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Windows Phone homebrew hits a snag as ChevronWP7 labs reaches end of Microsoft deal

Windows Phone homebrew hits a snag as ChevronWP7 labs reaches end of Microsoft deal

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ChevronWP7 labs unavailable after tokens sell out for Windows Phone jailbreak

By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.

Via The Next Web | Source ChevronWP7 Labs and ChevronWP7 (Twitter)

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Windows Phone Jailbreak ChevronWP7
Windows Phone Jailbreak ChevronWP7

The first official jailbreak for Windows Phone 7, ChevronWP7, has "sold out" of tokens to enable homebrew application support. ChevronWP7 originally surfaced as an unofficial jailbreaking tool in late 2010 shortly after the initial launch of Windows Phone 7. Microsoft met with the members of the team and granted official support for a modified version, released in November 2011, priced at $9 per device. The tool allows Windows Phone users to sideload applications that are not available in the official Marketplace, typically homebrew apps, without having to pay Microsoft's annual $99 Windows Phone developer program charge.

Microsoft's agreement with the ChevronWP7 team was "to sell no more than 10,000 tokens" according to spokesperson Rafael Rivera. "We're discussing if we want to up that number," Rivera added in a Twitter message. It seems like the ChevronWP7 project is temporarily on hold, or "sold out" as the developers put it. If you're desperate for a jailbreak, then there's always the DFT Freedom ROMs or The WindowBreak Project to whet your homebrew appetite until ChevronWP7 returns.

Thanks, de5gravity!

Update: Rivera has revealed "Microsoft isn’t involved in our discussion just yet." The ChevronWP7 team are deciding amongst themselves whether they want to approach Microsoft for additional tokens. ChevronWP7 has previously sold out of tokens after milestones were reached. "We had to request another chunk," said Rivera in an email to us, but that 10,000 was "the original limit since day one." We have updated our headline to reflect this.

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