Jailbreaking the n900
 

After reading about needing to 'jailbreak' Android phones,
http://www.salon.com/technology/dan_...nes/index.html

Recognizing that in this current moment
Apple Jailbreak is not the same "as Rooting" Android
(but I cannot help but imagine the ever-rushing fingers of
kleptocacies around the world will change that fact eventually.)
I wondered if there was ever a need to jailbreak the n900.

Did anyone get an n900 phone locked into or out of some service?

Looks like only the competitor phones get to be jailbroken...:(

But I do see the n900 can be used to jailbreak other gear.:D

Back to the original question though -
if the n900 does not need to be jailbreak,
does that mean it it impossible to jailbreak?

Is there any competition in the "no need to jailbreak" market?
My take is that the n900 is simply the only phone in existence that
can be completely reworked from the cli
(including just plunking a spanking different OS into it,
but did I miss something?
We do this all the time with computers (I have an old Aigo thingy
that has been reflashed so many times it is dizzy)
But not with handphones.

And what are the odds Meego units will need jailbreak kits?
none, I hope - as long as we get them from retailers instead of
locked into some carrier feeding pipe.

These are very important questions for consumers like myself.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

If you use the search, there is some discussion about DRM in the next Nokia device or next Maemo version (or now: MeeGo version). That is just discussion though, and before judging, read into it.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

There can't be a need for something that doesn't exist.

Not even the N900s sold by Vodaphone were locked in any way.

This isn't something you should be upset about.

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume English is not your first language. Obviously, if something does not need to be Jailbroken, whether it is possible to Jailbreak it is an entirely moot question.

The Nexus One can be unlocked via the bootloader, which is pretty much along the lines of using the flasher with the --enable-rd-mode flag. Not as nice as the rootsh package, but still possible.

Depends on the retailer, and the handset vendor. If Nokia sticks with what they've said, you won't need to Jailbreak anything you buy from them. If you go through other vendors, you may. If you go through a carrier, who knows (you probably will.)

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

You can't Jailbreak the N900 but the N900 can Jailbreak a PS3 :D

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

I took this as an entirely valid question: If some company were to come out with a locked version of the N900, would it be possible to jailbreak it?
The answer is "yes". With the N900, it doesn't matter what sort of OS locks are on it, as it can be reflashed to the default OS in about 10 minutes.
It would be just about impossible to "lock" the N900 in any way, other than requiring some piece of software to run on some specific network, in which case you'd have a choice of "unlocked, but only if you don't want to use network x", or "locked if you are using network x"
That is, unless someone managed to reverse-engineer whatever bit of code had to be run to connect.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Vodafone. Big corporation. Vodafone where? Here they don't even sell Nokia N900.

Ehm, thats not what I've read. What I read (in more tactical words) is that there will be subsidized phones, and that some here won't like that. Subsidized phones are simlocked (by definition) and may be jailed. Harmattan is expected to support the latter.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Sure, but no such device exists.

And in such a case the device isn't really locked and doesn't need to be Jailbroken, simply reflashed. Jailbreaking/rooting involve exploiting the device in such a way that you are granted root access. Very different processes.

Ah yes. Anyway, they did in the UK.


Like I said, depends on the retailer and the handset vendor. If I go and buy via Newegg, like I did with my N900, I expect no locks whatsoever. If I'm stupid and buy a subsidized handset from AT&T, or a Motorola device from anywhere, I'm probably up sh*t creek. Like I said in another thread, I'll only buy my handsets "direct" from the vendor, and only from companies that don't put their stupid branding above my ownership of the device.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

what about the modem part? It is closed isn't it?
...just theoretical speculation how sim lock could be done... But it doesn't affect to other system much (modem online vs modem offline) or am I wrong?

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

It is because there were...

In some markets, N900's did not have access to the FM Transmitter from within that countries firmware. This didn't last long though. :) >> http://maemo.org/packages/source/vie...mtx-faker/0.2/

If all goes as planned Pinky, MeeGo will rule the world. :p

...And as a result it will be on many devices that won't necessarily have the need to expose the user to all features. So yes, these MeeGo flavors will need to be "jailbroken" or modified if you want more.

Think, running MPlayer on a TomTom PNA...

MeeGo will also allow distributors to do with it pretty much as they wish so carriers or even different car models from the same manufacturer can have different feature sets. If you want the on board computer in your 328i to have the same features as your dads 760Li it may also have to be "modified"...

But don't worry, I'm sure there will be at least one fellow on the East Side of London who will do it for you rather quickly and for a fee commensurate to your application and his abilities. :)

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Sim locks are done in the baseband, yes. This is why jailbreaks/roots almost always come before a sim unlock, if the sim unlock ever comes.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

I see this as a 6 step process. It goes something like this:

1. Build a cage (or a dungeon if you prefer)
2. Put your n900 in the cage
3. lock the cage
4. throw away the key
5. pick the lock
6. take n900 out of the cage and shout freedom

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

ha ha ha ha ha :D

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

cant stand the word 'jailbreaking'
nokia/symbian users had to 'hack' our phones to mod them, many years before the iphone and the jailbreaking term was even invented

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

As long as people think freely pirating apps/games are ok, then commercial developers will resort to DRM to protect their assets/potential revenues.

A platform without DRM won't attract those developers. (see: N900)

A platform without sizeable commercial 3rd party support isn't financially viable. (ie: not commercially successful).

Nokia wants to make a commercially successful platform/products.



... so, if you string those elements up ....

it's inevitable.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

---- true and lol :D

hack / hacking/ hacked -- fewer letters and better term

jailbreak / jailbreaking -- invented term (?) and the word is longer


is it hard to use the term hack? :rolleyes:

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Well I for one would like to see the Phone, Calendar, Media Player and Contacts apps "jailbreaked". They are closed source and perhaps the apps most in need of tweaking.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

the trouble with the word HACK. we have been socially conditioned that just to hear the word HACK. makes you think its illegal!
like the word DRUG. you hear it and think.,eg cannibis
which is not a drug. drugs are the pills that your doc gives you. which are man made and really bad for you
social conditioning is a real bad thing

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Is OP a troll? I feel like he posted once and peaced out.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

I hope Nokia doesn't **** things up with DRM, things can get really ugly if the IP freaks dictate the rules

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

That doesn't make much sense to me, since DRM has been largely unsuccessful as a means of preventing piracy. It's been very successful as a means of annoying paying customers, though.

I'm sure the lack of commercial applications on the N900 is due to the smaller size of the market. I don't care much either way. I prefer the community software on the N900 to the largely useless 'apps' in the Android marketplace.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

That may be true (I don't know), but is it really effective? Are there many DRM schemes that have been out for more than a few months and haven't been cracked yet?

In the case of the N900 it's hard to point to lack of DRM as the cause when there are so many other good reasons for commercial developers to not bother (small target market compared to competition, Ovi store brokedness, still-born platform). The ones that did bother (eg Rovio or Sygic) generally seem happy with the return on their investment even without DRM.

We know DRM will come in Harmattan. We also know it will be possible to flash a different kernel, but doing so will deactivate the hardware support so DRM "content" will stop working. Which means as soon as you step outside the official signed Nokia kernel for whatever reason (maybe you want some unsupported filesystem, or IPv6, NAT, KEXEC, you get the idea) you stop being a potential customer. I wonder whose foot exactly is getting shot by this...

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

Yes, I'm not here to argue the merits or effectiveness of DRM. Just pointing out the driving factors that can easily be observed in today's marketplace.

So, the developers may think that:

a). DRM works.
b). There's no better solution yet than DRM, so that'll do for now.
c). DRM is 'cheap' enough to implement for the incremental solution that it presents
d). all of the above

Any of which will drive them to opt for DRM than to release their code 'naked' into the wild.

As for Harmattan; I'd imagine the 'jailbreak' will allow DRM-ed contents to be utilized on the non DRM-ed 'side'.

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

IMO DRM stimulates, not deter, the so called "piracy"

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

If a door is not there does it mean it is impossible to open it? :confused:

Re: Jailbreaking the n900
 

The sooner manufacturers/publishers realise DRM wouldn't work the better it would be for paying customers. DRM only hurts customers, pirates don't give a toss (in any case most pirated versions work better than the original because of the removal of the DRM). How do you get manufacturers to drop DRM? Simply don't buy DRM'ed products.