I thought I would wait for a couple of weeks more, but when I read this unlocking tutorial, I really couldn’t resist any longer! It took me about 30 minutes to unlock, but that was very easy because all the software is provided and the procedure is very clear. The unlocking tools that have been released are really awesome, in particular iBrick and the installer are very convenient and impressive. For those who are going to do it and had already unlocked it (just unlock, no SIM-unlocked), I’d recommend to:
- uninstall iTunes
- reinstall iTunes (from old version 7.3)
Then, remove the AT&T SIM, and start by restoring the iPhone from iTunes (follow the tutorial). Beware that during the restore process, you are going to lose all your pics, and other configuration stuff stored on your iPhone.
Just before you can really SIM-unlock it, you’ll have the thrill to ssh into your iPhone:
[gael@spoon]$ ssh root@iphone
root@iphone’s password:
Last login: Sat Sep 15 13:28:49 2007 from spoon
# ls
Library Media
# ls /
Applications Library System bin cores dev etc mach private sbin tmp usr var
Ain’t it cool? Then on your iPhone, you can easily install some great software, including a VT100 emulator which is very convenient to connect to your PCs through the net, and many others. First time I can put a real PC in my pocket 🙂 SIM-unlock went flawlessly (Tele2/Orange SIM) and I can use SMS without any issue. I had to sync my old Nokia’s contact book to Outlook Express, and then exported them to the iPhone through iTunes.
A few pics…
This shows that the iPhone handles the GSM carrier, and all the available apps.
This shows the software manager within the unlocked iPhone.
You can easily use common cmd-line tools (ping, ssh, grep…) from a VT emulator.
Udate / Sept 17th, 2007: I also can use EDGE very easily, but be very careful with this option if you don’t have a special data-option! By default with Tele2 carrier, for maybe 15 minutes of cumulated use , I got 8.5MB transferred for a total cost of… 130 euros! That’s a shame, so I wouldn’t recommend use EDGE with a regular cell subscription service. Check with your carrier!