World's Second Hacked, Unlocked iPhone Debuts

A cheap soldering gun, gallons of energy drinks and allot of free time is what it took for a 17-year-old whiz kid from New Jersey to "unlock" the infamous iPhone, making it available to worldwide audience.

Curly haired George Hutz spent his summer technically tinkering with the super phone, modifying its hardware, effectively cutting its restrictions to the AT&T network.

According to Mr. Hutz's blog, the following items are needed for successful unlocking:

1. An iphone with a launching application removed from the directory
2. Small case opener tools, (he recommends guitar picks).
3. Any soldering iron
4. Wire. Specifically magnet wire
5. An unlock switch or wire cutters.
6. Unholy quantities of energy drinks.

Although you might have all these tools and more at your disposal, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! The skill level of the modification requires the soldering expertise of an electrician and the programming of a serious coder. The hack is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software. Missteps may result in your iPhone becoming a neat paperweight, so few people will be able to follow the instructions. Several eager, less talented readers commented on Hutz's Blog, demanding the instructions be dumbed down or "unnerded". Accorinding to Hutz his instructions were the simplest he can make them.

The hack, if done successfully leaves the all of the iphone functions intact, including wifi and the camera. The one function you cannot use is the visual voicemail, which leaves voice messages as if they were incoming email.

Anyone whose service is through a GSM network can use the iphone with this hack which includes T-Mobile and other smaller carriers in the U.S. Most carriers worldwide use GSM networks which require a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for service. Sorry Sprint and Verizon customers, no hacks for you right now.

When the 10 step process was completed and posted to his blog, the boy wonder did what any smart kid would do, sell it on eBay. The iPhone is now for sale under the listing "Worlds Second Unlocked iPhone" and currently has a high bid of $50,100. The auction includes a 4gb iPhone, a custom made serial port dock and the official unlocking switch.

Despite what you call these modifications, hacks, cottage industry DIY phones, they are all very legal, at least in the United States. Phone unlocks are a common and law suit free practice. In fact the only legal action AT&T could take against Hutz is voiding his contract. They can also take the high road and make the next batch of iphones that rolls out of their factories, immune to the hacks, giving another batch of whiz kids something to do for next summer.

The original blog can be found here: http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com/2007/08/step-1.html
Bid on the World's First Succesfully Unlocked iPhone here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230164884672