Help The prisoner of a local monopolist

[Pieterleroux]

I have an HTC Magic which I bought 18 months ago here in South Arica. It is a nice little phone, but counter to the Android philosophy it is locked into downloading Apps only from Open Market, a useless market run by a a South African company Leave. It also means that I have not been able to upgrade from the original Android 1.5. Is there anyone who knows how I can get the phone unlocked so that I can upgrade my Android version and have access to the wider Android market.

 

[mjschmidt]

You would need to do some research in to "Rooting" your device. If you have not heard the term, when you "root" your device you gain access to all of the operating system, even the OS files themselves, this then allows you to install what are called ROMs. ROMs are like new or different versions of Android made by independent programmers. They will allow you to get newer versions of Android, and even get the regular Android market.

I don't know if your Magic is the same as the one we have in Canada, but if you go to the Rogers sub-forum (link below) you will find threads on rooting. Look for posts by GreatBigDog and/or XBrav. They are two of the most knowledgeable guys here when it comes to rooting (they both helped me).

WARNING! Just FYI, I want this to be very clear... if you root your phone, it WILL make your warranty VOID! Your carrier will NOT help you to fix it or give you a new one if something goes wrong, and when rooting it CAN go wrong! if not done correctly, you could "brick" your phone (it will not work any more). Just want to make that clear so you don't come looking for me if something bad happens. ;-)

Rogers - Android Forums