Motorola Modding

Motorola Modding is the act of editing/changing your Motorola's "settings" to better suit your needs. There are many things that can be done to most Motorola brand phones, with new things being developed all the time.

1) Skinning. Skins are the "theme" to your phone. Skins control menu icons, wallpaper, and colour schemes to your phone. They offer a simple way to customize your phone, without the risk of "flashing" (see later)

2) Addition or Removal of Content. Some providers "lock" their phones with certain features, or block them from use. A good example is some of the first Razr V3 phones, which certain providers blocked the video camera on. The modders found out how to enable the camera, then anyone could have a video camera on their phone. Also, some providers will plave their ringtones or wallpapers on the phones, and prevent their deletion, thus taking up space needlessly.

3) Further abilities include changing the font on your phone, upgrading the firmware, changing the "DRM" or graphics of the phone, changing the power up and shut down screens, installation of java programs, editing of text or images on outer screens, and much more.

A few common terms in the modding ditctionary;
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Flashing - This is the upgrading or changing of the OS for your phone, can easily damage your phone and should be done with great care

DRM - The graphics that are everywhere on the phone, such as the battery indicator, the icons for pictures, the splashscreen for java, etc...

Skin - A theme based set of menu icons, wallpapers, colours, sounds, or any combination of these.

Firmware - The OS for your phone, new firmware upgrades are released usually without any fanfare until the modders get them and find the new features available.

Brick - Is a term applied to a ruined phone. ie. "I was flashing my phone and the battery died, now I have a brick"

Seem edits - Seems are the registry for the phone, and are the foundation for most mods. They are edited using specialized programs, and can cause great grief if messed with improperly.

Backup - The key to any succesful mod is to create a backup of your phone before doing anything, just in case.

Warez - Many programs used are considered "warez", meaning they are copyrighted programs that must be purchased. Examples include RSD Lite, Radiocomm, and Motorola Phone Tools. Please note that these programs are not REQUIRED for modding, these are just some that are required to be purchased.

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