Steff Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Yahoo.com SAN FRANCISCO - The teenage hacker who managed to unlock the iPhone so that it can be used with cellular networks other than AT&T will be trading his reworked gadget for a new car. George Hotz, of Glen Rock, N.J., said he had reached the deal with CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company. Hotz posted on his blog that he traded his modified iPhone for "a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones." "This has been a great end to a great summer," Hotz wrote. The 17-year-old Hotz said he will be sending the three new iPhones to the three online collaborators who helped him divorce Apple Inc's popular product from AT&T's network. The job took 500 hours, or about 8 hours a day since the iPhone's June 29 launch. Hotz made the deal with Terry Daidone, co-founder of CertiCell, who also promised the teen a paid consulting job. "We do not have any plans on the table right now to commercialize Mr. Hotz' discovery," Daidone said in a statement. Why such a big deal to unlock it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 08:18 AM) Why such a big deal to unlock it? Right now, the iPhone can only be used on AT&T's network...which does 2 things. One, you have to deal with AT&T's notably crappy service. And two...AT&T's service is not useful internationally. There is at least one other service in this country compatible with the iPhone's hardware...if you can unlock it...and there are international carriers that are also. So if you want to be able to use the phone overseas, or use another network other than AT&T's, his procedure seems to be what you need to do. Therefore, there is at least a non trivial amount of money in it for a company that does nothing other than unlock and sell iPhones to people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 09:38 AM) Right now, the iPhone can only be used on AT&T's network...which does 2 things. One, you have to deal with AT&T's notably crappy service. And two...AT&T's service is not useful internationally. There is at least one other service in this country compatible with the iPhone's hardware...if you can unlock it...and there are international carriers that are also. So if you want to be able to use the phone overseas, or use another network other than AT&T's, his procedure seems to be what you need to do. Therefore, there is at least a non trivial amount of money in it for a company that does nothing other than unlock and sell iPhones to people. Ahhh... I see. So is unlocking - hacking - it a criminal offense? Sidenote, my AT&T Treo worked just fine from Costa Rico in May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 08:40 AM) Ahhh... I see. So is unlocking - hacking - it a criminal offense? Sidenote, my AT&T Treo worked just fine from Costa Rico in May. Thanks to one of the worst laws passed regarding the digital age...it sure appears that it could be. PCWorld link Hackers who unlock Apple Inc.'s iPhone from the AT&T Inc. network and share the method with 10 million of their closest Internet friends are inviting a lawsuit from the two companies, several intellectual property lawyers said Monday. Apple and AT&T may have a legal case against unlockers under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), especially if they try to sell software code or devices that unlock the iPhone, the lawyers said. But the legal landscape gets a bit complicated -- there's a legal exception to the DMCA's anticircumvention provisions that allows individual mobile phone users to unlock their devices for use on other networks. So figuring out how to unlock the iPhone yourself is not likely to be a DMCA violation, most of the IP lawyers said. But posting instructions or code online, even for free, may earn you a cease and desist letter from an unfriendly lawyer, and selling software or a device that unlocks the phone is inviting trouble, most of the lawyers said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 10:40 AM) Ahhh... I see. So is unlocking - hacking - it a criminal offense? Sidenote, my AT&T Treo worked just fine from Costa Rico in May. Not a criminal offense. And to the kids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 09:43 AM) Thanks to one of the worst laws passed regarding the digital age...it sure appears that it could be. PCWorld link My first reaction is to say "folks should be able to choose whatever service they want" but I admit I don't know anything more about phones and PDA's above my personal use of them. They sure have come a long way though... my first phone was a Motorola bag phone... which I used from my Pontiac Formula 350. Yea baby!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 10:43 AM) Thanks to one of the worst laws passed regarding the digital age...it sure appears that it could be. PCWorld link unlocking isn't illegal, it's what they do next. At least that is how I've read the two articles I've seen so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 10:46 AM) my first phone was a Motorola bag phone... which I used from my Pontiac Formula 350. Yea baby!! You had to turn down the blaring Skid Row first, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(mreye @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 09:51 AM) You had to turn down the blaring Skid Row first, right? It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? I tell ya... it was a real culture shock to see that Rock of Love show with Brett Michaels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreye Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 28, 2007 -> 10:55 AM) It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? I tell ya... it was a real culture shock to see that Rock of Love show with Brett Michaels. Pretty soon Motley Crue will have a Vegas Cirque show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 unlocked iphones for tmobile have been on ebay and cragslist for awhile now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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