Verizon's Samsung Saga gets updated with new AKU and unlocked GPS
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SDAlpha1510 @ Jun 29th 2009 10:17AM
I can only hope that the trend of unlocking GPS will extend to the Omnia II...
(db) @ Jun 29th 2009 3:26PM
Unlock the GPRS/GSM for, too - make this the first phone that can run on Verizon and another vendor (ATT???)
now, if the other carriers will just open their GPS, too.
Inphosys @ Jun 30th 2009 12:58AM
To unlock the SIM card, you have to call Verizon Wireless Global Support Group @ 908-559-4899. They will herass you, be persistent. Tell them the company you work for already provides you with a SIM card to use when you're abroad. They'll give you an access code to enter into your Saga and then you'll be able to use any GSM SIM card in your Saga. Works like a charm. Whenever we go to South Korea to visit family, I stop by the local SK Telecom store and get a prepaid SIM and stick it into my phone. Then I have a local South Korean phone number to use while I'm there and the family can call me for local rates.
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Brad
Daniel @ Jul 28th 2009 10:25AM
Brad,
To confirm - I could have Verizon and ATT working (at the same time) on the Saga??? That would be too kwel!
(db)
Jack @ Jun 29th 2009 1:14PM
What GPS apps are there? My mom has a saga and would appreciate the person who had her buy that phone put some goodies on it.
chebychev @ Jun 29th 2009 3:54PM
Look up Garmin XT for Winmo. It works very well.
Easy E @ Jun 29th 2009 2:29PM
I like this new trend developing on the site... Report news a week late so that you don't have to link your source. Awesome new policy guys, so glad Block is gone and the new EIC has no ethics. Rock on!
Inphosys @ Jun 29th 2009 11:45PM
Here's the trick for getting Location Based Services (LBS) working on your Samsung Saga SCH-i770
First thing's first ... don't change anything in the "External GPS" (Under Start, Settings, System Tab, External GPS). Samsung has been kind enough to preconfigure Windows Mobile to handle our GPS for us. It's on COM9 if you care.
Second ... Turn ON the Location Services. Follow these instructions ...
1. Click Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Phone
4. Click the "Services" tab at the bottom of the screen.
5. Click "GPS", then click the "Change Settings" button.
6. Click the "Location On" Radial Button, then Click OK.
7. You may receive a warning telling you that your location will now be open to all third party apps, acknowledge it.
Last ... Get Google Maps working for you!
1. Open Google Maps
2. Click Menu, then Click Options, then Click GPS Settings
3. Click on "COM" and scroll down to "COM9:", then click on it to Select "COM9:"
4. Click on "4800" and scroll down to "9600", then click on it to Select "9600"
5. Make sure to leave "Managed by Windows" selected, then click OK
-------- I know, it's strange that you would edit the manual settings, then say "Managed by Windows", but this is what made it work for me!
6. Go back and Click Menu then Click "Use GPS".
7. Give it about a minute or so to lock onto the satelites in your area.
-------- The upper right corner of the screen will say "Seeking GPS Satellites (0) ...". After a minute or so it will say "GPS active (3) ...". Obviously, the more satellites that your phone has active, the greater your accuracy will be. If you press "0" (zero) on your keypad, Google will respond with "Your location within xx meters.". So you can tell how accurate
It will stay locked on to several satelites as long as you don't press any buttons or close the app and reopen it or go read your e-mail, then come back ... otherwise it takes a minute or two to lock on again. If you just leave Google Maps up in the foreground it will move the little blue dot as you move.
Hope this helps!
Best regards,
Brad
Domenic Paone @ Sep 17th 2009 6:47PM
Tried what Brad has suggested and still can't seem to get the GPS to find satellites. I have the onboard location turned on.
Inphosys @ Jun 30th 2009 12:47AM
I also meant to comment on the other things that the update did ...
I highly recommend after the update is complete to boot the phone up and make sure you can get into the home screen. After that, before you do anything else, perform a hard reset on the device. This will erase the device again and bring it back up to the factory defaults. This is always a good idea because the updaters always leave junk hanging around. I found that my storage memory was nearly full to capacity directly after the upgrade. After the hard reset, my storage memory was back to 87 MB free. A hard reset WILL NOT remove the upgrade you just performed. So since the device is blank anyways, why not go ahead and do that first? Here are the instructions on how to reset your Samsung Saga SCH-i770 ... http://search.vzw.com/?do=viewdoc&id=21482&supportview=1&p=4326
My opinion regarding the upgrade:
The phone "seems" more stable. When you turn the screen off by clicking the power button on the top of the phone, it actually stays off. Also, I've been playing / multitasking with Google Maps and several other Apps simultaneously and leaving all of the programs running in memory. Programs would start to get quirky if I had too many things open in the previous version.
Internet Explorer has been enhanced, I don't personally like it, but it does have some nice advancements. I liked the old version better because it was easier to scroll through a page in "Navigation Mode" and all of the sites I go to have mobile versions of the site (CNN, Google, my bank, the airlines, etc). Now you have to click the side button and turn on mouse mode, or be nimble enough with your fingers to touch the screen in the appropriate places. I guess I should just get used to this since it seems to be the way of the future.
Some neat new sounds have been added. The reminder tone now sounds like it does in the full version of Outlook.
The phone now has "Global Mode" instead of CDMA Mode and GSM Mode. The phone can now determine on its own if it needs to turn on GSM whereas before you had to initiate GSM Mode if you were outside the states.
I was also able to tether my Saga to my laptop via Bluetooth and using VZ Access Manager I was able to use the phone as a modem to access the internet. Pretty neat stuff.
And of course my previous comment, and probably the most important enhancement of all, your installed apps can now access the onboard GPS (Location Based Services) ... it actually uses cell phone tower triangulation and GPS!
Best regards,
Brad