>
New Topic
>
Reply<
Esato Forum Index
>
Sony Ericsson / Sony >
General
> k700i Vodafone Branding
Bookmark topic
I am new to this forum, and pretty much a newbie in the world of mobile phones so apologies if this question is dumb.
Since a few days I have a new k700i which I received under my Vodafone contract here in Germany. Vodafone have been so kind as to "re-brand" the phone with all their own bells and whistles. Most importantly, they have deactivated several of the functions. Having the shortcut key hard-wired to go to the Vodafone Live site is a real pain in the a**e! And I can't change the shortcuts because they have deactivated the function!
My question:
I have read that phones like the T610 and T630 can be "unbranded", whereby the orginal SE software overwrites all the Vodafone changes. I've checked around but at the minute it seems that no-one can unbrand a k700i.
1. Does anyone know a way to unbrand the k700i ?
2. If this is not possible today, is it just a matter of time until someone finds out how to do this, or is it possible that it will remain impossible for this phone?
I am seriously considering sending the phone back. As I have a 2 week return-to-vendor option under German law I need to make my decision in the next few days.
What would people advise me to do?
Many thanks for your help.
--
Posted: 2004-07-09 12:03:09
Edit :
Quote
I share your annoyance - same problem with Orange! What makes it worse is that my brother got his phone the day after me on 02 and he's still got all the functions which SE wanted us to have!
--
Posted: 2004-07-09 12:05:46
Edit :
Quote
Except for the MyFriends option..
--
Posted: 2004-07-09 15:30:43
Edit :
Quote
This has been discussed before though lads, and it might be an idea if you continue this discussion in the existing thread.
Like this one here
_________________
The Difference between Mechanical and Civil Engineers: Mechanical Engineers make weapons, Civil Engineers make TARGETS!
[ This Message was edited by: Chaser81 on 2004-07-09 14:36 ]
--
Posted: 2004-07-09 15:32:54
Edit :
Quote
Thank you for the info, but the thread indicated (and others for that matter) do not discuss the same issue.
As someone who has very little experience with mobile phones, I am interested in what the "experts" predict. Obviously no-one can say for sure whether someone will find a way to unbrand a k700, but I suspect this may well have been true when the T610 or T630 appeared. The question is, if someone had to guess, what are the chances that this will be possible for the K700 in future? 10%, 50%, 90%?
I am not interested in whether it is legal, what effect it will have on my warranty or whether it is a good thing for mankind. I'd just like someone who has some experience in this field to tell me if they think it will ever be possible, or if the K700 is technologically different in some way that will make this impossible.
I'll then decide whether to take my phone back to the shop or not.
P.S. On a separate note I consider deactivating features on the phone to be verging on fraudulent for the customer. I bought a K700 on the understanding that it would do the things a K700 does - and this is clearly not the case. Needless to say I have taken this up with Vodab****rds. There reaction was less than helpful - basically I should have researched the issue better before parting with the cash - it was my own fault.
Unfortunately my company contract is bound to Vodafone otherwise I would change my provider immediately. My advice to anyone looking to signing a new contract is never to sign with Vodafone. They are arrogant, rude, unhelpful and have absolutely no concept of customer satisfaction. They are, qute frankly, a bunch of c***s.
--
Posted: 2004-07-12 14:41:47
Edit :
Quote
New to Post, but incensed already with K700.
After having a T610 "branded" so that I could not take more than 5 or 6 pictures before running out of memory, I was glad to hear that the K700 had 32MB (or in fact 40MB) of memory. I therefor thought that I could probably put up with the branding.
I therefor went out and upgraded on Saturday, and excitedly went through all the features of the phone. Amzing screen, better menus, MUCH faster both in WAP but also in data transfer and startup.
HOWEVER, one of the so called Killer features of the Phone is the Mp3 player. However when I tried to set any of the mp3 ringtones, I got a "not supported" message.
I have just found out from a Vodafone shop, that
AS PART OF THE VODAFONE BRANDING
MP3 RINGTONES ARE DISABLED!!!!!
I am in complete amazement as to why Vodafone have done this. I immediatly asked for my upgrade to be cancelled and gave the phone back. I am seriously considering leaving Vodafone, and have already looked into orange. i will probably wait 2-3 days before commiting, so I am hoping someone will tell me that Vodafone have done this by mistake, or there is a method (like the 13 second procedure), for removing this "feature", so anyone out there with info, PLEASE POST.
--
Posted: 2004-07-12 17:30:40
Edit :
Quote
my provider - A1 - is a partner of voda, i also have the branded k700, i wrote a mail to a1 complaining about the mp3 disabled "feature"
they called me back telling me that they are working on an update, i shell call themm back on tuesday, then they know what to do and how to get rid of the bug
--
Posted: 2004-07-12 18:11:28
Edit :
Quote
Jack00, thanks for the answer. That's more like the info I was looking for. Would really appreciate it if you post here to let us know if you have any success with your provider, or not as the case may be.
--
Posted: 2004-07-12 18:42:24
Edit :
Quote
I bought a Vodafone branded K700i in sweden a few days ago and also noted the missing mp3 feature. I called the store just before closingtime and they said I could exchange it for an unbranded one the next day. When I got to the store the next day the employee that told me I could change it wasn't there and the one that was told me I had to pay an additional $100 to get an unbranded one. I was rather pissed by that time so I returned it with the 18 month agreement I signed.
But, as I've been buying quite a few phones from a store in Sweden called Ocom (now only selling Vodafone) I went there to see if they could help me restore my trust in Vodafone. I explained what happened at the other store. Said and done, I got an unbranded unlocked K700i, an EVA 128Mb Mp3-player and the 18-month agreement without having to pay any additional fees.
So it seems it's pretty much up to the store, not Vodafone in general, to decide wether or not you can have an unbranded phone or not.
--
Posted: 2004-08-02 09:14:46
Edit :
Quote
New Topic
Reply
