Dumb and dumberer and the Iphone

[iplaw]

Seems the little Einstein who unlocked the Iphone isn't that bright after all...

Moron sells phone tech for a car...

This genius sells a marketable business idea for a car and three more Iphones (probably locked too).  What a moron.  Maybe when he gets through with school he'll kick himself in the azz for selling out technology that could have financed his entire education and set him up for life with just a little effort and work.

But he got a sweet car...moron.

[cannon_fodder]

Actually, he posted the technology on the internet as soon as they figure it out.  You can google the  how to in about thirty seconds.  Also, he worked with 3 other people to develop the technology, so it wasnt really his to sell.  What's more, another group came out with a method on how to hack the iPhone with just a software patch - which they have not released to the public. Presumably they intend to profit, and it does not involve taking apart your $500 phone and soldering things into it.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/24/iphone-unlocked-atandt-loses-iphone-exclusivity-august-24-2007/

And after all of that, Federal law allows the alteration of proprietary firmware in cellphones only if the purpose is to allow ones self to connect to another network.  The exception allowing modification would not apply to a for-sale business.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/24/know-your-rights-is-it-illegal-to-unlock-my-iphone/

I hope he enjoys his new car.  []

[NellieBly]

Smart kid. Hooray for him.

[Conan71]

He looks just like Mark Ratner in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Methinks he will be walking to school after AT&T and Apple's legal departments get through with him.  They may not win, but they can sic the attornies on him.

[sgrizzle]

The software unlocks may never see the light of day because you can't tell someone how to modify a program without also showing them the program, which is patented 8 ways to sunday.

The somewhat dumb part is that even if you do unlock it, the only other network it will work on is t-mobile and you won't be able to get voicemail. Plus, the whole system uses remote pushes and update so they can relock it pretty easily. People seem to think they have the right to "unlock" their X-Box's and Wii's only to find the modifications undone.

[cannon_fodder]

Sq.  It will work on any other International Standard (digital) network.  They used T-Mobile as their test network.

Also, the voice mail works as usually.  The only thing it will not do is the iPhone special feature of turning voicemail into text messages.

[Conan71]

That's all fine and good but I think he's still gotten into patent and copyright laws.

What say you IPLaw?

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Sq.  It will work on any other International Standard (digital) network.  They used T-Mobile as their test network.

Also, the voice mail works as usually.  The only thing it will not do is the iPhone special feature of turning voicemail into text messages.

It works on any GSM network with a sim card. So it won't work on sprint, nextel, verizon, us cellular, cricket, etc. etc. etc.

Visual voicemail turns voicemail into wav files, not text files. There is no icon or feature set for "new voicemail notification" or "call voicemail."

[iplaw]

Patent: I really don't think so unless there is something I'm missing.  Copyright: Possibly if he resells unlocked phones under DMCA.  Unlocking phones for yourself is NOT illegal and falls within an exception to DMCA.

[cannon_fodder]

I didn't realize all those networks were non GSM.  Well, if nothing else it opens it up to Europe (all GSM) and parts of Asia.

and the article explicitly states that voice mail works as usual.  All that is is programming a button to call your voice mail system.  I can check my cell phone's voice mail from a pay phone if I wanted to.

[restored2x]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I didn't realize all those networks were non GSM.  Well, if nothing else it opens it up to Europe (all GSM) and parts of Asia.

and the article explicitly states that voice mail works as usual.  All that is is programming a button to call your voice mail system.  I can check my cell phone's voice mail from a pay phone if I wanted to.

Voice mail works - "visual" voice mail does not.

On an iphone you can see your voicemails and listen to them in any order you want just by touching it - unlike regular voicemail. Also - you don't have to dial a number to listen to voicemail - it's right there on the device. Pretty cool.

I think that's the feature not on the hacked version.