iPhoneSIMFree had released the much awaited software-only unlocking hack on Monday. The four exclusive resellers were in turn selling each unlock license for anywhere between $50 to $100. However their days of racking in the moola seems to have been limited; as the iPhone hacking geniuses have released iUnlock, the first free open source iPhone SIM unlocking application which has been achieved after getting a clue from iPhoneSIMFree’s unlocking solution.
As soon as the iPhoneSIMFree hack was available, the iPhone hacking community got hold of the license to get a clue on how the hack worked; they noticed that iPhoneSIMFree folks had achieved SIM freedom by figuring out that it was possible to write / flash to the baseband of the iPhone i.e. the chip that controls the main voice and system functions of the phone. The iPhone Dev team had resorted to other hacking techniques to unlock the iPhone like the hardware hack as they had thought writing to the baseband was not possible.
That clue was enough for the iPhone hacking geniuses to work out their own way of unlocking the iPhone. As they have now released iUnlock, the first free open source iPhone SIM unlocking application. HaRRo of the iPhone Dev Team has been credited to be the first hacker to publish the free unlocking solution.
We also had folks at Engadget confirming that the hack works though they have observed that depending on the activation method YouTube might not work after the unlock. The other great news is its fully restore-resistant. However, though there are tutorials available currently the iPhone hack is not for the faint hearted, below are some useful links from Macrumors in case you want to give it a shot (remember there are no guarantees and you will be doing it at your own risk):
iUnlock (Application and Essential Unlock Files)
http://rapidshare.com/files/55049908/iunlock.zip.html (This includes one more file "lockdownd" which is required via the tutorial at http://iphone.unlock.no)
http://rs208.rapidshare.com/files/55…ains-Files.rar (Includes files needed for unlocking and the iUnlock)
http://ericlewis91.googlepages.com/i…ains-Files.rar (Identical to above, mirrored)
http://www.pianojoe.de/iunlock-Contains-Files.rar
Official unlock guide – Click here
Unofficial unlock guide – Click here
The iPhone Dev team is currently working on a GUI based application to make the entire SIM unlocking process that much more easier. If you think their work is worth it, you can send them money via this PayPal address: [email protected] (it’s googlemail.com, not gmail.com) or get more details from this donations link.
Update: You might also be interested in reading this story False Hacker Poses as iPhone Dev Team Unlock Author, Tries to Grab $41,560 Donation. I have made a correction in the post based on this story and to emphasize it again: the iUnlock application is the sole work of the original iPhone Dev Team. Thanks Gizmodo for doing the research.
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