The teenager who unlocked Apple's iPhone is to receive a new sports car as part of an agreement with CertiCell
iPhone hacker gets new sports car
/v3-uk/news/1991382/iphone-hacker-sports-car
31 Aug 2007, Robert Jaques , V3
George Hotz, the teenager who unlocked Apple's iPhone from AT&T's network, will receive a new sports car after signing a deal with a US " aftermarket" mobile phone company.
Hotz will drive away in his Nissan 350Z later today after a presentation at CertiCell's headquarters in Kentucky.
Hotz revealed last week that he had developed a process for untethering the iPhone from the AT&T network, allowing the device to work on other GSM compatible networks.
Such unlocked phones can be used in Europe where mobile networks are predominately GSM.
"On 27 August Hotz and Certicell jointly announced an agreement for the famous iPhone and the related unlocking technology," Certicell said in a statement.
"As part of the transaction, Hotz agreed to a consulting agreement with the company. In exchange, Hotz will receive a new Nissan 350Z along with three new iPhones."
Certicell said that it will make a "formal announcement" on 14 September concerning its intentions for the iPhone.
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Apple, Wake Up!
This is likely to become a trend as iPhone users get more and more frustrated with the abysmal service provided by the AT&T network. Apple obviously got a sweet deal from AT&T to persuade them to sign up an exclusive arrangement like this.
The good news...the iPhone is an order of magnitude ahead of any other mobile phone in existence, the bad news....the AT&T service network that supports it is unreliable, erratic and generally pathetic.
Hello Apple, wake up, no matter how great the phone may be, if you can't get the call through it's useless. Don't count on reaching your sales goals with this partner as a service provider.
Posted by Brian Howells, 31 Aug 2007
The kid gets his due
A 350Z and 2 iPhones seems like a pittance since this kid outsmarted Apple's wunderkind and speedsmarted dozens of hackers worldwide.
However, the author of the previous post demonstrates warped sensibility. The iPhone is evolutionary at best, not revolutionary, and AT&T's service is great: witness the choice of the majority of the several hundred million cell phone users in the US.
IBM/Windows was always a target of the Apple Crowd. Now the Apple crowd is on the Anti-AT&T bandwagon. I guess that, for some people, there is always something to gripe about.
Posted by Charlie Vee, 31 Aug 2007