The new iPhone is seen inside the Apple Store in New York, June 29, 2007. Hundreds lined up on Friday outside the Apple store hours before the iPhone, a combination widescreen iPod, cellphone and pocket Internet device, went on sale at Apple's 164 stores and nearly 1,800 AT&T stores. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    JERUSALEM, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three Israeli computer engineers have managed to hack Apple's iPhone system, and made it available for use through Israeli carriers, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website on Sunday.

    According to the report, the three were also able to lend the iPhone a Hebrew interface, thus breaking Apple's restriction on using the phone only through the AT&T company in the United States.

    The report said that Dubbi, Ofir and Eli, the three Israeli hackers, bought their iPhones abroad, long before the thought of hacking its systems entered their minds.

    Ofir was quoted by the report as saying that he knew at the beginning that the iPhone would be just a nice gadget and not an active phone if it was used in Israel, but he didn't mind and still purchased it.

    Another hacker Eli revealed that breaking into the system of iPhone didn't cost anything, but did take a long time.

    The three are not ready to share how they got the iPhone to work, but did say that practically anyone could do it, said the report.

    The iPhone is a multimedia and Internet-enabled mobile phone designed and sold by Apple Inc.

    Its functions include those of a camera phone and a multimedia player, in addition to text messaging and visual voicemail. It also offers Internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity.

    Apple launched the iPhone in June, granting AT&T and a few European carriers an exclusive two-year distribution deal.