iPhone 3G unlocked in Brazil
Coders to the rescue?
The iPhone 3G only went on sale last week, but a Brazilian group already claims to have hacked the phone, allowing owners to use the device on any network.
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DesbloqueioBr is thought to be one of the first groups to have successfully unlocked the iPhone 3G. It has uploaded a video onto YouTube that supposedly shows one of its untethered 3G iPhones calling another iPhone.
The group’s unlocking method is thought to combine alteration of the phone’s firmware and a physical SIM attachment, much like Turbo SIM. This enables users to bypass the phone’s security and fool it into thinking that it’s connected to an approved carrier, giving a user complete access to all of the iPhone 3G’s features.
Apple hasn’t actually released the 3G model into Brazil yet and hasn’t confirmed plans to do so, but it’s been rumoured online that the phone will cost between $250 and $375 (£187/€236) when it eventually does.
While the hack, if real, will be good news for potential buyers of the must-have handset, it still doesn’t bypass one issue: cost. The phone’s pay-as-you-go pricing hasn’t yet been unveiled in the UK yet and O2’s not letting any handsets out of its sight without matching John Hancocks on contracts. DesbloqueioBr is also charging up to $375 to jailbreak an iPhone 3G.
So if you’re just itching to get the must have handset on, say, Vodafone, then DesbloqueioBr could be your answer. But if you can stand the pain a little longer, then hold out for updates from the likes of Zibri.
COMMENTS
actually I don't believe it
I think they have just made a clever video for Youtube and are trawling for sales leads in the hope of there being an unlock. They've set the price high so they can buy unlocked iPhones if they have to. Or just run off with punters money if that works better.
iPhone 3G in Brazil
Here in Brazil there´s a law that all carriers have to sell unlocked phones if you don´t want to pay for a 1 or 2 years contract. You pay the price, but the phone is unlocked. About the official sales, Claro (www.claro.com.br) is announcing the iPhone 3G soon. Why do apple deny it will sell iPhone 3G in Brazil?
clarification
1. Carriers no longer share revenue with Apple. Instead they buy the iPhone from Apple at a generous price.
2. Jailbreak = hack CPU OS security so you can install applications not supplied via Apple; unlock = hack baseband processor firmware so you aren't tied to official carrier. Story is about a claimed unlock.
Mobistar Belgium sells the phone - unlocked...
Nip over to Belgium, buy several. It's a steal for a 16GB phone, even if you go onto the lowest O2 contract.
£159 + (18 * £30) = £729
£0 + (18 * £75) = £1,350
Mobistar: €615 incl VAT = £488
Saving: £241 over the life of the O2 contract. And you keep your own number. And you don't have to deal with O2.
And whatever you do, DO NOT be browbeaten into paying for a Mobistar contract. They are legally obliged to provide the phone unlocked, without a contract.
:-)
Vodaphone and iphone 3G
Went on sale in NZ last week. Not carrier locked.
