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There are 2 different types of modifications
that can be done to your phone to make it personal: Hardware and Software.
Hardware modification as the general term states is basically the appearance
of the phone. The housing, screen, boards for which the phones information is
stored, LED's, on are all considered hardware. Software modifications is the
stuff that you do not see: Ringtones, Wallpapers, Java Applications,
Palette/Themes, and the internal software can all be modified to a persons
liking. Software modifications are easier to do than hardware modifications
because software modifications are gernerally done on the computer wheras
hardware modification you would need to know how to disassemble and
reassemble the phone, which only people who have done it or professionals
should do.
Hardware Modifications:
Housing-
The housing of a Nextel or any phone is usually one of the more popular
things to do because the phone's appearance is changed and does not look like
the OEM (Original Equipment Manufactured) housing which the majority of the
gereral public has. Housing changes are tough if the person doing it does not
have the knowledge to do it. Tutorials are available around the internet to
help assist people who want to do their own housing change and pass the $50
job at the mall.
LED Modification-
Most people do not realize the amount of personalization that can done using
just this modification. LED's or (def) are the lights that light up the
keypad, screen, and Caller ID. They are tiny lights that can be soldered to
the boards (guts of the phone) or placed in other places, like the flip of
the phone, behind the PTT (Push-To-Talk) button, use of another status light,
Caller ID the options are infinite, volume buttons by the use of wires. LED
Modification however comes with a price since the knowledge of soldering and
the risk of messing up a persons phone is great. Prices range from a standard
Keypad change, around $35 (depending on phone), all the way up to a 12-LED
Flip mod (12 LEDs in the flip part of the phone) for a good $140-$160. Since
there is not a lot of people who can do these modifications people are forced
to pay the prices if they want the modification done or try to learn
themselves.
Software Modifications
Ringtones, Wallpapers, Java Apps-
By far one of the biggest fads now-a-days is getting better ringtones than
the factory ones put on the phone. This is not just a Nextel thing but a
mobile phone thing, but Nextel users really do not have to buy better
ringtones or wait until new, hit songs come out in a ringtone form. There is
a program that many people do not really know about (unless they are in the
Nextel scene) called WebJAL. It is a very simple program that adds ringtones,
wallpapers, and Java Appilcations for free via a data cable (which can be
bought at a Nextel Office for about $20). No need to spend money anymore on
these things. WebJAL can come in a free form or a trouble-free install
ranging from $5-$10 that people create. So with the program a user can make
his or her own ringtone of their favorite song and have it be their ringtone.
Wallpapers are the same way using this program, with the correct settings
(which are given within WebJAL) a user can place just about anything they
want on their phone.
Codeplug Modifications-
Unless you know how to modify them you probably do not know about them. Even
people at malls who can do all the other modifications (besides LED mods)
don't know about this. The codeplug has to read from your phone by using
special programs released from Motorola. Some are free and one is not. The
one program Motorola that is not free is the one used to edit the codeplug,
the software of the phone. Modifcations range from Phone unlocking: able to
use your phone on a different iDen service provider, Palette Changes: the
color themes on your phone, and Programming Lockouts: some phones are design
to have less features than others and this program allows a person to unlock
them. The program is very hard to find and can come at a very hefty price if
a person were to buy it legally ($1,000-$2,000). The price of the program is
why many people to do not deal with this and that if a problem arises within
the codeplug the whole phone could be broken and never used again.
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