Although it was recently judged to be a legal process, Apple still doesn’t want anyone to jailbreak their “i” devices, and has applied for a patent that would give them the right to “kill” jailbroken devices, as well as “kill” stolen iPods and phones.
The patent is titled “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device,” and it covers a number of security measures to “protect” devices from “unauthorized users.”
Those unauthorized users are jailbreakers and those that have stolen devices from other legit owners.
The patent was filed in February 2009, and was just published this week. The application will help Apple identify “particular activities that may indicate suspicious behavior,” so that Apple can restrict those devices. Suspicious activities include “hacking, jailbreaking, unlocking, or removal of a SIM card.”
Reads the application (via CNET):
In some embodiments, an unauthorized user can be detected by comparing the identity of the current user to the identities of authorized users of the electronic device. For example, a photograph of the current user can be taken, a recording of the current user’s voice can be recorded, the heartbeat of the current user can be recorded, or any combination of the above. The photograph, recording, or heartbeat can be compared, respectively, to a photograph, recording, or heartbeat of authorized users of the electronic device to determine whether they match. If they do not match, the current user can be detected as an unauthorized user.
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Result for: sim card
Although reviews remain mixed for the time being, the Dev-Team has released a beta iPhone 3G unlock application that will work on phones using jailbroken firmware version 2.2.
Dubbed yellowsn0w, the application will allow users to unlock the phone for use with any GSM sim card.
More information from the Dev-Team can be found here: Dev-Team Blog
A full guide can be found here: How to Unlock the iPhone 3G
Many are reporting trouble unlocking the phone using the application, but be noted it is a beta and a more stable application should be available soon.
Result for: sim card
According to the iPhone Dev Team, unlocking software for iPhone 3G units can soon be a reality.
A video produced by the team shows that they have gained access to the baseband processor used in the iPhone 3G. CNET says the “the baseband chip is what controls the connection between the phone and the mobile phone network, meaning that a software download that could let you use your iPhone 3G on a carrier network other than the ones officially designated by Apple could be released soon.”
The original iPhone was unlocked within a short time from its launch but the 3G model has proven harder to crack. The baseband in the new model is more difficult to exploit than its predecessors.
Although it is possible to unlock the iPhone 3G by modifying a SIM card, there are no software-based unlocks available yet.
The demand for unlocked iPhone 3Gs is smaller than that of the original iPhone due to Apple’s decision to release the phone all around the world and on many carriers. However, there are still places such as China that do not have official iPhone carriers and where mobile phone users want iPhones.
