ok - feeling dumb!

[Guest celica1.8st]

I've been reading through and lots of people are asking how to app-unlock there c500 phones.

So I now know how to do it, but I can't find an explanation of what it is and why I would want to do it! :cry:

Hopefully it's just me being dumb!

[Guest TigerNet]

...app unlock allows programs other than those 'signed' by Orange to be installed in your C500...

[Guest C500pete]

...app unlock allows programs other than those 'signed' by Orange to be installed in your C500...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've not knowingly unlocked my phone and have installed:

TT Mobile

Smartris

Betaplayer

SPV Invaders

all without worry. I too do not fully understand, but this would suggest that I don't need to unlock my phone wouldn't it?

[Guest tudor]

The app lock issue is not about Orange being mean and not letting you install anything you want. Well, the are mean :twisted: because they don't allow people to disable it for good if so they wish - see developers or most geeks.

For security reasons, the operating systems requires applications to be signed with digital certificates (similar to the ones that secure websites have, so you know it's your bank's site and not some crappy site looking for your VISA card number).

There is a list of so-called "Root Certificates", which are digital certificates of well-trusted organizations (see in Settings -> More... -> Certificates -> Root). These are "the good guys", which everybody trusts.

Now, your phone will allow you to run even un-signed applications, but with LIMITED access - that means that the applications can't damage your phone, even if they are designed to do so (a virus, by example).

If an application needs to access sensitive areas of your phone, where it can potentially cause damage, you need to completely trust that application. You wouldn't let anyone mess with your computer, unless you knew them well - that means you trusted them.

At this point the certificates come in. If an application has a trusted certificate, that means it has been thoroughly tested and it has been given the OK to run on your phone, without having the fear that it would do any damage.

[Guest celica1.8st]

Thanks for the explanation - I was getting a little confused!

So I probably don't need to app-unlock my phone? I have installed about 20 different programs on it and they all worked perfectly.

So far I have been most impressed with how well the emulators run. :lol:

And I guess the thing I am least impressed with is the inability to press 2 buttons at once! :(

All in all it is an excellent phone

[Guest tudor]

You don't normally need to app unlock your phone.

One example: TinyGPS needs to get the GSM cell ID in order to know your position and to trigger different actions. Imagine though that some malicious person would release such an app to track your moves and send reports to your boss, for example, or to anyone interested (now, that's a business idea :lol: ). You would want to be sure that the developers didn't put any trojan-type bits in the code that would disclose your location. Hence the need to have it signed (I'm not saying that TinyGPS should not be trusted, it was just an example of an application that needs deeper access to your phone).

[Guest celica1.8st]

That tinyGps program looks cool. Now you've got me looking at programs which do need the phone to be app-unlocked! :roll: I'm impressed how it works. quite cool without requiring a gps system!

I'm just looking for a GPS System for my phone right now. I've heard tomtom works with the patch installed, but I really want to test it first. A friend has a bluetooth GPS unit, if I *found* a copy of tomtom to try on it would it work with any gps receiver (such as the cheapy ones on ebay) or does it need to be of a certain type or quality to work?

I do intend to buy the full version which comes with a Silver GPS unit, but I want to make sure it is what I want before I spend that much!

[Guest Rapier]

You'll also want to appl. unlock it if you want to install certain homescreens (those with .CAB extension). You'll get an error message and the install will fail if the phone is not unlocked.

This is because those homescreens are also changing some keys in a protected registry area. As tudor explained earlier this is not alowed due to security risks. If you want to gain complete access over your phone (including the protected areas) you need to appl unlock it.