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iPhone SIM Free announces 1.1.1 SIM Unlock, iPhone Unbricking
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_SIM_Free_announces_1_1_1_SIM_Unlock_iPhone_Unbricking'; Following up on the iPhone 1.1.1 jailbreak, iPhone SIMfree--they are the commercial unlock folks--have announced a 1.1.1 upgrade and a 1.1.1 unlock solution. Moreover, they believe their unlock solution will restore and repair iBricks: "This now means that SimFree v1.6 release, is now capable of completely restoring/repairing software unlocked "bricked" iPhone". TUAW has not had the opportunity to try this out ourselves, so for now we're just passing along the link to the iPSF site. Let us know in the comments if you were able to unbrick and/or update to 1.1.1. iPhoneSIMFree is available from various vendors around the world and costs about US$60-$100. Update: TUAW Reader Matthew Fliegle writes: I am on AT&T, and I installed the IPSF 2.6 using WiNstaller (on 1.0.2 with 4.01bb). It took about five minutes with no error messages. Then I restarted the phone and a error popped up saying invalid sim. I connected it to iTunes and clicked update. That took another 5 to 10 minutes, and then it made me reactivate it with AT&T. The only thing bad is that it made me renew my contract for another 2 years, but I called AT&T and they said I shouldn't have had to renew it and they were putting it under review.
iPhone unbricking now available from IPhoneSimFree
Hacked your iPhone did ya? Now, after the 1.1.1 update, you're looking at a non-functioning paperweight? Well, we've got good news for you just as long as you're willing to pay. Not only does the 1.1.1 iPhoneSimFree unlock released earlier unlock 1.1.1 iPhones, it also unbricks any iPhone including those unlocked by the Dev Team's anySim or iUnlock software. However, that requires registering your IMEI with IPSF resellers which requires cash in hand. About $100 beans but that's a lot cheaper than a new handset, eh?
iPhoneSimFree offers world's first 1.1.1 iPhone unlocks
So, what do you expect to happen now that a pair of jailbreak solutions are out? Why, a 1.1.1 unlock for baseband version 04.01.13_G of course. The "world's first" 1.1.1 unlock comes courtesy of the for-profit iPhoneSimFree team after a tithe to the usual service providers. For their customers who by chance bricked their iPhones by updating to 1.1.1 in haste, IPSF is making their SimFree v1.6 wares freely available to unbrick your $599 coaster. Just hit the read link for all the details.[Thanks, Dustin B.]
iPhone update: facts and fiction
If you haven't already bitten the bullet and taken your unlocked iPhone down that scariest of paths, the 1.1.1 update, we're here to sort out a bit of the hearsay from the actual and fairly inconvenient truth. Even if you have already updated, or never even unlocked or jailbroke your iPhone to begin with, there's still a lot to learn, so let's dive in, shall we?Most people with a jailbroken iPhone will end up with a "factory-fresh" iPhone after the 1.1.1 firmware update. Your mileage may vary, and isolated incidents of bricking have occurred, but most people are just going to have a 3rd party-free, AT&T-only iPhone in their pocket when the day is through, and bricking seems to be just as common for a virgin iPhones as for jailbroken ones. As for when we'll have full use of the iPhone again is unclear, but TUAW's Erica Sadun says "don't expect a jailbreak anytime soon," which doesn't seem promising. Apparently the security is going to be a whole lot harder to crack this time around.
iPhoneSimFree-unlocked iPhones require AT&T SIM to reactivate
As we're sure a few readers have noticed, unlocked iPhones upgraded to 1.1.1 today aren't exactly unlocked anymore. Unlocking aside, the jailbreaking procedure that was used to load pretty much every application onto firmwares of old isn't working at the moment, so it seems the community's got a little work ahead of it in the next few hours. In the meantime, though, iPhoneSimFree has updated its site with the results of preliminary testing on the latest revision. The good news for buyers is that they apparently aren't getting the "Incorrect SIM" lockdown messages being observed by some anySIM users -- the bad news, though, is that you've gotta reactivate the darned thing with your original AT&T SIM after the upgrade takes place, then you're cool after that. Until the jailbreak is reestablished, activations won't be possible with alternative SIMs. EDGE usage looking a little lighter at the moment, there, T-Mobile?[Thanks, Wireless Imports]
iPhone SIM unlock giveaway: round 5
Sorry we're running a little bit late on today's contest, but here it is! If you haven't (or don't want to) hit up iUnlock, the free, open source iPhone SIM unlock solution (which is still early on yet, but does indeed work), why not try your hand at taking home one of our iPhoneSIMfree "retail" unlocks? The IPSF crew has hooked us up with five iPhone unlock licenses to give away to you, our faithful, iPhone obsessed readers, so just hit up the simple rules below if you want to give it a shot. Here's how it works:Details about the unlock Bring your own iPhone. We're not supplying the device, just the unlock. You must send us your iPhone's IMEI; you can't resell the unlock. If we don't receive your IMEI in a timely manner, we may award the unlock to someone else. We will not be offering tech support on the unlock. Once you've got it, it's out of our hands, ok? We do not make any guarantees about the unlock. We're not guaranteeing that it will work when your phone gets the next Apple update later this month, that it will work with your SIM or your carrier, or even that it will work on your phone. We're not even going to guarantee you won't end up with a bricked phone. We're just handing it off to the winner, the end. The other regular rules (yeah, there are always rules): Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Contest is open to anyone worldwide! Duh. Winner will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted for the next 24 hours. After that we'll move on to the next iPhone unlock. Good luck!
iPhone SIM unlock giveaway: round 4
Sorry we're running a little bit late on today's contest, but here it is! If you haven't (or don't want to) hit up iUnlock, the free, open source iPhone SIM unlock solution (which is still early on yet, but does indeed work), why not try your hand at taking home one of our iPhoneSIMfree "retail" unlocks? The IPSF crew has hooked us up with five iPhone unlock licenses to give away to you, our faithful, iPhone obsessed readers, so just hit up the simple rules below if you want to give it a shot. Here's how it works:Details about the unlock Bring your own iPhone. We're not supplying the device, just the unlock. You must send us your iPhone's IMEI; you can't resell the unlock. If we don't receive your IMEI in a timely manner, we may award the unlock to someone else. We will not be offering tech support on the unlock. Once you've got it, it's out of our hands, ok? We do not make any guarantees about the unlock. We're not guaranteeing that it will work when your phone gets the next Apple update later this month, that it will work with your SIM or your carrier, or even that it will work on your phone. We're not even going to guarantee you won't end up with a bricked phone. We're just handing it off to the winner, the end. The other regular rules (yeah, there are always rules): Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Contest is open to anyone worldwide! Duh. Winner will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted for the next 24 hours. After that we'll move on to the next iPhone unlock. Good luck!
iPhone SIM unlock giveaway: round 3
Well, now you've got a choice to make. Do you want to hit up iUnlock, the free, open source iPhone SIM unlock solution (which is still early on yet, but does indeed work), or try your hand at taking home one of our iPhoneSIMfree "retail" unlocks? The IPSF crew has hooked us up with five iPhone unlock licenses to give away to you, our faithful, iPhone obsessed readers, so just hit up the simple rules below if you want to give it a shot. Here's how it works:Details about the unlock Bring your own iPhone. We're not supplying the device, just the unlock. You must send us your iPhone's IMEI; you can't resell the unlock. If we don't receive your IMEI in a timely manner, we may award the unlock to someone else. We will not be offering tech support on the unlock. Once you've got it, it's out of our hands, ok? We do not make any guarantees about the unlock. We're not guaranteeing that it will work when your phone gets the next Apple update later this month, that it will work with your SIM or your carrier, or even that it will work on your phone. We're not even going to guarantee you won't end up with a bricked phone. We're just handing it off to the winner, the end. The other regular rules (yeah, there are always rules): Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Contest is open to anyone worldwide! Duh. Winner will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted for the next 24 hours. After that we'll move on to the next iPhone unlock. Good luck!
The story behind iUnlock: the first free, open iPhone SIM unlock software
If you're like us, you're furiously unlocking every iPhone in sight at the moment, but what you might not know is the story behind the hack. It all started Monday when iPhoneSIMfree was finally released. Hackers immediately bought up licenses and started looking into how the thing ticked, and found something rather surprising: the app flashes to the baseband chip -- something the iPhone Dev Team had originally said couldn't be done at all without hardware hackery, diverting effort away from such attempts.But instead of just swiping the iPhone Dev Team's method, hackers started looking for different ways to achieve the same results now they knew a baseband flash could be done, and a certain Zappaz finally struck gold after working on it all Monday night and well into Tuesday. But that was only the beginning. [Updated after the break]
iPhone SIM unlock giveaway: round 2
iPhoneSIMfree's finally launched, and the crew that software unlocked the iPhone has hooked us up with five iPhone unlocks to give away to you, our faithful, iPhone obsessed readers. We'll be giving one away each day of the week this week. Here's how it works.Details about the unlock Bring your own iPhone. We're not supplying the device, just the unlock. You must send us your iPhone's IMEI; you can't resell the unlock. If we don't receive your IMEI in a timely manner, we may award the unlock to someone else. We will not be offering tech support on the unlock. Once you've got it, it's out of our hands, ok? We do not make any guarantees about the unlock. We're not guaranteeing that it will work when your phone gets the next Apple update later this month, that it will work with your SIM or your carrier, or even that it will work on your phone. We're not even going to guarantee you won't end up with a bricked phone. We're just handing it off to the winner, the end. The other regular rules (yeah, there are always rules): Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Contest is open to anyone worldwide! Duh. Winner will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted for the next 24 hours. After that we'll move on to the next iPhone unlock. Good luck!
iPhone SIM unlock giveaway: round 1
So if you haven't already heard, today is iPhoneSIMfree launch day, and the crew that software unlocked the iPhone has hooked us up with five iPhone unlocks to give away to you, our faithful, iPhone obsessed readers. We'll be giving one away each day of the week this week, starting now! Here's how it works.Details about the unlock Bring your own iPhone. We're not supplying the device, just the unlock. You must send us your iPhone's IMEI; you can't resell the unlock. If we don't receive your IMEI in a timely manner, we may award the unlock to someone else. We will not be offering tech support on the unlock. Once you've got it, it's out of our hands, ok? We do not make any guarantees about the unlock. We're not guaranteeing that it will work when your phone gets the next Apple update later this month, that it will work with your SIM or your carrier, or even that it will work on your phone. We're not even going to guarantee you won't end up with a bricked phone. We're just handing it off to the winner, the end. The other regular rules (yeah, there are always rules): Leave a comment below. That's it! Who loves you, baby. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Contest is open to anyone worldwide! Duh. Winner will be chosen randomly. Entries can be submitted for the next 24 hours. After that we'll move on to the next iPhone unlock. Good luck!
HD video: iPhone unlocked on camera from start to finish
Ok, here it is, the first time on camera you've seen a real iPhone software SIM unlocked from start to finish (and not done with the demo app iPhoneSIMfree sent out last week). The last iPhoneSIMfree unlock video we had only showed of the end result of a successful iPhone unlock, which took place off-camera. This time we're doing the entire process, which we confirmed earlier this morning, on video. For quick reference, here are the steps we took on camera: Started with AT&T SIM inserted Inserted T-Mobile SIM, showed that it produces invalid SIM error (expected behavior for a locked iPhone) Connected to iPhone over SSH Transferred iPhoneSIMfree unlock app over SCP Restarted SpringBoard (iPhone default application launcher) Ran iPhoneSIMfree app When complete, iPhone shows that T-Mobile SIM no longer produces invalid SIM error, instead asks for activation (expected behavior for an iPhone that has a valid SIM, but is not yet activated) Prep for re-activation off camera using iAsign (phone is now unlocked, but still activated with AT&T) Back on camera: activate iPhone with T-Mobile SIM using iAsign Make test call to another phone Activate iPhone once more with AT&T SIM using iAsign Granted, we don't expect end-users to take all these steps when unlocking their iPhone -- we just went a little overboard here so everyone can see the release software is functional, and unlocks iPhones as advertised. Embedded player after the break. [MP4] Download in 720p HD (187MB)[MP4] Download in wide VGA (61MB)[AVI] Download in 720p HD (187MB)[AVI] Download in wide VGA (61MB)
iPhoneSIMfree's end-user solution tested, it works!
So last Friday we got two things from iPhoneSIMfree: the demo version of their software SIM unlock solution, and the promise that it would be available for purchase today. We can't confirm that anyone's actually received their iPhone unlock orders, but we did get to test the release version of the software unlock today -- the very same thing people all over will be paying to unlock their devices with -- and, not surprisingly, it works like a charm. In other words, while we can't vouch for any of the vendors selling the software, we can vouch for the software itself working exactly as advertised. We've got the full unlock on video, which we'll be posting shortly.
iPhoneSIMfree goes retail, let the unlocking begin
After numerous delays and endless cries of "hoax!", it looks like the iPhoneSIMfree iPhone unlocking software is finally available for purchase from four online retailers around the world. Wireless Imports in the US, iPhoneWorldwideUnlock in Australia, 1digitalphone in Germany, and iPhone4arab in Saudi Arabia (currently down) have all purchased bulk licenses from the iPhoneSIMfree team and are selling individual unlocks for around $100 (Update: that price is just from the US etailer, it seems; looks like the Aussies are letting it go for under 50 bucks American. Also, the Hackint0sh community is already busy at work trying to snatch these sites' code as we speak). Go nuts, and let us know your initial experiences below...Update: The Hackint0sh guys claim they will not be reverse engineering the iPhoneSIMfree software. Ok, well, whatever. Scratch that. That crew definitely seems to be reverse engineering the IPSF solution, and frankly we can't blame 'em.
iPhoneSIMfree shows us demo of iPhone unlock app, back end -- now due Monday
So the iPhoneSIMfree guys have some news today. First up, they called to let us know they did in fact delay the launch of their iPhone SIM unlock software (which was clear by the fact that no one has it yet) -- but it's now due Monday.Today iPhoneSIMfree also sent a couple of publications (including this one) a demo version of their unlock app and trial access to their back end reseller tool. The demo software and reseller tool do not yet actually unlock phones since iPhoneSIMfree hasn't yet flipped the switch on the activation service end. But as proof that their end-user app does exist, the demo app shown here coursed through its normal routines (about 3-5 minutes start to finish) to show us what an unlock should be like.Their reseller backend tool, which we also have shots of, allows bulk purchasers of iPhoneSIMfree unlocks to add customers' IMEIs to the unlock whitelist. Once added, apparently resellers merely have to just provide their customers the unlock app, which initiates the remote unlock service -- the whole thing is a little like Windows Activation where only whitelisted IMEIs can proceed with unlocking. Naturally, we documented all this on an iPhone -- but again, to be clear, the iPhoneSIMfree app that was sent out won't unlock iPhones. That all supposedly goes down on Monday.%Gallery-7118%
iPhoneSIMfree begins fulfilling bulk orders, apparently will not unlock end users' phones
Are you ready for it? Looks like iPhoneSIMfree is. A number of tipsters have sent us emails that they've received announcing the availability of the elusive software unlock -- delivery on Tuesday, 4th of September. Good news right? Maybe, but here's the tell:"Iphonesimfree.com is a wholesale only company. Although we could, we do not and will not sell directly to end users, because we want to work together with our valuable resellers as a team and not interfere in their business."Hmpf, and cover their collective legal asses too. Once resellers have provided their purchase details and made payment, they will receive an application to install on their iPhones. They must then log into the iPhoneSIMfree "back office" via WiFi connection where the iPhone will be registered and unlocked. Pricing starts at $36 each for 50 licenses or $25 each for 5000+.Why should it matter if you have to get your iPhone unlocked by a reseller? Well, first off that greatly increases the chances of your having to buy a fresh iPhone from a 3rd party; while we're sure some resellers will offer unlock service for the iPhone you currently own, that means you'll still have to send or take it in (instead of quickly unlocking from the comfort of your own home), and if a future update should break the iPhoneSIMfree unlock, at BEST you'll have to take it in again. (At worst you'll be stuck hounding the middleman -- not iPhoneSIMfree -- for a fix, and when that comes out you'll still have to take it back in. Ugh.) We're still awaiting word back from the iPhoneSIMfree team to verify that they won't be working with end users after all. Full email posted after the break.[Thanks, The African Nerd, trash, Geoff, and everyone who sent this in]
CNN re-confirms iPhoneSIMfree's iPhone SIM unlock hack
Independent verification of seemingly dubious claims makes the world go 'round, which is why we're a little thankful the iPhoneSIMfree crew has deigned CNN worthy of having the second shot at verifying their iPhone SIM unlock software. We know it won't quiet all the conspiracy theorists out there, but their news wire reads as follows: Los Angeles software consultant Brett Schulte, who is not affiliated with the developers, demonstrated the software for CNN Friday evening. An iPhone that had the new software appeared to work on the T-Mobile system just seconds after Schulte replaced the AT&T SIM card with a T-Mobile SIM card. We followed up with Brett, a consultant with CNN, and he confirmed the iPhoneSIMfree unlocked his iPhone as well -- we also really wanted to ask about getting in touch with Ted Turner for a summer internship, but we got the vibe that it'd be a no-go. Now, if only iPhoneSIMfree would release that product of theirs to the public -- perhaps that might land along side the CNN story they're gunning for? Read - CNN re-confirms hack Read - Our original hack confirmation
iPhoneSIMfree announces availability of iPhone unlock within 3 days
You've seen the hack, now see the FAQ. In it the iPhoneSIMfree free guys answer many of the questions we already got to (Is it restore-resistant? Yes. Which features don't work? Just Visual Voicemail. Does it work with 1.0.2? Yes. Etc.), and a few we've all been eagerly awaiting the answers to: Can I unlock it before the AT&T registration process?Yes. What is the process the end user will go through?Currently our initial release will require that the end user activate and "jail break" in order to place our app on the phone. (We are working toward a fully automated PC / Mac application to be released shortly after launch). Do you offer 100% money back guarantee if the software does not work?The unlock WILL work. We cannot offer any guarantee should Apple, Inc. choose to re-lock the phone after a future update. And the 64k question: When can I get it?We are hoping to release in the next 48-72 hours. We'll let you know when we hear more.[Thanks, Ed]
$100,000 offered to freely release iPhone unlocking software
Hey, that's what they claim: $100,000 in cold hard cash for the right to freely distribute the iPhone unlocking software onto the Nets. Full credit given to the creator(s) of course with a proposed release date of Wed night at 12:00am (in some unspecified time zone). No details as to who is financially backing the offer or how payments will be made, only a single email address posted for discussing the details. Hear that UniquePhones and IPhoneSIMfree, here's your chance to make a buck and avoid a legal tussle with AT&T / Apple. Of course, anyone can launch a Blogspot site announcing pretty much anything they'd like. If nothing else, the move illustrates perfectly the demand for the software unlock to be released for general consumption. Let's hope it means more.[Thanks, Gussy]
iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity, August 24, 2007, 12:00PM EDT
It's high noon, Apple and AT&T -- we really hate to break it to you, but the jig is up. Last night the impossible was made possible: right in front of our very eyes we witnessed a full SIM unlock of our iPhone with a small piece of software. It's all over, guys.The iPhoneSIMfree.com team called us up to prove their claim that they cracked Apple's iPhone SIM lock system, and prove it they did. (No, we don't have a copy of the unlock software, so don't even ask us, ok?) The six-man team has been working non-stop since launch day, and they're officially the first to break Apple's SIM locks on the iPhone with software. It's done. Seriously. They wouldn't tell us when and how they would release it to the public, but you can certainly bet that they'll try to make a buck on their solution (and rightly so). We can hardly believe the iPhone's finally been cracked. No, scratch that -- we just can't believe it took this long.Again: we can confirm with 100% certainty that iPhoneSIMfree.com's software solution completely SIM unlocks the iPhone, is restore-resistant, and should make the iPhone fully functional for users outside of the US. Read on for details and links to our video, and check out the gallery of images below.%Gallery-6331%