iPhone without the Phone
Following last week's article about the iPhone launch -- One of the first questions I asked the iPhone tech at the opening the other night was "If I buy one tonight, can I use all the functions without the phone?"
Of course, she said no, that I would also have to buy an ATT package. So I asked "how about I buy the package, but don't use it?" -- of course the answer to that is yes. To me, all the features are the strong point, the cool graphics, awesome photo viewing, and iTunes. But I dont have nor use, nor want to use a cell phone. You can send me email, call my office, call and leave voice mail, or stop in to see me. Why do I need a cell phone.
I told my wife, I'll give'em a week before someone has worked around that. Overhearing, the ATT rep said, "oh, no way anyone can break that code."
iPhone Independence Day
Well, it took LESS than a week for well-known Norwegian hacker, Jon Johansen, to bypass AT&T on iPhone. A highly technical user can bypass AT&T Inc.'s network to use the phone's Internet and music features.
Jon Johansen, 23, a prolific hacker of consumer electronics gadgets since he was a teenager in Norway, said "I've found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone" without signing up for AT&T service.
"The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!" (Reuters)
iPhone Independence Day
On Jon's website "So Sue Me" he presents his way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone without giving any of your money or personal information to AT&T NSA. The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and WiFi work.
He even shows the iPhone certification codes.
You can also download Phone Activation Server v1.0 to activate your iPhone for iPod+WiFi use. PhoneActSrv-v1.0.zip, but the application will not do anything unless you understand the magic numbers as well as add the hosts entry. Phone Activation Server (PAS) requires that you have the MS .NET Framework 2.0 installed.
Anyway, check out Jon's blog -- there is a lot of other interesting stuff there as well.
Jon Johansen became a geek hero by breaking the DVD code, then he liberated iTunes - whether Apple liked it or not. At the time, He was 17. (?)
So, anyway, Mark and I were discussing launch of the iPhone and both agreed it might be a good idea just to wait a year for iPhone 2. You know if an iPhone 2 comes out, the concept will have proven itself. We'll wait for all the problems to be taken care of:
Catherine Forsythe says
It would be so annoying to spend over six hundred dollars and to have these activation issues. AT&T is not winning public relations points with this mess.
iPhone Problems: Speed + Activation on the Carrier Side : Font Size + Keyboard on the Handset.
10 picks for the iPhone-phobic
Michal Lev-Ram, writes in his Business 2.0 column suggests alternatives to the iPhone...
"Tired of all the hoopla over the new Apple cell phone? Or just looking for something different? These worthy alternatives are already on the market, or coming soon. Think the iPhone is the first touchscreen-only device to hit the market? Think again. LG came out with this Prada-designed beauty in February -- beating Steve Jobs & Co. by nearly five months." (More)
Crunch Gear: iPhone Problems For Businesses - Ilya Kochanov
AT&T: iPhone Problems Solved Delays in activating service have been dealt with, carrier says ... AT&T said Monday that delays in activating service for customers of Apple’s iPhone had been mostly resolved after the wireless company worked out the problems on a case-by-case basis. About 2 percent of those who bought iPhones since they went on sale Friday faced delays in activation with AT&T, the exclusive U.S. service provider for the widely anticipated cell phone, according to a source familiar with the matter. More at www.redherring.com
But always remember, civilization had survived for over 2,000 years without cell phones.
Thanks for reading...
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