inkbluesky

Meet the iPhone hackers

The coding geniuses who are taking apart Apple’s hot device say they’re within a few days of making it work with cell networks beyond AT&T.

Over the past few days, I’ve been talking to several of these hackers. They report amazing progress at freeing the iPhone — what they call escaping the iPhone jail. They say they’re about to release a programming “toolchain” that will push them toward their primary goal in a matter of weeks, if not days. That first goal: to unlock the iPhone from AT&T, allowing people to use all of its functions on any compatible cell network in the world.

This is not an endorsement of hacking, but it was predictable. Five to six hundred dollars for a phone then forcing people into a two year contract with a carrier that over charges and has an old school net protocol. On top of your slow net connection is the restricted ability to interact with net content. I just heard a MAC rumor today that Apple already has a lower cost version of the iPhone in the works and that version may be GSM enabled. Whether it is or not some hackers will make it so.

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Executive Nonsense - Bush’s assertion of privilege is wildly misplaced—and could lead to another Watergate.

Justice requires the appearance of justice. To command public confidence, the Justice Department—yes, like Caesar’s wife—must be above suspicion. But suspicion has arisen that the White House intended to manipulate U.S. attorneys in some instances to harass Democrats with contrived voting fraud prosecutions or otherwise. The committees’ interest in exposing misuse of the president’s power to appoint and remove executive officials is compelling. As Justice Louis Brandies observed, sunshine is the best disinfectant.

Another day and more silliness from the pretend grown-ups.