Gizmodo
According to the usual suspects, now you can 100%-unlock the iPhone using a Turbo SIM card, without depending on the version of your current carrier card. Testers say it will give you full calling, SMS and GPRS data capabilities with any network. You won't need extra hardware, since it only requires you to modify the $80 blank SIM using your own iPhone.
The hackers are claiming that this method doesn't use card readers and it doesn't depend on your previous card version either, so it doesn't matter if it is a V1, V2 or V3. All of them will work fine.
While the Turbo SIM-based method is not software-only, it seems simple and cheap enough for anyone to follow.
However, to save you any potential pain we will test it here as soon as we get our Turbo SIM cards —which are about to arrive. We will give you a full report on our results as soon as we try it. [Bladox Forums]
Comments
This is great news. Time to get back on eBay and start sellin' em to Europeans.
Don't forget, "The Empire Strikes Back"...
only a matter of time before back-street independent phone stores offer to do the unlocking for you. Just hope it works on my Three USIM (not very likely but still)
who wants to bet that apple finds a way to break this with a firmware update and also track any rogue iphones out there through the wifi?
Ahh yes, but does it make the little *click* sound when you unlock it?
Do I smell the cost of these SIM cards rising in the next 24 hours?
I don't think Apple would really care that much. They are making more money off the hardware than the kickbacks from AT&T. By having someone unlock it they will sell more iPhones. They were probably counting on someone hacking it. AT&T would love to close this gap, but guess who services and upgrades the iPhone. Pure genius.
shipping cost/time FTL for US interests.
So am I right in guessing that you somehow copy your current, non-iPhone SIM card's ID/contents to this Turbo SIM?
@mwalker05:
Who wants to bet Apple isn't that keen on the 'lock users in and don't let them do crap' method of business? I would think the lack of penalizing the Apple TV hacking teams from doing stuff would indicate the same.
shipping cost/time FTL for US buyers.
@Keebler: From what I gather, the TurboSIM spoofs the phone into thinking that it is a AT&T SIM card, while your original SIM provides the actual service.
from the Bladox page:
AWESOME!
@trekkie: You think Apple isn't keen on locking users in to one service? Have you ever heard or iTunes?
A shop of some sort is set to open up soon in this Williamsburg storefront on Berry and North 9th Street—anyone have a clue as to what it will be? Image courtesy of our friend Will Femia, who dropped this photo into the Racked Flickr Pool.
Does anybody know where can I buy one? I want one so bad
You can buy an iPhone at any Apple store, online, or at any AT&T/Cingular store. Any other questions, be sure to post them here.
@R031E5: [bladox.com]
It's $80 + shipping depending where you live. If you live in the US, its gonna suck cause shipping to Chicago was $20 bucks.
I would not run out to buy so soon... Apple reads Gizmodo too... And you can be a team is being assembled in the Apple death star as we speak... A sync update and you and your hacked phone will be in the trash compactor... The saga continues...
AT&T is the evil Empire ... or at least that Sith geezer ... Apple's just a Jedi dabbling in the dark side of the Force. The "Force" in this case is the force of the will of the people.
(I should wear a beret like Che when I rant like that)
AT&T is gonna whine like a spoiled girlie who wants a pony. Apple's gonna shrug and say: "Hey, what can we do? It's what the customer wants." And then they'll roll out their next thing which is even better (and makes them scads more cash) and leaves an even bigger opening for consumer hacks like this.
I love this future we're livin' in.
Cheers
@Tony of TonyandJuan.com: Ever heard of Yamipod or Rockbox? Apple does not force you to use nothing but iTunes, it just happens to be the thing that it comes with, but you're free to abandon iTunes altogether and use something else.
Why do people assume that Apple would care to patch this at all? They're not obligated to AT&T to hunt down and track every iPhone and cripple them if unlocked, and Apple, sure enough, would suddenly get more and more sales because of this, as being locked into AT&T is what deters more people, more so than the price tag. At $500-$600, an unlocked iPhone is right up my alley.
oh, and thanks for being our guinea pigs Giz. :D
Erm sorry let me redefine the question, where can I buy a turbo sim?
Sent from my iPhone
The iPhone, unlocked. Accomplished using a Turbo SIM card, the victory is a complete one, unlocking the handset without any of the compromises associated with earlier, less comprehensive assaults.
Mmm no, Apple do not LOCK YOU into iTunes service,, you can get your MP3s, videos or music from wherever you like, and using ITunes software (wich is not the same as the iTunes Store) you feed your iPod or iPhone with music video, contacts, notes, etc.... iTunes is exactly like Windows Activesync, but it works perfectly....
Not lock you in? Well try using a program and convert your drm songs to Mp3. Then go back to Itunes and see what happens. Hint, back up your stuff your gonna need it. I know I broke the contract,and there is no reason they should let me use their system. I got no problem with their response as I don't want to use Itunes anymore. Like everyone else locking up your customer is a fact of life in the current market strategy.
Cart
Niiiic
Niiiice...now to sell my 8525...hmmmm am i giving in to the hype? =(
Yes iTunes uses drm for it's songs but the steve has been very outspoken against drm. He is just forced to use it because of the current music industry.
The steve hates drm and he has been very outspoken against it. How can you even use that as point when apple hates it but is forced to use it? And for the record most people that actually download their music from iTunes and deal with drm, aren't gonna be hacking their iphones
This can easily be disabled. The latest iPhone software updated will check the first 5-6 digits of the IMSI, and the game is lost.
Sorry guys.
If only Apple made a nice phone worth buying. Something with real GPS. Real WiFi. Real keyboard. etc.
It was bound to happen.
All we need is a tut and i can start selling/shipping iphones to the carribean.
@:R031E5
Well now, Itunes isn't selling for 600$ now, is it? Think about what Apple is getting from both sales, and why they would care if you weren't locked in with itunes, as opposed to the phone. THINK
@Mayor McRib: Actually Cingular is making their huge chunk of money too. They're the one getting the monthly payments from new (stupid) subscribers who do not know how to hack their iphone. Ditzy rich girls will certainly fit this category.
@ecartman: I've done exactly that and never had a problem with it. One of the first things I do is remove the DRM from any music I buy.
Does this mean I can unloack the iPhone to use the only other GSM carrier in the US, T-mobile? They got that 1000 minutes for $39. But you still have to cancel the AT&T contract.
@bassnote:
Tell me how it goes.
but it's a matter of time for europe, perhaps a 3gt version
hey ... ı want an i phone so bad that I have searched for it alot.. this is the best way 'turbo sım' to be able to use an I PHONE . but When we buy an Iphone from here with the turbıcard attached to the phone , will we have a warranty in case ıt will go bad , it wıll not work in next years time .. and I cant believe but I realyy wanna be sure that I can use ıt ın my own country with my own gsm operator with the same opportunities provided by my gsm without having no prob.?
and if we want to buy one from here , except for shipping what will the price of mobile phone will be , I mean the total amount excluding the shipping to usa to new jersey?
thank you , I really look forward to ur answers
Well the only effect this apple attitude had on me is that I will go back to the good old downloads and will not buy any single original piece of sw anymore.
Leopard (orginal) just sucks.I-life 08 same thing (fortunately I didn't buy it). I had to download half a Giga of updates to make the system almost as stable as tiger. Microsoft office is a pain on leopard and Ms is delaying hte release of 08.
The third point is that all this new wave of apple's infamous popularity is an invitation for hackers to pay more attention to the osx which is not secure cause it's crafted by gods but because nobody cares of programming viruses for it...the recent quick time bug is a first signal.
Bottomline: being too greedy and too nazi style does not pay because there's alway somebody smarter than you in the world and this applies also for the guys in Cupertino
Hello...to do this myself..how can get the software turbo SIM or what do I have to do in order for me to unlock my iphone. Thanks
actually i don't know what will happen and how it will go on,but surely it grows the sales of apple,and you gonna to have a try,then many people will make profits out of it,like this:
[www.easyipodshop.com]
anyway,see if the price is at the hell there.
Where was the follow up post to this? I want to see these things unlocked with hardware dammit!
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