Samsung u420: Did I just buy a very sexy peice of crap?

Great to hear success! Here's my current wallpaper, I stole it from Windows Vista

As for the theme, any idea if you can download new themes from Axcess? If you can, then there is certainly a possibility to add new ones, but I have a feeling it is built into the firmware.

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desheffer,

I have been reading because I have not yet bought the Samsung U420 and I am trying to decide between that and a Razor.

I was wondering can you summarize that you have found. I have had a hard time catching what battles are won and what still need to be overcome.

This is what I got from the forum. Please correct me if Im wrong.

Bluetooth:
Original - only headset
Progress - none

USB Data Transfer:
Original - no support
Progress - send/recive files for - wallpaper, music, ringtones

Backingup Contacts
Original - no support
Progress - none


ALSO, I did not read, are you able to send java apps to the phone currently?

Yep, your summary looks about right. However, I have only been able to upload ringtones and sounds to the phone, not download them. This shouldn't make much of a difference though. I'm also not too sure about bluetooth (I have no way to connect via bluetooth), but I think you're correct.

As for synchronizing contacts, it is not currently possible. However, I have downloaded the source code to BitPim and I am looking into it. It is possible that I might be able to add support for contacts, calendar, and memo, but I'm really not sure how much effort that would involve.

Also, I have had no luck uploading BREW apps. Any that I do add are automatically deleted when the phone reboots. I don't know much about BREW on this phone, though, so it's possible I am just doing something wrong.

As for your decision between a Razr and the U420, I do like this phone in general. My only complaint would be that the speaker phone is really quiet and sounds bad. But, I have heard nothing good about the Razr recently, and I have also gotten numerous compliments about my U420. Good luck in your decision, and let me know if you have any other question!

desheffer

Thanks for all the progress you have made but i still need to know how to unlock the phone. I can see all the brew files and my ringtones but when i try to save one to the file it says that it is locked. I looked at your wiki but i didnt see where it says how to unlock the phone. Please help thanks

Unfortunately, I still don't know how to directly edit the files. The instructions on the wiki should allow you to add ringtones, etc, but they are mostly just taking advantage of loopholes on the phone. As far as BREW is concerned, I have had no luck with uploading applications to the phone. There is a chance that it is somehow possible, but I simply do not know how.

To truly access the filesystem, I think our only hope at this point is to flash the firmware. This will probably never be possible, but fortunately we can find alternative workarounds that work just as well.

Sorry for the disappointment. I, too, would love to upload BREW apps (I have never and will never pay for them -- and would also love to program my own) but I just don't know a way.

Thanks desheffer

But i just found a different way to do it without unlocking!!! Just like you said you could save wallpapers in the mp folder without it being locked, i saved my ringtones in the ms folder. So now you just go to my sounds and then set as ringtone.. WORKS

hahaa maybe this is what you were explaining in the beginning i just didnt understand. This way works so theres no need to get into the ringtone menus

Heres a question kinda unrelated to the current topic...

How durable does the slider seem on everyone's U420? Ive had mine about a month and the slide seems to be loose, it wiggles side to side a bit at the base. both when its open and closed. do any of your phones seem to do that?

P.S. Heres my current background

Mine wiggles too, but just slightly. It started soon after I got it, but luckily hasn't gotten any worse. I doubt it's that big of a problem though.

thats good to hear. i dropped it a few times, thought that might have done it.

Have had mine for 2 mos and still pretty stiff. dropped a few times. Only thing i have problem with is some dust got in behind the screen probably from somewhere in the slider area behind the phone, when the phone is off I can see the dust, do biggy still pretty happy with the phone size, and usability, gets great reception compared to my old lg.

Desheffer any word back from the the people at Bitpim?

I bought a Samsung SGH-Z140 reccently cause it looked cool in the commericals and tells you how great the photos, with wireless printing and everything but when i upload the photos directly onto my comp they are so small, any idea how to make the photos on the phone itself?

And whats real size it doesnt work for me, when my friends send me photos and i click real size the photo is bigger but not when i take the photo with my own phone, does this happen to anyone else?

I ordered the same bluetooth device as linked in the wiki and it was working for some time but now all of a sudden it says the only services that I can use in the Bluetooth program window are "Bluetooth Dail-Up Networking Service" and it wont let me use the serial port. If someone can please help me it'd be very very appreciated thanks!

I figured it out well nothing to figure out except my error. -- Just a note for others make sure under PC Connection it says Bluetooth... I had the Bluetooth enabled but it wasn't like that under the connection so maybe that'll help someone else that made this error. Thanks for those that took a look

You folks are all really wonderful. I've been lurking for a while and trying out various phone-comp. communications methods as they are discovered. I got the u420 a month and a half ago when I cashed in on my Alltel cell insurance. I gave them my broken Nokia 6245i + $50 and they gave me the samsung. I did this trade one day before leaving on a month and a half long road trip from WI to CO, OR, WA and back to WI. Great trip, only problem is that I have 70-100 photos that I want to download... I haven't even tried one yet but the idea of "pretend sending" that many photos and individually downloading them is pretty daunting. I'm still holding out hope that I can "pretend send" a bunch of photos, then switch to the comp and download them all. Instead of cell, comp, cell, comp, cell, comp = 3 photos. We'll see. Thanks again to everyone working on this.
I'm using the ES-388 Bluetooth dongle by the way (the one listed on the wiki)
and it's worked well so far. We really need a mp3 player app for this phone that allows the playing of audio files while doing other things on the phone.

I don't know the possibility of pretend sending them all at once, and then downloading them. However, the method of pretend sending and then downloading it onto the computer one picture at a time shouldn't take very long. Once you get a rhythm going, it should only take you a few seconds per picture, although that's obviously still slower than all at once.

The process would basically be just (with phone connected, and offlined):
Find the picture on the phone, and send to Online Gallery
Click the /mm folder, then the /mm/mms folder to refresh it
Save the new picture
Repeat

I guess I just wanted to clarify that it can be done quicker than it sounds. Good luck!