every word of it.

Recently I purchased a k700c on eBay from a guy in Canada. See my t610 was starting to become a real annoyance with buttons not working and stuff. And the phone I wanted, the Nokia N73, wasn’t out at that time (It’s out now, but a $300 markup isn’t my style). So I picked the k700 because it was cheapish and it did what I want. I picked a k700c because it was even cheaper due to obscurity. See, the k700c is the k700 intended for China.

The rest of this post recounts my adventure in upgrading the firmware to the latest R2CA001. Before we continue, I have to make this clear – I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. Repeating for emphasis, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT…AT ALL. NOT KIDDING.

So let’s continue. To upgrade the firmware we need a few things 1) Service Cable – I used this one, UC-10 Cruiser Cable Originally I bought this set, from UnlockCellular, but they didn’t work for me. 2) Davinci Remote Unlocker 13.8 3) Davinci Remote Unlocker, Latest Version 3) SETool 2 4) Correct firmware files, ex. K700iR2CA001MAINCHINAAL2AL3AL4CID36.bin and K700iR2CA001FSChina_CID36.bin

Step 0. Remove your SIM card

Step 1. This step could probably be skipped if your phone is CID36 already, but my phone was CID29. See to use the latest firmware, you phone needs to be CID36. This was the hardest step because I couldn’t find any information on converting my phone from CID29 to CID36. One way to do this is to use the latest version of Davinci Remote Unlocker and download ‘k700 TRANSFORMCID29to_CID36′. Then use the older client, version 13.8, to flash your phone with the transformation file without finalizing.

Step 2. Using SETool 2, select the files to be flashed. For Main firmware file, select K700iR2CA001MAINCHINAAL2AL3AL4CID36.bin and for the File System image, K700iR2CA001FSChina_CID36.bin. Then press the ‘Flash’ button.

Step 3. To complete the flash, press the ‘Clear Names’ button and then hit ‘Flash’ again.

Step 4. Party. You just flashed your k700c!

Notes. I noticed in SETool 2 there was an option to change the CID, but it seemed too easy, just a dropdown box. So I went with Davinci because I figured, if I really screwed up, I could just pay for credits and use Davinci to flash my phone. Also I got really tired of waiting on people on SE-NSE, esato, and GSMForum to reply to my questions, so I decided ‘No Regrets’ and started pushing buttons. And you know, it worked.

Today’s (Awful) Song of the Day is Champagne Supernova covered by Matt Pond PA. I normally like covers, they can be fun, and they can even improve the original. But then you have covers that make you want to start kicking teeth and slashing throats, and this cover of Champagne Supernova belongs right at the top of that category. I hate it so much. It makes me so angry to listen to it. And it’s not like I’m madly in love with Oasis. I know that Oasis isn’t the greatest of bands, but they have their moments and singles. And for Matt Pond PA to produce such a terrible cover, I can only assume they are the worst band in the entire world. And you know, it’s the only song by them I have.

To restore balance to the force, here is one of my favorite covers by The Wedding Present, Getting Better.

So I had perhaps the worst experience at a car dealership today. I went in to get my oil change, something I would normally do myself, but I got a $5 off coupon in the mail, making it about the same price for a semi-synthetic oil and filter change ($29-$5). Nothing major. Perfectly routine.

~50 minutes later…

So I’m at the cashier and I ask the service guy about the signs all over the place and on the coupon stating that the oil change “Completed in 29 minutes or less, or your next one is FREE!” Check it out yourself here.

And he makes up something about how since I used a coupon I don’t qualify. I say okay. I understand what’s going on here. So I ask the cashier about this, if she has any documentation concerning the terms and conditions of the 29 minutes or less business. She says she doesn’t know, the service guy would know. In the biz, they call that the “runaround”. Classic move. So I go back to the service guy. And you know what he says this time, “I won’t”. Now I’m a little angry, I’m being treated like a kid. So he goes and gets a manager. The manager acts managerial. And get this, the service guy had the balls to say he told me it would take 40-50 minutes. That little shit said nothing of the sort, he never gave me a time estimate. In the end, the manager begrudgingly gave me a free regular dino oil change. He too said the magic words, “I won’t”. And gave me the advice that in the future, I should let them know that I need the car in 29 minutes when I bring it in. His advice fell on deaf ears, cause I won’t be returning to Don Davis Toyota in the future. Really, any Don Davis, ever. Crumbums.

Vandergriff Toyota, here I come.