First free, open, GUI iPhone unlock software tested: it works!

by Ryan Block, posted Sep 12th 2007 at 3:54AM

Erica Sadun of our sister site TUAW has already upped the ante by throwing in a basic GUI frontend to the first free, open source iPhone SIM unlock software. We've already got an early beta build of the graphical one-click iPhone-based software (sorry folks, it's not quite ready for release yet) and can confirm that despite the visual glitches you see above, it's already a fully functional one-click unlock solution, not too different from IPSF's paid unlock software. Unfortunately, you still have to actually get the app onto the phone and go through the faux-activation process with your SIM afterward (and re-enable YouTube, if you so choose), but this is the first major step in automating the process of quickly and easily unlocking everybody's iPhone. More information as we get it.

Update: Partly edited to give proper credit to the proper developer of the GUI app, Erica Sadun; HaRRo, who supplied us with the above, glitched build, apparently based his version off of Erica's front end, but failed to credit her with creation of the app.

Filed under: Cellphones

Tags: apple, iphone, unlock

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

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Alex @ Sep 12th 2007 3:57AM

WOOOT!

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King T @ Sep 12th 2007 4:02AM

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neutral

caramelzappa @ Sep 12th 2007 4:10AM

This combined with the $300 4gb iphone makes the iphone almost tempting to me.

Neutral

UberFu @ Sep 12th 2007 9:20AM

Except that there is no longer a 4GB - $300 iPhone any more_

Neutral

daniel.cormier @ Sep 12th 2007 9:46AM

@ UberFu

Sure looks like there is.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=BC784DCD&nplm=MA501LL/A

Neutral

john @ Sep 12th 2007 10:56AM

If you want it, you should get it soon. They're stopping production of the 4gb model, and will only be selling he 8gb soon.

Neutral

Santz24 @ Sep 12th 2007 4:11AM

Whats HaRRo's site?

Neutral

RijilV @ Sep 12th 2007 4:11AM

No really, we still don't care.

Neutral

LordFarkward @ Sep 12th 2007 4:24AM

well there seems to be enough people who care

go on, start your own blog with things filled with things that you care, we'll see how many people would care

Highly Ranked

carthis @ Sep 12th 2007 7:25AM

Sweet jebus... This is a technology blog. This is technology. Don't read what you don't want to read! Or maybe you could ask Engadget for your money back since you don't like what you subscrib-- what's that? You didn't pay anything to read it?

Neutral

tommy @ Sep 13th 2007 1:48AM

You do realize that the more coverage the iPhone gets, the more other cell phone manufacturers like Nokia, Motorola, Palm, etc. have to step it up to compete with Apple.

With them having to step it up, we, as consumers, have much better choices of cell phones to choose from when those companies start rolling out with their own "iPhone killer".

The US cell phone market has been so stagnant for so long. It's about time somebody came along and shook things up. I'm thinking in a year or two, a majority of the cell phones on the market will have bigger and better screens, better web browsers, and probably WiFi standard.

Neutral

EM85 @ Sep 12th 2007 4:17AM

that was quick

Neutral

takuma @ Sep 12th 2007 4:18AM

Remember back in the day when the iPhone wasn't released yet, and it was about to get released, and almost every post on this website was about the iPhone count-down, and we had the option to view Engadget WITHOUT iPhone related news?

Those were the days...

Neutral

idk @ Sep 12th 2007 4:20AM

oh the good times!

Highly Ranked

LordFarkward @ Sep 12th 2007 4:28AM

those were the days indeed... i do miss it when people weren't forced to visit a certain website checking out certain things that they didn't care about... they didn't care but yet they were even forced to comment in those articles that they don't care about... oh the humanity

Neutral

Ryan Block @ Sep 12th 2007 4:37AM

Those days live on! The feeds are still active: http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/20/tired-of-iphone-and-or-apple-news-on-engadget/

Neutral

aka_gus @ Sep 12th 2007 5:36AM

Gus ♥ Ryan.
Totally in a straight way, I just admire the fact that those feeds are still active, so that those of us who enjoy iPhone news (hopefully) won't have to put up with all those "I'm so tired of the iPhone!Wahwahwah!!"-comments as much.

Neutral

aka_gus @ Sep 12th 2007 5:38AM

Dagnamit- that "♥" was supposed to be a heart. Gus *hearts* Ryan. and Engadget. Gotta love gadgets.

Neutral

takuma @ Sep 12th 2007 5:50AM

Don't get me wrong, I got sick of the iPhone at launch, but then got to think it was alright, and now that it's affordable/hackable, I'm more interested.

I'm not going to get one, as
a)I live in Canada, so I'd have to import, thus paying a little more than retail
b)I just bought a SonyEricsson K810i, which Im quite happy with

I was just recollecting on those days when the comment section was like a pack of monkeys throwing their own shat at each other. It was quite lively! XD

Neutral

sjuker @ Sep 12th 2007 4:24AM

brilliant!

Neutral

Chino B @ Sep 12th 2007 4:36AM

Big up to you man and all the people who made this happen!

Neutral

trumpton @ Sep 12th 2007 5:02AM

So that's *six* of your first 11 stories today about the iPhone.

Don't you think that's perhaps this iPhone obsession is just getting a bit silly now?

It's an important phone, but c'mon! It's not worthy of this much endless coverage.

Neutral

Santz24 @ Sep 12th 2007 5:15AM

Yes it is. However, perhaps an iPhone-Free engadget wouldn't be a bad idea to stop you all whining.

Neutral

Joe at Work :( @ Sep 12th 2007 5:18AM

Hey Harro, you think it'll be ready by the time I get home from workt today (about 1pm est). I tried doing it the long way but I kept getting a "permission denied" error. I hope so. Good job. Thank god for you guys.

Neutral

Ray @ Sep 12th 2007 5:16AM

you rock dude !!

Open source is da way to go !

Highly Ranked

trumpton @ Sep 12th 2007 5:21AM

I don't want an 'iPhone-Free engadget' because it's an interesting, hugely innovative phone that has already made a huge impact on the mobile market.

What I'd like is more balanced coverage instead of this daily onslaught of iPhone titbits masquerading as news stories.

It's obvious that Engadget love the iPhone. And Apple loves Engadget. That's all cool, but at times it's like sitting next to love-struck teenagers slobbering all over themselves in public.

Get a room!

Neutral

LordFarkward @ Sep 12th 2007 5:49AM

point taken - but at the same time, care to point out other gadget related news of today that hasn't been published yet?

that's the thing that people can't seem to grasp - there're not a lot of news about other gadgets on engadget because it seems there aren't a lot of news about other gadgets, simple as that.

c'mon, engadget even reported the 'new blue colored zune' ;)

Neutral

Leo @ Sep 12th 2007 8:01AM

I completely agree that this is getting old. The first page has 15 stories on it right now, 5 of which are about the iPhone unlock. Why does there have to be so many stories on the same subject? It just seems like Engadget is trying to make sure that no matter where you look on the site, you see an Apple post.

Neutral

harveyhanson @ Sep 12th 2007 5:58AM

Well I think that is about the 100th Apple story of this week, whereas I never hear news on any other phones getting unlocked even thought the news is out there, might as well me called AppleGadget!

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Joe @ Sep 12th 2007 6:35AM

AREN'T YOU GUYS SCARED THAT APPLE AND AT&T ARE GONNA SUE YOU???

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NG @ Sep 12th 2007 6:46AM

Sue me what? That i like to play around with "MY" phone?
That was criminal that they lock it just for AT&T the first place... Just like i bought a house and the estate agents not allowing me to change my own lock because they want the old landlord to get in?

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