iPhone subversives emerge

Don’t be surprised if you see someone walking down the street chatting on an iPhone sometime soon – the much-hyped device has already been hacked to allow it to be used in Australia.

iPhones hacked to be used on Australian networks are already being sold on eBay for upwards of $1700, according to The Age. This is despite the fact that the product has yet to be launched in this country, and in theory should only be usable on one network, AT&T, in the US.

But, having presented the country’s tech kids with a challenge, it was always just a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make iPhones work in Australia. Before dashing off to buy your own hacked iPhone, however, take pause – the legality of the hacks has yet to be determined, as is the technological robustness of the hacks themselves.

And why rush for an iPhone when rumours are mounting that another high-profile entrant to the mobile phone is on the horizon: Google.

Talk that Google is working on its gPhone has reached a new fever pitch with the announcement that Google has patented an SMS-based payment service.

Google denied that the SMS payment system is connected to mobile phone plans, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Still, if you are one of the many tech savvy SME road warriors out there, the options for new mobile tech options look set to explode – so why close off your options?