AfterDawn: News

UK firm working on iPhone unlocking software

John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, has revealed that all of the company's software engineers are working around the clock to bypass iPhone restrictions that tie it to America's AT&T provider. The company said it is almost ready to release a beta of the unlocking software and claims the pre-release technology is already able to unlock 75% of all the iPhones it has tried using a code generated by the unit's IEMI number.

The resulting software will be sold by the company for about £50, far more than unlocking fees for other mobile handsets. Some days ago, Jon Lech Johansen (DVD Jon), the Norwegian hacker that is credited for the creation of DeCSS, found a way to unlock the multimedia and wifi capabilities of the phone without signing up to AT&T's service, just days after the iPhone release.



The U.S. Copyright Office confirmed last year that consumers are allowed to unlock their phones in order to use them with other carriers, although it is likely that AT&T and Apple will contest that decision if/when it comes down to it. Uniquephones said it's received more than 150,000 inquiries about unlocking iPhones and has even received a large number of IMEI codes already from owners.

Source:
The Register

Written by: James Delahunty @ 7 Jul 2007 17:24

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• 11 comments

• venomX05

  Now this is AWESOME...at this point, it becomes an all in one. Good job for a company to go ahead and put forth a team to try and unlock the phone.
  
  Now that is progress for you...not even a month out yet and it is about to be broke! :)

  7.7.2007 17:33 #1

• faqman98

  this just brings up the question whether other phone companies should have the legal right to make iphones more compatible with their services/make special features available to the iphone

  7.7.2007 19:02 #2

• sssharp

  Any phone should work with any carrier, no matter what plan you pick. I dont need to buy a special phone for my house.

  8.7.2007 01:04 #3

• lxfactor

  Originally posted by sssharp:Any phone should work with any carrier, no matter what plan you pick. I dont need to buy a special phone for my house.ehh not really... thats like saying anyone can buy a LAMBO... you need good credit... and you need money... if you dont have that... ur stuck with prepaid on a crappy network... but if u have good credit.. u can get an iphone and good service... you know? yea im asking u.. you the one reading...

  8.7.2007 01:15 #4

• Jimathome

  ["ehh not really... thats like saying anyone can buy a LAMBO... you need good credit... and you need money"
  
  Sorry have i missed something here ? you are talking about an iphone which costs 450 Euro and comparing that with the ownership of a Lamborghini or LAMBO as you prefare, I live here in Amsterdam and almost everybody I know could easily afford an iphone if they really wanted one wihout credit, I could have several credit cards but I hate the things and don't want one, however I can still go to any ATM and take out 450 euro and purchase the phone but I must admit I don't know many people who could afford a Lamborghini. As to using another network my quadband phone will work anywhere in the world on roaming or if i intended to stay longer providing I obtain a network sim card it will work on any network of my choice, here in Holland one doesn't need to have credit to have a contract with a mobile network provider you just need to show your ID card or passport and a recent bank statement with you postal address on it, and as to buying a very expensive excutive toy like iphone and then having to pay somebody else another 50 Euro just so it will maybe function sounds totally insane to me maybe Steve Jobs thinks anyone who buys it outside of the US intends to imigrate the next day and would prefare Steve to choose thier network provider for them.
  
  Jim

  8.7.2007 09:07 #5

• M4DHATT3R

  Quote:[quote=sssharp]ehh not really... thats like saying anyone can buy a LAMBO... you need good credit... and you need money... if you dont have that... ur stuck with prepaid on a crappy network... but if u have good credit.. u can get an iphone and good service... you know? yea im asking u.. you the one reading...LOL ths makes absolutely no sense what so ever. Your statement had nothing to do with the response you were quoting. I appreciate the good laugh though.

  8.7.2007 09:45 #6

• duckNrun

  Quote:Originally posted by sssharp:Any phone should work with any carrier, no matter what plan you pick. I dont need to buy a special phone for my house.ehh not really... thats like saying anyone can buy a LAMBO... you need good credit... and you need money... if you dont have that... ur stuck with prepaid on a crappy network... but if u have good credit.. u can get an iphone and good service... you know? yea im asking u.. you the one reading...
  Dude, What he's saying is that when you buy a CELLPHONE it should be able to work with ALL MOBILE NETWORK providers in the same way that a HOME PHONE works with ALL HOME NETWORK providers.
  
  Man, am I a genius or are you just retarded?

  8.7.2007 22:59 #7

• maryjayne

  I never did understand manufacturing a phone and then having it locked to a specific network. Why would you want to limit your market to only one network? Does not seem like good business sense to me.

  9.7.2007 04:29 #8

• duckNrun

  I am sure that the bottom line is that AT&T are contributing to the iPhone's bottom line somehow; like through some exclusive marketing contract that cost a few more millions.

  9.7.2007 05:36 #9

• p4boi

  No need to wait on these guys. Its already available for free at this link.
  
  
  http://www.dvdtoiphone.net/unlock-iphone.html

  13.7.2007 20:45 #10

• borhan9

  Originally posted by venomX05: Now this is AWESOME...at this point, it becomes an all in one. Good job for a company to go ahead and put forth a team to try and unlock the phone.
  
  Now that is progress for you...not even a month out yet and it is about to be broke! :)Ditto. :)

  15.7.2007 04:40 #11