Please note: This entry is entirely satirical, not that most bloggers know the difference between fact and satire. No need to sue me, multi-billion dollar multi-national companies, I have nary a cent to hire a lawyer or give a damn – you can’t get a penny off me anyways.

                                             An iPhone was harmed in the taking of this picture.

Here it is – the secret to countless hackers’ success in undermining the legitimate (but constricting) practice of limiting the phone buyer to a single provider – the anySIM. The target of this latest hack is of course the iPhone.

Any surviving socialists in this day and age are undoubtedly cringing whenever they encounter the ultra-capitalist habit of phone makers and service providers alike – forcibly (kind of) locking a buyer into a service contract with the provider by monopolizing a new, extremely desirable product. Such is the story of iPhone’s allure that huge legal battles have erupted among providers in the countries the iPhone has been released in.

                                             A smarter way to unlock.

Never fear! With our country’s low profile and non-existent trade laws we have no such limitation! Buy abroad, balikbayan-box from the middle east, buy from gray market, visit Greenhills; all options in the Pinoy geek’s never-ending search for the latest and greatest (free – or almost) hardware. Neither Globe nor Smart will care – they’re such good buddies they share all their handsets. Or are they? And do they?

Well, it probably doesn’t matter, since carrying an iPhone isn’t for making calls – gasp! (Make calls on my fingerprint-collecting piece of very thin LCD? Never!) Bonga value and fashion statements is more like it, so any piece of silvery plastic from China would probably do ok too, as long as you whip it out of your pocket very quickly, so no one will notice.  Who needs a sim unlocker anyway?

Well, hold your horses, young ‘un! You never can know, can you? Apple has been kind enough to taunt us by not (officially) releasing the iPhone on our shores, but once it does get released; we never know if Globe and Smart will remain bosom buddies – if not, there’ll be locked iPhones galore. And that’s where the anySIM will come in.

                                             Looks very fake - just hold it naturally and nobody will notice.

Word to the wise – get your iPhones somewhere else and unlock them here in our little corner of the world – since no official distributor / marketer / supplier yet exists. Uncle Sam’s long hands won’t reach us here! Anyway the whole “locking to one provider” thing is under hot debate – it’s only  matter of time before the multi-multi companies give in (hopefully). Meanwhile the open-source anySIM is waiting for your input, and your patronage! Get a crackin’.

                                              A reminder on what it actually looks like.