Wednesday, October 17,2007 @ 5:35pm
Hackers release iPhone 1.1.1 unlock
Hackers have posted a working iPhone unlock for Apple's latest revision -- iPhone Update 1.1.1 -- to the hackint0sh forums. The talented individuals have created a means of once again removing the iPhone's dependence upon Apple's exclusive cellular carrier, AT&T, by enabling the device to work with any SIM card -- the small storage medium that retains all the data of a particular wireless subscriber. The latest unlocking method comes after slew of curious iPhone owners set out to obtain read and write file access to the devices, while some reached a further goal of unlocking the handset for use with non-AT&T cellular service.
Apple first issued a warning to iPhone owners about unlocking their phones and then released an update that removed filesystem access and disabled most hacked devices, effectively 'bricking' affected iPhones or rendering them useless.
Since Apple's iPhone Update 1.1.1, hackers were forced to re-engineer their 'jailbreak' methods to once again obtain filesystem access on the handsets, which would allow them to install third-party software and ultimately unlock the phone for non-AT&T use a second time.
The hackers who have unlocked updated iPhones without corrupting the temporary memory, known as NVRAM, are offering the unlock as a digital download. The hackers also suggest surfing to the iNdependence project Web page hosted on Google Code as the easiest way to both jailbreak and activate iPhones carrying the 1.1.1 update.