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How to defeat the 'Great Firewall of China' with an iPhone
Visitors to China are often perplexed to find that they can't access Twitter, Facebook or other sites. The reason isn't that they don't have access to cellular or WiFi networks; instead, it's state censorship and surveillance courtesy of the Golden Shield Project, aka "The Great Firewall of China." Roman Loyola at TechHive recently visited Beijing and used the trip as a research opportunity to see how visitors with iPhones can bypass the Great Firewall and tweet their trip to friends back home. It turns out to be somewhat easy; you just need to have an unlocked GSM iPhone and then purchase a SIM card when you arrive in China. Before you leave, though, you also need to sign up for a virtual private network (VPN) service. Loyola highlights two in particular -- Express VPN and AirVPN -- and taps Express VPN as being much easier to set up. During his time in Beijing, Loyola says he was able to hit Apple, Bing and Instagram without resorting to the VPN. However, Facebook and Twitter weren't available. That's where the VPN came in handy, and Loyola mentioned that other than a noticeable four- to five-second lag when sending a tweet or posting on Facebook, everything worked well. It's a good read for travelers, and an absolute must for those who live or work in China and want unfettered access to the internet. As Loyola points out, "the Chinese government is actively (and endlessly) trying to prevent the use of VPNs to access the 'outside world,'" so it's possible that the methods described in his post may change in the future.
T-Mobile changes its iPhone 5 pricing again
In what seems to be a running theme with T-Mobile, the telecoms company has once again changed its iPhone 5 pricing. As first reported by TmoNews, T-Mobile has reduced the down payment of the iPhone 5 by US$5 to $145.99, with the 32 GB now costing $245.99 and the 64 GB costing $345.99. While the $5 drop is nice, the company then raised its monthly equipment cost by one dollar. The price changes end up making the overall price of a T-Mobile iPhone 5 the same as if you would buy it unlocked through an Apple store. The iPhone 5 launched on T-Mobile in April of this year with a cost of $99 for the iPhone and $20 a month for 24 months to purchase the phone outright. But a month after its launch, T-Mobile unexpectedly raised the price of the iPhone by $50. Today's $5 price drop and $1 monthly equipment cost increase marks the third price point for an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. Who knows, maybe in another month we'll see another price change?
T-Mobile keen to help iPhone users, plans to offer new procedures for unlocked phones
The iPhone might not officially be on the magenta network, but T-Mobile isn't about to turn its back on a million paying customers, either. According to a document obtained by TmoNews, the network plans to offer new "common procedures, information about feature and specifications and other basic device questions" to iPhone users starting Monday. T-Mobile has long had an open-door policy for customers with unlocked iPhones, since it doesn't have its own to sell -- though T-Mo CTO Neville Ray is hoping really hard that will change. Someday.
Telus to offer iPhone unlocking in Canada
Telus introduced a new unlock policy that will let customers unlock a GSM-based handset for a nominal fee of $50. This new unlock policy goes into effect on February 15 and is available for any GSM mobile phone that has been on the carrier's network for a minimum of 90 days. The iPhone will not be supported initially, but the carrier has plans to make the unlock available to Apple's smartphone soon. This new policy is friendlier than rival Rogers, which will also unlock a handset for $50, but only after the customer's contract has expired. The Telus unlocking option is available after three months, and though it wont release a customer from his or her contract, it will allow them to use the phone on another Canadian carrier or while traveling internationally. Telus introduced this unlock option to boost the variety of consumer-friendly services it offers to its customers. [Via Electronista]
Apple offers unlocked, carrier-free iPhone in Germany
Now that iPhone 4 sales in Germany have passed from the exclusive realm of T-Mobile to O2 and Vodafone as well, AppleInsider reports that customers there can also opt for a carrier-free version of the superphone. Apple has previously offered unlocked iPhones in some other countries, including France where the option is required by law. However, this is the first time that Germans have been able to order the iPhone from the Apple store there and pop in whatever SIM card they want. Unlocked and contract-free phones are common in Europe, and SIM cards with prepaid voice and data buckets are readily available. People that travel overseas on a regular basis often buy unlocked GSM phones and local SIM cards to avoid extortionate roaming rates. Of course, avoiding a carrier commitment doesn't come cheap. An 8GB 3GS will run about US$715 in the German Apple online store or at any of the four brick and mortar outlets in Germany. Fourth generation models will cost $866 or $1,017 for the 16 and 32GB versions respectively.
Finnish broadband provider Elisa to sell unlocked iPhone 4 starting tomorrow
People who are anxious to get an iPhone 4 without a carrier lock-in in the land of Nokia will now have an opportunity to get an unlocked device. Finnish broadcaster YLE is reporting that broadband provider Elisa will start selling unlocked iPhone 4s on Thursday, September 30th. The iPhone 4 is currently being sold in Finland with a contract by mobile carrier TeliaSonera. The pricing for the unlocked phones is €589 for the 16GB model and €689 for the 32GB version. And in case you're wondering what those words below the iPhone 4 banner in the picture above mean? "Coming soon."
Official: Apple now offering iPhones contract free (updated: not unlocked)
We heard from 9 to 5 Mac that Apple was due to begin selling a contract-free variant of the iPhone in the near future "at list price." And guess what happened when we inquired to an Apple store? That's right folks -- you can now pick one up for $499 (3G), $599, or $699 (3GS). We've confirmed this info at no less than five stores, so you should be hearing the same message at your local Appletorium. Given the current unfriendly climate between Apple and Google, this could be seen as nasty jab, though the devices are still carrier-locked to AT&T, so you're not being given much freedom... and it's certainly not much of a statement. In many parts of Europe (France and Poland, for example) you can pick up the carrier-unattached device (and we mean totally unlocked), but that doesn't appear to be the case here. Update: We're getting mixed reports on the unlock status of these phones. One store says yes to the unlock, while others are saying they're still AT&T-locked devices being sold off contract. We're digging for more info on this now, so stay tuned. Update 2: It's looking like those initial reports of unlocked devices are inaccurate. It sounds like these devices are still locked to AT&T -- so you're just looking at an off contract pricing scheme. Which is also totally lame.
iPhone 2.2 OS re-locks (some) legitimately unlocked iPhones
Uh oh -- closing holes is all well and good, but it looks like Apple may have closed one too many holes in the iPhone's firmware this time around. In a possible attempt to discourage intrepid iPhone unlockers, it seems like the bigwigs in Cupertino accidentally relocked some legitimately unlocked units. Users in Apple's support forums report have been having mixed results, with some users no worse for the wear and others only able to make emergency calls. So if you've got an unlocked iPhone (and would prefer not to have to ship it to Vietnam) maybe you should resist the urge to hit that update button until this situation gets sorted out. Either way, be sure to sound off in the comments if you've got an unlocked iPhone and have successfully (or unsuccessfully) upgraded.[Via IntoMobile and iPhoneAtlas]
Orange's unlocked iPhone to cost "well below" 1,000 euros
While Orange seems to be holding out until the last minute to announce exactly how much its unlocked iPhone will cost, France Telecom CEO Didier Lombard has apparently dropped a few less-than-specific details on the matter in a recent interview, saying that it'll cost "over 500 euros, but well below 1,000 euros." Or, in US dollars, roughly somewhere between $740 and $1,500, but apparently closer to the former. A bit pricey to be sure, but it would certainly be cheaper than the €999 unlocked iPhone that T-Mobile is selling in Germany. As previously announced, a locked iPhone on Orange (complete with a two-year contract) will set you back €399. Look for things to get fleshed out further when Orange gets official with its iPhone offerings on Thursday.[Thanks, Holger]
Expansys UK offering unlocked iPhone
Hmmm, this is interesting. While the whole European iPhone carrier mess gets sorted, Expansys has gone ahead and listed a "network-unlocked" iPhone for their English punters. There's no price or delivery on the 8GB model which makes the pre-order button a bit dubious. Still, the quad-band GSM / EDGE phone looks every bit the peer to its US colonial cousin only with the promise to work with a SIM card from "any UK or European GSM provider." Do you know something we don't Expansys or is this just wishful thinking?Update: Expansys updated the site, gone is the paragraph regarding the unlocked SIM. Now back to your hacking stations, please.[Thanks, Marc G.]
