Since the US is stuffing turkeys down their faces today, we’re a little low on news. As such, let’s talk about this sort-of jailbreak for Windows Phone 7 devices. Like iOS, you can’t sideload applications by default, and as such, we need to resort to hacks to unshackle Windows Phone 7 phones from the Marketplace. This has been made incredibly easy. Also, just to annoy those that don’t like unicorns: PINK FLUFFY UNICORNS DANCING ON RAINBOWS.
Earlier this month, enterprising hackers already managed to turn Windows Phone 7 devices into default USB mass storage devices, allowing you to just hook them up via USB and use them like any other drive. It turns out that device support this by default, but that the feature is turned off in the registry.
Today’s hack comes from well-known Windows specialists Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, and Long Zheng. Developers are allowed to sideload applications, but ordinary users cannot; thanks to this hack, even people without a Marketplace developer account can sideload applications.
“We’ve taken the pain out of the process involved and put together a super simple executable that will allow anyone to unlock any WP7 device on the market using a USB cable and just a couple clicks,” they write, “This tool is completely safe and reversible for the phone.”
Microsoft has always been very tolerant of the modding community when it came to Windows Mobile, but whether or not that attitude carries over to this entirely new operating system remains to be seen. I sure do hope so, since I’m hoping to acquire a Windows Phone 7 device for a review here on OSNews.
Also, to annoy those who don’t like cows: cows & cows & cows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavUpD_IjVY
Wow.
I mean… just… wow.
Like, really, wow.
I was going to say something about the unicorns, but, damn.
I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.
Somehow, I knew it since I was born…
The evil aliens that will cause the end of humanity if it doesn’t auto-destruct first MUST be already there watching us ^^’
More seriously, I’ve rarely seen CG become that creepy
(PS : Sideloading should not be newsworthy, it should have been there in the first place
But this raises an interesting question : how do iOS developers test their apps before putting them on the App Store ?)
Edited 2010-11-26 06:14 UTC
Destruction by mechacowzilla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9iIgQN5uZE
Edited 2010-11-26 07:51 UTC
We cut them up first. Jeez!
You do… not me!
*drool*
<paraphrasing the song big time>
One word to describe a unicorns fur?
Smiles…
I had to admit, that made me laugh…
The ability to load non-marketplace apps onto the phone. Thereby letting in home-brew applications, or applications from other sources.
Marketplace apps are digitally signed so you can’t use them. Since this “jailbreak” is using official API won’t take long for Microsoft to shut it. Better piracy protection is main advantage that WP7 has over Android, if they lose that why bother developing WP7 since it has much smaller user base.
Developers of this “jailbreak” are saying they only want to allow homebrew, noble cause. However reality is that 1% of users will use it for homebrew and 99% for piracy, look Wii or DS for example.
MS probably won’t close this, they are not nearly as paranoid about such things as other companies. They’ll probably just complain about, while patting themselves on the back behind closed doors about how many phones they are selling.
Well they are continuing to try to build a positive reputation in the consumer segment (Kinect, Xbox 360, etc). This is just one of the ways for them.
If these were wildly popular devices then this hole would be actively closed just like Apple does it.
I’m pretty sure both the xbox 360 and the kinect are wildly popular, the connect hasn’t even been out for a quarter,a nd is way over million units sold. The xbox is going to be the sales leader this year.
That sounds pretty popular to me.
This doesn’t provide any functionality that isn’t already provided by MS. It installs MS’ developer certificsate to the device. This normally requires you to pay $99 to get a developer accout at developer.windowsphone.com. Basically, it seems Long, et al., paid the fee, copied the certificate, then made the app to copy the certificate to other devices, bypassing MS’ service. There is incentive for MS to block this (support/trust/financial/legal) — they would probably need to modify their process to incorporate the device’s UID into the cert.
However, since it doesn’t harm the Marketplace (basically lowers the cost barrier for running your own code on your device to ZuneHD levels), they could remove the cost of developer unlocking devices, and only charge the $99 fee when one intends to submit an app to the Marketplace or take advantage of other services. IIRC, the fee is currently waived for students (DreamSpark).
What about because people are more comfortable with .NET over Java or Visual Studio over Eclipse?
Or how about compatability to write one game that will work on the XBox, PC and WP7?
WP7 might have a smaller market share to Android, but Microsoft are trying to sell a device thats integrated into the greater MS framework. And .NET / Windows has a much greater market share than anything else on the desktop.
Whether this is enough for developers to switch is another matter. but there are incentives other than piracy.
“enterprising hackers already managed to turn Windows Phone 7 devices into default USB mass storage devices…”
Are you sure that it’s mass storage? It looks more like an MTP media player device to me. While both modes let you dump files on the phone, they are vastly different. Not to mention that this Zune driver hack only works on Windows.
Edited 2010-11-26 06:41 UTC
…I just ordered my HTC HD7 Windows 7 Phone…
Should arrive this week. I’ll take notes and submit them to you if you are interested.
I decided to give a smart phone a whirl. I was going to go for an iPad after XMas but… I don’t know, thought I’d give this a whir. If it really sucks I have 20 days to return it (for a small restocking fee) and cancel my account with T-Mobile.
Anyway, happy Turkey Day, all!
[edit]
I can and will inevitably compare it to my wife’s iphone 4 as well.
Edited 2010-11-26 07:10 UTC
Good luck trying to copy and paste. Microsoft thinks you are a pirate, so no copy and paste allowed. In Microsoft land, you are guilty until proven otherwise. And you are not allowed to make your own choices.
🙂 Not worried about it, yet. Heck, all I will use it for is GPS and Geo-caching tools, Bible tools, Netflix and games, most likely. Also some note taking and stuff like that… Altho’ I might find other uses for it. I’ve never had a “smart phone,” that’s more my wife’s thing.
I do like her iPhone and it comes in handy frequently. Hoping this will too. But seriously, if it doesn’t work for me over a couple weeks it will be returned.
Copy and paste is coming early next year.
As an embedding system ing, I would ask:
– “What if… I install Android 2.2 dual boot on the Phone ?”
😛
…Ok, sorry… I take the stage-door… –> []