iPhone: unlocking and ringtones

In the US, there are some who would like to see the iPhone unlocked. Hackers started their attempt at unlocking the iPhone from the moment it was released on June 29. The first news of unlocking required the use of a soldering iron. Not for the faint of heart indeed. Then two companies working separately announced that they also have successfully unlocked the iPhone via software. They were willing to lock other people's iPhone for a fee. One company is charging $99 for their service.

But some believed that unlocking the iPhone shouldn't not be that expensive. it should even be free. On September 11, The Unofficial Apple Weblog reported that hackers have managed to unlock the iPhone again but this time they have posted the code online for free. Controversy immediately followed after the unveiling of the free source code. Some enterprising fellow claimed the code for himself and tried to sell it. Forbes has a short piece about the iPhone unlocking saga. Gizmodo has an exclusive on the dev team's attempt and success.

Aside from unlocking the iPhone, hackers have also been busy with trying to get ringtones into the phone. Though Apple is now selling $0.99 ringtones through the iTunes Store some still want their ringtones for free or to not have to pay double for a song they already have or already bought. The first few ringtone uploading software were made available as commercial products. However, just like the unlocking story, other developers later released free versions of software that very much did the same thing are the commercial products did. One of these developers is Rogue Amoeba who made the MakeiPhoneRingtone. This is a free utility that allows users to drag an AAC file into the app and that file will show up in the ringotnes tab of iTunes ready to upload to the iPhone. Other attempts in making a ringtone uploader includes Ringtonator, which is a GUI of a hack suggested by someone named Cleverboy. The development of this hack was covered in The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

So now you can unlock your iPhone and upload ringtones of your choosing without having to pay $0.99. The story does not end here, however. Developments in both fronts is sure to continue.