Skip to Content

Free TUAW iPhone app -- try it now!
AOL Tech

iPhone-Unlock posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iPhone

NYT on unlocking phones

Here's a quick link over to today's New York Times article on phone unlocking, which raises a couple of interesting (not to say off-base) points. First, Nokia claims that the current "Open to Anything" ad campaign is not directly aimed at the iPhone... right.

Second, writer Cyrus Farivar characterizes the 1.11 bricking situation thusly:

Apple has tried to thwart the practice [of unlocking] by updating the operating system software, which rendered any updated and unlocked phone useless. But rogue programmers were quickly back at it, and they say they have created software that makes it possible to break the newly updated software lock on the iPhone...

This has been discussed in various venues, but in my humble opinion the 1.11 update was in all likelihood not a deliberate attempt to disable phones; rather, the brickage was an unfortunate side effect. Farivar's phrasing implies an intent on Apple's part to "render phones useless" that may not have been there.

Filed under: Apple, iPhone

French iPhone buyers may choose Orange or unlocked

In the collision between French telecom law and Apple's carrier exclusivity for the iPhone, guess who blinked. Engadget and the International Herald-Tribune among other sources are reporting that the French iPhone will be sold in two versions, an Orange-locked handset for 399 euros, and an unlocked party animal for some as-yet-unannounced higher price. This is a consequence of France's statute, on the books since 1998, forbidding carrier locks beyond a six-month introductory window.

Given the option of a third-party unlock (either free or paid-for) versus shelling out extra for a legit, unlocked, vive le France iPhone... well, I expect there'll be a bit of shuttle diplomacy going on as would-be iPhone buyers decide to visit Paris for the holidays.

Thanks, Loki.

Filed under: Bad Apple, Developer, iPhone

Wired's Easy-Peasy iPhone Lockdown Checklist

Apple's hardly been on the charm offensive recently, what with the hard-hitting press release, clarifications from Phill Schiller, and the lockdown of the iPhone 1.1.1 update. So if you're wondering what on earth all the fuss is within the iPhone hacking community, then the folks at Wired have put together a brilliant at-a-glance checklist (based on an original feature list at 9to5mac.com) of all the 'improvements' iPhone software v1.1.1 offers over hacked version v1.0.2 and why folks are up in arms.

Of course, the punchline is too good to spoil, so you'll need to click 'Read' below to view the check-list.

Filed under: Podcasts

TUAW Talkcast #7: Inside the iPhone Dev Team

Listen in for a wild and wide-ranging session with special guest Kai Cherry as we cover the ins and outs of the iPhone development scene, with an emphasis on the unlock options that have emerged. We had a rollicking time last Sunday night (so rollicking, in fact, that it's taken me all week to mix down the show -- my apologies!) and we are working on improving the audio quality both for the live show and the final podcast that results. You can catch the show on our feeds (RSS and iTunes) or via direct download here.

Please join us again tomorrow night (Sunday 9/23 at 9 pm ET) for another live show; more discussion of your favorite Apple topics with bloggers Mike Schramm, Dave Caolo and Mat Lu. Shuffle on over to Talkshoe for the client and call-in details. Remember, with the new Talkshoe interface you can call in anonymously (#1 after entering the show ID, 45077), auto-connect with your PIN via caller ID (#2), or just start entering your PIN immediately. VoIP clients like Gizmo, Xmeeting, Skype or Talkshoe's built-in Shoephone will also work just fine.

Filed under: TUAW Business

Reminder: Talkcast tonight -- iPhone unlock and more

Don't forget, you can join us online and live tonight, 9 pm Eastern Time, for a half-hour chat with the TUAW team. Mat Lu and I will be doing an extended iPhone/iPod touch development Q&A with Erica Sadun, who has been in a whirlwind of hackery as the iPod touch meets the agile minds of the iPhone Dev Team. Bring those toolchain questions and application requests.

For those of you who haven't registered with Talkshoe yet, good news; the conferencing system has been opened up to allow anonymous call-in for anyone with a phone, no PIN needed (if you want to participate in the simultaneous text chat, a PIN and the new Talkshoe client are still required). To call in without a PIN, just dial the general number (724-444-7444), enter the Talkcast ID (45077), and then enter 1#. You can also listen to the live stream directly from the Talkshoe site, or subscribe to the podcast to catch up after the fact.

UPDATE: By "tonight" we mean "Sunday, September 16, 2007" so if you're calling on any day otherwise... Well, that isn't right.

Tip of the Day

Use Spotlight as a reference tool. Type any word in the Spotlight box and one of the top entries will be a definition. Click on it, and it will bring up the dictionary application to check the word in either the dictionary, thesaurus, Apple database, or Wikipedia.


Follow us on Twitter!
 TUAW [Cafepress]

Featured Galleries

DNC Macs
Macworld 2008 Keynote
Macworld 2008 Build-up
Google Earth for iPhone
Podcaster
Storyist 2.0
AT&T Navigator Road Test
Bento for iPhone 1.0
Scrabble for iPhone
Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase
Apple Vanity Plates
Apple booth Macworld 07
WorldVoice Radio
Quickoffice for iPhone 1.1.1
Daylite 3.9 Review
DiscPainter
Mariner Calc for iPhone
2009CupertinoBus
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
MLB.com At Bat 2009
Macworld Expo 2007 show floor

 

More Apple Analysis

AOL Radio TUAW on Stitcher