Iphone activation with a disposable Cingular SIM

[iAm]

The guys at fusion.osx86.hu/#iphone have managed to craft a program that will allow iPhone activation through a disposable Cingular SIM card using their iASign tool.

What does this hack do? It lets you use the SIM from another Cingular/AT&T phone on your iPhone.

Can I use a SIM from, say, a Blackjack? Presumably.

Or any other non-prepay Cingular/AT&T phone, right? Right. This isn't just a prepay hack.

What about the data plan from the other phone? Does it work as well as the voice plan? Yes. I tested this out using my $10 phone card's MEdia Net. At $0.01/kilobyte, it cost $0.11 to load Google's home page.

What kind of SIM can I use for this hack? I used a SIM from a "disposable" Cingular cell phone. There are suggestions that you can get these SIMs without having to buy a cell phone (mine cost $40 at the AT&T store and included $10 of airtime) at 7-11, but I'm completely unclear on the details.

So does this mean the iPhone is unlocked? No. This allows you to use AT&T and Cingular SIMs only without signing a contract and without having to pay for the relatively expensive PickYourPlans. You may also be able to use this hack with virtual AT&T operators listed here but this is unconfirmed. TracFone and Net10 will probably not work with this hack. Update: MVNO cards on the AT&T network are reporting to be working too (with the same TracFone & Net10 exception). This means you can use corporate AT&T account SIMS. Thanks iZsh!

Can I use my original iPhone SIM in the disposable cell phone? Yes, but why would you want to other than to go skiing or on a trip?

What kind of skills and equipment do I need to perform this hack? Although the tool has been released for both Mac and Windows, I have only tested it on the Mac. For the Mac you have to be comfortable at the command line and willing to open your iPhone SIM tray. Oh yes, you kind of have to be willing to possibly brick your iPhone but that's kind of a given.

Any chance Apple or AT&T will disable this option through future software or firmware updates? It's always possible but the hack looks pretty robust so far. Any experts are welcome to chime in.

Do those farking messages pop up every few minutes? So far? No. But it's early days yet. The only balance messages I have received have been after placing a call or sending and receiving text. I have had no $0.00 transaction messages--probably because I'm not using Unlimited EDGE on this plan.

More Answers about iASign
Step-by-step guide

[uche]

help pls i need to restore the old software onto my iphone before my dada comes home.
it has locked the sim card