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UK Vodafone firmware update - JM3 / JM4 - Unwanted apps/issues

Hi all,
I am running the stock UK Vodafone firmware and this morning updated to the latest firmware through Kies.
With this firmware update Vodafone have installed a number of branded applications leading through to their own mobile portals, as well as a couple of trial games.
Some initial issues I have observed are below:
360 Shop - doesnt work
360 Updates - 1 way install of Vodaphone services to the phone, no uninstall option.
Music shop - Fails to connect to the service (later found it does connect but didnt over wifi when I tried it.
Tetris trial & Monopoly trial - Who would want a trial permanently installed on their device?
Web - just another link to the web browser only with the Vodafone 360 login, point exactly?
Duplicated applications in the application drawer.
Note: These applications cannot be installed using the standard package installer. There is an application mentioned on the Voda forums which apparently can remove them http://forum.sdx-dev...34736/#msg34736
This thread is to inform the community about this update, and to call out to anyone running this firmware to voice your opinion on the Vodafone forums and support channels.
This happened to the HTC Desire around a month ago, the community pushed back and Vodafone relented by releasing another update without the additional software.

same old vodafone, they've been pulling this rubbish since the 1st colour phones came out. I've avoided them whenever I can. They know no-one likes the poorly designed interfaces, ugly colour schemes replacing fine designs. Yet because they make money from it they persist.

I half expected that it would come at some point but I hoped they would have learnt from the kickback they got from HTC owners. I guess not.
I tried out their 'Music Shop' app to see if it was any good. It was so badly designed that ended up with an unwanted purchase after about a minute of exploring. I clicked on what looked to be an advert and it started downloading, no purchase confirmation. Terrible.
We had a good laugh about the 14 piece Tetris and 1 circuit round the board Monopoly trials as well.
I know I could mess around with it and debrand, install custom roms etc. But for someone waiting patiently for Froyo from Vodafone, this is a bit of a kick in the teeth.

My SGS is from Vodafone, and last week, when I finally got Keis working, I updated to JM1. I checked again today and there are no other udates available, so I hope that this means that Keis is seeing my phone as a non-branded unit, although it is sim-locked to Vodafone.
Does anyone have any thoughts or definate ideas on this?

got my sgs last week and im assuming that this is the firmware it was sent with because i had all that crap ... and also wifi seemed to hang up at "retrieving IP Address" (or something along those lines)
.. voda branding is horrible ... laggy splash screen .. i've flashed it now

For anyone looking to support this cause, here is a link to the main thread on the Vodafone forum

I received my new Galaxy S from Vodafone about a week ago and it had all that stuff preinstalled. Obviously I flashed it with Odin on receiving it, and will do the same when Froyo is released.
I really can't be bothered with Vodafone branding stuff, you want to see how they messed up the Touch Pro 2. Black letters on a dark red background so you couldn't even see how many new mails etc you got properly :sigh:

InkZ said:
I received my new Galaxy S from Vodafone about a week ago and it had all that stuff preinstalled. Obviously I flashed it with Odin on receiving it, and will do the same when Froyo is released.
I really can't be bothered with Vodafone branding stuff, you want to see how they messed up the Touch Pro 2. Black letters on a dark red background so you couldn't even see how many new mails etc you got properly :sigh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh yeah I flashed my Galaxy S within 1 day of receiving it, Why won't Vodafone understand that customers don't want the s**t Vodafone branding. I have always flashed my mobile's firmware to get rid of the c**p that Vodafone slap on it and I will continue to do so until they stop raping phones with their stupid and slow firmwares! (fat chance of that right lol)

Feckers.
I'll add my tuppence worth. Hopefully enough SGS owners with Voda will do the same and they'll be forced to release an update that removes this tripe, just as they did for the HTC Desire...

The threads have been merged, new topic can be found here.
I received an email from Vodafone last night asking for some details about my handset so they could investigate it. Not entirely sure what thats about.

Geryatrix said:
My SGS is from Vodafone, and last week, when I finally got Keis working, I updated to JM1. I checked again today and there are no other udates available, so I hope that this means that Keis is seeing my phone as a non-branded unit, although it is sim-locked to Vodafone.
Does anyone have any thoughts or definate ideas on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to their eforum team they had a batch of non-branded phones when they first started selling them, presumably because their firmware wasn't going to be ready at launch. I got one, and it's not sim-locked either. Are you sure yours is? I've tried mine with VF, O2 and T-Mobile sims and they all work fine.
If you go into settings, about phone, and check out build number/baseband version, that should have XX in the middle. I think the branded ones have e.g. VOD instead.

I'm in communication with the eforum team and they are investigating my case and many others.
The have said that they are only interested in the handsets which were previously unbranded, which have become branded by this recent update which mine was.
I don't know what my previous build number was, but my current one is ECLAIR.I9000BUJM4

Barkotron said:
According to their eforum team they had a batch of non-branded phones when they first started selling them, presumably because their firmware wasn't going to be ready at launch. I got one, and it's not sim-locked either. Are you sure yours is? I've tried mine with VF, O2 and T-Mobile sims and they all work fine.
If you go into settings, about phone, and check out build number/baseband version, that should have XX in the middle. I think the branded ones have e.g. VOD instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, my baseband version since I upgraded is i9000XXJM1, so hopefully if I'm careful, I can keep away from the dreaded Voda-bloat.

Somewhere along the line, my phone has crossed over to the dark side.
I think they are identifying those who have been wrongly branded and are going to add them to a special deployment list. Those who were branded already might be another story.

My phone was build number eclair.i9000xxjf3 and now after the recent 2.1update 1 is now eclair.i9000bujm4. Was unbranded now totally branded with vodaphone bloatware.
The updates by kies need to have an update list with them so we know what has changed. BUt why would vodaphone want us to know they are including the bloatware.
I think they are trying to brand all those unbraded vodaphone phones that escaped into the wild.
I got mine in an upgrade from vodaphone online shop at the begining of august.
The more recent phones seem to be already branded.
Fingers crossed for froyo day !!

Vodafone UK - 7008 Update is go

As per the title, just updated my Trophy.
Nice and painless and was signed into Zune as a Guest on my work PC.
As expected not much to report about the phone itself, but 1.5 weeks after issue by MS isn't too bad in all reality and might keep the doom mongers in check who were suggested we might not see this for months!
Niall

Same here in Austria. Update went smooth and without problems.

Vodafone Portugal... my update came in yesterday and went smooth.

Vodafone Netherlands, received the update today.
No problems installing the update.

WP7 Noob here - Need advice

I am moving from android to WP7. I ordered a network unlocked samsung focus from ebay and it should be here any minute Really excited. But need some advice on what to do next:
1. I am guessing the phone might be loaded with a pre NoDo WP7. So how do I update it ? Would I lose my network unlock if I did update. I am in the US right now with ATnT but will move back to India soon where I would want to continue using the phone.
2. I have heard quite a bit about WP7 unlock to sideload apps. Some pointers on when best to do it (in the sense, before or after the update).
And anything else that I need to know to make my WP7 experience more enjoyable.
Thanks in advance.

k4ce said:
I am moving from android to WP7. I ordered a network unlocked samsung focus from ebay and it should be here any minute Really excited. But need some advice on what to do next:
1. I am guessing the phone might be loaded with a pre NoDo WP7. So how do I update it ? Would I lose my network unlock if I did update. I am in the US right now with ATnT but will move back to India soon where I would want to continue using the phone.
2. I have heard quite a bit about WP7 unlock to sideload apps. Some pointers on when best to do it (in the sense, before or after the update).
And anything else that I need to know to make my WP7 experience more enjoyable.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Few starting points
1. All phone updates come via Zune. You need to install Zune, and version 4.8 has just been published today. You will also need this to deploy apps.
2. If your OS version is >7008 (settings, about, more), to sideload you will need to flash one of the ROMs here (AT&T UCJK2 recommended).
3. Once in 7004 or 7008, you need to unlock with Chevron. Sideloading works after that and you can update to NoDo
4. Formatting/flashing the phone doesn't affect SIM lock.
Locks are in NVRAM - you do not overwrite this section by flashing firmware or formatting. If the device is already SIM unlocked, flashing/updating/downgrading the ROM will keep the phone unlocked.

Why don't wait for official Mango update?
It should be less then a month away.
Personally I don't want to use different software in order to update to Mango.
I find it a bit risky.
I also got my phone from eBay(originally AT&T) and it works in Europe.

Thanks Guys
So I understand that once my phone is SIM locked, there is nothing that would lock it back to ATnT again ... Great inputs ... will get my hands on the Mango update ...
I was really worried about the SIM lock as if I lose that, the whole point of getting a new focus for 250 USD would be lost ..

Hey, got my Focus and it was on 7004 ... so managed to unlock it ...
Here is a strange situation... I am using an ATnT Prepaid plan USD50 (talk + text + web) ... although ATnT says I require a separate data plan for smartphones, GPRS works just fine on my LG Optimus One ...
However, with my Focus, it just refuses to work at all ... Any work around ?
Also, used Samsung tools to get the 3G toggle button but even after that, the icon still says 3G ... but still I get no data .. tried resetting apn etc etc but no dice ..
Thanks in advance

k4ce said:
Hey, got my Focus and it was on 7004 ... so managed to unlock it ...
Here is a strange situation... I am using an ATnT Prepaid plan USD50 (talk + text + web) ... although ATnT says I require a separate data plan for smartphones, GPRS works just fine on my LG Optimus One ...
However, with my Focus, it just refuses to work at all ... Any work around ?
Also, used Samsung tools to get the 3G toggle button but even after that, the icon still says 3G ... but still I get no data .. tried resetting apn etc etc but no dice ..
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Connect to a WiFi or USB through Zune and look for "Network Profile" app (by Samsung) in Marketplace. Run it and change the profile to the carrier you use. That should do it.

EnderPsp said:
Connect to a WiFi or USB through Zune and look for "Network Profile" app (by Samsung) in Marketplace. Run it and change the profile to the carrier you use. That should do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot to mention .. Did that also ..
Also, for some reason, thought ATnT rom might be causing the problem ... so flashed the Rogers ROM ...
Can you give me the list of steps and lemme see if I got it wrong... Thanks

At this point, I'd suggest put another SIM and switch in Network Profile to the new settings. Then, switch back to yours and run Network Profile again.
If neither work, you might have a problem with the hardware itself.
Hopefully not.
Something else you can try is: some people mess with the Diagnosis values and completely screw things up. There is a thread on Samsung codes in here somewhere, try finding a Factory Reset or at least a Hard reset.
Let us know how that goes.

Dont fret.. the SIM unlock would not be lost
Hey there..
I was in the exact same scenario bought a Samsung Focus from US using it here in India, here are a couple of tidbits (if you may) from me
SIM unlock would not be lost even if you update the firmware / restore from a back up
You cannot unlock for a version above 7004, if the OEM firmware is above 7004 you have to downgrade all the way to 7004 to unlock and upgrade to mango
Also, check on the revision of the Focus, it can be found on the panel near the IMEI behind your battery pack. revision 1.3 is slightly more hack friendly than rev 1.4
Regarding side-loading apps, you cannot side-load pirated apps. It's just wrong. The scene is very unlike iOS scene where the app files are available freely. But you can always, side load certain hacked apps like Registry Editor for phone,Samsung Tools etc. But this might change as Chevron Team might release an official unlock tool with the help of MSFT.
Having said all this, I'm an iOS convert. And absolutely fell in love with this beauty right from day 1.
Feel free to hit me up on the forum or leave a PM if you have any questions
~slumDawg

What's the best place to get an unlock code? And is it worth updating to Mango right now or better to wait for the official release?
slum_dawg said:
Hey there..
I was in the exact same scenario bought a Samsung Focus from US using it here in India, here are a couple of tidbits (if you may) from me
SIM unlock would not be lost even if you update the firmware / restore from a back up
You cannot unlock for a version above 7004, if the OEM firmware is above 7004 you have to downgrade all the way to 7004 to unlock and upgrade to mango
Also, check on the revision of the Focus, it can be found on the panel near the IMEI behind your battery pack. revision 1.3 is slightly more hack friendly than rev 1.4
Regarding side-loading apps, you cannot side-load pirated apps. It's just wrong. The scene is very unlike iOS scene where the app files are available freely. But you can always, side load certain hacked apps like Registry Editor for phone,Samsung Tools etc. But this might change as Chevron Team might release an official unlock tool with the help of MSFT.
Having said all this, I'm an iOS convert. And absolutely fell in love with this beauty right from day 1.
Feel free to hit me up on the forum or leave a PM if you have any questions
~slumDawg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

adityamunshi said:
What's the best place to get an unlock code? And is it worth updating to Mango right now or better to wait for the official release?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For code go on eBay, it's cheaper there.
For Mango, as long as you're fine with the fact that once the official update arrives you need to revert back and lose the progress, to update, it's good.

Will 3 UK provide the Mango update?

Browsing the 3 website I noticed that they no longer have the omnia 7 available. Does anyone know what their commitment is with regards to providing updates?

Everybody will get it. And if official way would take time, you can always grab stock ROM and flash it (but it will wipe all your stuff).

I asked "3" by email about this as my Omnia 7 is 3 branded. The response is in the WP7 Carrier Mango Status' thread so find it there if you want the whole thing, but it basically said they didnt have it yet but were working close with Samsung to get it, and that was the 13th of September, so we might be waiting a while.

I also have a 3UK branded phone. Would doing a registry debrand solve this issue and allow us to receive the update earlier? I don't want to flash and lose all of my data...

Omnia 7 on Tmobile UK tango

Does anyone know if tango has started to roll out for the Omnia 7 on T-Mobile UK yet as after a talk with there tech support to find out whats happening with updates i was told we wont recive any updates for the Omnia7 anymore and that where stuck with tango. if thats the case what would be the best rom to flash it with once i get my phone back from repair? not sure if tango will be forced out by MS as we didnt recive 8107 on T-mobile uk.

I'm on T-Mobile UK with an Omnia 7, but I have unbranded from the first moment.
I didn't quite get what you ask:
- Do you ask what is the ROM that you should flash so that you return your handset to T-Mobile for service
or
- What ROM you should flash so that you unbrand your phone and receive all updates that Microsoft offers?