Well, it was only a matter of time before the folks at the iPhone Dev Wiki developed a free and open source iPhone unlock. With iPhoneSIMFree retailers selling their software unlock for up to $90 it was a practical as well as challenging goal for hackers to unlock the thing for free. It’s just the way it should be.
The minute iPhoneSIMFree started selling their software unlocks I knew the hacker community would be on it like white on rice. I, for one, don’t think it’s right to sell the unlocking software for a fourth of what the device actually costs, if at all. The iPhone should have been born free, as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows in the first place.
Anyway, the unlock is a little tricky at this point and requires jailbreaking the device as well as using some command line finagling. Good news is that the folks at iPhone Dev Wiki haven’t given up and are in the process of developing a one-click GUI version. Right now Gizmodo is hosting mirrors of the software because the Wiki is completely deluged.
Of course this doesn’t mean that the unlock won’t be fixed in Apple’s next firmware update. Even though Apple’s marketing guru Greg Joswiak said that Apple will remain neutral in regards to hacking and native third-party applications, they do not support third party hacks and unlocking efforts. So, as always, hack with caution.