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< Esato Forum Index > Sony Ericsson / Sony > Symbian phones > To brand or not to brand, that is the question! Bookmark topic

I've been reading forum for the past month and i'm finally convinced I'm ready to make the leap to a P910i. Before I do though, help!

The problem: to get a branded (Orange, Vodafone or O2) P910i or an unbranded from CPW, SE or phones4u ?
If I do get a branded can I remove(I guess by flashing) the carrier specific themes and if i do remove will I still be able to update online?
What are the benefits of the online updates anyway? Is it so much so that i can do without needing to update?
Any branded Pxxx owners able to update online or once you get a carrier branded that's it no more online updates from SE website?
Also for branded owners, do the carrier specific themes suck badly or can it just be overlooked or even hidden using some aftermarket software?

Thanks people for all your forthcoming input. I think the P910i device is what I've been looking for for a while now. I carry a mobile phone, a pda (Palm T3) and the occassional mp3 player and I'm just so sick of carrying multiple devices.
Pxxx owners has owning this device erased the need of having to carry multiple devices?

Thanks.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 02:35:59
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@openminde

Some people dislike the branding on mobiles more than others, so the question of whether someone minds the branding is quite a personal matter. I have an Orange branded P800 and P900 and, although I would rather not have them branded, I don't find that the branding is a major problem.
You might want to consider a P910 on O2 since their mobiles aren't as heavily branded as those on other networks. The branding on mobiles tends to be rather boring, in my opinion, but as I said before it is more a matter of personal taste.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 02:59:23
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scotsboyuk do the ''themes'' of your carrier Orange get in the way ie is it the first thing you see when you want to use some function of the phone?
Is it possible to hide them using software?
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Posted: 2004-10-08 03:04:42
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@openminde

I'm not sure if you are meaning 'themes' in the sense of a set of pictures, icons, ringtones, etc that you can use to customise your mobile with, or if you mean the operator branding in general. If it is the former then you don't need to worry as you can install your own themes. If it is the latter then that is really more a matter of personal taste. I don't find the Orange branding overly intrusive , but I would rather that it wasn't there.
It is possible to remove operator branding on some mobiles and there are various threads dedicated to this process; a search through Esato will no dount provide you with the relevant information.
O2 seem to apply the least branding of any of the UK networks, so they might be a good choice if you don't want branding, but don't want to buy SIM free either.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 03:34:03
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Quote:
On 2004-10-08 03:34:03, scotsboyuk wrote:
@openminde

I'm not sure if you are meaning 'themes' in the sense of a set of pictures, icons, ringtones, etc that you can use to customise your mobile with, or if you mean the operator branding in general.


I guess what I meant was the operator branding ie their own pictures menus etc. if it can be modified with software then i'll just save myself the headache and $$ and get a branded phone.

Are you able to do the online update with an operator branded phone ?

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Posted: 2004-10-08 03:51:07
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@openminde

Not having much experience of online updates I am probably not the best person to be informing you on this issue, but I will give you what little advice I can. As far as I am aware, online firmware updates for branded mobiles can only be done when there is an operator approved firmware version available i.e. if SE release a new firmware version, but it is not approved by Orange and you have an Orange mobile, you will not be able to upgrade. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

As for the menus, etc, I do not find the Orange branding a hinderance, as I said before, user themes mean that menus, colours, etc can be altered to suit your own tastes, but of course certain pre-installed operator software can't be uninstalled unless the mobile is unbranded.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 04:09:35
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scotsboyuk

thanks, that really answers some of the questions i have about the phone. How's the orange gprs service? any good/stable?
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Posted: 2004-10-08 04:27:08
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@openminde

On the whole yes, occasionally I find that it won't let me connect, but this is few and far between. I've found Orange to have a very stable network.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 04:32:15
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Is your avatar your current phone?
how does that stack up? does it have a touch screen or it's all buttons to access menus?
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Posted: 2004-10-08 05:03:36
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@openminde

I do have a S700, which I find to be very good. It doesn't have a touch screen, input is by various buttons. There is a great deal of discussion regarding the S700 in the SE General Forum.
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Posted: 2004-10-08 05:21:54
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