My father was asking whether I’d be bothered with having to replace an iPhone’s internal battery after two years. According to Apple any li-on battery can be recharged “a large number of times” before the capacity is diminished to 80% of original.

This got me thinking… I have never replaced a mobile phone battery whether it was user serviceable or not. I just kept a charger nearby or, more truly, bought a new phone 2-3 years later.

IMO, most consumer electronics become obsolete (or become broken) in three years and mobile phones might last 12 months before they’re eclipsed by more attractive models. This doesn’t mean you need to buy a new phone every year but if you’re in the Nokia club you do, likewise, the iPhone users will too.

Should Apple have considered a user replaceable battery? Certainly, but in the interest of commerce or industrial design they didn’t.

Since I installed the 10.4.11 update my MacBook Pro has been a real dog in the way of performance. I might as well be running a 400 MHz G4. iPhoto, iTunes, Parallels, Safari 3 … all waaaaay slow. Same thing for my wife’s MacBook.

I found a hint from Klaus1 on the Apple Discussions forum about Safari and InputManagers (located in /Library/InputManagers.). Lo and behold I found Plaxo’s plugin so I exited from Plaxo’s background sync tool and almost immediately my Mac started performing like it should.

I need to spend more time troubleshooting this but, at first glance, it looks as if Plaxo release 479 is the cause and needs an update for OS X 10.4.11.

Shortly after I signed on with AT&T and before I dropped T-Mobile, I performed some speed tests on each of their EDGE networks. Devices used:

1. Nokia E61 (UK) with firmware version 3.0633.09.04
2. Nokia N75 (US) with firmware version 10.1.282 (AT&T)

The Nokia E61

T-Mobile (1 to 4 bars)

#1: 100 KB / 41 kbit/sec / 3.129s latency
#2: 100 KB / 11 kbit/sec / 4.065s latency

#1: 50 KB / 61 kbit/sec / 3.255s
#2: 50 KB / 23 kbit/sec / 2.562s

AT&T (all bars)

#1: 100 KB / 127 kbit/sec / 1.22s
#2: 100 KB / 107 kbit/sec / 1.674s

#1: 50 KB / 72 kbit/sec / 1.571s
#2: 50 KB / 67 kbit/sec / 1.323s

The Nokia N75

AT&T (all bars)

#1: 100 KB / 86 Kbit/sec / 0.848s
#2: 100 KB / 98 kbit/sec / 0.864s

#1: 50 KB / 42 kbit/sec / 0.864s
#2: 50 KB / 58 kbit/sec / 0.869s

T-Mobile test is not possible due to locked device at the time.

AT&T has better coverage in my area and their EDGE network runs faster than T-Mobile. According to reports they did enhance EDGE speeds with the introduction of the iPhone and it’s nice to see the improvement on other devices. Surfing with the Nokia Web Browser is a more fulfilling experience at the faster speeds.

I’ll have to re-test with the unbranded N75 and see if the results change.
When I get a minute I’ll run the tests on my debranded N75 and see if they change.

Removing AT&T’s custom firmware from the Nokia N75 has been well covered on the ‘net but the trick is getting the device unlock code from AT&T. Some Googling revealed that AT&T was releasing an Over-the-Air (OTA) firmware update so I called into their Customer Service to learn more.

The nice woman I spoke to knew exactly what I was asking about and proceeded to tell me details when the mobile connection dropped. Ah, yes, “more bars in more places” might be the slogan but how about “keeping a connection in all places?” She called back and left a voicemail with none of the details I hoped for; instead, she said to wait for an SMS or visit Nokia’s USA web site.

My searching at HowardForums revealed that folks were getting an update but all I could find was version 10.1.282 which was already loaded on my phone. It turns out this is the firmware update but not what I wanted. The goal is removal of the AT&T modifications (i.e.: crapware) and run the stock Nokia firmware.

The trickiest part of the debranding process is unlocking the N75. My first attempt at an unlock code was via e-mail to AT&T customer sevice stating I wanted to use my phone abroad. This was kindly answered with a suggestion to use AT&T’s new International Roaming service and if that was insufficient, a long list of criteria for getting an unlock code.

Let’s just say I didn’t meet any them. My device was subsidized. I didn’t pay an early termination fee to move elsewhere. I wasn’t a customer for more than 90 days.

Undeterred, I picked up the phone and used a little social engineering. The first level CS rep had no clue what I was talking about so I was transferred to level two support. As for my “social engineering” skillz I used honesty: please send me an unlock code so I can update my phone’s firmware. The fellow agreed and sent a request to the Unlock Department but didn’t make any promises.

Two days later my code arrived. I followed Peter’s instructions and within a short time my N75 was unlocked and debranded. All the expected Nseries goodies are there with none of the bloat. The phone’s a bit faster as well but unfortunately the 2 MP camera is no better.

If you can pull this off with AT&T, do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Snapped at the Santa Ana Zoo in Southern California. Don’t mind the fence shadow.