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AT&T's iPhone unlocking process simple but time-consuming
AT&T began unlocking iPhones this weekend. The unlocking process is being described as easy but long, according to a report on Electronista and forum posts at iMore. Customers only need to provide their phone's IMEI to AT&T online or in a store, and then they wait for Apple to unlock the phone. This wait period may be as short as a few minutes or as long as four to six days. Most customers are being told to expect to wait up to 72 hours for the unlock to go through Apple's system. Keep in mind that only iPhones that are out of contract are eligible for an unlock; alternatively, the customer can pay out the contract kill fee and then request the unlock. Phones that are still covered by a two-year AT&T agreement are not eligible.
AT&T to begin unlocking off-contract iPhones April 8
AT&T confirmed today that it will unlock customers' post-contract iPhones starting Sunday, April 8. AT&T told Engadget, Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee. This is good news for customers who travel abroad. When they reach their destination, customers will be able to purchase a less-expensive SIM from a local carrier, instead of subscribing to an AT&T international plan. We've asked AT&T to clarify if this will be only for the iPhone 4S, or other models as well, but at this time haven't received a reply.
AT&T to begin unlocking off-contract iPhones this Sunday, April 8th (update)
We've just received word of a spicy strategy change, to be enacted this Sunday, that's sure to please the AT&T iPhone-loving masses. On Easter, select Ma' Bell customers with iPhones -- those off-contract with accounts in good standing -- will be able to request a carrier unlock for their device. Once freed, any micro-SIM can be used -- provided its carrier's frequencies are supported -- by the smartphone. An AT&T spokesperson was able to confirm that "a policy change concerning iPhones" would indeed be rolled-out on Sunday, but declined to elaborate further. That sound you hear? International Love, being quietly spun from the corner office of Ralph de la Vega.[Thanks, John Crawford]Here's AT&T's official statement on the matter: Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.
Samsung tweaking Face Unlock to require blinking, smiling still optional
Still paranoid about a friend sneaking past your four-dot-oh facial security and revealing all your little secrets? Worry no more, as Sammy's got a solution for you. The new feature is stuffed inside the tasty ICS being delivered now to global Galaxy S IIs, adding the need to blink in order to bypass the Face Unlock screen. Aside from the eyelash-flashing bit included in the upgrade, Samsung's Product Planning Team says they've also added Photo Editor, Beta Font, Snapshot and a novel S Go Launcher Pro. You can check out the full interview with Samsung's whiz-squad at the source below.
Diablo 3 beta bug opens three secret gates of Hell
The Diablo 3 beta is well underway with hundreds of thousands of players delving into the dungeons of Sanctuary, and with so many deviants roaming the deadlands, there was bound to be some mischief. A bug in the beta granted access to three areas not yet intended for public play: the Festering Woods, Drowned Temple and Fields of Misery.The three bugged levels are mostly playable, featuring larger, more diverse beasts than in the released beta levels, including goatmen, violent trees, ghouls, spirits and more, incgamers reports. Blizzard pulled the servers to lock the areas out again, according to ubergizmo, but not before a few players recorded their adventures -- watch one romp through the Fields of Misery above.
BlackBerry phones could get rhythm-to-unlock, like dun-da-da-dun-dun
Who needs face unlock when you could just tap out a private ditty on your smartphone? Maybe you'd risk giving away your credentials to any vaguely rhythmic phone thief within ten feet, but RIM's engineers have a patent-approved answer to that: Rather than just sensing rhythm, they reckon a phone's accelerometer could also detect the magnitude and location of each tap, which would make it harder for eavesdroppers to mimic. Just don't pick something too syncopated -- not unless you're this guy.
Gevey Ultra S SIM brings freedom to iPhone 4S, unlockers rejoice (video)
Fancy yourself a world traveler but steadfastly refuse to pay a premium for an unlocked variant of Apple's 4S? Or perhaps it's just not up for grabs on that beloved carrier of yours. Well, a solution to all of your iPhone's freedom problems may be on the way -- and no, it doesn't involve jailbreaking. That is, if you're on iOS 5.0 or 5.0.1 and your Baseband digits are within the 1.0.11, 1.0.13, 1.0.14 boundaries. Unfortunately, those of you lingering on 04.11.08 are out of luck for now. The Gevey Ultra S, as it's so cleverly dubbed, is set to start shipping on March 3rd for $55. We've yet to come across anyone we know who's put it to the test, thus you'll be taking the dive at your own risk. Meanwhile, you can jump past the break to catch the Ultra S in some self-promoting action.
ASUS gives Transformer Prime a bootloader unlock tool, Ubuntu promptly ported
Ah, it was indeed only a matter of time. Much like the way HTC caved into fan pressure, ASUS has finally released a bootloader unlock tool for its Transformer Prime TF201. Understandably, the tablet will no longer be covered under warranty once you set it free, but the other catch is that it needs to be running Ice Cream Sandwich in the first place as well. Not that it concerned modder littlesteve who promptly ported a partially-working Ubuntu over to his unlocked slate, pictured above. Steve says there's much work to be done yet, especially with enabling touchscreen support, so keep an eye on his tweets if you're itching to get a taste of his Linux pie. Now, about that mysterious TF300T...
iOS 5.1 leaked, bringing new unlock-to-camera action, more cultured Siri?
The gang over at BGR have allegedly acquired a bootleg copy of Apple's next mobile operating system iteration, iOS 5.1. In doing so, they have been able to confirm two rumored adds: a new unlock-to-camera action and Japanese support for Siri. In iOS 5.0, users can activate the camera from a locked device by double-tapping the home button and selecting the icon that appears. The new workflow? Wake the phone, then simply slide the lock screen toward the top of the handset -- making this feature easier to use and find. The other major difference is the expansion of Siri's vernacular -- more specifically, the addition of Japanese. iOS users in The Land of the Rising Sun will soon be able to get a synthesized "konnichiwa" from their iPhone. Domo arigato, Apple.
Google files patent app for unlocking devices, says we don't need no stinking slide-to-unlock
Apple's legal assault on Android has ratcheted up another notch with Cupertino's newest complaint against Samsung, in which it alleges a bevy of devices infringe upon its slide-to-unlock patent. Help may be on the way, however, as a recent Google patent application shows Mountain View aims to acquire some device-unlocking IP of its own. Titled "Input to Locked Computing Device," the application claims a method for a device unlocking process using one or more user inputs while simultaneously executing a command -- like calling a specific contact or opening an application. Those user inputs can take the form of passcodes, touch and drag, or audio commands. While the application's drawings depict such a system on a phone, it claims an unlocking system for desktops and laptops as well, so it could easily find its way onto a Chromebook or two. Of course, it's just an application, so there's no telling when, or if, it'll actually become an addition to Android's courtroom arsenal, but feel free to check out the app itself by surfing on over to the source link below.
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.
Nook Tablet gets easy root shortcut via SD card (video)
As the (admittedly niche) battle for root access wages on between the Nook Tablet creators and its end users, a new shortcut's been discovered for unlocking the Android-based slab -- and you'll need an SD card to do the business. The new technique, courtesy of xda-developers forum member Indirect, works on all tablets up to version 1.4.1, requiring the installation of some key files onto the card and a reboot to unleash the might of Google's Android Market. Those interested in a Google app hook-up for their Nook should check the video below and visit the source for those all-important files.
Video shows face recognition unlock for iPhone
One of the features that graces the screens of many Android 4.0 phones is FaceUnlock, which uses facial recognition technology to unlock a phone rather than a simple swipe or swiping and entering a passcode. Now some devs have ported that capability to iOS and are promising that the capability will be available soon in the form of an app. In the video below, there's a demo of this app-in-progress. It's pretty cool and seems to work well, although at least at this point it seems to be a bit slower than just swiping the home screen and tapping a four-digit code. What do you think, TUAW readers? Is this just an Android-y gimmick or the wave of the unlocking future? Tell us in the comments. [via Engadget]
Frustrated fans demand Motorola make good on promise, deliver unlocked bootloaders
Like HTC and Sony Ericsson, Motorola had previously committed itself to deliver products with unlockable bootloaders. In fact, the company went so far as to profess that it would make this functionality available across its entire product line by late 2011 -- subject to carrier approval, anyway. While the first two companies have made good on their claims, Motorola seems content to be silent on the matter. Certainly the international version of the RAZR can't equal the sum total of the company's promise, right? Now that 2011 has come and gone, some of Motorola's most fervent supporters are growing anxious. In an effort to grab the company's attention -- and see that something gets done -- one individual has started Operation: Make Ourselves Heard, which has gathered approximately 1,600 signatures from like-minded individuals, each who seek tangible progress from Motorola. If this issue is important to you, we certainly encourage you to sign the petition.
Microsoft-approved Windows Phone 7 unlocker discontinued (for the moment)
Well, that was fast. Not two months after ChevronWP7 began selling $9 "tokens" to unlock WP7 handsets, the tool is being discontinued. WPCentral reports that ChevronWP7 made an agreement with Microsoft not to sell more than 10,000 tokens. Unfortunately for latecomers, though, the outfit's reached that cut-off, and says it has no current plans to renegotiate this number (though it hasn't ruled it out either). In a statement, ChevronWP7 spokesperson Rafael Rivera wrote, "Microsoft isn't involved in our discussion yet. And they can't provide us with more unlocks because we haven't asked yet. If we do request more, we're sure Microsoft will respond positively – as they have in the past." Until the two companies raise that sales ceiling, the only Redmond-sanctioned unlocker will be Microsoft's own AppHub, which will set you back a princelier $99.
HTC updates bootloader unlock utility to support latest Android lineup
It wasn't long ago that HTC's bootloader unlock utility hit the masses, thereby righting the company's silly decision to lock its phones down in the first place. Now, continuing its commitment to mod-lovers and those who appreciate freedom, The House of Chou is announcing that its latest lineup of Android phones can find a similar (and proper) fate. The company has released an updated bootloader unlock tool that supports all Android devices released after September of this year. Naturally, this includes such handsets as the HTC EVO Design 4G, Rezound, Rhyme and Vivid. The company has yet to release an updated list of supported devices, but promises to do so in the coming days. While we're still not crazy about users losing their rights to a warranty, for the moment, that seems to be the price of freedom.
WindowBreak Project seeks universal developer unlock tool for Windows Phone (video)
The developer known as Jaxbot is becoming quite familiar around these parts, who's known for bringing instant app resuming and multitasking to Windows Phone -- long before these features had gone mainstream. Now, he's back at it with WindowBreak, a project that seeks to deliver an interop unlock tool that can be used on any Windows Phone. As you can see in the video after the break, his tool already works on Samsung phones, and now, Jaxbot needs the help of like-minded hackers to perform similar feats with HTC and Nokia handsets. If you're willing to give 'er a go during the holiday weekend, just check the source links below.
ultrasn0w bumped to version 1.2.5, now unlocking even more iOS 5.0.1 devices
Given that you're out on Christmas break and all, isn't it about time you finally tried out that whole "unlocking" thing you've been hearing about? A new build of ultrasn0w just hit the Cydia app store, with v1.2.5 adding more support for iOS 5.0.1. Of note, novice jailbreakers may want to reach out to more experienced pals before embarking, as you'll need a a compatible baseband in order for the unlock to work. The iPhone 3GS (running iOS 5.0.1.) is supported with the following basements: 04.26.08 – 05.11.07 – 05.12.01 – 05.13.04 – 06.15.00. The iPhone 4 is supported if your baseband checks in as 01.59.00. If you're looking to upgrade from a dustier firmware, make sure you preserve your baseband before unlocking. Hit the source link for a few tips, and remember: friends don't let friends jailbreak before completing a backup.
Nook Tablet gets rooted, bootloader stays under lock and key
Jealous of that root-ready Kindle Fire, but not ready to trudge through the Amazon to get it? Don't worry, you can stay huddled up with your Nook Tablet and get all the device rooting you want -- with a few caveats. Although the good folks on the XDA Forums haven't unlocked the slab's bootloader just yet, they've managed to root the tablet all the same. Jumping through a few technical hoops (or stumbling across forum user Indirect's one-click Windows utility) will score you access to the Android market and another way to sideload apps on the souped up slate. Custom ROMs? Not yet; in addition to killing the root with every device reboot, the locked bootloader is keeping the Nook's tweaked build of Android 2.3 front and center. Hit up the source link below to get started. Update: Indirect has updated his forum post to clarify that the root is permanent. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sprint iPhone 4S unlocking policy not new, can be undone
It turns out Sprint's locking down of the iPhone 4S SIM wasn't exactly a bombshell. Shortly after the iPhone 4S launched, Sprint told Jason Snell of Macworld that the locking policy would eventually go into effect. According to Sprint, the company will "allow existing customers in good standing to unlock the SIM for international use if needed in the future" if customers explicitly ask for the unlock. That's decent of them, but it also makes me wonder why Sprint is bothering to lock the SIM in the first place. I doubt very many people are looking to buy the iPhone from Sprint and then migrate to AT&T or one of the other US-based GSM carriers. Happily, this means Sprint customers will not be locked into exorbitant international roaming rates. Instead, so long as Sprint honors the request to unlock the SIM, customers will be able to swap in a SIM from a local carrier and pay local rates. While that may sound like a hassle, I can tell you from personal experience that it works quite well; I put an Australian SIM in my NZ iPhone during a weeklong vacation in Melbourne earlier this year, and the process went extremely smoothly. Then again, iPhones sold in New Zealand are never locked to a specific carrier, so that definitely made the process easier than it might have been otherwise.
