Jacks2Cents

George Hotz remembers taking apart his first computer, an Apple II, when he was 4 or 5 years old. He cracked open an answering machine, remote control, vacuum cleaner and more computers. He scavenged for more products to tinker with on trash night in his neighborhood. Now the 17-year-old from Glen Rock, N.J., has reached the big leagues of hacking. He says he has “unlocked” the iPhone, finding a way to get around the device’s restrictions and allow it to be used not only on AT&T’s cell phone network but also on T-Mobile’s network and overseas. Until now, however, the iPhone has come with a catch. Because of a revenue-sharing agreement between Apple and AT&T, the iPhone operates only on AT&T’s network and requires a two-year subscription.Hackers have spent the better part of the summer tackling that challenge. Hotz said it took him nearly 500 hours – about eight hours a day – to figure out how to make calls on his iPhone through T-Mobile. “It wasn’t to be rich,” Hotz said. “I wanted to use it with T-Mobile.” Holz published step-by-step directions on his blog at iphonejtag.blogspot.com. Another group, known as iPhoneSimFree.com, said on its site that it also had found a way to get around Apple’s locks and connect to T-Mobile. It offered proof to Engadget, a popular technology blog, which published a video demonstration, and said it plans to sell the software. In general, scores of hackers have been working on a way to make the iPhone compatible with other services since the phone debuted. AT&T and Apple officials declined to comment. But it’s highly doubtful Apple will let the hacking continue.

Your lesson? Everything can be beaten these days… and so I leave you with this comedy parodey on the iphone. So Enjoy!