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US Teen Trades Hacked iPhone for Nissan 350Z
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Wed Aug 29, 2007 05:02 PM
from the something-for-nothing dept.
from the something-for-nothing dept.
PieGuy107 writes to mention that seventeen-year-old George Hotz of Glen Rock, NJ has made the trade of the summer. Hotz traded his hacked iPhone for a new set of wheels (Nissan 350Z to be exact) and 3 more 8GB iPhones. "[Terry] Daidone, who's the co-founder of Louisville, Kentucky-based CertiCell, has apparently also offered the young man a paid consulting job, but stresses the company doesn't have 'any plans on the table right now to commercialize Mr. Hotz' discovery'."
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Monday called (Score:5, Funny)
1996 called (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:1996 called (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Smart Trade (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Smart Trade (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Hackability... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Hear, hear.
Re:Hackability... (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Hackability... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Hackability... (Score:5, Informative)
The only real difference is the quality of the materials used and the technologies used. For example, I wear the Walmart-channel shoes because they fit better. They look a lot like the name-brand shoes but instead of leather, there is often vinyl or instead of high-tech soles, the soles are more of a solid rubber - and they're not quite as durable.
The margin is lower for these value items, and some of that is made up with the cheaper materials. The overall profitability is maintained by the much higher volume that goes through stores like Walmart.
Oh, and none of our shoes or apparel are made by 8 year olds (or anything even close) and that is verified by outside auditors. I expect our biggest competitors can honestly make the same claim.
Parent
I'd feel terrible (Score:3, Funny)
Life's lessons... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Even so, it's not that bad.
the first 20K applies as a 'Gift' so no taxes there.
Huh? (Score:4, Informative)
The gift tax rules don't apply - he's clearly being compensated for his skills. Strictly speaking, he increased the phone's value himself and then accepted compensation for it. Only his accountant knows for sure.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Unless they wrote up a contract stipulating that he would be compensated for the hacked iPhone with eight unhacked iPhones... and on a completely unrelated side issue, the Nissan was a gift.
Re:Life's lessons... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes.
Old enough to pay taxes.
Not old enough to vote what they are use for.
One of the many injustices in the system.
Parent
Re:Life's lessons... (Score:4, Insightful)
He's going to need to take that job just to earn enough by the end of the year to pay the taxes.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
For once (Score:2)
i don't get it... (Score:2)
second, why didn't the kid hold out for more?
third, I can have some hacked phones if these guys wanna get rid of any maxed-out alienware laptops???
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Irony? (Score:2)
Re:Irony? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Press Hype or Me Cynical (Score:3, Informative)
Like that DVD Jon guy, other people did the work, but they are adults, adults with jobs, and they don't want to get sued to death, so they let an underage person take the credit and press. Who would dare sue a kid, because the press luv the fantasy story of some hacker kid sticking it to the man, and companies don't want the bad press of sueing a kid.
Re:Press Hype or Me Cynical (Score:5, Insightful)
1.) DVD Jon was actualy a pretty knowledgeable hardcore geek way before he did the CSS crack.
2.) He actually DID get sued. By big companies. On several occasions.
- Jesper
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Wait, I thought it was Christopher Finke [chrisfinke.com] that did the CSS hack [mozilla.org]!
Read the TFA! (Score:5, Insightful)
Ugh, it's a bad trade -- taxes! (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
"Gifts" and contest "winnings" are taxed for about 1/3rd of their value, as I hear it.
That's why when a family member wants to give you a car, it's far better to say you sold it for $1, instead of paying the taxes on a free gift.
With this trade, however, it's not a free gift, nor a contest winning, so it'll be taxed like any other income. I don't expect him to have to pay more than $100 to the IRS. License a
Now the question is (Score:3, Funny)
Car Insurance (Score:4, Interesting)
keep hacking (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Mom! (Score:5, Insightful)
b) If that's the dorkiest guy you've ever seen? Man, you haven't met many real dorks, have you?
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Mom's basement no more ... (Score:4, Insightful)
When a 17 year old receives a 350Z they are no longer spending much time in Mom's basement. Hopefully not all of that time outside the basement is spent earning money for gas, insurance, and taxes. That prize/gift is taxable, many a game show winner has been screwed by that. Fortunately, or sadly, I've never won anything over $1,000.
To go to a darker topic, I hope he doesn't move from Mom's basement to the basement at the morgue. Giving a high performance car to a 17 year old can be a dangerous thing to do. My Dad and his friends had muscle cars at a young age, he was wise enough to make sure I only had underpowered 4-cylinder Toyota when I was under his roof. By the time I graduated college, got a job, and could afford that 5.7L Trans Am(*) I had enough experience behind the wheel and enough common sense to do little damage. I swear I saw a half dozen cars like mine in the paper, all wrapped around telephone poles by teenage drivers.
(*) That first job didn't pay well enough for a Corvette, and by now I've turned into a cheap bastard.
Parent
Re:Mom's basement no more ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Mom's basement no more ... (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Re:Mom's basement no more ... (Score:5, Interesting)
He comes around the circle in his Trans Am, at top speed, and as he comes out of the circle back onto 70 West, he starts to fishtail. I start thinking, "He's going to overcompensate" and sure as shit, his wheels engage, he's aimed for the trees and goes airborn. Second time I've had a car going airborn in my direction and once you realize you're not going to get hit, you are amazed at how fucking awesome a sight it is.
I pulled over and backed up to him and he was totally like, "Can you help me back out of here."
I had to point out that his car was sitting on a tree and I was not going to be able to lift that Trans Am up.
He didn't know what he was supposed to do. I offered to call for help. He didn't want it. He seemed in a little bit of shock, but not much I could do. Besides, it was late, I wanted to get home.
But wow, what a sight.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
they wanted the iphone to be more open and cell phone people said no so they did this?
He my not have been the first to open it. (Score:2)
Re:He my not have been the first to open it. (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Out of the blue? (Score:5, Interesting)
I mentioned the exact same thing but that this was a big group project, he was just the guy (who rather badly) soldered the wire into the iPhone. The way to solder that kind of equipment is with tweezer soldering irons, very small amounts of solder, and either a chemical or 400 grit sand paper to get the solder mask off. You use a smaller 26-28 AWG wire instead of the rather large one he used in the photo to get the best results.
This was a huge team effort, it was not pulled off by this guy alone. The software reverse-engineering alone would take more time than figuring out how to hack the hardware. I don't know if he's a member of the North American Marl0n Brando Look-a-like Association, but come on.
Another thing- I know this post and the parent is going to hit the Trolling trigger for some people, but honestly we have a right to voice our opinion. As a moderator, you can choose three ways: reward the good posts, mod down the truely bad posts, or mod down anything you disagree with. Yes there are trolls out there who need to be dealt with and they are, but seriously our standards for posting and moderation have been slipping and it makes me wonder where /. is headed.
Parent
gotta give him a tiny bit of kudos (Score:3, Interesting)
Since when do CS majors pick up soldering irons?
Heck, most EE's don't do that and wouldn't know how. (Yes, I'm an EE).
I saw the guy's website... I wonder how he is as a software/hardware developer... He's clearly talented, but does he document his code? Does he follow established best practices? Does he interact well with others? Probably is a bit unbalanced...
Re: (Score:2)
Different hack. This one is to make it take any SIM card and work on any network. Plenty of people would love to get an iPhone and use it on their current plan, plenty more would love to use it internationally without AT&T's crazy prices.
Re: (Score:2)
Hack it via brute-force Slashdot cliche (Score:3, Funny)
In Soviet Russia, if CDMA, for one, bows down to our new beowulf-cluster-of-iPhones overlords, GSM would hack you! and cover Natalie Portman in hot grits, you insensitive clod!