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debrand or not?


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Posted by TaeKwonDo
I have a 1 week old k800i, i was wondering, is it worth me getting rid of all the vodafone guff thats on it, and flashing a "generic" firmware?.also, to satisfy the t&c of my guarantee, if i do debrand, can it be reversed by flashing a uk vodafone firmware?.....


Posted by A L 3 X
it will e if they cant tell although im not sure whether or not they will, i did mine and its brill now, jus did the hardware:

some pics of b4 and after











Anyone wanna have a guess what camera/camphone i took these with :hehehe:

Posted by Xen0nflash
I think you should debrand. take the vodafone crap out

Posted by gaming_guy

On 2007-06-11 20:57:17, A L 3 X wrote:

Anyone wanna have a guess what camera/camphone i took these with :hehehe:



w810i - i can see the orange mirror

Posted by A L 3 X


Posted by Nanu
Mine was debranded and updated within an hour of arriving through the door

Posted by RevoWution
Mine was debranded from the minute I laid my hands on it

I hate branded phones... Esp. SE phones... There seems to be MUCH MUCH more restrictions and sickly Vodafone stuff (argh the color! The red is stinging my eyes!) on SE's than Nokias...

Posted by downsie
I debranded my k800i using Wotan sourced firmware. I thought everything was great until I started using the bluetooth with my headset & Abacus caller ID watch. I won't bore you with the details but there were serious problems. They were traced to corrupted firmware.

Vodafone reflashed it with their firmware (which is written for them by Sony Ericsson) and the problems disappeared.

To be honest, Vodafone's version is not that bad once you get used to it. The main drawback for me is in theme creation. Themes are slightly different when used on a branded phone - mainly the text message composer page.

I've decided to keep the branding.

Posted by rally1998
Hi,

Nooob here.

A Brand New K810i is arriving tomorrow, I'm so excited, with an AWFUL Orange logo under the screen...

How do I go about replacing it with the original SE Cyber Shot? do I need to buy an OEM Shell? Where would I buy that?

Cheers



Posted by downsie
When we talk of debranding, we mean the software - not the little Orange badge on the case. Anyway, I do agree - it's a nuisance. Buy a genuine shell from any of the reliable internet gadget & gizmo sites and fit it. Mobilefun.com is quite good. If they haven't got one they will probably get one for you if you ask nicely. Be careful - lots of suppliers use words like, "original" and "genuine replacement" but they are NOT Sony Ericsson cases. If it doesn't say it's a genuine Sony Ericsson case, then it isn't.

As for the software, go to Davinciteam.com and buy 1 credit for 10 Euros.
They will send you a username & password, which will allow you to run a flash file that you will download from their site. That file will debrand your phone but it will remain locked to the Orange network.

Just follow the instructions. It's a piece of cake.

Top Tip: Make sure your computer has the latest usb drivers for your phone. They are available from the Sony Ericsson site or Davinci. Some drivers that were shipped with the phones (on disc) by Sony Ericsson were the wrong ones.

BTW, I changed my mind about debranding my Vodafone k800. I used Davinci to do it and it was too easy for words.





[ This Message was edited by: downsie on 2007-11-01 10:12 ]

Posted by Red_Rach
Yeah, get rid of the vodafone crap. Its not how SE intended the phone to be!

Posted by downsie
Indeed. I'm surprised more customers don't complain to Vodafone, Orange, etc. about their branding policy.

It's probably because most folks just aren't aware that their phones should be any different. Some of my mates look at me like I'm off another planet when I mention 'firmware' and 'de-branding'

[ This Message was edited by: downsie on 2007-11-02 03:22 ]

Posted by hens00
If you want to debrand the outer casing of your phone, then check out this page http://www.freephonesforlife.co.uk/tips/index.html for more info.


Posted by tranced
when we talk about debranding we mean software wise.

Posted by Boothy20
I Debranding

Posted by carkitter
TBH the benefits of Vodafone support far out-weigh the benefits of debranding IMO. I've taken advantage of numerous discounts and special deals lately. Vodafone customer service is also much improved and I'm happy not to rock the boat by debranding.

Posted by Boothy20
Why would debranding affect Vodafone support?

Posted by carkitter
What? You mean down here where there is only 1 GSM network who can dictate market terms? Unlock codes don't exist here, debranding is done by stealth and can isolate you from some Vodafone 3G services. Besides, I've had WSOD, broken hinges, cracked keys all repaired under warranty by NZ so I wouldn't want to void it.

Posted by downsie
Oh, for crying out loud! How many times must this be explained?
De-branding your phone only means that the phone's firmware (the software that YOU use to access the menus, etc.) is restored to the original Sony Ericsson version.
The phone remains locked to the provider's network.
The provider will neither know nor care if you have debranded your phone.
You will still pay them for their service.
You will still be able to call upon their customer services.
The earth will still spin on its axis and George Bush will still be a fukwit, like so many inhabitants of this puny space rock.

[ This Message was edited by: downsie on 2008-03-22 19:59 ]

Posted by 13chanty1
???? i don't get it

Posted by neroic
Definately, vodafone replaced my activity menu with a call end button on my w850. What really irritated me about it was when I debranded it and saw what I could now do.


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