Rochak Chauhan::Unpredictably Exciting » iPhone 3G

This is how to Fully Unlock an iPhone 3G

rochakchauhan — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:07:47 +0000

If you are a developer, geek or IT guru then you should not face any issues reading and implementing the following steps. But if you are doing it for the first time or are just a wanna be cracker, then read these jargon before starting:

Firmware: It is the software / OS of your iPhone. This hack is for 2.2 version.
Jailbreak: It simply means that to enable your iPhone to be able to install third party applications. In laymans terms it makes your iPhone to install application which are not form the Application store.
Unlock: It means that your iPhone can accept SIM from any mobile provider.

PS: Please note, this hack will only work on iPhone 3G with firmware version 2.2. If you don’t have the latest firmware then upgrade it using iTunes. The catch with this hack is that you can only use one unlocked SIM card. In other words, if you ever want to use another SIM, you have to do the entire process again.

Upgrade your iTunes to 8.0.2 by launching it and clicking “Download iTunes” below. Or download it and install it manually.
Allow iTunes to upgrade your iPhone to the latest 2.2 firmware. Don’t worry about the implications (losing jailbreak, unlock) as QuickPwn will take care of this for your. This step is necessary because QuickPwn doesn’t actually upgrade your iPhone. Instead, QuickPwn expects to be pwning the same firmware that your iPhone is on. If you don’t know anything about baseband versions, you can ignore this message. Otherwise, make sure you’ve updated your iPhone to be running on 02.28.00 baseband firmware, which should have been included in the 2.2 firmware update.
Download QuickPwn 2.2 for Windows or Mac. Extract the file and launch the QuickPwn 2.2 application. Then follow the prompt and connect your iPhone to your computer via the USB cable. When the blue arrow button lights up, click it.
QuickPwn is smart enough to detect the firmware ipsw file you downloaded via iTunes (something like C:\Documents and Settings\coderetard\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates\ on Windows XP). If it can’t find it for whatever reason, download the 2.2 restore firmware ipsw file for 3G iPhone1,2_2.2_5G77_Restore.ipsw directly from Apple’s servers. Then browse to the or restore firmware ipsw file you downloaded. After the green checkmark appears, click the blue arrow button.
On the next page, make sure you select the “Cydia” checkbox. You can check “Installer” and replace logo as desired. Click the arrow button after making your selections.
Now get ready to rumble…
READ THIS STEP THROUGH COMPLETELY FIRST, lest you be caught off guard: Click on the Blue arrow button which will bring up a screen with some instructions (below). Follow them exactly to a tee. Just to prepare, here are the directions: 1) Hold Home for 5 seconds, 2) Hold Home and Power together for 10 seconds, 3) Release Power but continue to hold Home for 30 seconds. Throughout the process these three steps, you DO NOT LET GO OF THE HOME BUTTON until after the third step. I didn’t have to hold it anymore after it counted down to 21 seconds left.
Then sit back and relax while QuickPwn does all the hard work for you, you’ll see some activity on your iPhone screen and hear your computer beep a few times, but when it restarts finally and says it’s waiting for activation, it’s ready to use. Now you can close QuickPwn.
It’s now a good time to set up your wireless network settings on your iPhone 3G so you will be able to connect to the software repositories in Cydia.
Now Launch the Cydia app, which will reorganize then restart. You’ll need to launch it again afterwards.
When prompted at the “Who Are You” screen, just choose the first option “User (Graphical Only).”
Click on the Manage tab on the bottom menu bar. In the Manage tab, click on the Sources button in the middle. You will need to add the source to the yellowsn0w repo to utilize the soft unlock.
Click on “Edit” on the top right, then “Add” on the top left. In the URL, type: http://apt9.yellowsn0w.com/ as shown below. When you are done click “Done” and then “Browser.”
Now click on the “Search” tab and type “yellowsn0w” and install the app “yellowsn0w.”
For US T-Mobile users, you will need to disable the “Enable 3G” setting in your network settings.
Now restart your iPhone 3G with your SIM card inserted. Wait for the slide to unlock screen and then wait 15 seconds more. If you don’t see the SIM card working, reinsert the SIM and wait another 10 seconds. Now try and make some calls with your newly unlocked iPhone 3G!
For T-Mobile users, continue reading if you have problems:
Download and install BossPrefs and via Cydia
Disable all functions with BossPrefs (don’t worry if you can’t disable EDGE)
Reboot your Phone with BossPrefs (not the normal manual way – this is important!)
Wait a minute and a half when you see the slick to unlock screen
Take out your T-Mobile SIM card and insert it again
Wait for 10 seconds
Go to Settings and turn on Airplane mode, then turn it off again
Take out your T-Mobile SIM card and put in any AT&T SIM card and wait for a minute. Ignore the “Waiting to activate” prompt
Now take out the AT&T SIM card and put in your T-Mobile SIM card again
After a moment you will see the activation succeeded prompt. Now you should be able to pick up a T-Mobile signal

Find Original Post at: http://www.coderetard.com/2009/01/01/how-to-fully-soft-unlock-iphone-3g-22-firmware-yellowsn0w/

This is why I will NOT buy iPhone 3G

rochakchauhan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:27:20 +0000

No video calling,
No AD2P on the Bluetooth,
CAN’T share ANY (mp3, images, videos….) files via bluetooth,
Can’t use as a wireless modem, (you pay ridiculous data charges to activate internet on your phone , but cannot connect it to your PC and browse when you are at home)
No copy and paste,(cannot copy a part of a…. say…. email & send it….have to type it out yourself)
No 3.2 or 5 megapixel camera ,(the 2MP camera it carries is worst camera i’ve ever seen….. photos look like they have come out of a VGA camera)
No video recording with camera,
No front camera,
No Flash support.
No JAVA support
No physical keyboard (BELIEVE me! this alone is a dealbreaker…touch keyboard as good as it looks…once you use it then only you come to know about the importance of having a hard keypad)
No 3G network yet in India..So why pay for expensive 3G phone if you can’t use its 3G services … so, for India, iPhone 2.0 is no better than its first version.
No removable battery. (You cannot change battery. Have to send it to apple outlet.. Come on now!!!!…This is not an iPod . Its a bloody phone. You cannot live without phone for 2-3 days)
No hap tic feedback
Cannot send MMS
Can’t use as external storage device (16 GB of utter waste..next time you go to your friend’s house & find some interesting songs, movies , etc…Sorry you cannot connect your ’16 GB’ phone and share it!!!! Apple apparently has a solution.. ” BUY MUSIC & MOVIES FROM iTUNES STORE “….. Give me a break … will you ??
No FM radio,
Can’t use your mp3 files as ringtones,(This is heights man!!!)
Cannot insert any other SIM card.
Completely tied to iTunes… Connect to your friend’s iTunes & you risk erasing everything on your phone.

In my opinion, we Indians are used to these features. Most of our phones already have these features and it very hard to do with out them. Imagine paying around INR 35,000 for a phone with which you cannot transfer files via bluetooth. What age is this …STONE AGE??? Some features may be activated by jailbreak.. but why the hell should you risk losing your warranty after paying so much. Forget Microsoft, I think Apple is a bloody control freak. Dont surrender your freedom to it.

It’s good for American market (who have no idea what mobile freedom/choice is) which is in stone age compared to asian/european markets. When they want to buy a phone, they have to go to network operators and buy only those phones that are available on that network. & stick to that company till their contract expires. You want to change carriers? Not before paying damages, & buying another phone on the other network again.

On the contrary, we in India have so much freedom. We go to handset shops & buy which ever phone we like. Then go to carriers…checkout the plans… buy desired SIM.. and if we don’t like the plan or rival carrier came up with a better plan ???? EASY.. just remove & replace the SIM. Apple are trying to IMPOSE THEIR MODEL ON US riding on the hype iPhone has created in the US (yes it was a flop in Europe .thats why Apple never talks about its sales in Europe).

Dont fall for the subsidized price of iPhone… CHECKOUT THE DATA PLAN ATTACHED TO ITS SIM..they will recover the cost through ridiculous data plans. Its around 30 p for 50 kb. You monthly bill may come to around INR 3500 (ATLEAST AMERICANS PAY THAT MUCH)

Let me clear one thing though.. iPhone is the best looking phone (its touch interface is nothing like you have ever seen ), best browsing experience out there no doubt …. ( others are fast catching up..Check out the Android demo at Google IO 2008)…. BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS IT ALL COMES DOWN TO FUNCTIONALITY…

Those of who buy it… You will be most happy for atmost a week… then, YOU MAY START REGRETTING IT

PS: This is what David Chartier had to say… Apple snoozes, researcher discloses risky iPhone UI flaws

Apple iPhone 3G is Out…Finaly !!

rochakchauhan — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:02:45 +0000

Yes, Apple’s iPhone 3G is finally, and officially — out. And yes, as Techtree did report earlier, New Zealander Jonny Gladwell (22) has successfully become the first person in the world to own an iPhone 3G.

A visibly excited Gladwell told the Associated Press (AP), “I’m going to put this on charge, have a play around with it, and have a nice long sleep.” Yes, he needs all the sleep he can get; he’s been camped outside the Vodafone store for a record 60 hours, and in freezing temperatures — before he could get his greasy hands on the object of his desire.

In fact, there were hundreds like him who queued up outside stores in New Zealand’s main cities except that they weren’t as lucky. Sales kicked off at the stroke of midnight (beginning of Friday, July 11th) in New Zealand.

In Tokyo, the newest iPhone was greeted by swirls of smoke and eager buyers who had all but lined up outside the Softbank (sells iPhone in Japan) store. Apparently, by the morning of Friday, the store had seen over 1,000 people lined up waiting to get their hands on the iPhone 3G. And within no time, Softbank even declared it had sold out stocks. In Japan, the 8GB model is going for $215 and the 16GB one for $320.

Tomohiko Katsu (38), a banker, actually confessed that he’d rarely ever lined up for any product in his entire life, this being the first time. An overjoyed Taichiro Nakamura (28), filmmaker, called up his girlfriend the moment he had his hands on the new iPhone.

In the US which saw the “exclusive” launch of the original iPhone last year, iPhone 3G models were made available in all time zones at 8am on Friday — ahead of the big weekend. USA has the 8GB version going for $199 and the 16GB version for $299.

Meanwhile, a disciplined London saw an orderly queue form in front of its flagship O2 store. Steve Alder, O2 UK’s iPhone Director remarked, “We ordered lots. We’ve seen the demand the first time, but we’re even blown away by this demand. I think it is unprecedented.” Yes there were others outside of the store who wondered what the fuss was all about but they remained a minority.

The big picture: Apple’s shares went up nearly 4 percent over the whole of last week — merely in anticipation of the Friday launch of the iPhone 3G in 21 countries. Now that the hotly awaited (and debated) device is finally out on the market, analysts expect it to draw up to 10.5 million buyers worldwide within this year itself.