A teenage hacker who figured out how to unlock the iPhone so that it could be used on an alternative cellular network will be trading his reworked gadget for a new car, media reports said.
George Hotz, 17, said he had reached the deal with CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company.
"Terry Daidone, the founder of CertiCell, contacted me this morning, and offered to make a trade for the iPhone," Hotz wrote on his blog. "I traded it for a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones."
Hotz, of Glen Rock, N.J., made newspaper headlines when he told the world that he, along with help from four others, had managed to unlock an iPhone and use it on T-Mobile's wireless network.
He then posted instructions on his blog showing others how to do as he did.
Hotz had put the second phone that he unlocked up for auction, but closed the eBay auction after receiving too many fraudulent bids. He then invited legitimately interested buyers to contact him directly.
Hotz said that he'll now also be doing some consulting work for CertiCell.
"This has been a great end to a great summer," Hotz wrote.
Since the iPhone went on sale at the end of June, hackers have been working on ways to unlock it. The phones are built to work only on AT&T's wireless network. Unlocking the phone means that a customer can use it on another network and avoid signing a long contract with AT&T.
Source:Xinhua/agencies
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