DVD Jon whips up a way to activate iPhone without AT&T
Ok, so apparently the phone still doesn't work (we wonder if there isn't some kind of mechanism that binds the iPhone to select AT&T SIMs), so it's not like it's an unlocked device, but at least you can now use it as "the best iPod [Apple's] ever made." We've yet to confirm the method though -- anyone want to give it a shot? Let us know in comments.
[Thanks, Justin and Gordon]
Filed under: Cellphones
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
six2one @ Jul 4th 2007 12:36AM
haha, yes! i dont have one yet, and i still wont probably...but it looks like the single biggest flaw with the phone (at&t) is being fixed by the hacking community. this is from someone who has a curve with att
Frankenstein Black @ Jul 4th 2007 3:05AM
LMAO ;^)... Again, Bring it BITCHES!!!
Chris McDannold @ Jul 4th 2007 12:40AM
I have withheld from commenting until now, but enough with the iPhone shit. Has anyone really taken a look at what Apple takes control of when you install their software? jobs is a megalomaniac, and no seems to see it but those who are not drinking thew Kool-Aid. Great, the iPhone is God's gift to cell phones. Can we move on to real tech news now?
Jonhimslf @ Jul 4th 2007 1:12AM
What's this iPhone you keep talking about?
Colin @ Jul 4th 2007 1:23AM
You probably should've spoken up earlier, because everyone's just as sick of hearing from iPhone haters as they are hearing from iPhone fanbois.
"...what Apple takes control of when you install their software?" Cite your sources, please. As someone who has to use OS X, *nix and Windows, and a former BeOS and Amiga user, I guess I kind of expect some reason behind your ranting.
bb @ Jul 4th 2007 3:11AM
i'm with colin: what is the freaking problem with you people? worried you're missing out on important USB appliance coverage, like this?
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/21/usb-mini-fridge-keeps-the-dorks-cool/
Cameron @ Jul 4th 2007 7:32AM
It's a free tech gadget site. Delete the bookmark, get one of the several suggested scripts/filters/whatever that gets rid of the iPhone coverage, don't come here for a month whatever, but stop your whining about what Engadget decides to cover.
yoinkers @ Jul 4th 2007 4:59PM
I for one am totally interested in the iPhone news. Why is it so hard for you to just get the iPhone free RSS feed? For christ's sake they've bent over backwards for the haters on this blog...
f14tomdog2 @ Jul 5th 2007 4:08PM
To bb, that is one cool fridge, dont knock on the fridge. I would much rather hear about stuff like that than hear 1,000,001 things about the iPhone.
Pez @ Jul 4th 2007 12:46AM
And a simple software update later... and you have a brick again.
guns @ Jul 4th 2007 2:04AM
You know, I was wondering about this. Would the recent US Copyright Office decision to excuse the circumvention of software locks on phones prevent Apple from stopping hacks like this?
Or does the law just apply to protection from legal action?
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/23/copyright-office-rules-that-consumers-can-legally-unlock-cellpho/
http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html
carlos @ Jul 4th 2007 12:53AM
Spell check is your friend.
simplyjas @ Jul 4th 2007 1:03AM
Hey atleast it's a start. I have a feeling, iPhone will be the most hacked gadget ever, even more then the PSP. I am glad to say that statement :)
Cam @ Jul 4th 2007 4:14AM
Check that; the second most hacked product next to Windows.
mike @ Jul 4th 2007 1:14AM
maybe, with some more effort, they could get it to activate with other carriers? ...just thinking....
Pierre @ Jul 4th 2007 2:08AM
To work properly those carriers will need to install Apple's software - this phone does way more than the standard phone / text stuff and the carrier needs to support that.
Martin @ Jul 4th 2007 1:52AM
Don't think out loud too much people will see how much of an idiot you are.
mike @ Jul 4th 2007 2:01AM
oh, thanks for the advice, imaginative and smart martin
Martin @ Jul 4th 2007 2:26AM
Make a stupid comment, get a stupid response.
Martin @ Jul 4th 2007 2:20AM
Don't feel bad though Mike, Pierre wasn't that much better
Martin @ Jul 4th 2007 2:24AM
For some reason my last comment didn't post. But it said
"Post a stupid comment, get a stupid response."
mike @ Jul 4th 2007 2:25AM
there is a chance that voice call and sms would pretty much be using the same standards as all the others. Visual voicemail will be incompatible, but if that incompatibility is harmless to the carrier's network, then it is just a sacrifice for choosing another carrier
I think it's either the iphone could work on other networks or you wouldn't be able to use it overseas (roaming), in some other phones the only thing prevents you from using your phone in another carrier is just the sim lock
chris @ Jul 5th 2007 12:03AM
Yes that is there plan to do but for right now they havent gotten that far give the hackers about a month or less and they will get there maybe more we never know.
Seni @ Jul 4th 2007 1:18AM
Hmm, I wonder..
I was considering the iphone's success earlier and how, as it will likely end up as an incredably popular phone, it will surely be the target of a massive number of hacks/exploits. Then the fact that the phone was based on OSX caught my eye...
It's been said that one of the reasons OSX has so few exploits has to do with it's low market penetration.. Now that the world's (and hackers') eyes will be on the iphone, could the iphone provoke an unusually sized increase in the number of exploits on OSX? Is it worth considering?
Filip @ Jul 4th 2007 1:43AM
It's not that OS X is hack-proof. The biggest advantage of OS X over Win is that the security updates are released ASAP after they discover the vulnerability. For MS you have to wait weeks, months, maybe years...
scott @ Jul 4th 2007 4:45AM
There's still a difference, Mac OS X is based on Unix, which was designed from the ground up for security, Windows/DOS/BIOS was designed to simply work in 1995 and hasnt changed much since...
Foof @ Jul 4th 2007 5:49AM
Filip,
Actually, I think MS is actually found to be considerably better and faster than Apple at patching critical vulnerabilities, though both companies are pretty good as things go.
michael @ Jul 4th 2007 1:20AM
sure, i'll try it. wire me the money and i'll go get myself a $600 slab of electronics and get nice pictures of hex editing goings ons. i'll show you the most kick ass ipod the world has ever seen.
Phil @ Jul 4th 2007 1:24AM
So do I have to use a firmware downloader to play homebrew on this thing?
Just kidding - I only wanted to be the first person to ask this question about the iPhone since 8,752,211 people have already asked it about the PSP on the Internets.
m @ Jul 4th 2007 1:26AM
it can't last. it's not like putting divx on an apple tv or something-- there's big money at stake. apple and at&t both get a cut of the subscription money, and it adds up to thousands of dollars per subscriber.
CG @ Jul 4th 2007 1:27AM
Not really a required hack, I have read at least 2 blog post yesterday where an iPhone owner simply took out the Sim card, and was still able to use the iPhone, without the Phone parts...thus the iPod, Browser and all other non-phone applications.
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/02/tada-the-6th-gen-contract-free-wifi-enabled-ipod/
and
http://gigaom.com/2007/06/28/no-contract-no-iphone-for-you/#comment-299545
So a hack not required really.
Mark @ Jul 4th 2007 1:48AM
That's after you've already activated it.
Rafael @ Jul 4th 2007 1:54AM
what is hex and how to edit that????
Joe @ Jul 4th 2007 12:24PM
What is Google, and how do you use it?
Colin @ Jul 4th 2007 5:32AM
@Joe:
Who the hell are you people? Get off my internets before I call the cops!
Dee9 @ Jul 4th 2007 2:06AM
has anyone checked cnet's crave blog lately? They have a video of the Iphone's SIM card being removed. There are some people saying that the IPhone SIM card works in other phones but any other SIM card placed in the Iphone does not work.
Leonard Balk @ Jul 4th 2007 3:08AM
I already tried removing the SIM card and it does work if you place it in another phone, including data. I moved the IPhone SIM to my Treo and it worked perfectly. I moved the Treo SIM to my IPhone and the IPhone wanted me to reactivate. All of the wifi and IPod features work fine without the SIM installed once the phone has been activated. I am considering canceling the new account and I can move my Treo account to the IPhone and move the SIM between phones during the work week since the email is better on the Treo for now. I will also save $20.00 per month since the data plan is cheaper. The IPhone will cost me $240.0 per year less to use than my Treo.
A friend has most of the exchange issues worked out in using the iPhone but there are some other differences in the Treo I prefer. Little things like return to inbox after discarding a message instead of going to the next does not work. Call forward on no answer is not an option, I forward to the office phone when I can not answer. The Edge network does not allow me to receive emails while on a call, this is great with the Treo on Cingular where available. If you are roaming in Europe where you pay for the amount of data you receive, the Treo will allow you to limit what you receive when in roam mode. I limit each email to a preview of 1k, there does not appear to be a way to control this with the Iphone.
Arikiti @ Jul 4th 2007 2:16AM
Great!!!
I wil buy iPhone today.
I read his blog "So su me",but I cant understand the iTunes modificatin(hex editing,Happya numer,etc,,) part.
Does anyone know how to modify iTunes??
Please.
bruckwine @ Jul 4th 2007 8:32AM
And you made that one all by yourself!
Martin @ Jul 4th 2007 2:18AM
Make a stupid comment, get a stupid response
m @ Jul 4th 2007 2:23AM
this seems to be a different approach, which however allows it to work as a phone:
http://www.iphoneunlocking.com/
they don't say much; anybody know more?
Alan Partridge @ Jul 4th 2007 6:18AM
They're probably con artists, if there was a way to unlock the iPhone to any network you better believe Engadget would have it on the front page, breaking news and featured stories :)
Perkoff @ Jul 4th 2007 8:56PM
Genius, where do you come up with such original things to type?
d$ @ Jul 4th 2007 2:39AM
why is everybody bitching all the time about AT&T????
i have it and love it.
all my friends are complaining all the time
(tmoble, esp verizon, sprint)
about how much they hate whatever they are with.
you can call 100million people for free...
and the coverage is the best, (just look at the maps)
the only prob i have is that the data/mms/txt plans kinda suck
Chird @ Jul 4th 2007 2:46AM
It depends on your region. Here in Upstate NY Verizon and Sprint are king (CDMA Networks) AT&T is spotty at best, and T-Mobile is complete garbage.
It's all about who has the most towers where. As for me, it's all Verizon baby.
Reg Muffet @ Jul 4th 2007 2:41AM
Chances are the iphoneunlocking.com site is a scam and want your email address for a profiled spam list.
Regard with caution.
Wout Mertens @ Jul 4th 2007 5:28AM
You know, if that's a spam site, it's the best looking spam site I ever saw.
They even went through the trouble of creating a blog. Read it here: http://blog.iphoneunlocking.com/
Dunno, it looks legit to me. Pretty sweet if it's true that they manage to unlock 75% of iPhones :-)
nikster @ Jul 4th 2007 4:09AM
well it could be a scam/email harvesting operation but then again, which could you make more money with - a website to unlock iphones or a website harvesting emails. maybe it is a scam but there's a lot of money to be made with unlocked iphones.
red flag: iphoneunlocking claims to have received over 130,000 requests to unlock phones. now, with 500,000 sold that would be one out of 4 - and that i do not believe for a second. most people are sheep and will just take what is given to them, and half of them don't even know what a SIM card is, so 130K is an impossible number.
Foof @ Jul 4th 2007 6:02AM
Nikster - I can believe 130k (personally I don't, but whateva) simply because I bet the majority of the people "interested in help unlocking" don't even have iphones--but are still interested in unlocking.
There is something awfully fishy about that site though. Paying users $100 to monitor the activation traffic? Immediate and constant reports of progress with no real setbacks? I'll be happy if it's real, but until it's proven to be so, I'm with you on the skepticism.
Erik @ Jul 4th 2007 2:51AM
"...so you can use it as the best iPod [Apple's] ever made."
It would also be the most expensive iPod ever made. I mean, I know Apple has a thing for setting high prices, but...even the best 8GB iPod ever made is probably not worth $600.
To each his own, I guess...