Modding My Moto: Things to do to your Razr V3
On my trip to Europe earlier this month, I picked up a Razr V3 that had been abandoned by one of my colleagues in the UK. Sitting in a drawer, it looked so lonely and abandoned.
It probably wishes it had stayed there.
Since I got it, I have been exploring all of the sites and boards that discuss the various hacks that people have performed on this magnificent piece of technology. Short of some of the advanced procedures (still trying to figure out how to convert the bluetooth into a directed energy weapon), this is not the same phone I received two weeks ago.
I have flashed the firmware (twice), switched on the Autoupdate feature for the Time/Date, and removed all of the Vodafone specific branding that came with the device.
I now understand how you can become heavily involved in phone modding. This device, which is a simple V3 that you see everywhere, is more powerful than my first 386. I can cruise the Web using Opera Mini, check directions using Google Mini-Maps, and use it as a modem if I am ever stuck for a connection somewhere.
I also have the Motorola Phone Tools software installed, so I can control my phone over USB.
A lot of what I have learned and done over the last three days is definitely in a “grey zone” as far as Motorola is concerned. However, given the number of people doing this, Motorola should open up their tools and let people know how to make the mods they want.
In fact, I would love to see Motorola should run a contest to see who can build the coolest Flash pack for the V3 that can be used by anyone. That would build intense customer interest and would make the V3 even more of a geek toy than it is now.
It is the single coolest gadget I have ever owned. It even outranks the Treo and the Zen Micro.
For those of you out there into the risk of turning your slek and sexy phone into a brick, I suggest Motox or MotoModders as places to start.
Long live MotoModding.
Technorati Tags: Razr V3, V3, Moto, MotoModding, Motorola, hacks, flash, modding
I bought a Moto Bluetooth PC850 to use with my computer and RAZR V3 phone so I could cruise the web with my laptop. The PC850 was sold to me with a sales pitch of “It works at 115kbps, better than a 56K modem, but not as fast as a DSL line.” I checked the transfer speed and the BEST I’ve ever had was ~28kbps. The worst was 9.1kbps. This is from multiple locations with apparently good connectivity. I’ve set the computer up to work at the maximum–don’t recall specific number, but WELL over the 115kbps, so that’s not the bottle neck. Know anything about how I might speed up my transfer rate? It’s my thought that it’s the phone and not the PC850. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on how to improve my dismal situation.
Jack
June 9 2006 at 19:18
I bought a Moto Bluetooth PC850 to use with my computer and RAZR V3 phone so I could cruise the web with my laptop. The PC850 was sold to me with a sales pitch of “It works at 115kbps, better than a 56K modem, but not as fast as a DSL line.” I checked the transfer speed and the BEST I’ve ever had was ~28kbps. The worst was 9.1kbps. This is from multiple locations with apparently good connectivity. I’ve set the computer up to work at the maximum–don’t recall specific number, but WELL over the 115kbps, so that’s not the bottle neck. Know anything about how I might speed up my transfer rate? It’s my thought that it’s the phone and not the PC850. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you may have on how to improve my dismal situation.
Jack
June 9 2006 at 19:18