17 replies to this topic

[tilal6991]

It seems that ZTE and Orange have decided to carry out the network lock properly this time - the device seems to factory locked as far as I can tell. Cyanogen Mod would have unlocked locked Blades but this doesn't seem to happen on the OMC.

I may be wrong (and I probably will be proved wron when someone comes up with an unlock solution) but the only reliable way to unlock your phone now seems to be to ask Orange for the code if you have been their customer for more than 3 months. They will give you the code for £20.

However if there is a ROM dump of an unlocked Skate this would be really helpful as we could figure out for sure whether the OMC is factor locked

[tilal6991]

It's amazing how quickly someone can change their mind - after I bit more investigation I think that the key library is libSimCardAuth.so which is causing the phone to be locked - if it is deleted RIL doesn't work at all which shows that it is a vital library in the autorization of a sim card. All we need now is the romdump of an unlocked Skate and I'm pretty sure we can hack our OMCs to be unlocked as well.

[Frankish]

Is it not possible to keep the libsimcardauth.so removed and find an alternative way to enable the ril?

[tilal6991]

Frankish, on 16 August 2011 - 04:47 PM, said:

Is it not possible to keep the libsimcardauth.so removed and find an alternative way to enable the ril?

No - unless someone has a decompiler to decompile the library to edit out the sim lock code.

[unrandomsam]

tilal6991, on 16 August 2011 - 02:44 PM, said:

It seems that ZTE and Orange have decided to carry out the network lock properly this time - the device seems to factory locked as far as I can tell. Cyanogen Mod would have unlocked locked Blades but this doesn't seem to happen on the OMC.

I may be wrong (and I probably will be proved wron when someone comes up with an unlock solution) but the only reliable way to unlock your phone now seems to be to ask Orange for the code if you have been their customer for more than 3 months. They will give you the code for £20.

However if there is a ROM dump of an unlocked Skate this would be really helpful as we could figure out for sure whether the OMC is factor locked

Even if devices are factory locked if you can get into download mode (which I am told works on the skate).

(Hold on both volume buttons and connect with the battery out).

From download mode you can do what you like.

[whatcolour]

tilal6991, on 16 August 2011 - 02:58 PM, said:

It's amazing how quickly someone can change their mind - after I bit more investigation I think that the key library is libSimCardAuth.so which is causing the phone to be locked - if it is deleted RIL doesn't work at all which shows that it is a vital library in the autorization of a sim card. All we need now is the romdump of an unlocked Skate and I'm pretty sure we can hack our OMCs to be unlocked as well.

Just for info, I removed that file two days ago and disabled checking in Phone.apk, but faced with the same no ril situation. Great to know that we are moving on though!

[Sebastian404]

A while back ZTE where asking around about Flash Lock... so Im sure they are aware of what we've been getting upto..

Zte used a very trivial code for the unlock in all of their past devices, it was reverse engineered very quickly, Im sure they have learnt from their mistakes...  

however when it comes to cell phone unlocking, we where lucky with the Blade, more than one person worked out the algorithm and where happy to post it publicaly..  most of the guys working on that sort of thing are out to sell the algorithms to to unlocking company who can charge you 20euros a go...

[ronc2000]

The success of San Francisco (Blade) was largely due to it being unlocked easily. It would not be to ZTE's interest if they made it impossible to unlock other than through authorised channel. <BR><BR>If you can get unlock code from Oragne then surely you can get it other ways.

Edited by ronc2000, 17 August 2011 - 03:46 AM.

[Sebastian404]

ronc2000, on 17 August 2011 - 03:45 AM, said:

The success of San Francisco (Blade) was largely due to it being unlocked easily. It would not be to ZTE's interest if they made it impossible to unlock other than through authorised channel. <BR><BR>If you can get unlock code from Oragne then surely you can get it other ways.

you dont really understand how telco's work... the whole subsidy system works to get you onto the network and then giving them money for the extras. The networks see themself in the Google mould, selling you 'value added services'  the RAN and everything that supports it is just a gateway drug, once your signed up for 2 years then your just a number thats going to buy Ring Tones, Mp3's, use data, etc, etc..      of course they want to keep you on their network.

ZTE HAVE where told by more than one Operator to beef up the security, and they have done it.   however nothing is impossible and I'm sure there will be a sim unlock method eventualy.. just a matter of when

[putbinoot]

someone on giffgaff says he has had his unlocked in a phone shop someone on here has pmed him for information.

[swisstourist]

so far no need to buy it...

will get a second OSF, the best  android so far, easy to use internationaly with different sim card.

[unrandomsam]

Sebastian404, on 17 August 2011 - 10:50 AM, said:

you dont really understand how telco's work... the whole subsidy system works to get you onto the network and then giving them money for the extras. The networks see themself in the Google mould, selling you 'value added services'  the RAN and everything that supports it is just a gateway drug, once your signed up for 2 years then your just a number thats going to buy Ring Tones, Mp3's, use data, etc, etc..      of course they want to keep you on their network.

ZTE HAVE where told by more than one Operator to beef up the security, and they have done it.   however nothing is impossible and I'm sure there will be a sim unlock method eventualy.. just a matter of when

It can be made pretty damn inconvenient look at Nokia PA_SL3 for example.

I highly doubt zte has taken it to that level though.

(Forgetting that its damn foolish to get a phone which cannot already be unlocked especially as orange is such a crap network).

A way that would 99.99% certainly work would be :

Riff Box or ORT Jtag (Perhaps could work with something like a jtag blaster but it would be allot harder).

Get sim free skate and orange Monte Carlo

Clone the sim free one onto the Orange Monte Carlo (Over jtag) and change the imei back with a hex editor.

Or someone get the subsidy code from Orange for one and then do the same thing.

(I don't think I have ever topped up an Orange sim but I have bought loads of their phones.)

I think its unlikely Orange are selling the SF or OMC at a loss anyway.

[unrandomsam]

Sebastian404, on 16 August 2011 - 10:58 PM, said:

A while back ZTE where asking around about Flash Lock... so Im sure they are aware of what we've been getting upto..

Zte used a very trivial code for the unlock in all of their past devices, it was reverse engineered very quickly, Im sure they have learnt from their mistakes...  

however when it comes to cell phone unlocking, we where lucky with the Blade, more than one person worked out the algorithm and where happy to post it publicaly..  most of the guys working on that sort of thing are out to sell the algorithms to to unlocking company who can charge you 20euros a go...

The unlocking people are not all like that (MANOLE pretty much sells boxes that clone other peoples algorithms for about the price of a single unlock from anyone else).

Dunno why the unlocking teams don't just try to cut the shops out of the loop. (The % of them who are useless at least in my city is close to 100% (There is 2 shops that can do some stuff but even they won't attempt things I have done myself at half an hour or less).

Still don't see why anyone would buy an OMC at this cost anyway. (Pre 2 or Huawei X5 (or a second hand defy) much better value).

[unrandomsam]

swisstourist, on 17 August 2011 - 01:16 PM, said:

so far no need to buy it...

will get a second OSF, the best  android so far, easy to use internationaly with different sim card.

Sim free Huawei X5 same price as skate (roughly).

[tilal6991]

unrandomsam, on 17 August 2011 - 04:11 PM, said:

Sim free Huawei X5 same price as skate (roughly).

Yes but it's out of stock everywhere in the UK.

[Sebastian404]

unrandomsam, on 17 August 2011 - 04:10 PM, said:

Still don't see why anyone would buy an OMC at this cost anyway. (Pre 2 or Huawei X5 (or a second hand defy) much better value).

Once you get the Orange bloat off it, its a fairly snapy device...  sure its no dual core 2Ghz monster... but I'm very much of a view that these this are devices for making calls.. and no matter how fast your benchmark is, its not going to get your mother to answer your call any quicker...   and 99% of people wont care..

I do sort of like it, it would of been better at a ~£50 less rrp, and maybe not such a cheap and nasty plastic backing...  but hey, lets see how things go...  the Blade and voda's Smart seem to of sent a benchmark for cheap by decent, that its hard to see how a device with such a small spec bump can cost so much extra...

[Slot-9]

Sebastian404, on 17 August 2011 - 06:08 PM, said:

Once you get the Orange bloat off it, its a fairly snapy device...  sure its no dual core 2Ghz monster... but I'm very much of a view that these this are devices for making calls.. and no matter how fast your benchmark is, its not going to get your mother to answer your call any quicker...   and 99% of people wont care..

I do sort of like it, it would of been better at a ~£50 less rrp, and maybe not such a cheap and nasty plastic backing...  but hey, lets see how things go...  the Blade and voda's Smart seem to of sent a benchmark for cheap by decent, that its hard to see how a device with such a small spec bump can cost so much extra...

I use the GiffGaff net work (pigy backed from 02) therefore I would need the OMC to be unlocked. This phone is a nice upgrade from the OSF: 4:3 screen/texting
I`m sure someone will get around the unlocking soon. If orange can do it so can a modder!

[rjm2k]

Did anyone get anywhere trying to call the various methods which were discovered in one of the libraries not long ago?