Hooper just left his job with me, and needed a new PDA-type device since he wasn’t going to use his Blackberry. You might remember that he had been using the Nokia 6682 from his article on CityID. It was not really “Outlook compatible” in both of our minds as the sync software was clunky at best, and required a USB cable. He needed a professional device that he could use as a mobile worker, but without the bulk of a blackberry.

Castle and I have the Audiovox SMT5600, but it runs Windows Mobile 2003 SE. While great, it is not top of the line with only offers GPRS data speeds along with a lot of software bugs. Schlosser upgraded from his Motorola MPx200 and picked up the new Cingular branded 2125. Would that be the device for Hooper?

I think the 2125 is great, but I thought the T-Mobile SDA is way more practical. It has built in wi-fi and dedicated music buttons on the front in addition to the buttons the 2125 has. Only issue with the SDA was with Windows Mobile 5. Why is that an issue? Well the new Messaging & Security and Feature Pack (MSFP) has not been released for the SDA, while the 2125 has it. This new software upgrade allows for a smooth and fast push-based email, which makes the device similar to a corporate Blackberry server. So my goal was to find a way to get the MSFP onto the SDA.

HTC manufactures the SDA, 2125, the Orange C600, and a bunch of other devices that are all very similar. They i-mate makes the SP5 and SP5m, and offers free ROM upgrades (OS software updates). With a little bit of research I found the right files and had Hooper order the phone off eBay for around $200. If you don’t buy it unlocked, you can use the SPV Services software to unlock the device, but will need a T-Mobile SIM card to turn it on to perform the initial unlock.

Start downloading the i-mate SP5m ROM. I used the WWE (WorldWide) version because I had more features than the NRE (Northern Regional). It is a large 35MB and is a slow transfer. After you have ActiveSync installed, you just need to run the SPV Services. Download it and run it. Use the interface to change the CID to 1’s (developer CID) so you can use any manufacturer ROM on the device. Follow the directions and DON’T UNPLUG THE DEVICE UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO.

After you CID unlocked, you can extract the i-mate ROM from the zip and run the executable. This will walk you through the ROM upgrade. After the upgrade reboots your phone you’re all set to enjoy the MSFP and unbranded ROM.