[BitPim-devel] New A700 firmware (XL08) enables access under bitpim

[Gerald Fountain]

There is a new version of firmware for the MM-A700, XL08, that seems to
enable reliable access to the filesystem of the MM-A700. I see from the
archives that there was development for this phone for a time, but that
there were issues of it locking up hard.

My coding skills are not what they were in the past (and I don't know
python enough to write code, but it's easy enough to read). Was someone
developing code for the A700 still interested? I've got an A700 and am
willing to volunteer being a guinnie pig for testing. So far, I've been
testing the A700 in filesystem read-only mode to pull photos and video
with good success (meaning I'm getting the files and not locking up the
phone :)
Email me if interested in a victim...errr...tester.

Jerry

[Stephen Wood]

Let me clarify some things. There has been a lot of noise about
BitPim and the MM-A700. The following is what I believe to be the
true situation. Please correct me if you know from FIRST hand
experience that things are otherwise.

1. There has never been a problem reliably accessing the MM-A700
filesystem, independent of firmware version.

2. There has never been an instance of BitPim lock up an MM-A700 hard.

3. What browsing the filesystem can do is get the phone stuck in
filesystem mode so that even rebooting the phone can't put it back
into modem mode. This means that sync programs such as Spapsync and
Datapilot can no longer access the phonebook. It also means that the
phone can not be used as a modem. (It is not clear that this is
really be an issue as using a phone as a modem violates Sprint's terms
of service.) Being stuck in filesystem mode does NOT impact the use
of the phone as a phone. There is no indication that being stuck in
filesystem mode impairs the ability of the phone to do any thing that
it normally can do without a data cable attached.

4. A while ago, a command, common to many phones, was found that can
allow BitPim to put some phones back into modem mode. There is some
indication that this command (available in the filesystem browser)
will return an MM-A700 to modem mode, but it is not clear that the
firmware upgrade is also needed.

5. There has been no BitPim development work for the A700. The only
MM-A700 specific work on BitPim was an apparantly unsuccessful attempt
to make BitPim refuse to go into filesystem mode for the A700.

If #4 is indeed true (it has yet to be confirmed by my most reliable
sources), then it is conceivable to add phonebook support to BitPim
for the A700. The best way to help is to document the phonebook
protocol support for the A700. Samsung phones all seem to have a
similar protocol and anyone can help get phone specific details by
using kermit, hyperterminal or some similar terminal emulation
program. Look in the BITPIM souce code CVS tree for the file dev-docs
dev-doc/samsungnotes.txt where there is information about several
Samsung phones. Of the phone described in that document, the SPH-A620
(VGA1000) is probably the closest as it is also Sprint.

None of the developers have an A700, so getting that phone added to
BitPim will require someone to do some work documenting the protocol
and someone to be able to run BitPim from source in order to test code
and do some light programming.

Stephen

On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 11:47:11 -0600 (CST), Gerald Fountain

Post by Gerald Fountain
There is a new version of firmware for the MM-A700, XL08, that seems to
enable reliable access to the filesystem of the MM-A700. I see from the
archives that there was development for this phone for a time, but that
there were issues of it locking up hard.
My coding skills are not what they were in the past (and I don't know
python enough to write code, but it's easy enough to read). Was someone
developing code for the A700 still interested? I've got an A700 and am
willing to volunteer being a guinnie pig for testing. So far, I've been
testing the A700 in filesystem read-only mode to pull photos and video
with good success (meaning I'm getting the files and not locking up the
phone :)
Email me if interested in a victim...errr...tester.

[Gerald Fountain]

Thanks for the nicely detailed reply Stephen. It looks like there are a
few things I can do to help get the A700 supported. (pointers/links in any
of the areas appreciated).

1. Get a source mode environment going to run tests (start at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitpim). Fresh coding will be another
matter but I'm fairly good at debug work. I'll look at the SPH-A620
profile to get started (my wife has this phone anyway). Is the A620
profile pretty robust already, or should I avoid letting her edit her
phonebook/photos/ringers with it (for her, a working phone is priority #1,
2, and 3 ... I'm in enough trouble when I mess with the TiVo :D )?

2. Find a reasonable way to test the modem/filesystem mode switching. I
don't have vision (don't use the browsing enough to justify the monthly
charges), so I can't test modem mode cheaply. Any pointers here to
another test method? I don't have snapsync and I don't see a trial
version of the website. Datapilot doesn't seem to have support for the
A700.

3. Start examining the protocol results using a terminal. This will take
some reading of the file dev-docs dev-doc/samsungnotes.txt you mentioned.
I'm also guessing the phonebook files themselves need binary field parsing
or are they returned in a pre-delimited form? Also do some reading on
what the heck BREW is :)

4. Post findings back here of protocol to make sure I've got it straight.
Filesystem view in read only mode seems to work easily enough. Video
files are stored in 3g2 format. Quicktime 6.5 can play them. Photos are
in jpg format. Info (name identification primarily) on both are stored in
separate files. Is there any general documentation on the filesystem of
this phone (or "these" if most the of recent vintage CDMA phones are
similar)?

5. Assuming efforts from 1-4 haven't resulted in it already, see if I can
understand Python and the various phone-specific files to hazard an
attempt at writing an A700 profile (since no-one has one yet).

Anything I've missed??

Jerry

[Stephen Wood]

On Fri, 18 Feb 2005 13:55:27 -0600 (CST), Gerald Fountain

Post by Gerald Fountain
Thanks for the nicely detailed reply Stephen. It looks like there are a
few things I can do to help get the A700 supported. (pointers/links in any
of the areas appreciated).
1. Get a source mode environment going to run tests (start at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitpim). Fresh coding will be another
matter but I'm fairly good at debug work. I'll look at the SPH-A620
profile to get started (my wife has this phone anyway). Is the A620
profile pretty robust already, or should I avoid letting her edit her
phonebook/photos/ringers with it (for her, a working phone is priority #1,
2, and 3 ... I'm in enough trouble when I mess with the TiVo :D )?

I would get the source code running in the background and focus on the
protocol first. But the MM-A700 will be based on the A620 code,
unless the phones are wildly different.

The A620 code is fine for reading the phonebook and wallpaper. I do
not recommend writing to the A620 phonebook with any existing BitPim
version, (see my post earlier today on crappy firmware for why).
Phonebook writing will either be fixed or disabled for the next BitPim
release.

Post by Gerald Fountain
2. Find a reasonable way to test the modem/filesystem mode switching. I
don't have vision (don't use the browsing enough to justify the monthly
charges), so I can't test modem mode cheaply. Any pointers here to
another test method? I don't have snapsync and I don't see a trial
version of the website. Datapilot doesn't seem to have support for the
A700.

Just click the right mouse button on a filename in the filesystem view
and select go to modem mode. Then immediately quit BitPim and try
talking to your phone with a terminal program. If you can send AT
commands (e.g. AT&V) and get responses, then you are in modem mode.

Post by Gerald Fountain
3. Start examining the protocol results using a terminal. This will take
some reading of the file dev-docs dev-doc/samsungnotes.txt you mentioned.
I'm also guessing the phonebook files themselves need binary field parsing
or are they returned in a pre-delimited form? Also do some reading on
what the heck BREW is :)

The phonebook is all in ASCII with AT commands like AT#PBOKR.

Surf the web to find out what BREW is. Here "Brew mode", "Diagnostic
Mode", and "Filesystem Mode" are basically synonymous.

Stephen

[Gerald Fountain]

Post by Stephen Wood

Post by Gerald Fountain
1. Get a source mode environment going to run tests (start at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/bitpim). Fresh coding will be another
matter but I'm fairly good at debug work. I'll look at the SPH-A620
profile to get started (my wife has this phone anyway). Is the A620
profile pretty robust already, or should I avoid letting her edit her
phonebook/photos/ringers with it (for her, a working phone is priority #1,
2, and 3 ... I'm in enough trouble when I mess with the TiVo :D )?

I would get the source code running in the background and focus on the
protocol first. But the MM-A700 will be based on the A620 code,
unless the phones are wildly different.
The A620 code is fine for reading the phonebook and wallpaper. I do
not recommend writing to the A620 phonebook with any existing BitPim
version, (see my post earlier today on crappy firmware for why).
Phonebook writing will either be fixed or disabled for the next BitPim
release.

I saw the note regarding firmware. Point taken. Good for getting
pictures though since no vision! Much of the 620 profile seems to work,
but obviously with some errors. Wall papers (pictures) try to download
from the phone, but error pop up (the A700 doesn't name with an extension,
i.e., no '.jpg' on the names). It downloads them, but then doesn't know
what to do with them. It doesn't grab the videos, but those come down in
filesystem view. Phonebook errors right away (I'll dig into the reasons,
just my first pass).

Post by Stephen Wood

Post by Gerald Fountain
2. Find a reasonable way to test the modem/filesystem mode switching. I
don't have vision (don't use the browsing enough to justify the monthly
charges), so I can't test modem mode cheaply. Any pointers here to
another test method? I don't have snapsync and I don't see a trial
version of the website. Datapilot doesn't seem to have support for the
A700.

Just click the right mouse button on a filename in the filesystem view
and select go to modem mode. Then immediately quit BitPim and try
talking to your phone with a terminal program. If you can send AT
commands (e.g. AT&V) and get responses, then you are in modem mode.

Got it. First report is it works like a charm (so far). I'd been using
file system mode (read-only). Attempted using wallpaper and calendar mode
(filter issues from above). Then did the jump out after using the "go to
modem mode" and fired up hyperterminal (I'm on Win2k). Worked like a charm
for all the AT commands I've tried so far including pulling a number of
the AT#PBOKR=nn that I bothered to type. I get the entries correctly.
The only one that didn't seem right was AT#PBOKR=? which just returns an
OK (I'll post a summary of these later once I can get through all of the
known responses). I have gone back and forth from BREW mode (filesystem
mode) and modem mode a couple of times now.

Thanks for the quick help getting me bootstrapped. I'll give it some time
over the weekend if possible and work on the protocol responses.

Jerry