mode) would make the iPhone a VERY serious competitor against the Blackberry or Palm Treo series of smart phones.
9. Re:I do not understand... by Starayo · 2009-01-03 02:16 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I don't strictly NEED an iPhone, but what I wanted was a good interface for web browsing on a phone and plan I could afford - and until the iPhone, mobile internet here in Australia was pretty damn poor. It still is, but no more do I have to pay $15 for 5MB of data.
  
  Oh sure, there are things like the HTC touch (with windows mobile... yerk) or blackberries, but I can't get any of them for anywhere near the same price because the iPhone was subsidised by Apple. I'm a poor student, I can't afford to spend nearly a thousand dollars on a phone. Plus, my carrier unlocked mine for free.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
10. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 02:17 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  "Because it meets their imagined requirements and is trendy and makes them look cool"
  Fixed it for you
11. Re:I do not understand... by mr100percent · 2009-01-03 02:26 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Haptic response?
  If that's the case, why do critics HATE the Blackberry storm and rumor has it that Verizon is dealing with a ton of returns?
  Just get firemail for iPhone and type your emails in landscape mode
12. Re:I do not understand... by jabithew · 2009-01-03 02:31 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  A good example; you're standing on Oxford Street and feeling hungry. You open maps, get it to pull down your current location. Then type 'Italian' into the search. You look at one of them, e.g. Carluccio's*. From there you can get to their webpage, get directions to it and call them, all with one press of a button. After you eat there, you decide you like the place. Pull out your search results and add it to your contacts. Whenever you want to find it again you can pull it out of your address book.
  It's pretty smooth.
  *This is not an endorsement or otherwise, I've never been to that particular Italian.
  
  --
  All intents and purposes. Not intensive purposes.
13. Re:I do not understand... by frdmfghtr · 2009-01-03 02:33 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  I already had ATT so wtf do i care about jail breaking.
  You're confusing jailbreaking with unlocking.
  Jailbreaking=running third-party apps from sources other than the app store. Lots of people have jailbroken phones that are still SIM locked to AT&T. I used to have one until I sold it on eBay.
  Unlocking=using a wireless carrier other than AT&T.
  
  --
  Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
14. Re:I do not understand... by JaredOfEuropa · 2009-01-03 02:55 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  I cite two reasons why people are buying iPhones
  Those are good reasons, but the most important reason I think is that the user interface just works so damn well. It does for me... I am no Apple fanboy (the only other Apple device I own is an iPod, the rest is all Windows stuff), but I bought one, despite
  - no out-of-the-box todo lists
  - no notepad that is actually useful (and syncs)
  - no cut & paste (a major omission), and poor (if any) communication between apps
  - crippled Bluetooth (only works with headsets, can't use it to hook up a Bluetooth keyboard or other peripherals).
  - locked down OS (can't replace the standard keyboard with a custom one, for instance).
  - rumours of poor battery life and poor reception (I haven't noticed any of these. Tip to increase battery life: turn off location services; the GPS chip is power hungry... like it is on any other cell phone).
  
  So why are people buying despite all this? I don't think having a built-in iPod and some amusing apps make up for this. The following, however, does:
  - Form factor. It's small. And I thank Apple for not putting a damn physical keybord inside, which would make it considerably bulkier.
  - Ease of use. The UI is simple and responsive certainly compared to WME.
  - The multi-touch screen: brilliant not because of the cute "pinch" zoom gesture, but because I can operate it with my fat fingers. Whereas my other smart phones required me to use a fingernail or the stylus, I can operate the iPhone 1-handed using my thumb.
  
  Typing messages is actually pretty good on the iPhone. As you'd expect, typing speed is somewhere between the on-screen keyboard & stylus of WME phones, and phones with a physical keyboard. But that's not what Apple needs to work on to capture the business market. Apple needs to address security by offering a mandatory PIN login that cannot be disabled by the user, and a remote wipe function. Without those two, you can forget about corporations allowing these things to VPN in and access the Exchange server.
  
  --
  If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
15. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:29 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  Please, somebody tell me why anyone should buy an iPhone.
  Because it meets their requirements, and the manufacturer support and aftermarket accessory selection is second to none.
  It also has one of the best UIs on any mobile device. How many other phone makers actually show off their OS in their commercials?
16. Re:I do not understand... by garcia · 2009-01-03 03:31 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It is a nice device. It reportedly works very well.
  It's just like every other device out there... It has its good points and it has its really bad points. What it does really well is viewing webpages as they were meant to be seen and playing music/video. These things are second to none on any device I have used.
  What it doesn't do well are too numerous to list. Do I own one? Yes. Why? Because I ride the bus every day to work and I wanted music/video as well as good web surfing. Unfortunately what it doesn't do is type with ease, which I am used to from the 4 years I used a Sidekick, and run applications in the background. Seriously, that is the hardest thing for me to get used to (what do you mean I don't have IM running all the time?)
  If T-mobile didn't suck so hard and the Sidekick wasn't marketed to douchebags, I'd probably go back to owning one in a heartbeat over the iPhone. But for now, it does most of what I want it to and I'm about 50/50 with the device.
17. Re:I do not understand... by ijakings · 2009-01-03 03:35 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  Luckily there are apps for a jailbroken iphone that build on the functions of the default apps. iRealSMS is a brilliant messaging app for the iphone, of course it will never be avaliable on the appstore as it competes with their rubbish sms app. Its got real inboxes outboxes and sent messages templates drafts landscape typing.
  This is why un-jailbroken iphones arent as good. If an apple official app sucks, well thats just too bad.
18. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:59 · Score: 0
  
  Pretty much *everything* I wanted to be able to do previously is now possible in an elegant way, and I'm serendipitously finding that loads of oh-so-simple intuitive shortcuts have been quietly added and left to be discovered.
  I won't bore you with details...
  Too bad, because some of us might be interested in how (and which) hidden shortcuts could convince you to love your phone.
19. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:59 · Score: 0
  
  But why couldn't I do that with ANY smartphone having the requisite features? (phone, gps, internet)
20. Re:I do not understand... by flerchin · 2009-01-03 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  WM has complete configurability for all sounds. Want it to play an mp3 every time it registers a click? Not a problem. I've set my text alert to be only vibrate, even when the phone has sounds enabled, but it's quite loud with some of the built in alarm sounds. Of course, your mileage may vary due to carrier lockdown. *cough verizon
  
  --
  --why?
21. Re:I do not understand... by toriver · 2009-01-03 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  Because the apps in the iPhone are integrated. On other smartphones - not so much.
22. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 04:49 · Score: 0
  
  The seamless integration between the Phone OS, the standard apps, the 3rd party apps,
  The ease of cutting and pasting information between apps...oh wait...
23. Re:I do not understand... by frdmfghtr · 2009-01-03 04:53 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Apple needs to address security by offering a mandatory PIN login that cannot be disabled by the user, and a remote wipe function. Without those two, you can forget about corporations allowing these things to VPN in and access the Exchange server.
  The remote wipe was added with the 2.0 software. From the Apple website:
  
  IT administrators can securely manage any iPhone that contains confidential company information using remote wipe and enforced security and password policies. These device configuration and remote management capabilities allow IT departments to quickly and seamlessly deploy iPhone throughout their companies.
  This may also answer your concern for mandatory password/PIN protection.
  
  --
  Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
24. Re:I do not understand... by TheRaven64 · 2009-01-03 05:36 · Score: 1
  
  Try doing that with the G1, and you'll also get a Google Streetview view of the area, integrated with the compass so you see in the phone what you should be able to see on the street.
  
  --
  I am TheRaven on Soylent News
25. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 05:39 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  So it is great for avoiding communication with people and works remarkable as brain replacement. Sounds like a device everyone on /. should own.
26. Re:I do not understand... by knutkracker · 2009-01-03 06:03 · Score: 1
  
  http://www.iphonealley.com/tips has a lot of them, but the example given above by jabithew is a good one - a couple of taps and everything is exactly where you need it to be for the next logical task.
  
  Searching on google maps brings up a load of pins with results. Tapping on one shows a screen ready to take you to whichever task you next need e.g. email this location to someone, look at the homepage for the cinema you just found, call them, add the address to your contacts etc.
  
  Other phones will do all this, but not with such effortless simplicity. Which is why I love it.
27. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 06:18 · Score: 0
  
  "and makes them look cool"
  Then you agree, yes?
28. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 06:34 · Score: 0
  
  What the nerd community does understand is that a lot of devices/OSes out there are better designed and executed than their precious Linux. They either can't code or are too lazy to contribute to The Cause so development continues slowly. They acknowledge this by throwing childish hissy fits.
  Linux will eventually catch up to "Now", at which point Apple (and others), will be on to some New Thing. The New Thing might be better or it might be worse but it will probably be popular; that's the mandate of the shareholders.
29. Re:I do not understand... by IamTheRealMike · 2009-01-03 06:40 · Score: 1
  
  Well, you could buy a G1 Dev Phone. That way you get an iPhone like device but you can do a lot of stuff to it - including reflashing the entire OS with a custom build (there is no locking of any kind).
  Is it as good as an iPhone? Eh, no, not really. I have one beside me. On the other hand, is it better than other phones I've used? Yes I think so. I never used a BlackBerry so I can't compare to that, but I've used feature phones and WinMo phones and Symbian phones, and I'm pretty sure that right now the worlds best smartphone OSs are (1) iPhone (2) Android in that order.
  That said, the differences just aren't that big, and the potential is clearly there. If I were Apple I'd be looking at Android as the most likely major competitor for 2009. Right now it's sort of buggy/flaky in some areas, but these problems can be fixed via over the air OS updates. The G1 hardware really isn't as bad as people make out, especially if (like me) you find the iPhone keyboard irritating. I ran a typing race with my iPhone owning brother and I was faster by about 8-10 seconds on the quick brown fox.
  Basically, although the G1 [Dev] Phone isn't quite competitive with the iPhone today, I'm pretty sure by the end of 2009 there'll be at one handset that gives it a really strong run for its money.
30. Re:I do not understand... by MrCrassic · 2009-01-03 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  Street View and directions with public transportation and walking were added on firmware revision 2.2.
31. Re:I do not understand... by e4g4 · 2009-01-03 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  run applications in the background
  Jailbreak and install backgrounder - it's a nice little app (you can either add a plist containing a list of applications for which you want backgrounding enabled) or just hold down the home button until it alerts you that backgrounding has been enabled. I use it with pandora, siax (a voip app) and im apps. Very handy, and having several background processes running (with the exception of pandora, playing music) has little to no noticeable impact on my battery life.
  
  --
  The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
32. Re:I do not understand... by MtViewGuy · 2009-01-03 08:04 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  You have to remember haptic touch response is still in its infancy and as such the Blackberry Storm and LG Incite may have limitations in terms of usability. But once we understand how to improve haptic touch response, I'd like to see Apple incorporate this technology into the third-generation iPhone, because with reasonably fast typing the iPhone can become a true competitor to the Blackberry and Palm Treo devices so commonly used by business customers.
33. Re:I do not understand... by mdwh2 · 2009-01-03 09:19 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  It also has one of the best UIs on any mobile device.
  Evidence?
  How many other phone makers actually show off their OS in their commercials?
  How many what now? It's a phone. People don't buy phones to "run an OS", they buy them as a tool which they expect to Just Work, and not worry about what "OS" it runs. All sorts of things run operating systems these days, such as cars and set-top boxes. You don't hear the manufacturers telling you what "OS" you can run on them, because people don't buy these products to run an OS.
  Plenty of phone adverts show off the operation of phones in their adverts. They don't dwell on things like "Wow you can access the Internets" on it like Apple do, because for the rest of the phone industry, that's old news.
34. Re:I do not understand... by mdwh2 · 2009-01-03 09:25 · Score: 1
  
  so I'd be happy to hear about the alternatives.
  This is the crux of the problem - that we don't hear about the alternatives, because Slashdot gives so much attention to this one single particular model of phone.
  It is a nice device. It reportedly works very well.
  I should hope it does work, else I'd be taking it back. My several year old £90 phone is nice, and works very well, but I don't see weekly Slashdot stories about it (a Motorola V980).
  What the nerd community most often fail to realize is that all features aren't equal. A well implemented and well integrated feature in a convenient interface is worth way more than the same feature implemented crappy, or accessed through a annoying interface.
  What the nerd community most often fail to realize is that phones have been doing these things well for years, long before Apple entered the market. What the nerd community most often fail to realize is that most people just want to get on and use a phone, and not have to wait until one with an Apple sticker comes along.
35. Re:I do not understand... by garcia · 2009-01-03 10:24 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I've been there and done that to no avail:
  1. Jailbreaking causes applications on my iPhone to randomly stop working. Once one goes south, eventually all the applications on the phone do -- one at a time. The only option is to continuously reinstall the applications that stopped working -- except when it gets to something like your contacts or phone. Then you're more or less fucked. Removing the jailbreak stopped this.
  2. I tried the backgrounder and while you had no noticeable impact, I surely did. Not only in battery life but in processor life. Applications that were backgrounded were grinding the phone to an absolute halt and we're only talking about stuff like Pandora and AIM. I was spending more time killing the backgrounded applications or restarting the phone entirely than I was using it. Not such a great solution.
36. Re:I do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 11:35 · Score: 0
  
  Er, Google Maps on Windows Mobile works pretty much exactly like you describe.
37. Re:I do not understand... by WiiVault · 2009-01-03 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  The apps, nobody has as good a selection of useful apps as the iPhone. WinMo has been out for years, and has a selection that simply pales in comparison to Apple's 6 months on the scene.
38. Re:I do not understand... by atraintocry · 2009-01-03 14:13 · Score: 1
  
  understand how to improve haptic touch response
  buttons?
  (ducks)
39. Re:I do not understand... by digitalchinky · 2009-01-03 15:30 · Score: 1
  
  (Not a pissing contest I promise) I've been doing this (and more) on my N95 with Garmin mobile XT for as long as the phone has been on the market, though it takes several button presses, as does the iPhone. Your 'one press of a button' line is in error.
  The key difference though is that I can also use google maps, route 66, tomtom, and a myriad of other mapping applications that are entirely lacking on the iPhone, which just sucks really. Like you say, teh smooth is good, but there are more feature complete systems out in the world that already do this.
40. Re:I do not understand... by mdwh2 · 2009-01-04 02:46 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  How many what now? It's a phone. People don't buy phones to "run an OS", they buy them as a tool which they expect to Just Work, and not worry about what "OS" it runs. All sorts of things run operating systems these days, such as cars and set-top boxes. You don't hear the manufacturers telling you what "OS" you can run on them, because people don't buy these products to run an OS.
  Plenty of phone adverts show off the operation of phones in their adverts. They don't dwell on things like "Wow you can access the Internets" on it like Apple do, because for the rest of the phone industry, that's old news.
  I wish mods on the Apple stories would learn what trolling means - hint, it's not having an opinion that doesn't praise Apple all the time.
  I'm still waiting for that evidence - that people would rather mod down rather than supply it makes me think it doesn't exist.
41. Re:I do not understand... by mdwh2 · 2009-01-04 23:37 · Score: 1
  
  I'll ask one more time: where is the evidence for "It also has one of the best UIs on any mobile device."
  That any questioning is modded down rather than answered suggest this evidence clearly doesn't exist.
  (Hint to abusive mods - discussing the Iphone on an Iphone article is not off-topic.)
42. Re:I do not understand... by MtViewGuy · 2009-01-06 07:12 · Score: 1
  
  Don't laugh. Apple may conclude that haptic touch response touchscreens have too many issues and could go to a true keyboard anyway, probably a slide-out unit.
  The only market Apple hasn't conquered for smart phones is the business market, and once the iPhone gets a decent keyboard entry system they will clean up against the Blackberry and Palm Treo crowd.
43. Re:I do not understand... by atraintocry · 2009-01-06 17:27 · Score: 1
  
  Prior to the Storm coming out, I wouldn't have agreed with that. There's just too much that RIM got right. Push email out of the box, w/o having to buy MobileMe (which was terrible for a long time). Also, like you say, the keyboard. It's prohibitively difficult to use the iPhone one-handed for typing. The predictive typing is terrible, IMO, only gets in the way. Whereas the Blackberry's "just works". The enterprise support is more granular than Apple's, and even desktop syncing is more malleable.
  I love my iPhone (esp. after jailbreaking) but seeing people in the office trying to switch has taught me why people call them Crackberries. The Pearl struck a great balance between phone and PDA.
  I've only used the Storm a little bit but my quick impression was that it's the worst of both worlds...no keyboard, plus the numerous and verbose contextual menus that come standard with the BB. I doubt that the larger screen improved the situation with third-party apps being compatible with some BBs and not others.
Baseband number by Anonymous+Cowled · 2009-01-03 02:04 · Score: 1

I haven't been following the iPhone Dev Team that closely, as I am on an official carrier - but I do know that in the upcoming months they were recommending heavily against upgrading to the 2.2 firmware because i would affect future unlocking potential. Nice new year present for all those who "accidentally" upgraded!
Rather than linking to some random blog... by oPless · 2009-01-03 02:06 · Score: 5, Informative

Why not link to http://blog.iphone-dev.org/ themselves ?
Oh wait ... this is /.
My Bad.
1. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by freedumb2000 · 2009-01-03 02:28 · Score: 1
  
  And why is /. always a few days behind any other news source? Being a /. editor must be a posh job.
2. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by pm_rat_poison · 2009-01-03 02:40 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  You must be new here...
  We NEVER link to the most appropriate site for the story, that's what digg is for.
3. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 04:15 · Score: 0
  
  And why is /. always a few days behind any other news source?
  It's an aggregator. By definition it will always be behind the news.
4. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 07:13 · Score: 0
  
  It's true. Digg always posts the original link for all their "stories" (where stories = lolcats)
5. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by msormune · 2009-01-03 07:40 · Score: 1
  
  Because the site will be completely Slashdotted by a Slashflash mob, now that you linked to it?
6. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by oPless · 2009-01-04 08:02 · Score: 1
  
  Whippersnapper!
  Get off my lawn!
  - From the guy with a uint16 uid
7. Re:Rather than linking to some random blog... by oPless · 2009-01-04 22:36 · Score: 1
  
  You must be new here.
  Reading TFA?
  LOL!
This is also an excellent case study by Sycraft-fu · 2009-01-03 02:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

In why DRM is retarded. As you say, this is some of the tightest security ever found. Yet, it has been broken by some very smart people. Such is the fate of any DRM that is sufficiently widespread that smart people care to go after it. You can be as clever as you like with your DRM scheme, you are going to find someone as clever as you will likely break it.
Also annoys me since I think some of these technologies are a good idea, if they weren't implemented in an assholish way. Code signing, for example. I really like the idea as a potential security measure for users/administrators. When I download Firefox, the fact that it is signed by Mozilla gives me a pretty high degree of certainty that it is legit, safe code. It's not 100%, of course, someone could break/steal their certificate, or someone inside could sign bad code, or my system could be compromised, but it is a good additional check. Also if anyone trys to break something like that, I'll say they are up to no good.
However when it is implemented in this "You may only run things we bless," well then you are being a jerk. People are going to break it because they want to be able to run their own stuff.
Personally I think Apple should have gone the route of having store with signed code but allowing unsigned code. If you install a signed app from their store, it installs with no question. If it is another app you get a "Warning, this code is unsigned and could be unsafe," box with a button for more info. Ask for more info and it explains that Apple has looked at signed apps and decided they are ok and aren't going to mess up your phone. They haven't looked at unsigned apps so they don't know, and if it messes up your phone they can't really help you.
Yes, that would mean people could have apps that'll mess up your phone... You know just like every other smart phone out there. Doesn't seem to have killed that market, I don't think it'd kill the iPhone.
Fortunately, there are people like this that will break their DRM, so you can use it as you wish.
1. Re:This is also an excellent case study by rsmith-mac · 2009-01-03 03:41 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  As you say, this is some of the tightest security ever found. Yet, it has been broken by some very smart people.
  To be fair, at least for the iPhone itself, the DRM wasn't very good. Apple used the same S5L processor and encryption key set on both the iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G. With the iPhone 2G at launch, everything ran as root and a trivial Safari exploit could be used to remote execute code as root - being able to run that code allowed key retrieval. Since Apple did fix the root security issues with iPhone OS 1.1.3 and later with all applications now running as the very limited user Mobile, but since they did not change the keys for the 3G it was not very hard (in the scale of breaking DRM at least) to crack open the firmware of the iPhone 3G and jailbreak that too. The iPhone's primary hardware should not be considered a strong DRM platform because Apple did not properly implement it before it was broken for good.
  This of course does not apply to the S-Gold radio; that was completely changed between the iPhone 2G and iPhone 3G, and the Dev Team beating that is indeed an amazing hack. Never the less, it took them 5-6 months to break it, which is actually rather remarkable. This was another case where Apple learned its lesson, as the 2G's radio was not properly secured, either.
  Futhermore, if you want to look at an iPhone device properly secured, look at the iPod Touch 2G. Apple did change the keys that time, and so far it has not been possible to break it for 4 months. At a bare minimum, a remote code execution exploit and a local privilege execution exploit must be found in the Touch in order to have a chance at capturing its keys, and that's just to decrypt the firmware. We have no idea what other surprises are on the Touch since no one has made it that far yet.
  I'm not entirely convinced that it's impossible to build an unbreakable device. DRM has been getting better over the years, the Xbox 360 still doesn't have a way to execute unsigned code (without hardware modification), for example.
2. Re:This is also an excellent case study by Ihmhi · 2009-01-03 03:54 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  How well would it reflect on Apple if some of their most popular apps were unsigned ones?
  
  --
  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
3. Re:This is also an excellent case study by molarmass192 · 2009-01-03 04:28 · Score: 2, Interesting
  
  Good post, but it is impossible to build an unbreakable device simply by definition. If code runs on it, it's breakable, even if it means a brute force code signing "attack". It might take 10,000 years to get the correct key to use in signing, but it's possible. What impresses me is how quickly these guys find a way in. I've done some playing around cracking hardware, for educational purposes of course, and it's nowhere near as easy as they make it seem.
  
  --
  
  Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
4. Re:This is also an excellent case study by emlyncorrin · 2009-01-03 05:22 · Score: 1
  
  It may be impossible to make a theoretically unbreakable device, but that doesn't mean it's practically breakable.
  You say yourself that it might take 10,000 years to get the correct key, so if the useful life of the device is say 10 (or even 100) years, it is still practically unbreakable.
  And if you can make a device that takes 10,000 years to bruteforce, you can make one that takes 10,000 universe lifetimes...
5. Re:This is also an excellent case study by jimthehorsegod · 2009-01-03 07:01 · Score: 1
  
  Personally I think Apple should have gone the route of having store with signed code but allowing unsigned code. If you install a signed app from their store, it installs with no question. If it is another app you get a "Warning, this code is unsigned and could be unsafe," box with a button for more info. Ask for more info and it explains that Apple has looked at signed apps and decided they are ok and aren't going to mess up your phone. They haven't looked at unsigned apps so they don't know, and if it messes up your phone they can't really help you.
  Sounds good on paper - but wasn't a massive hit when in the guise of UAC in Vista, was it?
6. Re:This is also an excellent case study by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 07:06 · Score: 0
  
  By the same logic you can probably attack 99% of the uses of the word "impossible" out there. Believe me you sound like a total ass when you do that.
7. Re:This is also an excellent case study by synthesizerpatel · 2009-01-03 07:56 · Score: 1
  
  With technology moving as fast as it is these days, DRM makes complete sense even if you don't see it.
  It's a speed-bump or deterrent to maintain a closed eco-system, it's not a jail, it's not a 100% solution. Everyone knows this, especially the people who implement it.
  The people who jail-break their phone will be the small subset of users who 1) care enough to 2) understand the problems involved 3) willing to deal with the consequences
  Down the road they'll get bricked phones with updates, or no updates, meaning they'll be susceptible to bugs and security flaws that 'normal' users will not. This is part of the strategy.
  People who play with Apple and within the rules will get updates, access to all the stuff users get. etc.
  Apple knows that DRM doesn't stop people, but when software is being updated every couple of months and new technology solutions are coming out _WEEKLY_ in this area, I think any way to slow down the enemies before they reach the gate is welcome.
  It doesn't play into what you want, don't buy it. Go get an android phone. Vote with your dollars.
  Apple uses DRM so that they can appease the music-providers of iTunes and the phone-providers for iPhone. If people paid for everything they got, and there was no piracy -- there wouldn't be DRM. But, people do steal, so, normal people get speed bumps like DRM to deal with.
  DRM isn't a cause, it's a symptom. If you have a better way of dealing with it offer it up.
  And .. unfettered access to my phone via programs? No thanks. I'd rather someone be vetting the software, who wants unchecked cellular-mobile viruses? The reason it hasn't killed other phones is that J2ME is neutered and has all sorts of security blocks that make programs _less_ powerful.
  I'm not attacking you here, just the idea that Apple's doing something dumb by protecting their assets and their market. That's capitalism for better or for worse.
8. Re:This is also an excellent case study by bnenning · 2009-01-03 10:01 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  If people paid for everything they got, and there was no piracy -- there wouldn't be DRM.
  Nope. See DVD region codes, which are used to create market segmentation and remove first sale rights. And DRM would still be used to create lock-in and artificially cripple devices so that you have to pay the provider for functionality that you could normally add yourself.
  I'm not attacking you here, just the idea that Apple's doing something dumb by protecting their assets and their market. That's capitalism for better or for worse.
  DRM backed up by laws like the DMCA is not capitalism; it's a removal of our property rights.
  
  --
  How to solve most of our problems: 1.Lots of nuclear plants. 2.Cure aging.
9. Re:This is also an excellent case study by synthesizerpatel · 2009-01-03 12:29 · Score: 1
  
  Capitalism goes both ways, you don't actually own what you think you do. Just because you buy some music doesn't give you the right to do with it what you please -- contrary to 'fair use' laws, simply because you enter into an agreement with Apple with their EULA.
  But, like I said -- it goes both ways. We're free to not purchase from them. You could live in a shack out in the mountians and never purchase anything, live off the land, etc.
  What we pay for is convenience. It doesn't just cost money, it costs your rights as well.
  DVD region codes are a copy protection mechanism if you misunderstand them -- it's so they can do staggered releases in different geographic areas. Probably also due to the fact that MPEG2 is a licensed codec. If you generate a DVD in a region where the economy is cheap (India) and then shipped it over to the US to sell it without paying for the per-unit costs, then you'd be taking advantage of the lower licensing fees in India and then the lower IP costs allowed to economies that can't hold-up those costs would be forced to pay the same as America, and nobody could afford that.
  It's all about copy protection. I don't agree with all of it myself, but I can definitely understand _why_.
10. Re:This is also an excellent case study by Jackie_Chan_Fan · 2009-01-03 13:30 · Score: 1
  
  "What we pay for is convenience. It doesn't just cost money, it costs your rights as well."
  Giving up rights for convenience... sigh. Thats a road full of landmines.
  One didnt have to give up rights to buy a CD in the same way one has to give up the right to dl a song. Well you say this is a fair trade for convenience, and I'm not sure thats the case.
  Convenience, is having the ability to do whatever you want with the music/movies that you buy. I wouldnt consider DRM a convenience. I just dont see it as "giving up rights for convenience". If anything, DRM makes it very inconvenient because it takes away rights.
11. Re:This is also an excellent case study by atraintocry · 2009-01-03 13:51 · Score: 1
  
  All of what you are saying would make ethical sense in the absence of the DMCA. That is, they sell what they want, we buy what we want. They encrypt the DVD so that it can be region-locked, we acquire hardware and software that either ignores the region coding or strips the CSS.
  That was before the DMCA, however. Now, the situation has changed, because we have laws that make it illegal to break encryption *regardless* of whether or not fair use provisions apply.
  That's the part that I don't understand: how this is ethical.
12. Re:This is also an excellent case study by mrchaotica · 2009-01-03 16:41 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Capitalism goes both ways, you don't actually own what you think you do. Just because you buy some music doesn't give you the right to do with it what you please -- contrary to 'fair use' laws, simply because you enter into an agreement with Apple with their EULA.
  You know, I'm really tired of explaining how this works over and over and over again. So here's the short version:
  You're wrong. Completely. You're either a shill for the music industry, or you're an idiot who drank their kool-aid. They may try to tell you that you don't really own the music you buy, but you do! And nothing you or anyone else could possibly say will change that fact!
  
  DVD region codes are a copy protection mechanism if you misunderstand them -- it's so they can do staggered releases in different geographic areas. Probably also due to the fact that MPEG2 is a licensed codec. If you generate a DVD in a region where the economy is cheap (India) and then shipped it over to the US to sell it without paying for the per-unit costs, then you'd be taking advantage of the lower licensing fees in India and then the lower IP costs allowed to economies that can't hold-up those costs would be forced to pay the same as America, and nobody could afford that.
  Okay, I lied -- I am going to explain it, a little. There's a fundamental problem with that argument that you're ignoring: Property rights are more important than some shmuck's business model! Region coding and every other form of DRM are an infringement on my rights as the owner of the copy. If that undermines their business model, too bad -- they deserved to fail anyway!
  
  --
  "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
13. Re:This is also an excellent case study by nazsco · 2009-01-03 19:03 · Score: 1
  
  You mean, like it is with symbian already?
14. Re:This is also an excellent case study by skaag · 2009-01-04 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  Tell you what, I can understand their motives... people allow unsigned code to run, don't they? I am guessing they understood human nature is susceptible to social engineering, and wanted to avoid it all.
  Too bad for them, human nature is more powerful than DRM, and the Dark Side shall prevail ;-)
  
  --
  All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... time... to... die...
15. Re:This is also an excellent case study by synthesizerpatel · 2009-01-05 08:17 · Score: 1
  
  You're either a shill for the music industry, or you're an idiot who drank their kool-aid. They may try to tell you that you don't really own the music you buy, but you do! And nothing you or anyone else could possibly say will change that fact!
  I'm not a shill, nor am I an 'idiot' drinking koolaid. Intellectual property is a tough subject but when it comes down to it I have two choices:
  1) Support people for the work they produce, in doing so having to agree to the rules they apply to the transaction
  2) Not support them and not get the benefits of their creativity.
  If I purchase/license something from someone, and as part of the sale they have a list of criteria that I must agree to to purchase, if I think their criteria are too ridiculous I'm free not to buy anything from them.
  I don't buy stuff from all sorts of people for this specific reason. But, I do respect the rights of the people I buy from when I make the commitment / agreement with them that I'll honor their wishes.
  The great thing about capitalism is that _anyone_ is free to come along and offer a sweeter deal and usurp whoever is dominant. I support artists, companies, and people who have priorities in support of extending my freedom.
  That's how you make change. Vote for the politicians that think like you and you vote with your dollars when you go shopping.
  I'm not upset at companies who want to limit my freedoms, they're just doing what companies are built to do -- make money. It's not personal. They don't hate me, I don't hate them. I just don't buy anything from them.
16. Re:This is also an excellent case study by mrchaotica · 2009-01-05 10:19 · Score: 1
  
  Intellectual property is a tough subject but when it comes down to it I have two choices:
  1) Support people for the work they produce, in doing so having to agree to the rules they apply to the transaction
  2) Not support them and not get the benefits of their creativity.
  
  No, you only have to agree to the rules that they have the right to impose. Rules that they do not have the right to impose do not have to be agreed with!
  
  If I purchase/license something from someone
  Purchase or license, which is it? You can't write them with a slash like that as if they were the same, because they're very different things (and that's a big part of my point)!
  Essentially, you've already lost the argument because you demonstrated that you don't understand this crucial difference.
  Let me spell it out for you: if you're purchasing the item, then they can't impose extra conditions on the transaction. And if you're licensing the item, then it requires the actual signing of a contract and is conducted differently than a sale (where you simply exchange money for the goods or services, using only the implied contract of the Uniform Commercial Code).
  So, are you talking about a license or a purchase? You can't have it both ways!
  
  --
  "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
17. Re:This is also an excellent case study by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-05 10:37 · Score: 0
  
  In the the grand scheme of things -- who do you thinks wins more:
  Loud angry guy or calm collected guy?
Trusted Computing by Britz · 2009-01-03 02:24 · Score: 4, Interesting

Trusted Computing used to be treated as one of the most evil things here on Slashdot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgFbqSYdNK4
The appstore (where Steve decides what is trustworthy and what is not, to quote the video) sold the "I am rich"-app for cryin' out loud. Among a bunch of other crap. Other apps that are very useful are not given a chance and won't run.
1. Re:Trusted Computing by Dan+East · 2009-01-03 04:07 · Score: 1
  
  The number one seller is iFart, which was raking in over $10,000 per day for a while. It's still #1, so it's obviously continuing to pull in massive amounts of money.
  
  --
  Better known as 318230.
2. Re:Trusted Computing by Corbets · 2009-01-03 04:27 · Score: 1
  
  It also PULLED the I am rich app, sticking to their policy of deciding what's appropriate and what's not. Don't forget to leave out that little detail; you might not like them taking that responsibility/power upon themselves, but they DO do it rather consistently. They're not perfect, clearly, which is why the app made it to the store at all.
3. Re:Trusted Computing by Raenex · 2009-01-03 07:14 · Score: 1
  
  I'm curious what you think about your siblings' iFart comment.
Great Job by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 02:50 · Score: 0

Now feel free to make a start on unlocking the iPod Classic firmware, I'm too dumb.
How about the iPod touch G2??? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 02:54 · Score: 0

any info on unlocking a G2 touch? Just too lazy to sign in t
1. Re:How about the iPod touch G2??? by 0100010001010011 · 2009-01-03 05:01 · Score: 1
  
  Mod Parent Up. I'm debating between a iPod Touch 2G and a Nokia N8X0.
2. Re:How about the iPod touch G2??? by jeffstar · 2009-01-03 05:39 · Score: 1
  
  yeah i want the ipod touch 2g to be jailbroken too so I can add songs without itunes. and I suppose run non app store apps potentially.
3. Re:How about the iPod touch G2??? by theillien2 · 2009-01-03 06:16 · Score: 0
  
  I'm still waiting for my Nokia N810 WiMax. It's been on back order almost since they released it.
  
  I keep looking for iPhone rumors indicating when they'll be available on other carriers. I don't see the point in switching networks just to buy a phone no matter how innovative it is. Likewise with the G1. I have no interest in switching to T-Mobile just for an Android-based phone. Though, I have no interest in switching to T-Mobile period.
  
  --
  If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the assholes are?
4. Re:How about the iPod touch G2??? by garbletext · 2009-01-03 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  Despite living in a WiMax city, I'm holding out for the N900; I just hope it's here sooner than Q3.
5. Re:How about the iPod touch G2??? by theillien2 · 2009-01-03 08:55 · Score: 1
  
  At the rate things are going, I may tell the organization which has purchased it for me to hold out for that instead.
  
  --
  If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the assholes are?
There are 3 type of comments, not 2 by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:00 · Score: 3, Funny

The 3rd type is the comment about other peoples stereotypical comments.
Your sig by schon · 2009-01-03 03:02 · Score: 0, Offtopic

There's no place like 127.0.0.1
There's no place like localhost?
Wouldn't "There's no place like ~/" be better?
1. Re:Your sig by xmpcray · 2009-01-03 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  There's no place like 127.0.0.1
  There's no place like localhost?
  Wouldn't "There's no place like ~/" be better?
  You are right. Anyways, it is time for me to change my sig to another lousy pun :P
  
  --
  
  --
  I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer.
2. Re:Your sig by Paradise+Pete · 2009-01-04 02:23 · Score: 1
  You are right. Anyways, it is time for me to change my sig to another lousy pun :P
  I notice that your new sig is not a pun. I suggest one of the following:
  
  ...and the duck says, "Just put it on my bill."
  "Rectum? It damn near killed him."
  Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
  A one-winged bird is a difference of a pinion.
Everyone is Jumping the gun here... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 03:41 · Score: 0

I followed the steps closely for the Unlock, and have not been able to get it to work. I have 3 SIMs - NTT Docomo, Softbank Mobile and Rogers in Canada (SB and Rogers are valid iPhone contracts as well). The unlock works fine, and the SIMs get recognized, but it seems that the iPhone wants to drop the signal every 1-3 minutes and reconnect. Incoming calls work fine, but data and Outgoing calls do not.

Reading the success (or fail.) reports at report.yellowsn0w.com (awful name isn't it) leads me to believe that I am not the only one with this issue - and people with certain types of SIMs encounter this issue. They just released 0.9.5 - but that unfortunately does not fix my issue yet. Considering that MuscleNerd (the lead dev on yellowsn0w) already recognized the issue in one of the comments and knowing how the dev teams works judging by their track record, they'll probably have a fix in no time :)
1. Re:Everyone is Jumping the gun here... by Kooty-Sentinel · 2009-01-03 03:43 · Score: 1
  
  Argh! I didn't want to post anon :(
  
  --
  Your evaluation period for Productivity 1.0 has ended. Please purchase more coffee to continue using this product.
Old news... by kazuma · 2009-01-03 04:13 · Score: 1

http://zippiweb.blogspot.com/2008/09/iphone-3g-crack.html
This is dated September 2008 :-)
1. Re:Old news... by radish · 2009-01-04 07:31 · Score: 1
  
  It's also a completely different story. Unlock != Jailbreak.
  
  --
  ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
Re:nig6A by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 04:51 · Score: 0

I prime example of what happens when you annoy the OpenBSD community, Nice find. Was that you ?
Any Carrier? by theillien2 · 2009-01-03 04:59 · Score: 1, Interesting

I read the Dev Team blog entry about this and didn't see any mention about which carrier was supported. I assumed it would only work on other carriers which used SIMs (ie T-Mobile). If it will work with non-SIM based carriers this needs to be clarified.

--
If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the assholes are?
1. Re:Any Carrier? by MrCrassic · 2009-01-03 06:53 · Score: 1
  
  GSM phones cannot work without SIM cards. Thus, unlocked iPhone 3G devices will only work with SIM-based carriers (ala T-Mobile and AT&T).
2. Re:Any Carrier? by Shuntros · 2009-01-03 10:05 · Score: 1
  
  As far as I know, the USA is one of only a handful of countries that have carriers using anything other than GSM. Betamax all over again...
DRM might actually work for iPhone by pikine · 2009-01-03 05:16 · Score: 4, Informative

This is also an excellent case study in why DRM is retarded. As you say, this is some of the tightest security ever found. Yet, it has been broken by some very smart people. Such is the fate of any DRM that is sufficiently widespread that smart people care to go after it.
If you watch the video, you'd see the only reason they're able to break it is because the bootrom (initially run by the hardware) is modifiable yet not signature checked. I suppose that's because they want to be able to upgrade the bootrom but signature checking is only implemented in software and not hardware. All the NOR and NAND flash memory and the processor is built inside an integrated chip, so it is possible that future revisions of the chip will also integrate a TPM to verify the signature of bootrom. Let's suppose Apple will do that. You will then have a completely working DRM framework on the iPhone.
TPM doesn't work on PC because you always have access to hardware without TPM, allowing you to run whatever you want and patch the software that requires TPM such as the hackintosh Mac OS X. However, for the iPhone, you can only buy the hardware from Apple that always has TPM on it (or settle for a previous generation iPhone without TPM). The whole point of iPhone craze is that you want to buy iPhone made by Apple, and all the restrictions follow from that, including choice of carrier and applications you can run.

Code signing, for example. I really like the idea as a potential security measure for users/administrators. When I download Firefox, the fact that it is signed by Mozilla gives me a pretty high degree of certainty that it is legit, safe code.
Do you have any means to verify that Firefox certificate is signed by someone you could trust? I could generate a certificate that looks like it's issued by Mozilla, and then sign a tempered copy of Firefox with it. Even if you can verify the mozilla.org certificate, the chain of trust ultimately leads to a root certificate that you must trust. Are you really sure that VeriSign or Thawte or other certificate issuing institutions cannot be compromised? I remember a past Slashdot story about one of the root issuer happily generating certificate for any domain name without verification.

Fortunately, there are people like this that will break their DRM, so you can use it as you wish.
If you have to use Apple's iPhone, your freedom is already automatically compromised, if not now, sooner or later.

--
I once had a signature.
1. Re:DRM might actually work for iPhone by atraintocry · 2009-01-03 13:41 · Score: 1
  
  Certificates don't do away with the fact that eventually you have to trust someone, and no one said that they did.
More details by theillien2 · 2009-01-03 05:42 · Score: 1, Informative

PCWorld.com has a brief write-up detailing methods to ensure the unlock works. Additionally, they link to a chart on the yellowsn0w website which lists "supported" carriers. This answers my previous question/post.

--
If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the assholes are?
A whole /. thread with no Linux users? by feelbad_feelsgood · 2009-01-03 06:15 · Score: 1

My first thought was, "Great! Maybe this will pave the way for somehow getting music onto my phone from Linux!" I am currently trying to get the XP side of my dual-boot machine running again, after 6 months of inactivity since I switched to Ubuntu, just so that I can run iTunes and load some music onto my iPhone!!

I have had luck with Wine for other things, but current itunes has status of "Garbage" at winedev, and even in the comments for the older versions I can find no testimony of successful xfer of music to ipod under wine. Good thing I didn't wipe that XP partition....
Why most people unlock... by Tjp($)pjT · 2009-01-03 06:43 · Score: 2, Insightful

Jailbreak has been around for a while to run non-App Store apps. But a lot of the reasons to run non-App store apps is gone as a lot of originally free pre-Apple iPhone SDK apps are now on the App store as "legitimate" apps. And those that were not were often available anyway. Jailbreak to run non-Apple apps was pretty quick. What "unlock" is all about is to use an alternative carrier. The prior 3G choice was buy an overseas (if you're in the US) unlocked iPhone, a hack SIM overlay card which messes with the registration numbers the network sees for your phone and the ones the phone sees, and which is illegal in most places, or wait for the iPhone Dev Team as most other hackers have fled the scene. Geohot seems to have once more been a quiet hero and provided a key exploit to allow the Dev Team the insertion vector.

So just running unapproved apps is not the reason for the unlock. The reason is so one can take their locked phone and use a different carrier. A great example is so I can use Kyivstar in Ukraine while traveling (or any other GSM/GPRS provider) and not pay thousands of dollars to roam from ATT while in Europe. Instead pay 50-60 USD and buy a local prepaid SIM. BTW. They sell at most airports. So if traveling, research first before you pay 75 dollars to have a 10-15 dollar SIM card kit mailed to you in the US.

And as this is BETA software, be patient while the bugs are worked out. Me especially as a Ukraine user reported Kyivstar was not playing nice yet.

--
- Tjp
I am in wallow with my inner money grubbing capitalistic pig. ... Oink!
yellowsn0w doesn't work with my T-Mobile sim. by f1vlad · 2009-01-03 06:53 · Score: 1

I could not unlock 3G one to work on T-Mobile :( awaiting further releases.

--
o_O
1. Re:yellowsn0w doesn't work with my T-Mobile sim. by f1vlad · 2009-01-03 07:04 · Score: 1
  
  I've also tried this method but same result. Pretty much whether I toggle via Airplane On/off or remove/insert sim card I arrive at a message "Invalid Sim Card".
  
  --
  o_O
There are 4 type of comments, not 3 by iron-kurton · 2009-01-03 07:01 · Score: 1

The 4th type is the comment about people's stereotypes of other comments.

--
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine -- Robert C. Gallagher
Not from what I saw by SuperKendall · 2009-01-03 07:21 · Score: 1

Except it's still not the smart phone of choice for business users
At the last large company I was at, I saw a number of the highest level executives with iPhones.
It's not that much slower than a keyboard to type out a message once you get used to it, and for business communications the predictive text would work optimally.
It's also appealing for some companies to get away from having to send email through a third party server, and serious companies can have their own App Store.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
1. Re:Not from what I saw by MtViewGuy · 2009-01-03 08:07 · Score: 1
  
  The highest level executives may own iPhones, but is that their primary messaging device? Most professionals still use the Blackberry or Palm Treo devices, which have real keyboards.
  That's why I'd like to see the next-generation iPhone either incorporate a flip-open keyboard like the LG Voyager or an improved version of the haptic touch response technology the LG Incite uses. Do that and Apple will effectively take over the business market for smart phones very easily. :-)
Defective by design? by shutdown+-p+now · 2009-01-03 08:32 · Score: 1

So where's that "defective by design" tag - isn't this a story about DRM and its negative effects?
Oh, but this is Apple. Nevermind...
SMS? by dukeofurl01 · 2009-01-03 08:34 · Score: 1

Now that it's broken, can you finally do SMS on it?
1. Re:SMS? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 11:01 · Score: 0
  
  Uh, you could already do SMS on it. Are you talking about MMS?
I agree! by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 08:41 · Score: 0

Why can't people just accept what apple tells them to do. Ultimately it is for their own good.
If they are that good, can they jailbreak Tivo? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 08:58 · Score: 0

I am shocked that nobody had jailbrken Tivo, which is a paperweight without Tivo's monthly extortion payment.

I don't want their service for free - I just want to be able to schedule recordings on my Series 2 just like a VCR. I am very surprised this issue hasn't been discussed on Slashdot more.
1. Re:If they are that good, can they jailbreak Tivo? by cayenne8 · 2009-01-03 10:59 · Score: 1
  
  "I am shocked that nobody had jailbrken Tivo, which is a paperweight without Tivo's monthly extortion payment. "
  Actually..I think the Tivo has been opened for a LONG time...
  Do some reading on this forum, best one out for tivo hack stuff.
  Just googling a bit..found this too: a related article for DRM off the tivo
  
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  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Grumpy Featurism by mdwh2 · 2009-01-03 09:32 · Score: 0, Flamebait

I see moderation on Apple stories is back on form - if anyone else slagged off a product using terms such as "patheticly ugly, clunky" rather than using evidence, and then threw ad-hominems of "troll", they'd be modded down in an instant.
The seamless integration between the Phone OS, the standard apps, the 3rd party apps, my mac, iphoto, itunes, ical, mobile me.
I get so tired of the grumpy "featurism" of Slashdot posters. The Iphone might do everything and more than what my current phone does... on paper. In truth, that doesn't mean that these things work as well, I can't copy and paste when I'm editing, every time I installed a Java program it didn't work, and even though it had a 2 megapixel camera, it doesn't even have a flash, nor could I work out how to record a video with it.
1. Re:Grumpy Featurism by mdwh2 · 2009-01-04 23:40 · Score: 1
  
  A classic - this proves my point:
  I see moderation on Apple stories is back on form - if anyone else slagged off a product using terms such as "patheticly ugly, clunky" rather than using evidence, and then threw ad-hominems of "troll", they'd be modded down in an instant.
  Since arguing pro-Iphone posts with "Grumpy Featurism" is +4 Insightful, but arguing with pro-Motorola V980 posts as "Grumpy Featurism" is apparently Flamebait:
  I get so tired of the grumpy "featurism" of Slashdot posters. The Iphone might do everything and more than what my current phone does... on paper. In truth, that doesn't mean that these things work as well, I can't copy and paste when I'm editing, every time I installed a Java program it didn't work, and even though it had a 2 megapixel camera, it doesn't even have a flash, nor could I work out how to record a video with it.
  "Flamebait" is not "I disagree with this post".
Captain Obvious reporting... by Red_Chaos1 · 2009-01-03 10:31 · Score: 1

They've finally figured out a way to get the phone to work with any cell phone carrier (and not just AT&T).
You don't say?
You do not understand... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 14:57 · Score: 0

There are several apps (a couple are even free) which allow you to type your message in landscape. Just learn the predictive text routine though. Once you get into it, it's pretty cool.
Running more than 1 app at a time? by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 15:21 · Score: 0

>>"all the features"?

How about sending a "picture" through SMS!!

Amazing thought this day and age huh?
Not quite by MacDork · 2009-01-03 15:43 · Score: 1
You forgot:
1. Haha, Apple iz teh SUPAR CLOSED. All ur mac bitchz r sheep!! You will bend over for da Steve Jobz cock!!
2. OMFG, if teh STEVEs iz so stoopid, why iz da iPhonez teh numbar 1?!!?!!oneone
3. iPhonez iz nots numbar teh numbar 1, it haz 0.3% market shares uz lame fscktardz ding dong!!one
4. Yeah, and number 1 iPhone app iz iFart. Mega-lame
5. Duz iFart wurk on unlokked iPhone?
Clearly, your two option portrayal doesn't cover the actual depth of intellectual /. discussion typically found in an iPhone story.
I don't care by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 15:56 · Score: 0

I just spend money on Apple shit until I don't like it anymore. Then I will buy something else. The nice part about working for a living and not jacking off writing blogs all day is that you can spend 300 bucks on a phone and not worry about whether you like it. If you don't take it back or buy a new one. Apple runs a good game. I will pay for it as long as it is the best shit out there. When something bettter comes along, which is not some hacked phone tha tcannot run shit properly, I will but that instead and say adios to Apple.
But "playing Aple's game" or whatever you want to call it is just allowing them to make my life easier. It WORKS. I can bounce my contacts into my comp or vice versa. I can buy any of a billion Apps. All the shit works better than anything on the market. They could ahve charged me 600 for this phone and I wouldn't have blinked. I spend that much on a night out. Who cares. Get a job and stop whining.
1. Re:I don't care by DanJ_UK · 2009-01-07 02:43 · Score: 1
  
  Amen to that. Buying into Apple's 'way of life' has all but eliminated the constant stresses I used to face managing my computing life. As a developer I'm trained in a multitude of platforms, yet with the quality of products I've since switched over to from Apple, there's been no learning curve, everything does as advertised; "It just works."
  
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  - Dan
Hack iPhones by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-03 18:01 · Score: 0

Let's take a minute to remember that man makes technolgy and he hacks technolgy. Seems like encription should have played a major roll in this type of technolgy. Now the Google phone on sale at t-mobile . Today it's hard enough to keep up ok the lastest routers. Heck you'd be surprised how many people use them in their home wireless connection is. Seems to me should be a government regulation with all the identy theft as well as mail crime and so forth which all leads back to tecnology computers and devices that are greatly affected our economy. The federal govermemt is only passing laws yes, but nothing to regulate to the best of the consumer protection act. Heck why can't we the assurance when we purchase. To many purchases to have to cover up unwanted, then to have it fixed only to find out you need more protection.
1. Re:Hack iPhones by DanJ_UK · 2009-01-07 02:38 · Score: 1
  
  Umm, what?
  
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  - Dan
Great, but so what? by Swift2001 · 2009-01-04 08:04 · Score: 1

I love to watch the hackers go as much as anyone. But the main thing about jailbreaking was that it was important in the early days, before the App Store. I would be nice if I didn't have to sign a deal with AT&T, but it would be nicest if all the cell networks were looped together in one big Internet thingie, too. AT&T is a crummy company, but so what? They're all just conspiring to take my money and screw me over.
99% of people will buy an iPhone, take out the deal with AT&T, and load it up on the App Store. Not bad. Once this generation of phone is old stuff, you'll see it working with every carrier but CDMA Verizon, unless they want to subsidize the chip switch and get along with Steve.
And AT&T, or the highest bidder, will have iPhone 3.2, which will work in 3D.
There are 5 type of comments, not 4 by ehintz · 2009-01-04 09:57 · Score: 1

Our FIFTH type of comment... No, AMONGST our types of comments... I'll come in again.

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ehintz
Anonymous Coward by Anonymous Coward · 2009-01-05 18:27 · Score: 0

If You want to unlock ANY iPhone 3G and use it with ANY GSM carrier just buy hardware SIM unlock from http://321iphoneunlocking.com or other... you just put their ultra thin SIM (ITS LIKE PAPER) with your 3rd party SIM and unbelieviably it works.its simple as that people, dont need to "crack" your iphone or anything