Hacker says he can bypass AT&T on iPhone

A well-known hacker claims to have overcome restrictions on Apple Inc.’s iPhone, allowing highly technical users to bypass AT&T Inc.’s network to use the phone’s Internet and music features.

In a post dated July 3 on his blog, Jon Johansen, 23, a prolific hacker of consumer electronics gadgets since he was a teenager in Norway, said “I’ve found a way to activate a brand new unactivated iPhone” without signing up for AT&T service.

“The iPhone does not have phone capability, but the iPod and Wi-Fi work. Stay tuned!” he wrote on his long-running blog, which is combatively named “So Sue Me.” The post was entitled ”iPhone Independence Day.”

The site contained technical details for other hackers, as well as links to software necessary to complete the process.

One potential use would be for an iPhone user living or traveling outside the United States to access the iPhone’s music player and Internet service over Wi-Fi connections without using the phone.

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