Those of a `certain age` will remember what happened if you were caught rustling brand X. A very young looking Rowdy Yates and Gill Favour would hang them from the nearest tree - or at least force them to drink some of their coffee . Funny remembering Clint Eastwood when he was a nipper - but that`s memory for you.

The E63 also came branded (let`s call it `brand x` ) and it`s memory was pretty full of stuff such as `games` - whatever they are.

Now when Rowdy Yates put that brand `X` on it he also disabled that little tick box called GSM. You could have Dual Mode or UMTS - but that was it. No drinking at the GSM water-hole for you.

This would be fine of course if the phone didn`t sound as though you were talking to Argentina through two tin cans and a piece of taught string every time the signal strength dropped below one bar on 3G.

The phone on it`s branded software really likes 3G - even to the extent of dropping the call before switching in dual mode to GSM. Understandable though as the network has allegedly to pay charges to their back-up GSM carrier every time it switches. Tough though if you`re the customer and have been locked out of actually locking it to GSM (in poor signal areas only)- unlike if you had bought the phone from CPW and had the option.

There`s a moral dilema in there somewhere, trying to get out - but you`re sat on the sofa where the call drops now and then as `Brand x` have a weak 3G signal into your home and basically that`s it. You`re stuffed like an old beef steer into a corned beef can and can`t get out. Or can you?

It should be said at this point that there was no contract out on it. It`s a paid up pay as you go job and free to roam the Prairie, except for it`s network hobbling of the software - which also can`t be updated to the latest version, with all it`s improvements, due to it`s branding.

"Some network providers may not allow you to update their software to the latest version" It allegedly say similar to that on Nokia`s software updating website.

So - found some software - found the product code of a non network branded series of E63`s and wrote that code into the phone. Connected to Nokia`s updating service - phone now recognised as a `network free` - non branded phone - flashed the phone with the latest software which was now available.

The GSM tick- box has now appeared and the phone is upgraded to 400xxx series instead of 200xxx series software - and can be upgraded as Nokia roll out any updates.

All traces of the branding is now gone - and with Opera Mini and the latest Google voice maps downloaded it`s only using 13mb of phone memory.

Actually that`s also including other `brand x` network specific (program) software that I got back onto the phone through the back door.

I`m not suggesting cattle rustling and re-branding is good idea - this is merely a personal musing on resolving a problem. Though I will force myself to drink some of that strong coffee.

oilrag

nb

The `moral dilemma` refers to conditions of service requiring the SIM not to be used in non 3G phones - or be disconnected as a result from the network. Whether this applies to locking a 3G phone into GSM mode and if so for how long is something else.

As is allegedly no help from brand x if the phone is in an area where it constantly flutters between 1 to zero bars on UTMS - going onto GSM in locked dual mode before dropping back to 1 bar UTMS.

So, possibly cost brand x more in network charges? Or sit at home with degraded call quality and dropped calls?