David: Holy cow, that's a big difference. OK, so how does one unlock an iPhone?

Shawn: Unlocking an iPhone can be a difficult task. There are many ways to unlock an iPhone but there are currently two very popular methods. You will need to decide which method you require by knowing which version of the iPhone you have.

First, let's talk about Version 1.1.1. The easiest way to know if you have a 1.1.1 iPhone is to know when your iPhone was purchased. If it was purchased prior to November 9th 2007, then you have the 1.1.1 software. If your phone was purchased afterwards, then you will have either 1.1.2 or 1.1.3 software.

Both methods require you to perform a "jail break". The term jail break was derived from those who created software which cracks through Apple's security and allows the phone to run third party applications (ie; instant messaging, games, etc). This, however, does not unlock the iPhone. This only preps it for the third party unlocking software to be installed (only version 1.1.1 iPhones and older can be unlocked via software).

Newer handsets purchased after 11/09/2007 will require a two-step process because Apple has changed the bootloader, in-house tech jargon which basically means the software unlock won't work anymore.

The first step is to downgrade the software back to 1.1.1 so you will be able to jailbreak the phone. Downgrading the software isn't all that hard when you have the right instructions in front of you. We have actually posted a set of instructions on our Web site.

It will take about 10 minutes of waiting to downgrade the software; you just sit back and do nothing as your computer does all the work. The long set of instructions however can look pretty daunting, but fret not, as it is rather simple and you'll be up and running in no time.

Once the software has been downgraded, you now can jail break your phone on the 1.1.1 software. Once jail broken you will need to pull out a pair of scissors and cut away a part of your SIM card.

Yikes! Did he just ask me to cut open my SIM card?! No. You do not need to cut open your SIM card, if you look at it there are two halves. The bottom half has the circuitry while the other half is plastic. You just want to cut away at one of the plastic corners.

The reason for this is that there is a new chip in town. This device is a paper thin circuit board that goes on top of your SIM card (called a Turbo SIM) but it has a tiny little transistor that needs some room which is why it needs part of the space the plastic portion of the SIM card takes up.

You just basically throw that on top of the SIM and put it into your jailbroken phone and presto! Your T-Mobile SIM card now works in your iPhone (note that if you take out the turbo SIM and attempt to put it into another iPhone, it will continue to work while your old iPhone will not).

David: Isn't that illegal?

Shawn: Yes it is! ... No I'm only kidding. If it was, I wouldn't be here telling you my story.