Smartphone Hacking

AlexDeGruvenAlexDeGruven Wut?Meechigan Icrontian
edited April 2010 in Science & Tech
If you're anything like me, one of the first things you do when you get a new smartphone is void the warranty by breaking all the locks that the carrier put on your phone and exploring what's available.

Personally, on my last WinMo phone, I was running several features that weren't available (WinMo 6.1 with GPS and free tethering when the 'stock' configuration was 6.0 and no GPS exposure) at launch. And then, once the 6.1 ROM was released, I was checking out WinMo 6.5 builds before any official 6.5 devices were on the market. Why? Because it's fun, and I have a pathological inability to leave well-enough alone when it comes to technology.

15 minutes after picking up my iPhone (2G, second-hand), I had it jailbroken and unlocked, using a T-Mobile prepaid SIM.

Currently, on my Samsung Moment, I'm running my Android rooted with a kernel that allows for WiFi tethering, custom clock speeds, and a whole host of other stuff that wasn't included in the build shipped by Samsung/Sprint.

So: What kind of warranty-voiding shens have we all gotten up to with our various smartphones?

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    I rooted a certain Icrontic evaluation unit and went nuts with custom kernels. I'll leave it all to your imagination.

    (All was reset to factory defaults.)
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    I've jailbroken my iPhone. I'm waiting to see when Android 2.1 comes out for my Hero before I commit to any shens.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Once I get my Desire, I'll probably root the Hero... and then if I enjoy myself as much as I hope to, I'll probably root the Desire, too.

    I cooked a WM6.1 ROM for myself a while back for the HTC Kaiser/TyTN II/AT&T Tilt, but mostly went with other ROMs instead.

    Benefit to buying unlocked phones instead of carrier-subsidized ones: you don't feel as much need to hack, since none of the crapware is on it. Downside: $$$. Still, I much prefer it.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Kwitko wrote:
    I've jailbroken my iPhone. I'm waiting to see when Android 2.1 comes out for my Hero before I commit to any shens.

    You can always load Android 2.1 onto it now. Part of phone hacking for Android is that virtually every Android handset has a community-developed update to 2.1
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    (But there'll be an official one with Sense out in about a week.)
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Within a week, I had rooted my G1 and installed CyanogenMod. Played around with that for quite a while. WiFi tethering, ability to uninstall stuff like the Amazon MP3 store, apps2sd, swap file on my sdcard.... all sorts of fun stuff. Sadly none of it made the G1 run any better. Now I'm running a Nexus One, so far I haven't hacked, cracked or rooted it. Haven't felt the need to. The only thing I fell I would gain from it is WiFi tethering, but I didn't use it that much on my G1 really...
  • KwitkoKwitko Sheriff of Banning (Retired) By the thing near the stuff Icrontian
    edited April 2010
    Snarkasm wrote:
    (But there'll be an official one with Sense out in about a week.)
    ^ this.

    Wait another week until the official one comes out. Or is supposed to come out. If not, then hack to 2.1. Regardless, rootage will occur.
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