Modding an old mobile?

I have a Nokia 3310 and am rather interested in modifying it. Not skins or tones or wallpapers but features. I'm wondering if it's possible to install a voice changer (Inside joke I have amongst friends) or maybe some other features? I've been searching the internet and found very little. So I turn to you good sirs, do you have any ideas for my poor phone? (Nothing illegal, while the concept of a ghost phone is cool, it's also risky and illegal)

You can buy voice changers over the internet. They usually strap over the microphone.

The compact nature of mobile phones makes them rather difficult to find useful for modding.

I suppose if you really wanted to, you could microwave it?

(No, don't do that, you'll wreck a perfectly good microwave. lol.)



I suppose if you wanted to keep an account active with it, (If it has a speaker phone option) you could detach the speaker line, and tie it into your cars audio system... re-route the buttons to a panel on your cars console. Have your own hands free car phone.

Well it's not so compact. Iunno, look at these;
mobiltelefon.ru...

I wonder if there are any other mods I could apply, perhaps even something like a radio or some free chatboard iuno.

Even old phones are too compact to do much with. The problem is that the circuit is all surface mount and usually only has one or two chips, they put most of the functionality in just one chip - system-on-a-chip design - so it's not like an old 8 bit computer, you can't get to anything to change it.

What I would love to know from other ATS members is, can you reprogram a mobile phone? Many phones are running a cut down linux system or Java based system, or in some cases even Windows if it has PDA functionality. Think of the uses you could have for an old phone if you could hack it and make it do something different.

Problem one is how to program the processor. Can it be done through the phone's interface or must it be done through the memory? Chances are the processor will be an industry standard model so that development companies can use existing C/C++ software coding tools.

Problem two is what memory does the phone have. For cheapness it's likely to be ROM in which case we'd have the painful problem of replacing it with our own ROM. But you never know, it could be flash memory, in which case we're in luck because we just flash our own code into it. This is not such a vain hope, many devices such as motherboards are flashable now, and the desire for corporations to secretly update our devices (as shown by British Telecom's habit of flash updating your BT ADSL router over your broadband line in the wee hours while you're asleep) means that some phones could well have a reprogram facility over their network connection. Also there's this thing about unlocking phones from their designated network, which I don't fully understand but must mean there's updatable memory in there other than the SIM card.

Some phones have bluetooth, IR and various ports, making them even more useful as remote controls or handheld interfaces.

Newer ones have cameras in. Could they be programmed to act as remote cameras, even with motion detection, when using a suitable radio receiver to view the video feed? (Or just connect to your PC via a long wire.)

So much you could do with these damn devices, other than giving yourself cancer and a low sperm count! lol

Even old phones are too compact to do much with. The problem is that the circuit is all surface mount and usually only has one or two chips, they put most of the functionality in just one chip - system-on-a-chip design - so it's not like an old 8 bit computer, you can't get to anything to change it.

What I would love to know from other ATS members is, can you reprogram a mobile phone? Many phones are running a cut down linux system or Java based system, or in some cases even Windows if it has PDA functionality. Think of the uses you could have for an old phone if you could hack it and make it do something different.

Problem one is how to program the processor. Can it be done through the phone's interface or must it be done through the memory? Chances are the processor will be an industry standard model so that development companies can use existing C/C++ software coding tools.

Problem two is what memory does the phone have. For cheapness it's likely to be ROM in which case we'd have the painful problem of replacing it with our own ROM. But you never know, it could be flash memory, in which case we're in luck because we just flash our own code into it. This is not such a vain hope, many devices such as motherboards are flashable now, and the desire for corporations to secretly update our devices (as shown by British Telecom's habit of flash updating your BT ADSL router over your broadband line in the wee hours while you're asleep) means that some phones could well have a reprogram facility over their network connection. Also there's this thing about unlocking phones from their designated network, which I don't fully understand but must mean there's updatable memory in there other than the SIM card.

Some phones have bluetooth, IR and various ports, making them even more useful as remote controls or handheld interfaces.

Newer ones have cameras in. Could they be programmed to act as remote cameras, even with motion detection, when using a suitable radio receiver to view the video feed? (Or just connect to your PC via a long wire.)

So much you could do with these damn devices, other than giving yourself cancer and a low sperm count! lol

If there was such a thing as an open source phone it's possible to program a voice changer. I have a PC program that allows alteration of the voice with nothing but software.

My model of phone is definitely old, it could function on a simpler level so it would be easier for me to do things with I guess. Although a new phone would allow greater fields of play.

I can send texts, call, leave messages, re-direct calls,compose midi tunes, play games, engage in chats and even receive news ad updates from my service provider. I would enjoy some sort of text comm other than sms. Think an outdated chatroom or IM program, perhaps even having a two way link between a friend.

Does anyone know what is possible to do with my current phone? Or willing to embark on a journey to create an open-source phone?

If it change anything, I'm getting a mobile phone in November, wondering what you'd suggest with my current interests. An Ericsson W800i any good?

[edit on 11-7-2008 by Shpow]