iPhone users have jailbreaking, Android users have rooting, and now Windows Phone 7 users have a own unlock/jailbreak tool to call their own. The folks over at ChevronWP7 have released a "super simple" tool in the form of a executable file, for use on Windows XP SP2 and higher, that will allow the sideloading of apps that normally wouldn't make the cut into the Marketplace, like ones that take advantage of private/native APIs. If you install the tool but then change your mind about it, everything can be uninstalled right from the app. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft doesn't exactly approve of the tool. The company has issued the following statement:
"We anticipated that people would attempt to unlock the phones and explore the underlying operating system. We encourage people to use their Windows Phone as supplied by the manufacturer to ensure the best possible user experience. Attempting to unlock a device could void the warranty, disable phone functionality, interrupt access to Windows Phone 7 services or render the phone permanently unusable."
Like Microsoft, I think we all kind of expected a hack like this to come along for Windows Phone 7. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that it didn't come sooner. Now that the WP7's jailbreak solution has been released, I'm interested to see what all of the talented hackers will be able to bring to the OS. Is there anything missing in WP7 that you'd like to see?
Via Winrumors, BGR, ChevronWP7
