Samsung i8910 HD comes to the UK via Orange

On my way to school this morning I saw an advert for the i8910 HD in the Metro. Rumours had previously claimed that the i8910 would be available on contract starting from the 15th, so it's nice to see that this awesome device is out a bit earlier than expected. Unfortunately, Orange have decided that they don't want the i8910 to succeed and have done everything they could possibly think of to ensure that their version of the Omnia HD will be entirely unenticing to 'average' consumers.

Look at the above image of the advert that I've uploaded. Does anything jump out to you there?

Exactly.

Orange have paid for a full-page advert in a widely-read free newspaper and they omit the main selling point of the device. Where's the mention of HD video recording?

Now look closer at the Omnia HD, especially its screen. Do you see that? Here, I'll zoom in for you:

So, not only have Orange decided to forget about HD recording, they've also decided to rape the i8910 HD's software. What sorts of surprises should we expect from this version of the i8910's software? Maybe the reason for them not including HD recording in the advert is that they've disabled it in the software? Seriously, why can't networks just leave the software alone?

And then...
Below the main body of the advert is the small print. I was expecting to find the usual: free on a 18-month contract, terms and conditions, etc. Instead I find that the phone still costs £78; on a 24-month (yes, TWO YEARS) contract and at £40 a month for 1200 minutes and 'unlimited' texts. You read that correctly. Orange have the audacity to still charge money for a phone that is on a 24-month contract with a tariff that's simply not worth the money. £1038 over two years you'll be paying if you're suckered into this 'deal'.

My advice? Don't bother with Orange. Their exclusivity won't last long and the sim-free version of the i8910 will be out in less than two weeks. Save yourself the torture of using a phone with branded software and don't sell your soul to a network that has the chutzpah to make you pay for a phone on a two year agreement in the UK. Let me remind you that just a few years ago a class-leading phone like the i8910 HD would have probably been available for free on a 12-month contract.

How to: Get a 17-capability developer certificate without waiting

So, you've already seen my guide on getting a developer certificate from OPDA, right? You're interested, but the thought of waiting a possible 24 hours is a daunting one, isn't it? Don't worry, I can feel your pain. And I've also got a solution. Read on to find out how to get a developer certificate (yes, this one's powerful enough to sign HelloOx) in no more than 5 minutes! EDIT: Symbian Signed have blocked this method and it no longer works. If you're still in need of a certificate, refer to my older guide HERE.

First of all I'd like to say a few things. A big 'thank you' goes out to Il.Socio of Symbian-Freak for the initial guide and files. Secondly, this guide might seem like it's long but that's only because of the number of screenshots I've used and the fact that I've tried to make this as easy as possible for everyone to understand. Now that that's out of the way, enjoy the guide!

What you'll need:
-THIS file containing publisher IDs
-The Symbian Developer Certificate Request Wizard (download HERE)
-A computer with internet access

Before you do anything, install the Developer Certificate Request Wizard to your computer and extract the Publisher IDs.zip file to a folder.

1)Get a Symbian Signed account by going to www.symbiansigned.com and clickign 'register'.


Symbian won't let you register with a public domain email so if you have a personal email domain or a work one, you can use that. If you don't have a personal email account you can also (ironically) use Nokia's own @ovi.com email service or Microsoft's @live.co.uk.


2) Now that you've got a Symbian Signed account, open up the DevCertRequest application that you installed. If you don't have a shortcut on your desktop, it'll be in your Start menu under Programs>Symbian OS Tools>Developer Certificate Request>DevCertRequest.

Once you've got it opened, press the button on the right with an ellipsis (...) on it. From here, navigate to a folder that you'll remember, name your output file and then press open.

3) Once again, press the first button that has the ellipsis on it but this time navigate to where you extracted the Publisher IDs.zip file and select the Pub1 file.

Do the same for the second field but this time select the Pub1.key file and then press next (make sure there's a tick in the box next to 'No password').

4) You'll be shown a page that oultines the details of the Publisher ID that you're using, press next.

5)Press the button with an ellipsis again. This is where you'll enter the IMEIs that you want your certificates for. You can find your IMEI code by typing in *#06# from the homescreen of your S60 device. Enter your IMEIs and then press 'add' - you can add up to 1000 IMEIs for your certificate.

Once you've added all your IMEIs, press OK. You'll see a bunch of certificate capabilities highlighted in blue. Press 'add' and they'll all be taken over to the right. Press next.

6)You'll be shown a screen containing the details of your certificate request highlighted in blue. Press finish and you'll be greeted with a success message.

7) Head back to the Symbian Signed website and login using the account you've just created, your username is the email address that you registered with. On Symbian Signed, click the 'My Symbian Signed' tab towards the top of the page. On the left of the page you'll see a bunch of links. Click on 'open signed' and then 'request'. Fill out the form by entering the characters you see in the CAPTCHA and then upload the .csr file that you generated by pressing the 'browse' button.

Click on 'send' and you should now be able to download your shiny new developer certificate!

When signing files, you'll have to use the Pub1.key file in conjunction with your new certificate. There's no password but if the application you're using requires one, just use 0000.

Enjoy!

Samsung's official software update guide released

Last year, Samsung announced and released the i8510 (INNOV8) to consumers. Unfortunately, the device had quite a few 'holes' in its software that lead to highly frustrated users of the i8510 resorting to less-than-official methods of updating their firmware. However, with the release of the i8910 HD inching closer by the minute, Samsung have finally provided the public with an official guide on updating their phones at home.

Software updates for phones are limited depending on the country that your device was sold in and operator branding (if there is any). Samsung currently officially supports the following countries for software updates:
-Hungary
-India
-Pakistan
-Philippenes
-Portugal
-Romania
-Spain
-Turkey
-Ukraine
-Middle east Asia and Africa, including UAE
-Nigeria

I was able to get to a United Kingdom software update website by changing one of the URLs given in Samsung's guide. If there's anyone in the UK with an INNOV8 willing to test, please report back.

One thing I noticed was that unlike NSU (Nokia Software Updater), Samsung's software updater has a recovery mode available in case your software update is interrupted or fails.

Thanks to Sammy's Ben Morris for writing the guide. The PDF file can be downloaded from Samsung's Mobile Innovator website (Samsung, if you're reading this, PLEASE fix Lab.dev!) here. You'll need to be registered on Mobile Innovator to download the PDF file but if you don't want to bother, I've uploaded the guide to a seperate mirror here.