New unofficial Verizon Wireless Omnia i910 ROM unlocks GPS and more
An unofficial beta ROM for the Verizon Wireless Samsung Omnia has hit the forums at Modaco. The ROM includes several upgrades for Omnia users including the much anticipated GPS unlock. In addition to unlocking the GPS, the leaked ROM includes the following enhancements:
- 5% battery increments
- Ability to disable threaded text messaging via system settings
- Pop-up keyboard keys a la iPhone
- Auto-lock keyapd settings now include Off, 2s and 5s
- Opera 9.5 Mobile build 15679
- Weather Bug and Windows Live Widgets
- Favorite settings, now known as easy settings
- Windows Live
Head on over to the forums for the detailed instructions on flashing your Omnia to this latest ROM and if you take the plunge, hit us up in the comments and let us know how it works. Oh, and of course don’t get get mad at us if you end up frying your phone.
[Via Knguyentu]
GPS unlock ROM is working flawlessly!!!! Love the new battery increment levels too! BTW…..Running for almost 2 days on i910.
FYI….Using GPS with an older version of Pocket Navigator. Any one else upgrade yet? Chime in….I’m curious how it works for you.
Just upgraded this morning.
Had m2d running on my official firmware, reinstalled in the same way on my new unofficial unlocked firmware, so anyone curious, you can use the same 13 cab steps to get it up and running. Google map search didn’t work though.
Haven’t tried GPS fully yet, I imagine it works, other people say so. Just haven’t gone outside.
Things to watch out for:
I don’t like the easy settings tab, kind of gets in the way. Most settings people want to change are deep in the list, its more of a general usage tab (flight mode, flashlight, etc.)
In text messages, the main qwerty keyboard always pops up. When I set to Phonepad (used to using that for texting) I have to press a key on the qwerty keyboard, which then cancels out into the phonepad.
Other than that, works pretty much the same, noticed small performance gains. I’m sure cooks will be out with fully modded things in the near future.
** Flashing takes about 10-12 minutes from start to finish. Make sure to take your pets out of the room and that your cables are firmly connected because if you lose power or your phone dies you’ll need a new one.
I wonder if VerizonGuy got it twisted… WinMo 6.5 is official on 5/11.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/wp-mobile.php?p=2539
I still think location-based application developers need to file a class action law suit against big red for obstructing competition and consuming their revenue streams. Verizon customers are hurt too.
Young, inspirings lawyers looking to make partner status need to hop on this.
Thanks for the link to the update. If Milwaukee were serviced by T-Mobile 3G I would have went Android.
At least this will dull the pain a bit. Really, no complaints about Omnia except related to Verizon, ie the GPS lock.
Also, any thoughts for Verizon actually putting together a real interface for ringtones, etc. The VZApp zone is an absolute joke on an Omnia.
TX
Rick
I unlocked my I910 about a week ago. New features are sweet. Works with Windows Live search, google maps, and garmin mobile xt. A word of caution, the install hung on mine. I had to do it a few times to make sure it took. If you are worried about bricking your phone, you may want to wait until the real release comes out. I’m hearing May 11th also.
Does anyone know when and more importantly WHERE I can get the new official update for the omnia? Id rather not go with the unofficial but if I have to I will.
I dont have a memory catd but I am having trouble downloadign google maps. I have tried the website and just about all that I can think of? I think it says that I dont have enough memory if my memory serves me correctly. I checked the storage and I am no where close to the phones capacity. Any ideas?
May 11.
Where’s the magic?
yep, may 11. Bummer!
May 13…..still no ROM
Verizon sucks…I switched to Verizon from ATT after hearing how great their customer service was. needless to say i am greatly disappointed. att I am coming back.
Verizon Guy, Is this going to be for the Omnia too? I’ve seen supposed announcements stating that the Omnia will be unlocked / un-disabled too. Is that true?
My 3rd day since my update and it works Smoooothly, the verizons original version made mine crash EVERY frikken second but after the update it never crashed.
Also there is another feature that came with the update; you get the option to add and remove your widgets
Any news on where I can get the update for the Omnia? IS it out? And if so how do I put it on my phone? Thanks, any help will be greatly appreciated. I am not too sure if I can put it on my phone and make it work properly. Thanks so much.
One other silly question; I am trying to put a video on my phone but it says that the video is the wrong format. Does anyone know what the correct format is? I am also trying to view the website HULU.com on my phone with the mobile version of flash but the phone doesnt recognizse that I have flash on my phone. Please help some more.
June 6th. Where do I find the update. Or was it a dream that Verizon stated the fist half of 09. Well 6th months in. Still can’t find it.
Last year they said end of 08. Then they changed to only a few select phones. guess what. Omnia not you this time. Hope they don’t do that again.
Verizo never officially said it. May 11 was a total myth, made up by people who thought 6.5 was coming out then…and some of you clowns were reporting that as fact. Still no 6.5, still no official update. How is that bad customer service icono? Because you got what you paid for? Nohing here for aspiring lawyers…speaking as a real trial attorney, there’s no basis for a suit here.
Yes Verizon said it. I read a interview with some higher up in Verizon. Mermory excapes me at the moment where I read it. But I did read it. So yes Verizon stated the Omnia was supposed to have the GPS unlocked by the first half of 2009. I’m sure there will be some sort of excuse if he ever gets called on it.
Found it:
Verizon previously had locked these phones so they could only use VZ Navigator. However, according to an official statement released from the carrier, the Samsung Omnia, Samsung Saga and HTC Touch Pro will all get firmware updates in the first half of 2009 allowing them to use standalone GPS software such as Google Maps.
According to a statement made by Steve Schwed, Verizon’s HQ Executive Relations Supervisor, Verizon has worked out a solution with Windows Mobile to get a software upgrade for the three devices sometime in the first half of next year. Schwed said the reason that certain features–i.e. standalone GPS–may not be enabled on Verizon handsets is that they do not meet “performance goals.”
“We will often choose to introduce the phone without that feature but ask that the manufacturer come back to us with revised software that has to be tested to make sure the service works the same across our entire wireless footprint–from Maine to Hawaii,” he said in the statement. “In the case of open standalone GPS, we are partnering with the Windows Mobile device manufacturers to provide a software upgrade that will add this capability to the existing assisted GPS capability.”
while the hack version works it eventually locks up text message.
relating to hulu download the skyfire browser lets you stream there videos on hulu!
THank you so much OKAY. It worked, sorta. When I go to HULU the site tells me that I need to disable the anonymizer or something to that effect. I guess there is something wrong with the IP address. I think it says that I am not in the US or something like that. Can I change the IP address from the phone?
“We will often choose to introduce the phone without that feature but ask that the manufacturer come back to us with revised software that has to be tested to make sure the service works the same across our entire wireless footprint–from Maine to Hawaii,” he said in the statement. “In the case of open standalone GPS, we are partnering with the Windows Mobile device manufacturers to provide a software upgrade that will add this capability to the existing assisted GPS capability.”
Well, IT WORKS so why are you lagging Verizon?
To all those complaining that the ‘official’ release is not released yet, just install the V.CC20.20961 ROM and be done with it; it works perfectly and it’s a great way to passively say FU to Verizon for making this such a hassle. You by a high-end piece of electronic equipment you don’t like a 3rd party getting greedy and disabling BUILT-IN functionality so they can charge you 10 more dollars a month to use it!
Regarding the text messaging comment, there is no such problem with this release. Never ran across that before on my phone or on the forums.
I was wondering if the unlock affects your contract with Verizon at all?
Well did the rom update, and was having problems with gps .. I turned on location in phone settings and still nothing once I set gps to comm 8 56700 baud rate it worked with google maps, loaded Bing and same thing set gps to comm 8 and it wrked great fast locating was very pleased with resaults.. dice game pretty cool too..