14 DAY TRIAL // That didn't take long! Only several days after the first news on the possible “jailbreaking” of Windows Phone 7 emerged, the first tool that enables the unlocking of Microsoft's new mobile operating system was released.
The new software solution has a simple purpose, that of enabling the sideloading of unsigned applications on handsets running under the Windows Phone 7 operating system.
Basically, the tool, which needs to be installed on a Windows-based desktop PC, removes the block that Microsoft put in place on the OS, so as to enable only the installation of applications available for download via the Windows Phone Marketplace.
The new application, called ChevronWP7, was delivered by Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh and Long Zheng, and was said to be only the first release from the trio.
Today we have an exciting breakthrough for the Windows Phone 7 homebrew community - the ability for anyone to unlock a WP7 device without a Marketplace developer account.
Unlocking allows the sideloading of experimental applications that would otherwise can’t be published to the Marketplace, such as those which access private or native APIs.
Of course, this is only the first release, which means that there might be some glitches, but the team is set to provide further solutions too.
“As this is our first release, you may run into issues. Expect more goodies/tools to be released in the near future,” they note on the website put in place for the solution.
Windows Phone 7 users who are interested in trying out more than just the applications that Microsoft approves for the Marketplace, have now the possibility to download and install the said solution on any desktop PC running under at least Windows XP SP2 (Vista and 7 supported too) and to unlock their devices with it.
The best part of the story would be the fact that all the changes that this tool will make are reversible, at least this is what its developers claim.
“This tool is completely safe and reversible for the phone. (The app even allows you to relock the phone.)”
Additional info on this can be found on the aforementioned website, here.