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Yep, firmware 1.1.3 has been a long time in coming but now it's here we're back into all this territory...

Those mischievous yet helpful chaps over at Hackint0sh are at it again, confirming that they have already found a way to unlock the iPhone's latest and greatest software update. Compounding the joy, Gizmodo is reporting that installing 1.1.3 on previously bricked handsets will restore them to full working order.

Heaven sent? Not really.

You see, behind the headlines there is a lot of small print. For a start, the 1.1.3 unlock is a hardware hack meaning you'll need a fair amount of bravery and no little skill to pull it off. Then if you achieve that the hack is merely designed to downgrade the firmware to 1.1.2. Great, it means new handsets can be unlocked, but you'll miss out on all those bonus features.

Secondly, the resurrection powers of 1.1.3 are qualified. It works because the new firmware comprehensively overwrites the existing software, but then you're left with a vanilla locked 1.1.3 handset and unless you're prepared to do the aforementioned hardware unlock you're still stuffed.

On the plus side (and I hope I don't jinx this by the suggestion), it does look like 1.1.3 could be more hackable than its virtually impenetrable predecessor. After all, we believe in the right to chose your network...

In related news, Gizmodo has also discovered a few lesser known treats in firmware 1.1.3 namely: SMS storage is increased from 1,000 messages to 75,000. The virtual keyboard supports simultaneous key presses so shift finally works as it should and Gmail automatically defaults to IMAP. All features perhaps worthy of greater publicity methinks and now they have been...

Links:
Hackint0sh Post
Gizmodo Unbricking Experiment

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