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Should I, shouldn't I

Hi folks,
I'm thinking of picking up the galaxy s, the samsung vibrant from t-mobile to use on my carrier.
i had a few questions and hope you fellas can help me out.
1st, what would be involved in unlocking it? Would I have any problems getting it unlocked?
Also i'm a total noob to android but i've been reading up. What exactly is "rooting"? will rooting allow me to put a stock 2.2 on it? is that even possible and is it recomended on this phone?
and lastly from people who have been using this phone, do you recommend getting it?
thanks

oh snap! i posted this in the wrong board. it should have been in the "Galaxy S I9000 General"
sorry mods.

Rooting allows you to get access to parts of the phone you otherwise wouldn't have access to. Compare it to having administrator rights on windows, you can access more files, do more stuff. Programs can perform more actions when your phone is rooted.
Putting 2.2 on it is completely seperate from that and at this moment is not possible. However, Samsung already stated that the first 2.2 update will be somewhere in august (not for euro/usa regions though) so perhaps withing the month after that it will also be available for other regions. Samsung has officially announced that it WILL be updated though, so no need to worry about that.
Without the 2.2 update it's already pretty damn fast though (with some tweaks its faster then the Nexus one WITH 2.2) so I would certainly already recommend it.
This is my first android phone (after symbian, windows mobile and more) and it's really easy to get used to and works just great. The screen is beautiful (good colors, vibrant although reading text on it is a less great experience) and it's very fast. Also feels light, in a good way, great screen, etc. I can totally recommend it.
ps. No idea what the status on unlocking is, mine was unlocked already so never looked into it.

you might want to make sure the frequency bands of the one you acquire will work on the carrier you want to use it on
if not, it may not work at all, or may not give you 3G data svc

personally i didnt think any phones are locked down anymore, at least not in the UK?
you should buy the phone, its the best ive owned, not saying its the best on the market but id like to hear of an arguement for why it isnt.
rooting was done on this device even before release, and with already 300k sales in south korea alone it looks like its going to have some great support and updates in the future

Help with unlocked, unbranded tablet (no root)

I have an unbranded tablet running Android 2.3.4 that is unlocked but not rooted (I can't get superuser to work or busy box to install) that I trying to do some hardware/OS related work with and need help. In specific, I am trying to get a USB keypad to work (recognizes keypad but keys do random things and doesn't really work). I believe this requires some ICS libraries (official support added in ICS). I am also having difficulty getting the unit to find a GPS lock using a 3g network (no on board GPS support, but it should be able to find a rough lock using 3g and/or wifi and I don't know why it isn't). In general the hardware is decent but the software is buggy crap, making what could be a decent device crap. I also need some of the default functions for the onboard buttons changed (I think this is build.prop?) We have a kinda random and specific use for these tablets and I have hunted all over for someone to help me and have found a lot of JAVA programmers and not true blue linux/android hardware devs. I understand this is such a specific piece of hardware and unfortunately the work we do won't be able to be shared by a lot of people. If anyone can help me though, I will gladly donate to their cause and/or buy them a few cups of coffee. I would also perhaps be willing to let you keep one of the tablets to play with (they're actually pretty cool). If this is something you can help me with PM me and we can go from there. I am in Dallas, so someone near by wouldn't hurt! Thanks!
PS Please let me know if I have broken any XDA rules here. I have 3 cell phones and a rooted nook color, so needless to say I'd rather not get banned...

Is this HTC Desire S legit?

Hi,
New to HTC and Android, but just wanted to get your opinion on something.
I got an unlocked HTC Desire S from a Chinese (Hong Kong) supplier via a local middleman. It had all kinds of Chinese bloatware on it, and so I decided to flash a new rom. When I went into About phone > Phone identity to write everything down before flashing, I noticed it has a strange 'Device serial number' of 123456789012. That looks kind of strange. On the box sticker and on the sticker in the battery compartment of the phone, what I see is "S/N: SH1CATJxxxxx". Is there anything fishy going on there?
The default Android 2.3.3 OS seems all right. It has what looks like a default HTC startup splash screen (though I don't know if that makes a difference). I did notice that there wasn't a Power settings entry in settings to change fastboot. I had to pull out the battery to get to the boot screen. Don't know if that's a big deal either. I also noticed it was S-Off to begin with when I installed root.
Does this all seem strange, legit, clone-ish? Are there even Desire S clones/knock-offs/gray models/and the like out there? I don't think so... but still, that is a strange device serial number in the phone software, and even the printed serial numbers on the box and battery compartment seem strange, starting with SH instead of HT.
Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

waterprism said:
Hi,
New to HTC and Android, but just wanted to get your opinion on something.
I got an unlocked HTC Desire S from a Chinese (Hong Kong) supplier via a local middleman. It had all kinds of Chinese bloatware on it, and so I decided to flash a new rom. When I went into About phone > Phone identity to write everything down before flashing, I noticed it has a strange 'Device serial number' of 123456789012. That looks kind of strange. On the box sticker and on the sticker in the battery compartment of the phone, what I see is "S/N: SH1CATJxxxxx". Is there anything fishy going on there?
The default Android 2.3.3 OS seems all right. It has what looks like a default HTC startup splash screen (though I don't know if that makes a difference). I did notice that there wasn't a Power settings entry in settings to change fastboot. I had to pull out the battery to get to the boot screen. Don't know if that's a big deal either. I also noticed it was S-Off to begin with when I installed root.
Does this all seem strange, legit, clone-ish? Are there even Desire S clones/knock-offs/gray models/and the like out there? I don't think so... but still, that is a strange device serial number in the phone software, and even the printed serial numbers on the box and battery compartment seem strange, starting with SH instead of HT.
Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set up adb and type
adb devices
That'll give you your actual device number. No confusion then...
BTW even my device serial number starts with SH... that's not an indicator of a fake device. Check tour device serial number via adb and if it matches the one on the box... I guess you're good to go.
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.

Through adb, it shows that same 123456789012 number.

so, it's probably just dumb luck that the no. is so Nothing to worry about.

shrome99 said:
so, it's probably just dumb luck that the no. is so Nothing to worry about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. Guess you're just plain lucky!! But then the box belongs to some other phone.how about some pics or screenshots??
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.

waterprism said:
...starting with SH instead of HT...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are different serials for different regions/brands. SH is ok, it is the same for North Africa
I am not aware of a method to change the serial number (never needed such) but I am sure that there is. So if your system is android and your device is solid and nice then this should be a Desire S

Hi. Thanks, everyone.
@enigmaamit, I've posted a few pics and a screenshot. Not sure what kind of screenshot you need. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks. Also not sure if these pics mean much if funny stuff is going on somewhere. The serial on the box clearly doesn't match the screenshot. And that seal was broken when I opened the package.
@amidabuddha, okay, thanks. But like I said above, and enigma said, the S/N on the box is one thing, the S/N the phone is printing out in the 'Phone identity' screen is totally different.
Appreciate your help.

That 'seal' doesn't look very authentic. There are grammatical mistakes too. And(I just noticed) it says 'SEALED PACKGE' instead of package so there's definitely something wrong.
I hope the phone is genuine.

The device is probably legit, just slightly used by someone else before. I think it's second hand, and the box belongs to another device.

waterprism said:
Hi. Thanks, everyone.
@enigmaamit, I've posted a few pics and a screenshot. Not sure what kind of screenshot you need. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks. Also not sure if these pics mean much if funny stuff is going on somewhere. The serial on the box clearly doesn't match the screenshot. And that seal was broken when I opened the package.
@amidabuddha, okay, thanks. But like I said above, and enigma said, the S/N on the box is one thing, the S/N the phone is printing out in the 'Phone identity' screen is totally different.
Appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks legit to me. I wouldn't worry if it was my device.
Lol.... why don't you fool around and use the bar code scanner to scan the bar codes on the box and see where that leads you to!!
I'm starting to enjoy this Scotland yard stuff!!
Beamed from the Dark Side using xda premium.

Thanks, everyone. Guess I'll have to decide on my next step.
I'll do that, enigma. You mean with just a normal downloaded QR code app?

Use this - https://market.android.com/details?...mNvbS5nb29nbGUuenhpbmcuY2xpZW50LmFuZHJvaWQiXQ..

My device was made in Taiwan, not in China as yours!

Well, HTC is based Taiwan, but sometimes companies manufacture stuff in other countries too. It may also be that the packing is fake, which seems most likely at this time.
Also, since it's S-OFF, you should try some custom ROMs, Sense 3.5 is nice. Try Endymion or Virtuous Affinity. If they work, then it should prove that the device is legit. A knock off can't flash a ROM made for this, it's impossible.
Also, in hboot mode, select recovery and tell us what you see. If it's CWM or 4EXT, then it'll prove it's second hand. If you see stock HTC recovery, (red triangle with !) forget your worries

My box looks the same, the only difference is the seal
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

shrome99 said:
Well, HTC is based Taiwan, but sometimes companies manufacture stuff in other countries too. It may also be that the packing is fake, which seems most likely at this time.
Also, since it's S-OFF, you should try some custom ROMs, Sense 3.5 is nice. Try Endymion or Virtuous Affinity. If they work, then it should prove that the device is legit. A knock off can't flash a ROM made for this, it's impossible.
Also, in hboot mode, select recovery and tell us what you see. If it's CWM or 4EXT, then it'll prove it's second hand. If you see stock HTC recovery, (red triangle with !) forget your worries
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Unfortunately, I've already flashed a new rom and so I can't remember what the original recovery was like... I flashed it up to 2.3.5 and Sense 3.0. I'm still new to Androids and didn't really have any misgivings about the phone at that time. It was during the whole process of flashing it, seeing that it was already S-Off, seeing that the serial number was sketchy, etc., that I began to wonder. By the time I was pretty sure something was wrong, I'd already flashed to official 2.3.5 to get rid of the Chinese stuff that I mentioned in my OP.
So, what this tells us is that the phone isn't a knock-off I guess. But I'm pretty sure it's a refurb/second-hand phone (refurb and second-hand are pretty much mutually inclusive here, so bottom line, it's a refurbished second-hand phone).
If not that, it's maybe some kind of development set or something. I came across some Chinese threads out there that have the serial number 0123456789012 mentioned in them. When I did a Google Translate on them, I kind of gleaned that that number can indicate a development or engineering set (or something like that). So it could mean it was used in development and now they're selling them off. Either way, not a new phone.
But the plot thickens when I actually came across a post here at xda that mentions that you can actually change the serial number like this --
Code:
fastboot oem writeserialno HT95XXXXXXXX
Which means these guys could have taken any phone and just wiped the serial number for this serial number.

yup, that seems to be it. It's a second hand phone, and the seller, in order to protect his identity, changed the serial no. The culprit is your supplier or middleman.
CASE CLOSED
One more thing - do you see any sort of hardware issues, that may be caused due to aggressive usage? Like big scratches on the screen or the unibody? If not, then you're just lucky to have gotten an S-OFF device.

shrome99 said:
One more thing - do you see any sort of hardware issues, that may be caused due to aggressive usage? Like big scratches on the screen or the unibody? If not, then you're just lucky to have gotten an S-OFF device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not really. Phone works pretty well. Nothing glaring that I can notice, especially now after flashing to a slightly newer version of Android and Sense than the release shipped with. Also, obviously getting rid of that Chinese bloatware helped it a bit. There's a teeny-tiny scratch on the mesh speaker at the top that gets my goat right by the goddamn horns, I have to admit. I also just realized right this second that there's a protector screen on it! I just took it off. I doubt brand new Desire S's ever shipped with a screen protector already attached, if someone could just confirm.
But yeah, I've got it and it's S-Off. As I type that though, I'm pretty sure I'll be taking this further.

i doubt its fake ,i more expect that its a stolen phone with a changes serial number.

you can also check the warranty seal on top of a tiny screw right above the battery compartment.

Rooting in EU is allowed...

Hi, I just found quite an interesting directive (31999L0044) of the EU parliament that says that we can Root our phones and will NOT loose the guaranty.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31999L0044:en:NOT
Here you can read it in all languages if you like to...
What it says is basically this:
You won´t loose your guaranty upon rooting our phone... Unless you manage to damage your phone hardware due to overclocking or any other similar improper use (hardware damage based on .apk / ROM you installed etc., which almost never happens). In case there is a hardware problem with the phone which was not caused due to improper use of the phone (like using it in the shower / soldering parts to it / OC / you throw the phone on your girlfriend, she caches it and throws it back, hitting you in the head and it gets broken... and similar) you will get your guaranty, in case you are still in the guaranty window (mostly 1-2 years after you bought the phone).
There is still a risk included in rooting so take care in what you do and do only what you thing you´ll manage to do and the phone manages to survive. Lets hope the companies see it this way also, and if not it´s good to know we have law on our side (at least in this issue).
You might also check this out: Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE): http://fsfe.org/de/de.en.html

The UK's laws go further.
The retailer not the manufacturer is responsible for any repair, replacement or refund on faulty goods.
Goods sold must be fit for purpose and accurately described.
You should get a reasonable amount of use out of products, so a £1000 TV should last at least 5 years, while a £1 water pistol lasting no more than a week of heavy use could be considered reasonable.
If a fault occurs in the first 6 months it is up to the retailer to prove they were not responsible, ie user error caused the issue. After 6 months it is up to the purchaser to show the issue wasn't present at the time of purchase and it occurred through normal use.
Warranties would be banned in the UK if I had my way as they are abused by retailers to shirk their legal responsibilities.
People report a fault a day after the warranty runs out and are misinformed there is nothing that can be done.

And also many many mobile phone shops give out contract phones that previously been sent back to them from others who have not wanted them and I'm not talking a few I'm talking lots. It happened to me!!!. So we not only get ripped off in the UK compared to the guys in other parts of the world we get the left overs as well!!! It is disgraceful how in the UK we get ripped of by these greedy "something or others" and then hear people standing up for them, obviously the people who work in the business!!!!!!"
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Thats pretty cool
Sent from my Wildfire using xda app-developers app

tornado92 said:
Thats pretty cool
Sent from my Wildfire using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Wildfire using xda app-developers app :good:

That's pretty cool. Though no warranty service has ever been denied for me because I had tinkered with the device.

Narhim said:
Hi, I just found quite an interesting directive (31999L0044) of the EU parliament that says that we can Root our phones and will NOT loose the guaranty.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31999L0044:en:NOT
Here you can read it in all languages if you like to...
What it says is basically this:
You won´t loose your guaranty upon rooting our phone... Unless you manage to damage your phone hardware due to overclocking or any other similar improper use (hardware damage based on .apk / ROM you installed etc., which almost never happens). In case there is a hardware problem with the phone which was not caused due to improper use of the phone (like using it in the shower / soldering parts to it / OC / you throw the phone on your girlfriend, she caches it and throws it back, hitting you in the head and it gets broken... and similar) you will get your guaranty, in case you are still in the guaranty window (mostly 1-2 years after you bought the phone).
There is still a risk included in rooting so take care in what you do and do only what you thing you´ll manage to do and the phone manages to survive. Lets hope the companies see it this way also, and if not it´s good to know we have law on our side (at least in this issue).
You might also check this out: Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE): http://fsfe.org/de/de.en.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey
I read the danish Directive 1999/44/EC i can't find anything, that says that root does not void guaranty.
Can you direct me to where you read that.?
/Keld

I like

From what I read in french, that's not really explained.
It just say that anything done by user can be repaired by the seller, if the cost isn't too high (cost isn't really definite)
Especially if the warranty/user guide doesn't give enough information about the way to use the good bought (this point is good for rooters/custom rom, because manual doesn't explain how to flash an other rom)
After...... It doesn't definite the amount of time to have it repaired..

Also you have to show that you didn't break your phone BECAUS/WHILE you rooted it
I mean, if screen is broken no one will say you broke it during rooting
But if sth isn't solderd right the company will probably say: yeah it broke cus of overheating or sth induced by software (you'll never see the real mistake, cus if you open a phone yourselve your waranty is in the bin xD)
So far
Greets Vauvenal7
Sent from my MyTouch 4G Slide

Good to know. What about bootloader unlock?

Sure fire way to know version...

I bought my phone on Amazon, refurbished. It was in great condition physically, and using it for a month or few it's working fine... But I'm starting to want to do the XDA thing and have forgotten the fact I'm not sure what phone I bought. Online when I bought it, I believe it was sold to me as a GM1910... This was confusingly perplexed further when I looked in the about section and found it to claim 2 other versions in different places... It said GM1915 in one area, and GM1917 in another... But did claim GM1910 at least somewhere... Until...
After the OS had it's update OTA, this got more fishy; now no longer claims GM1910, but claims both of the other versions. So I'm under the impression that perhaps other software was loaded onto it, other than what was on the hardware initially... But I seem to not know truly what version of hardware I'm in possession of...
Is there any way to tell for sure what hardware and radio I'm in possession of, and whether or not it's normal to have conflicting or even changing model numbers on the about screen. I've tried going into recovery, but that's bare of any model; unless I'm missing the snake biting me... Anyone have tips?

Best option is to obtain the IMEI and check it online. Hopefully that can give you the answer you are looking for

MemoryThief said:
I bought my phone on Amazon, refurbished. It was in great condition physically, and using it for a month or few it's working fine... But I'm starting to want to do the XDA thing and have forgotten the fact I'm not sure what phone I bought. Online when I bought it, I believe it was sold to me as a GM1910... This was confusingly perplexed further when I looked in the about section and found it to claim 2 other versions in different places... It said GM1915 in one area, and GM1917 in another... But did claim GM1910 at least somewhere... Until...
After the OS had it's update OTA, this got more fishy; now no longer claims GM1910, but claims both of the other versions. So I'm under the impression that perhaps other software was loaded onto it, other than what was on the hardware initially... But I seem to not know truly what version of hardware I'm in possession of...
Is there any way to tell for sure what hardware and radio I'm in possession of, and whether or not it's normal to have conflicting or even changing model numbers on the about screen. I've tried going into recovery, but that's bare of any model; unless I'm missing the snake biting me... Anyone have tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My device reads 1917 in About Phone, and both 1915 and 1917 in Regulatory Labels. Got it straight from OnePlus.

Cbro0345 said:
Best option is to obtain the IMEI and check it online. Hopefully that can give you the answer you are looking for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phr0zen said:
My device reads 1917 in About Phone, and both 1915 and 1917 in Regulatory Labels. Got it straight from OnePlus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the effort thus far; I had done the IMEI on the official site, however it doesn't claim is any particular model, only that it's a pro7. Unless I'm being blind, which as frantic and I may have looked could be it... If you know otherwise, of love to be wrong here...
And I actually do feel somewhat better knowing my phone isn't the only one telling me conflicting information... But you never mentioned what model you figured you had though.... I'm hoping to assume you're certain that you bought a 1917 from the source? Perhaps the radio is the same?
That's really what I'm after, I want to know the bands that I am able to use, and whether I have band 71 [I think that what I'm after, the lowest freq tmo band]. Perhaps to add fuel to the fire, is anyone aware if we can flash the firmware of other models radios? I'm also curious to whether I'm able to get CDMA on my phone...
Right, so something I forgot to mention was before that update, I did have 2 iemi numbers, now I've only one... Furthermore, in bootloader there happens to be nothing in the fields that read: bootloader ver, baseband ver. This highly troubles me.
Sent from my OnePlus 7 Pro using XDA Labs

MemoryThief said:
Thanks for the effort thus far; I had done the IMEI on the official site, however it doesn't claim is any particular model, only that it's a pro7. Unless I'm being blind, which as frantic and I may have looked could be it... If you know otherwise, of love to be wrong here...
And I actually do feel somewhat better knowing my phone isn't the only one telling me conflicting information... But you never mentioned what model you figured you had though.... I'm hoping to assume you're certain that you bought a 1917 from the source? Perhaps the radio is the same?
That's really what I'm after, I want to know the bands that I am able to use, and whether I have band 71 [I think that what I'm after, the lowest freq tmo band]. Perhaps to add fuel to the fire, is anyone aware if we can flash the firmware of other models radios? I'm also curious to whether I'm able to get CDMA on my phone...
Right, so something I forgot to mention was before that update, I did have 2 iemi numbers, now I've only one... Furthermore, in bootloader there happens to be nothing in the fields that read: bootloader ver, baseband ver. This highly troubles me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ignore that, thought the OnePlus account would have told you further info but it doesn't. I'm not sure how you would go about finding the official number

Cbro0345 said:
Have you created a OnePlus account? I think you can attach th IMEI to a OnePlus account and view further info
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I've done this so far as I can tell looking in every nook'n'crany I could, nothing about anything model number, just the model. I know it's a7pro, I am certain based on design and the pop-up camera... But if you can find a model number on that site easily, I will admit social defeat.
Cbro0345 said:
Ignore that, thought the OnePlus account would have told you further info but it doesn't. I'm not sure how you would go about finding the official number
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, no worries; I'll be the first to admit that the fact I don't know this, and the fact it's not easily discernable is pretty unbelievable... I would question the amount of lost marbles someone lost until I went proving otherwise as well; but perhaps you can quell another suspicion.
Would you check your bootloader to see about whether you have values at the aforementioned versions?
Sent from my OnePlus 7 Pro using XDA Labs

Last thing I can think of is to download AIDA64 and check what model shows there