Hands0n
18th September 2007, 10:26 PM
Much has been written about how Vodafone branding cripples the Nokia N95, turning it from that what Nokia intended it to be to some sub-species handset. I'm not entirely sure what else apart from the SIP client being disabled for WiFi functionality. This prevents you, the Customer, from using Truphone or any other SIP (VoIP) service. Quite what Vodafone think they are doing is beyond me. I think it is simply outrageous that they did this to the N95.
Some try and justify Vodafone's actions by suggesting that they subsidise the handset. Let me state right now that it will take a lot of convincing to make me believe that Vodafone (or any large corporation for that matter) is a charity. I want to see their certificate of registration at the UK Charities Commission first. But of course, Vodafone nor any of their fanboys can produce such a certificate so I will just have to go on believing that the big V is a large corporation. :)
Right, thats the politics out of the way. What is to be done when Vodafone will not provide a de-branding/un-cripppling service. The answer is amazingly simple - do it yourself. But I won't go into the exact details on here - suffice it to say that a moment on Google will give you all the links you could possibly want for the detail on this.
Tonight, it is the turn of my Vodafone N95 to go through the process to turn it back into a Nokia N95, rather than the monstrosity that was delivered to me.
After changing the product code with NSS I then subjected the N95 to Nokia Software Updater. The first surprise is that the Vodafone-issue firmware is version 11.0.026 - the Nokia EURO1 Plum firmware is 12.0.013 :cool: I'm assuming that this is a significant upgrade, although I cannot tell what the difference is between versions. For sure, there will be many bugfixes. As an aside, my T-Mobile N95 is exactly the same 11.0.026 firmware version - perhaps that is what is intended for the UK release?
Once committed to Nokia Software updater the rest of the procedure is entirely automatic. Some 113MB of firmware is downloaded from Nokia - be sure you're on a good quality Broadband connection if you're going to do this. Don't try it on dial-up Internet connections or you'll be taking a very long time out ;D
WARNING - When doing anything like this make sure that you read all of the prompts and instructions, and do exactly as they say. Do not interfere with the handset or the computer while the update is going on - even if it looks like it has stalled. Wait it out patiently. If you don't then you may well end up with a paperweight, and they're pretty much useless for making phone calls on. The process should take around 10 - 15 minutes to complete.
Following the update be prepared to do some setting up. This is bog standard Nokia, as if you'd bought it direct. But note that at this point you have only debranded the handste - it is not unlocked from the network operator, for that you'll have to pay Vodafone for the unlock codes.
Starting up the "new" N95 kicks off the Settings Wizard where it will automatically set up the Messaging and Internet aspects of the handset.
It is a nice feeling having a standard N95. Well done Nokia :)
Edit:
Post Update
I had a very sweaty 15 minutes! Prior to the firmware update I saved the N95 settings to the memory card like all good IT people do, right? We do all do this, yes? Well, I do. It just makes things that much easier to get your stuff back.
Following the update, I found that all my Contacts and other stuff had gone - anything that was in the handset's memory, which is to be expected. But when I restored the settings from the memory card disaster struck :eek:. The handset would not start, the screen colours were strange, nothing worked and a start-up message referred me to my retailer - Vodafone would have loved that! But there is a way out if you find yourself in this predicament. You will need to perform a hardware reset which is done as you power up the handset. You will need the manual dexterity of an octopus though as there is a very awkward set of keypresses. Do the following
The method of performing a hard-format, i.e resetting it completely to factory defaults and removing all data, is as follows:
1. Switch off the phone.
2. Hold down the following three buttons: Green (call answer) button, * button, and '3' button
3. While holding these buttons, press the power button and switch on the phone
4. When the message 'Formatting' appears on the screen, release all of the buttons
Note that you shouldn't switch the phone off or remove the battery when performing either of these operations, and it's advised that the handset has a reasonable amount of battery charge before performing a format/reset.
That little trick got me the handset back - I had to download and re-install the Settings Wizard from Nokia, ran it and got the handset back to working on Vodafone. Now the good bit :D
Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/)
Unless you have been living on Mars for the past few years you will most likely have heard of VoIP (Voice over IP) and/or SIP (Session Initiation Protocol (http://www.sipcenter.com/sip.nsf/html/What+Is+SIP+Introduction)). To you, the User, it really does not matter but basically both of these describe making phone calls over the Internet rather than the mobile network. It should be said that the mobile operators, at this time, generally hate VoIP/SIP and do as much as they dare to restrict its use. T-Mobile, for instance, used to block calls TO Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/), but they lost a High Court case and now charge for calls to Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/) numbers outside of your bundled minutes. So they have honoured the court case to the letter but are not subscribing to its intent. Perhaps Truphone will take them to the High Courts again. I digress.
Installing Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/) to the N95 is a snip. There are two ways, one is to send an SMS message to Truphone, they reply with a link and you download the applet to the handset via the GPRS network - costly if you don't have a data bundle. The alternative is to download the applet to your PC and use a Bluetooth or cable link to install the app to the handset. Nokia PC Suite's Application Installer makes this a breeze.
Setting up Truphone from the applet also generates you a Truphone account and phone number. If you forget the number you can obtain it from the applet itself in one of its menus.
Truphone make setting up the N95 very easy. They guide you through finding your WLAN - or any WLAN for that matter. This is then added to your handset's APN table. The software initially sets itself up to default for outgoing calls. I did not want this and it was easy enough to set the default to GSM network.
It is interesting to observe that call set-up via Truphone is almost instantaneous. No sooner had I pressed the call button than I was hearing ring-tone, and the phone I'd called was ringing. The quality of the ringtone is dreadful - but once the call goes through the voice quality is excellent, but with a noticeable delay. Perhaps this would not be noticed on a call that was not across the room :D
I can recommend trying out Truphone - especially as calls are free right now, some to European countries are included until 31st December 2007. Going forward, calls to other SIP numbers will be free for the forseeable future - it is unlikely that they'll charge for these. Even to other SIP providers. But I do think that they'll have to start charging for national calls to landlines and mobiles. They're going to have to make money somehow. For now, though, lap it up and enjoy being part of the calling revolution - while at the same time pi55ing off the mobile operators who are quietly building SIP into their own networks as they will have to compete or die ungracefully. They'll do this, even if for no other reason than they will massively increase their call-carrying capacity for relatively minimal layout. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, IP Voice is here to stay and will mean very many new players in the voice calls business and more downward pressure on voice tariffs elsewhere.
Do let us know on here how you get on if you partake of any of the above. It does not take a genius to achieve the piece of work I've described here. But do read up on the documentation before you give it all a go. And if anything goes wrong, don't panic! Try the hardware reset before anything else. It just may put right what you just did wrong.
Some try and justify Vodafone's actions by suggesting that they subsidise the handset. Let me state right now that it will take a lot of convincing to make me believe that Vodafone (or any large corporation for that matter) is a charity. I want to see their certificate of registration at the UK Charities Commission first. But of course, Vodafone nor any of their fanboys can produce such a certificate so I will just have to go on believing that the big V is a large corporation. :)
Right, thats the politics out of the way. What is to be done when Vodafone will not provide a de-branding/un-cripppling service. The answer is amazingly simple - do it yourself. But I won't go into the exact details on here - suffice it to say that a moment on Google will give you all the links you could possibly want for the detail on this.
Tonight, it is the turn of my Vodafone N95 to go through the process to turn it back into a Nokia N95, rather than the monstrosity that was delivered to me.
After changing the product code with NSS I then subjected the N95 to Nokia Software Updater. The first surprise is that the Vodafone-issue firmware is version 11.0.026 - the Nokia EURO1 Plum firmware is 12.0.013 :cool: I'm assuming that this is a significant upgrade, although I cannot tell what the difference is between versions. For sure, there will be many bugfixes. As an aside, my T-Mobile N95 is exactly the same 11.0.026 firmware version - perhaps that is what is intended for the UK release?
Once committed to Nokia Software updater the rest of the procedure is entirely automatic. Some 113MB of firmware is downloaded from Nokia - be sure you're on a good quality Broadband connection if you're going to do this. Don't try it on dial-up Internet connections or you'll be taking a very long time out ;D
WARNING - When doing anything like this make sure that you read all of the prompts and instructions, and do exactly as they say. Do not interfere with the handset or the computer while the update is going on - even if it looks like it has stalled. Wait it out patiently. If you don't then you may well end up with a paperweight, and they're pretty much useless for making phone calls on. The process should take around 10 - 15 minutes to complete.
Following the update be prepared to do some setting up. This is bog standard Nokia, as if you'd bought it direct. But note that at this point you have only debranded the handste - it is not unlocked from the network operator, for that you'll have to pay Vodafone for the unlock codes.
Starting up the "new" N95 kicks off the Settings Wizard where it will automatically set up the Messaging and Internet aspects of the handset.
It is a nice feeling having a standard N95. Well done Nokia :)
Edit:
Post Update
I had a very sweaty 15 minutes! Prior to the firmware update I saved the N95 settings to the memory card like all good IT people do, right? We do all do this, yes? Well, I do. It just makes things that much easier to get your stuff back.
Following the update, I found that all my Contacts and other stuff had gone - anything that was in the handset's memory, which is to be expected. But when I restored the settings from the memory card disaster struck :eek:. The handset would not start, the screen colours were strange, nothing worked and a start-up message referred me to my retailer - Vodafone would have loved that! But there is a way out if you find yourself in this predicament. You will need to perform a hardware reset which is done as you power up the handset. You will need the manual dexterity of an octopus though as there is a very awkward set of keypresses. Do the following
The method of performing a hard-format, i.e resetting it completely to factory defaults and removing all data, is as follows:
1. Switch off the phone.
2. Hold down the following three buttons: Green (call answer) button, * button, and '3' button
3. While holding these buttons, press the power button and switch on the phone
4. When the message 'Formatting' appears on the screen, release all of the buttons
Note that you shouldn't switch the phone off or remove the battery when performing either of these operations, and it's advised that the handset has a reasonable amount of battery charge before performing a format/reset.
That little trick got me the handset back - I had to download and re-install the Settings Wizard from Nokia, ran it and got the handset back to working on Vodafone. Now the good bit :D
Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/)
Unless you have been living on Mars for the past few years you will most likely have heard of VoIP (Voice over IP) and/or SIP (Session Initiation Protocol (http://www.sipcenter.com/sip.nsf/html/What+Is+SIP+Introduction)). To you, the User, it really does not matter but basically both of these describe making phone calls over the Internet rather than the mobile network. It should be said that the mobile operators, at this time, generally hate VoIP/SIP and do as much as they dare to restrict its use. T-Mobile, for instance, used to block calls TO Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/), but they lost a High Court case and now charge for calls to Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/) numbers outside of your bundled minutes. So they have honoured the court case to the letter but are not subscribing to its intent. Perhaps Truphone will take them to the High Courts again. I digress.
Installing Truphone (http://www.truphone.com/) to the N95 is a snip. There are two ways, one is to send an SMS message to Truphone, they reply with a link and you download the applet to the handset via the GPRS network - costly if you don't have a data bundle. The alternative is to download the applet to your PC and use a Bluetooth or cable link to install the app to the handset. Nokia PC Suite's Application Installer makes this a breeze.
Setting up Truphone from the applet also generates you a Truphone account and phone number. If you forget the number you can obtain it from the applet itself in one of its menus.
Truphone make setting up the N95 very easy. They guide you through finding your WLAN - or any WLAN for that matter. This is then added to your handset's APN table. The software initially sets itself up to default for outgoing calls. I did not want this and it was easy enough to set the default to GSM network.
It is interesting to observe that call set-up via Truphone is almost instantaneous. No sooner had I pressed the call button than I was hearing ring-tone, and the phone I'd called was ringing. The quality of the ringtone is dreadful - but once the call goes through the voice quality is excellent, but with a noticeable delay. Perhaps this would not be noticed on a call that was not across the room :D
I can recommend trying out Truphone - especially as calls are free right now, some to European countries are included until 31st December 2007. Going forward, calls to other SIP numbers will be free for the forseeable future - it is unlikely that they'll charge for these. Even to other SIP providers. But I do think that they'll have to start charging for national calls to landlines and mobiles. They're going to have to make money somehow. For now, though, lap it up and enjoy being part of the calling revolution - while at the same time pi55ing off the mobile operators who are quietly building SIP into their own networks as they will have to compete or die ungracefully. They'll do this, even if for no other reason than they will massively increase their call-carrying capacity for relatively minimal layout. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, IP Voice is here to stay and will mean very many new players in the voice calls business and more downward pressure on voice tariffs elsewhere.
Do let us know on here how you get on if you partake of any of the above. It does not take a genius to achieve the piece of work I've described here. But do read up on the documentation before you give it all a go. And if anything goes wrong, don't panic! Try the hardware reset before anything else. It just may put right what you just did wrong.