Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Hackers Finally Unlock iPhone 3G

Posted by Soulskill on 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."

2 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I do not understand... by Mononoke · · 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 knutkracker · · 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."