The iPhone has been perhaps the most hyped tech gadget of 2007, and a 17 year-old from New Jersey recently achieved fame by being the first to "unlock" the Apple device. George Hotz, who many are referring to as the new "DVD John," rigged the $599 iPhone to operate on any network with any SIM card. For his epic hack, Hotz was given a free Nissan 350Z and three 8 GB iPhones. All he had to do was hand over the compromised handset to Terry Daidone, owner of phone refurbisher and aftermarket parts maker CertiCell. Not bad for a kid that hasn't even started his first day of college.

A bad-ass 350Z is definitely a hell of a deal in a trade for a phone that costs a mere $499-$599. If Hotz doesn't get into legal trouble for his work, we think the brilliant teenager will likely get a killer job with a tech company well before he finishes college... right about the time he gets his third speeding ticket.

[Source: iPhone JTAG]

Thanks for the tip, Phil!

Teen trades first unlocked iPhone for Nissan 350Z originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.