14 DAY TRIAL // ChevronWP7 Labs, the service that will offer Windows Phone users the possibility to unlock their devices for a small fee, is expected to kick off soon.
The service was announced several months ago, yet the team behind it, which includes developers Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, Long Zheng, is getting ready to make it available only now.
However, those who are eager to have their Windows Phone devices unlocked will still have to wait a few weeks before the service is operational.
As soon as the service is up, people will be able to unlock their Windows Phones for $9.00 USD (around 6.5 Euros), sold via PayPal. However, devices will be registered on the ChevronWP7 Labs site.
“The ChevronWP7 Labs site and service was designed to allow hobbyist developers to install, run, and debug unsigned applications on their personal Windows Phone,” the team explains.
“All you need to get started is a Windows Live ID. (A Windows Phone might also be handy.) It’s important to note that we don’t need the Windows Live ID tied to your phone. We simply require any Windows Live ID to simplify the registration and login process.”
Users will also have a custom version of the unlocking tool running on their desktops, which requires an “unlock token” (purchased by paying the aforementioned fee).
“Otherwise, it behaves identically [with the official unlocking tool, which needs an App Hub account]. No magic spells. No exploits. Your phone’s warranty and support lifelines will remain intact,” the team explains.
For security and administrative reasons, there will be an “unlock queue” in place when using the tool, meant to serialize unlock requests. The team notes that they will be “monitoring these queues to ensure they’re kept short and will add capacity where needed.”
ChevronWP7 Labs was not meant to promote jailbreaking, but to offer people the possibility to come up with applications for their Windows Phones even without a developer account (which costs $100 a year).
The team notes that Microsoft is offering support for their initiative, and that the Redmond-based company is approving their move.
“As said earlier, we’re a few weeks away from launch. We’ve been working hard this year to plan, design and implement this system to meet the needs of the homebrew development community; we hope you like it,” the team concludes.