iPhone Dev Team releases iPhone 4 carrier unlock

Not only is jailbreaking legal, according to a recent U.S. Copyright Office ruling, but so is unlocking, and here we go. The iPhone Dev Team, masters of all (most?) things jailbreaking and unlocking have released an updated version of their ultrasn0w carrier unlock which now supports the iPhone4.

Version 1.0-1 of ultrasn0w can be found in Cydia. It works for iPhone4 (baseband 01.59) and iPhone 3G/3GS (basebands 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01 and 05.13.04). If you don't see ultrasn0w in Cydia, add the repository repo666.ultrasn0w.com to Cydia.

Remember, to carrier unlock an iPhone it must be jailbroken first. They are two separate processes. A recently released browser-based jailbreak, JailBreakMe, uses a nasty security hole in PDF handling in iOS. Apple is aware of the vulnerability and is working on a fix (which would also close the jailbreak, natch).

Jailbreaking allows iPhone users to access programs and functions that Apple has closed off. For example, jailbroken devices can use FaceTime over 3G. Unlocking allows a user to, for example, use an AT&T version of the iPhone with different SIMs (really microSIMs).

Although jailbreaking and unlocking have been determined to be legal, Apple has reminded consumers that doing so will void their warranty. However, unless the device is bricked, a user should be able to un-jailbreak the device quite easily.

Watch a video of the ultrasn0w carrier unlock.