So, like me, you bought the shiny new Nokia n73 when it was released middle of last year and was astounded by it’s sexy look, funky camera and loved the fact that it was running on the Symbian OS. Third edition, in fact But the one thing that really got you, was the fact that the phone just didn’t feel like it had been finished properly. Nothing huge when you first started using it, but little niggles. The camera kept locking up, the music player had about as many features as Windows Media Player and my provider stuck a stupid advert bar on the bottom.

So, Nokia decided to update this and so we now have what is known as “Version 3″ of the firmware which fixes the majority of the bugs that have been found. There are also two other editions “Internet” and “Music” which are earlier Version 3 firmwares with slight improvements to tailor it for use as an Internet phone or a music device. The only problem is that the majority of UK providers have their own custom firmwares installed on the phone so that they can add “features” to customers on their service. The only problem is that they haven’t updated their firmware and because it uses a non-generic product code it isn’t recognised by the Nokia Update service. Well, after searching the Internet I finally came up with a solution on how to upgrade the firmware to a newer version than my current network operator (3 UK) allows. Now, I will say here:

Changing the product code on your phone will invalidate the warranty with your network provider. Updating the firmware incorrectly can also completely destroy your phone. i.e. It wont even turn on. I accept NO responsibility for any damage caused to any property if you follow this guide. It is merely here to help anyone who is curious and so I can check back if I need to redo it. The most common cause of it “bricking” your phone is when the update is interrupted before it’s properly finished.

So, firstly you will need a piece of software. Nemesis Service Suite. You can download the free beta version at the bottom of the page. Secondly, you will need to make sure you are running Windows 2000 (SP4) or above and Internet Explorer. This will not work under Linux or with Firefox. So I had to reboot and load Windows, which sucked muchly. Thirdly, you need to make sure your phone is fully charged. If it loses charge in the middle of the update you will have a pretty doorstop. That said, let’s do it….

Are you sure you want to do this? Once you’ve done it it’s extremely difficult to revert to the original firmware and if it buggers your phone it will be hard trying to explain it to your insurance company!

1. Backup your information, settings, contacts onto your memory card by going to Menu > Tools > Memory > Backup to Card - You can restore this information in the same menu. This update will remove all personal settings, contacts, data stored on the phone’s built in memory. So it all needs to go on the card memory!
2. Connect your phone to the USB port of your computer. If this is the first time you have done this you may need to wait for Windows to install all the relevant drivers.
3. Start up Nemesis Service Suite and click the button “Scan for new device” (Top Right)
4. Once it has run it’s diagnostics and other tests click on the “Phone Info” icon.
5. In this page click on “Scan.” This should hopefully find your phone and display it’s model and IEMI number in the pane. To the right of this will be a box that says “Product Code” Enter the new product code in this box and then check the box marked Enable next to it.
6. Click on “Write” and watch the status bar. It should say “Write… Done” This has now updated your phone’s product code to the one you specified. Close Nemesis Service Suite
7. Open up the Nokia Software Updater (NSU) and attempt to find the firmware for your phone.
8. Once you start installing the new firmware DO NOT remove the cable, move the phone, touch the phone or do anything to your computer.
9. This process should take approximately 30-40 minutes on a fast computer with a good Internet connection. The firmware download is approximately 75MB, so a broadband connection is preferable.
10. Your phone should automatically reboot and when back up it should be running the new software. You can check what firmware you are running by keying in *#0000#

All done, enjoy!

Software versions:

Version 3.0638.0.0.1
30-10-2006
RM-133

The original v3 firmware, fixes a lot of bugs.

Version 3.0638.0.0.30
30-10-2006
RM-133

The “Music Edition” firmware, the same as above but adds two new themes (Stave & Waveform) it also adds a track by Moby and the new Music Player, which alone is worth the upgrade. This also adds support for Sound Analysers, Stereo Widening, Loudness and dynamic playlists, as opposed to unpalatable lists.

Version 3.0638.0.0.43
30-10-2006
RM-133

The “Internet Edition” firmware, the same as the music edition but with ability to redefine the “multimedia key” and other. A new “Internet Edition” theme, MSN, Yahoo! Go & GMail installed out of the box.

Version 3.0649.0.0.1
30-11-2006
RM-133

This is the second generation of the v3 firmware. Fixes a ton of bugs plus adds all the features of the Internet & Music editions to the standard phones. Mainly a huge bugfix, increases stability of camera and gallery applications greatly.

The product codes:

You will need to enter one of these into the Nemesis program to get the updater to work with Network branded phones.

0539101: N73 - Vanilla - EURO 1
0539343: N73 Music Edition - Vanilla - EURO 1
0539239: N73 Music Edition - Vanilla - EURO 2 (Black)

Any questions? Email me and I’ll try my best to help. And, lastly… Do not try this at home - this MAY break your phone.

This is a God-damned arms race
B