iPhone Unlocking

A new version of iNdependence, a well-known and easy-to-use GUI iPhone jailbreak/unlock/activation/customization tool for Mac OSX, has been released. This latest version, 1.4 beta 5, offers full support for the new version of iPhone firmware, 1.1.4.

When 1.1.4 was released a few days ago, the good news shortly followed that Zibri's ZiPhone jailbreak, released originally for 1.1.3, also worked on 1.1.4. Usually, when a new version if iPhone firmware is released, early adopters have to wait for a new jailbreak method to be released before being able to enjoy third party applications on their iPhone. This time, such was not the case.

Earlier this week, ZiPhone was released and was the first tool available that provided not only a direct jailbreak for iPhones running 1.1.3, but did so in one step. Though pretty darn convenient, ZiPhone was still a command line application, which can scare off some of the less technically inclined iPhone owners out there.

For those who dare not utilize their command shells and others who prefer a GUI application comes good news in the form of iJailbreak version 0.5.3, albeit only for

More details have emerged regarding the 1.1.3 direct jailbreak/unlock, called ZiPhone, created by Zibri. ZiPhone, which is being referred to as a "true" 1.1.3 jailbreak, specifically the method that the iPhone Dev Team was trying to keep protected until the release of the Official iPhone SDK by Apple, was released yesterday.

Earlier today, Zibri - a member of the iPhone Elite Team - released a new jailbreak utility for iPhone firmware 1.1.3. This latest jailbreak is rumored to be the same method that the iPhone Dev Team has been guarding in anticipation of the iPhone SDK release - the "true" jailbreak (as some have termed it). Zibri's jailbreak utility, called ZiPhone, is said to have been created without the assistance of the iPhone Dev Team and as such was released without their cooperation/consent.

ZiPhone will apparently take care of jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone running firmware version 1.1.3 without requiring you to downgrade to an earlier version of firmware. What's more , Zibri claims that ZiPhone can actually 'revive' many phones with dead basebands.

Both Mac OSX and Windows versions of ZiPhone are available and can be downloaded

It has been widely reported recently that iPhone sold as "unlocked" via Orange in France are not truly unlocked. Early reports indicated that this was because of a SIM country lock in effect on the unlocked phones. As it turns out, there is no actual country lock in effect, but due to either intentional crippling on Apple's part or simply a lack of proper support - unlocked 1.1.2 French iPhones crash when attempting to make calls or send text messages when a foreign SIM card is inserted. Now, thanks to a new tweak called iWorld, these phones can be freed up for use anywhere in the world using any SIM card.

Like all other third party tweaks and software, installing iWorld requires that you jailbreak your iPhone. Owners of 1.1.2 iPhones can jailbreak their phones by downgrading to firmware version 1.1.1, using the jailbreakme.com (or AppSnapp) 1-step jailbreak process, and properly upgrading to 1.1.2. Once jailbroken, users can quickly and easily install iWorld via

Nokia recently revealed a new ad campaign which promotes their devices over Apple's by criticizing Apple's stance on locking their devices. Primarily targeted at the iPhone, Nokia has begun promotion of their new campaign by hanging posters in major cities which feature slogans such as "the best devices have no limits" and "phones should be open to anything." The image below, snapped by a MacRumors forum user, was seen in New York city.

Nokia's suggestion that Apple is cheating customers of their rightful access to their phones is perhaps perfectly timed. Over the last week, countless iPhone owners who had performed unauthorized "hacks" or modifications to their iPhones, such as

Though still an early beta, a GUI version of the iUnlock software is now available. Released yesterday, the iUnlock software provides a completely free Apple iPhone software unlock solution comparable to pay solution such as iPhoneSIMFree which can cost upwards of $100. This latest GUI version, Unlock.app, greatly simplifies the original iUnlock process.

With Unlock.app, the steps to unlock the iPhone have been reduced from around 20 steps to 3. Using

As you either already knew or have quickly discovered, the iPhone's visual voicemail feature only works on approved networks. Though a feature created and supported by the iPhone, visual voicemail is actually a service provided by your wireless carrier.

Does this mean your voicemail icon/button on your iPhone will be "broken" if you're using an unlocked iPhone? Thankfully, no.

"You wanted it, we have it. Enjoy your free iPhone."

Such was the announcement on the iPhone Dev Wiki team's website when their ultimate goal - a full software unlock of the Apple iPhone - was acheived. Simple as that.

Hot on the heels of the troubled release of the iPhoneSIMFree Unlock solution, the iPhone Dev Wiki team - who has been responsible for virtually every publically available innovation involving the iPhone and