ChevronWP7 Unlocking Tool for Windows Phone 7 Launches

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You’d think that Microsoft would be strict over installing applications on their Windows Phone 7 platform. But Microsoft has partnered with the ChevronWP7 team for the release of a semi-official jailbreak tool for installing homebrew applications, which has been made available to users and developers.

The ChevronWP7 Labs team has made good on its promise to release a Microsoft-approved jailbreak tool for Windows Phone 7 devices. The unlocking tool is meant as a way for developers and hobbyists to build, test and distribute their own applications without going through the official Windows Marketplace.

ChevronWP7 Labs was designed to allow hobbyist developers to install, run, and debug unsigned applications on their personal Windows Phone. You log into the site with your Windows Live ID, pay a small fee, and presto — you’re ready to write and share some homebrew code.

Developers will need to pay $9 for each device unlocked using the tool, which will then have the ability to install and run third-party apps not coming from Microsoft’s official marketplace. The unlock tool comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit variants . Developers who wish to distribute their apps officially will still need to go through Microsoft’s approval process, though.

The team has pointed out a few interesting apps, such as Screen Capture V3, Mango Battery Status, and Webserver for Mango, which extends the functionality of Windows Phones beyond those offered by official apps.

The ChevronWP7 team announced the availability of the tool earlier today, but has since taken it offline to address some bug fixes. The site also reportedly received high traffic load in the first few hours of launch, which means there is great interest for jailbreaking Windows Phone 7.5 Mango handsets. The team says users can expect the tool to be back online as soon as fixes are done.