Discussion Forums > Technology
Question for you cell phone experts
boxer4:
While looking around, it seems that Nokia appears to be more easily "cracked" of the subsidy lock, so that's more fortunate if you want to stick with Nokia.
It's definitely legal to remove the subsidy lock, but it is sort of a moral issue for at least the US residents. Most phones are "sold" to users at deep discounts with the lock, to force people to "pay back" the subsidy by the monthly fee, hence the correct term "subsidy lock".
Honestly I think all phone companies should just sell the hardware outright up front and make monthly costs cheaper. It would make the entry barrier higher but hey... less users is great too. Then there will be no need for crap like "subsidy locks"... (or make it clear that people are payment planning the phone, and remove the payment plan once it's paid off... but they don't do that so they make more money from you if you don't "get a new contract"...
*sigh*
That < $50 phone looks like the best way to go for people who want cell service but don't want to pay for a $500 smartphone...
NaRu:
It sounds like the phone is dead. To me it seems to be a memory problem. Once it starts to use some of the memory it gets all funny. I say throw it out and get a new one
daveLovesIt:
--- Quote from: boxer4 on September 07, 2010, 05:12:31 AM ---While looking around, it seems that Nokia appears to be more easily "cracked" of the subsidy lock, so that's more fortunate if you want to stick with Nokia.
It's definitely legal to remove the subsidy lock, but it is sort of a moral issue for at least the US residents. Most phones are "sold" to users at deep discounts with the lock, to force people to "pay back" the subsidy by the monthly fee, hence the correct term "subsidy lock".
--- End quote ---
Well a company like say, Samsung, reinvents the wheel every few models and keeps hush about their methods to increase reverse engineering times. In the UK here, its hardly ever a choice for a contract buyer, as the Samsung phone on offer will be leagues ahead of the others. I suspect they pay a lot of money to the big (provider-based) phone shops to create this situation. But then they don't offer any tech support whatsoever beyond how to put a CD into windows. Because of this, geeks don't buy them, and despise these sorts of companies.
Nokia is the other end of the scale, they have a different approach. They like to share specs, keep fittings as generic as possible, they provide good driver support, firmware tools etc... this has gotten a lot of respect from phone geeks, in fact geeks love Nokia!! So I figure, if you want to mess around with a phone, it may as well be a Nokia. Even if has some proprietary components from the network that contracted it out, you have good odds that someone somewhere has a webpage up explaining how to deal with it.
The problem:
--- Quote from: relic2279 ---We have, but it's like trying to replace a $1100 transmission in a car that's worth $700. It just isn't done.
--- End quote ---
Remember this guy did this for a living. If he says it's not worth the cost of fixing, he's right, but it would apply to new parts. Maybe, as you want to use second hand parts, maybe. Get on the Nokia forums and ask/read around before you waste any money. If the goal is to learn something about phones, and have fun, just grab a second-hand Nokia in better condition and without a lock on it.
I don't see why you think a phone locked to an American provider could not be unlocked if it is physically in Canada ???
relic2279:
--- Quote from: daveLovesIt on September 07, 2010, 10:36:48 AM --- but it would apply to new parts. Maybe, as you want to use second hand parts, maybe. Get on the Nokia forums and ask/read around before you waste any money. If the goal is to learn something about phones, and have fun, just grab a second-hand Nokia in better condition and without a lock on it.
--- End quote ---
The phone's problem is almost certainly internal physical damage. (My guess is moisture damage) Definitely doesn't sound like a software problem to me. But the two are not always exclusive. The parts aren't expensive. Knowing what to repair and how, is. :P Aka, Labor.
Edit: If you are desperate, buy some contact cleaner from radio shack, or 97% pure or better rubbing alcohol (this is important, don't buy less than 97%). Get an old toothbrush and take your phone apart. Scrub the PCB with the toothbrush dipped in the contact cleaner.
That used to work with moisture damage about 20% of the time. Guess it depends on how desperate you are.
Freedom Kira:
--- Quote from: boxer4 on September 07, 2010, 05:12:31 AM ---While looking around, it seems that Nokia appears to be more easily "cracked" of the subsidy lock, so that's more fortunate if you want to stick with Nokia.
It's definitely legal to remove the subsidy lock, but it is sort of a moral issue for at least the US residents. Most phones are "sold" to users at deep discounts with the lock, to force people to "pay back" the subsidy by the monthly fee, hence the correct term "subsidy lock".
Honestly I think all phone companies should just sell the hardware outright up front and make monthly costs cheaper. It would make the entry barrier higher but hey... less users is great too. Then there will be no need for crap like "subsidy locks"... (or make it clear that people are payment planning the phone, and remove the payment plan once it's paid off... but they don't do that so they make more money from you if you don't "get a new contract"...
*sigh*
That < $50 phone looks like the best way to go for people who want cell service but don't want to pay for a $500 smartphone...
--- End quote ---
Only earlier Nokia models can be easily cracked because the algorithm for generating the unlock code was reverse engineered - the code is generated from the IMEI number. Newer models like the 5310 use a more advanced algorithm involving a random number. I don't know the details.
The lock doesn't even guarantee the provider income - it just makes it harder for the customer to switch providers. It's the phone plan that locks the customer in. Even the phone I purchased for $250 (Nokia 5300) was locked, and that was the full purchase price. I should have the right to do what I want with what I buy, right?
--- Quote from: daveLovesIt on September 07, 2010, 10:36:48 AM ---The problem:
--- Quote from: relic2279 ---We have, but it's like trying to replace a $1100 transmission in a car that's worth $700. It just isn't done.
--- End quote ---
Remember this guy did this for a living. If he says it's not worth the cost of fixing, he's right, but it would apply to new parts. Maybe, as you want to use second hand parts, maybe. Get on the Nokia forums and ask/read around before you waste any money. If the goal is to learn something about phones, and have fun, just grab a second-hand Nokia in better condition and without a lock on it.
I don't see why you think a phone locked to an American provider could not be unlocked if it is physically in Canada ???
--- End quote ---
A new phone costs around $100 unlocked. That's not including shipping. A used phone goes for about half that, and a damaged one goes dirt cheap. I'm waiting to snipe one on eBay that ends in a day and a half or so. The mobo's working, just the screen is damaged, it seems. I'll have to unlock it, which would cost about $30.
No, that wasn't my point - just that if it is locked to an American provider, it is guaranteed to be locked to a different network than the one I'm using in Canada. I'd have a better chance of not having to unlock it (yet) if the phone came from Canada because the phone could potentially be locked to the same network.
--- Quote from: relic2279 on September 07, 2010, 05:32:22 PM ---The phone's problem is almost certainly internal physical damage. (My guess is moisture damage) Definitely doesn't sound like a software problem to me. But the two are not always exclusive. The parts aren't expensive. Knowing what to repair and how, is. :P Aka, Labor.
Edit: If you are desperate, buy some contact cleaner from radio shack, or 97% pure or better rubbing alcohol (this is important, don't buy less than 97%). Get an old toothbrush and take your phone apart. Scrub the PCB with the toothbrush dipped in the contact cleaner.
That used to work with moisture damage about 20% of the time. Guess it depends on how desperate you are.
--- End quote ---
Not really desperate enough to try that... and the chances of success sound low. I'll take my chances with the eBay phone. :D
By the way, I had a company try to unlock my 5300 and they failed (tried the code twice, didn't unlock), and told me that I would have to pay $100 to send it in to hard-unlock it. Is that normal?
Also, still want confirmation that the SIMlock/subsidy lock is on the mobo...
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