Unlocked iphones : Possible or impossible?

Designed and sold by Apple Inc, the iPhone is a multimedia and Internet-enabled quad-band GSM EDGE-supported mobile phone. The iPhone hosts a variety of incredible features and performs functions which combine those of a camera phone and a multimedia player. The iphone provides a significant array of features such as text messaging, visual voicemail, web browsing and local Wi-Fi connectivity. User input is established with the help of a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. Apple iphones have proved to be a real challenge for hackers, who have long been attempting to unlock them. Most of the hackers have reportedly succeeded in unlocking the iphone i.e; making Apple's iPhone work with carriers other than AT&T. The problem lies in the fact that locked iPhone is only compatible with AT&T Inc.'s EDGE network, and cannot be used with cellular service from other providers. Hackers are constantly trying to find an application which will enable customers to unlock iPhones so that they can use SIM cards from various carriers other than AT&T to activate them.

The iphone is locked because AT&T has entered into a five-year agreement with Apple to be the sole iPhone provider in the U.S. Unlocking the iPhone would be highly advantageous for those users who are locked into a contract with another U.S. carrier, or for users outside the U.S. who wish to have an iPhone. However unlocking an iPhone is not that easy as one might think. The first step involves circumventing the authentication process in iTunes which allows users to register for an AT&T service plan and to turn on the phone's unique features, including its camera and music player.

Hackers have already made significant progress towards circumventing the activation process. However, the phone remains locked at the time of writing. An attempt to change the firmware of an iPhone so that it can support another carrier's SIM card breaks the phone. As a result, according to certain hacking experts, the key to unlocking the phone is breaking the encryption process which protects the token sent through the iTunes activation process. Even after unlocking the iPhone, there are possible chances that it might only operate on carrier networks that are compatible with the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network, on which the AT&T's service is based. There are several other hassles too including complications with special features of the phone such as the Visual Voicemail feature, designed to operate only on AT&T's network.

In the UK and Europe, third parties are involved in unlocking handsets, although there is no particular law which protects them. On the other hand, it is legal to unlock mobile handsets in the US under an amendment to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act passed in November 2006. Hackers always run the risk of copyright infringement from Apple and there are greater possibilities of the company taking legal action against them for mishandling the firmware. Nevertheless, hackers are well-prepared to take the chances and the quest for unlocking the iPhone is still on!