iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity | Hacker News Reader

iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity

engadget.com

36 pointsnostrademons16 comments

I wonder if Apple will sue. A new exception was added to the DMCA last year specifically to address things like this:

"Computer programs in the form of firmware that enable wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telephone communication network, when circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network."

So it looks like this new law specifically allows you to hack your phone if all you want to do is unlock it. I'm actually kind of hoping that Apple sues the guys who did the unlocking, just to set a precedent when Apple loses.

Phone manufacturers and wireless providers still do not get it. Real coders will do anything in their collective power to provide users with what they are being robbed off everyday. Instead of investing in locking software, they should be open from the start.

oh... I'm sure they got it long time ago. But your "real coders" make up less than 0.1% of their customer base, while 99.9% of market will look for something that's cheap, cool, and EASY...

What about visual voicemail and push email? You can't legally clone those without Apple/AT&T blessing. Also, you are limited by the carrier signal since iPhone only works with the EDGE/GPRS.

Next: Linux on the IPhone please.

Are there any Linux phones besides OpenMoko yet?

Sure, quite a few actually. The next big one is the new Motorola RAZR2 which is Linux powered.

Here is an older list of some other phones: http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT9423084269.html

Wow, some of the (the ones with large displays) look really interesting. What a pitty there are no stores where I can go and try these out.

I wonder if you have bash and stuff, so you can simply run shellscripts and any software you like.

Yeah, it just shows how far behind the US wireless industry still is compared to the rest of the world. If the US telcos would allow any device on their networks (like in other parts of the world), more cool devices like these would be available to consumers. Its a shame.

I'm in Europe...

Linux on an Iphone doesn't make sense to me - the whole point of the Iphone is the interface built on top of the mac os - so a Linux iphone would just be strange as you would loose the coolness and just have a touch screen. Any clone (coming soon) would be a better platform to use Linux on a phone I think, and probably much less expensive.

Is this going to be like Bootcamp? In that case, Apple waited to release their own tool so they'd get two Intel Mac news cycles instead of one.

It's good news. This was pathetic from the beginning. They didn't even care to disguise their hunger for power and control. I liked Apple for Mac. I don't any more for iPhone.

Isn't AT&T the only carrier with the necessary infrastructure to support some of the cooler phone features like visual voicemail, etc.?

I'm not sure, but a part of me doubts it. I think it's all about a very narrow group of people getting even richer.

About bloody time.

about time

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