The iPhone jailbreakers are at it again. Two different outfits are announcing iPhone software hacks that allow consumers to use their phones on networks other than the exclusive carriers.
In the U.S., the iPhone Dev Team (not affiliated with Apple) has released an unlock code for iPhone 3.0 software. The free hack is called Ultrasn0w and allows users of original iPhones or iPhone 3Gs upgraded to the 3.0 operating system to unlock the handsets and install jailbreak applications so they can use the phone on T-Mobile’s network. The team’s hack doesn’t work with the iPhone 3GS.
“As soon as you start messing with the innards of your iPhone with anything other than an Apple-sanctioned software release, there is always the potential of running into problems,” said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. “In the U.S. in particular, jailbreaking is almost a nonissue because the only other carrier you can use the iPhone on is T-Mobile. If you unlock a 3G or a 3GS, you can’t even run it on 3G because the hardware isn’t designed for T-Mobile’s 3G network.”
International iPhone Jailbreaks
But what about outside the U.S.? In the United Kingdom, iPhone Unlocking Ltd. Is promoting software it says allows iPhone 3GS users to unlock their 3.0 OS and use their handsets on any network provider. Consumers in the U.K. are otherwise restricted to Apple’s exclusive wireless partner, O2.
“Our new software will unlock any iPhone, in any country, running any firmware version, including the latest 3.0,” said Mark Scott, director of iPhone Unlocking. “The software can unlock iPhones, even unlock the iPhone 3.0 that have been damaged by other unlocking methods, and also iPhones that have been previously unlocked but have been relocked due to upgrading through iTunes.”
iPhone Unlocking opened its doors in August 2007 and claims to have sold more…