WP7 hackers withdraw jailbreak to negotiate with Microsoft

Jailbreaking is a constant problem for companies such as Apple and Microsoft, but the latter has shown there's a new way to deal with the problem.

Microsoft looks to have struck a deal with the creators of the jailbreaking tool ChevronWP7 (which allows users to run homemade software and games on their Windows Phone), involving the agreement that the developers of the programme will stop distributing the programme in exchange for helping the PC giant with homebrew development.

The discussions from Microsoft’s side are being conducted by Brandon Watson, Director of Developer Experience for Windows Phone. He's apparently chatting to Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, and Long Zheng the ChevronWP7 developers.

The Chevron trio certainly seem to have agreed to the deal, with a post on their blog stating: “we established a mutual understanding of our intent to enable homebrew opportunities and to open the Windows Phone 7 platform for broader access to developers and users,” adding that “to fast-track discussions, we are discontinuing the unlocking tool effective immediately."

With the relatively low sales of WP7 so far, including the mere 40,000 units sold on opening day of the mobile's release (compare this to Apple’s 1.5 Million iPhone 4’s sold on launch and 150,000 Blackberry Torch’s sold on their first weekend in stores), Microsoft could certainly do with the extra help. Building a thriving homebrew community would certainly be a useful string in Windows Phone 7's bow.