Unlocking the iPhone 3G - or maybe not
Gadget blogs on New Year's Day were aflutter with word that an application called Yellowsn0w was available for those who want to unlock the iPhone 3G.
The iPhone - who wants in?
(Credit: James Martin/CNET Networks)CrunchGear, for one, posted a graphically enhanced, QuickPwn-focused spin on jailbreaking the iPhone and making use of the Yellowsn0w instructions from the Dev-Team Blog. Way at the bottom, though, it points out that "this is all in beta and there is no guarantee of success." It follows with this note:
UPDATE - I haven't been able to get it to work on two iPhone 3Gs, both with fresh 2.2 firmware and baseband. I've heard plenty of people HAVE had luck, however, so it seems to be an either/or thing. I suspect some cells aren't accepting the iPhones as valid equipment.
Gizmodo, meanwhile, reports that while Yellowsn0w is "very easy to install," alas "it doesn't work right," and takes the Dev-Team folks to task:
Even while this is labeled as a beta, it saddens me that the iPhone Dev Team has embraced the damn beta culture just to make the release on a cute date. It looks like the old days of solid versions are long gone by.
The Gizmodo account also cites a poll of 67 people who'd tried out Yellowsn0w, with "it doesn't work" outdoing "it worked" by a ratio of about 2 to 1.
Over at The Boy Genius Report, things seem to have worked out more favorably. Says Boy Genius, "It's not without a few hiccups but it definitely works and it works well."
Jonathan Skillings is managing editor of CNET News, based in the Boston bureau. He's been with CNET since 2000, after a decade in tech journalism at the IDG News Service, PC Week, and an AS/400 magazine. He's also been a soldier and a schoolteacher. E-mail Jon. 
Although US is a free country the people do not enjoy freedom. Corporations tie the people down with biased contracts and force the people (users) into using a product within a limited parameter. This is nothing less than living under dictatorship. Good that the Corporate America does not rule the country (directly) otherwise even the 1st amendment would be under a contract.
AT&T was supposed to offer unlocked version for about $700, but they haven't delivered on the promise.
AT&T pays a subsidy for the iPhone so it is their right to expect you to pay for monthly service in order to make back the money they spent allowing you to get the phone for far less than retail.
If you don't like the price, either buy another phone or pay full retail and buy the phone outside of the US. Of course in the US you only have 2 choices of providers for a GSM phone anyway. AT&T or T-Mobile. And T-Mobile doesn't offer a 3G network.
PERIOD, DONE WITH, OVER.... they should not be allowed to do that. The FCC needs to get off their damned ***** and make it ILLEGAL for phones to be locked to a certain provider.
most phones are stuck with a provider anyway.
but seriously, who cares?
an unlocked Android will shortly be freely available without any goofy unreliable hacks if anyone would have simply waited 6 months to a year instead of becoming mated to the iPhone (first 2G, and now 3G), for 2 years. but no. they. had. to. have. one. NOW.
and with it being 3G, and AT&T constantly touting the fastest 3G network, your stupid contractual obligation, basically a personal problem, is becoming a lot less of an issue anyway.
why do people keep saying "people in other countries need it". they sell iPhones in other countries which are either a) not locked down to AT&T, which doesn't have a presence in that country, or b) not locked down at all, either for the same price or a bit more. so if you're buying the iPhone in another country, you're not in the same situation, and therefore you're comparing apples to oranges (no pun intended). thus, non-issue as it relates to this discussion of iPhone sales in the U.S.
I understand the issue of travelling abroad. but people knew that when they bought it and signed the contract. there was little assurance nor guarantee of being able to unlock it to use another provider outside North America.
I understand wanting to be able to unlock your phone when the 2 years is up, and that's a valid concern...but again, people knew there was no procedure to do this when they bought one. but it does become somewhat relevant if people are still using it at that point.
Furthermore they also make it extremely clear that it is 100% at your own risk, it's experimental / beta and if you want to try, then have fun, if your unsure, then don't play!
Also, it is 100% removable, it's simply a code injection at boot, i.e a non UI program scripted to run at boot, simply do a iPhone restore within iTunes, and the phone is box fresh.
I think people simply need to accept the Dev team and the unlock are people who have gracious enough to share the fruits of their labour of love playing with the deeper aspects of the iPhone at a level most people will never even understand, I mean the number of people who can't even follow the basic and clear instructions about how to properly run the script!!!
Moral: if you play with fire expect to get burnt occasionally, and don't complain if you lit the match.
I have an iphone and there is no way I'd put that crap on it.
I don't know how that's totally correct, in U.S. you can buy a basic prepaid phone for $15-25 no rebate required. obviously it's not being subsidized (price lowered at retail) to get someone to sign a long-term contract, since there's no contract!! and... they work in Canada. so based on that "impossibility", I'd either say people have to step across the border and buy one, or perhaps shop around up there til they find one?
even my $89.99 prepaid phone with QWERTY keyboard, 1.3MP camera, etc I've seen for as low as $35.00 on sale at Best Buy, which was after I got it. again, no rebate required.
I don't know how that's totally correct, in U.S. you can buy a basic prepaid phone for $15-25 no rebate required. obviously it's not being subsidized (price lowered at retail) to get someone to sign a long-term contract, since there's no contract!! and... they work in Canada. so based on that "impossibility", I'd either say people have to step across the border and buy one, or perhaps shop around up there til they find one?
even my $89.99 prepaid phone with QWERTY keyboard, 1.3MP camera, etc I've seen for as low as $35.00 on sale at Best Buy, which was after I got it. again, no rebate required.
I get their point if they're a salesperson, i.e. independent contractor, and would rather opt for iPhone over Palm Treo or Blackberry, or similar smart phones like Verizon Q (which is what I used to have at work).
but aside from those positions, if you "need" that exact phone for your job, and are a salary employee there is a high probability your work would pay for you to have that exact phone!! otherwise you're lying through your teeth, and could get away with a less trendy /. pricy phone that does basically the same thing.
When you look at comments you'll see lots of people with it working, and several with issues.
Enjoy - but don't wine if it doesn't work!
If you are in the U.S., you have to pay approx. $40/mo. just for basic phone service with ANY carrier. The ONLY "xtra charge" with AT&T is for internet-$30/mo. That's $720 over the course of 2 years, plus the cost of the iPhone (currently $199). Total: approximately $920 for device+data service over the 2 year contract. Whereas, you'd pay around $700 for an already unlocked device by itself, plus a basic service plan, plus data usage.
Even if you manage to get the phone cheap, you've still got the basic monthly phone rate plus major data usage. So, you might save $15/mo. for all the headache.
Seems like the contract is the logical way to go.
That said, there is an unsavory corporate culture in the U.S. that is using exclusivity to force consumers into extremely limiting contracts--leaving them zero choices if they want the product/service.
- by sassiebrat January 5, 2009 9:13 AM PST
- what happens to the warranty if you unlock the 3G?
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- by voyager529 February 4, 2009 12:05 PM PST
- You can't get warranty service unless you re-lock it. Just do a vanilla flavored restore on the phone and you're golden.
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(45 Comments)Joey