If you’ve been scouring the interwebs for an easy way to unlock your Samsung i910 Omnia’s GPS hardware to work outside Verizon’s premium VZ Navigator service, you’ve probably found yourself up a certain creek without a certain paddle.Until now.
Rejoice, ye Verizon customer! A new “unofficial” Windows Mobile ROM for the Verizon Samsung Omnia promises to unlock your Omnia’s GPS receiver from carrier-lockdown.
The new Samsung Omnia ROM has surfaced at MoDaCo forums, and brings with it the power to free your Omnia to use the integrated GPS hardware with third-party mapping applications like Live Search and Google Maps. This “unofficial” ROM beats Verizon to its own punch. As you might recall, Verizon had promised to unlock GPS receivers in the Omnia, Saga and Touch Pro in the first half of 2009. But waiting for Verizon to launch anything these days is like watching mold grow.
In addition to the GPS unlock, this unofficial Omnia ROM offers:
- 5% battery increments!
- Smart Memo
- Opera Mobile 9.5 build 15679
- Favorite Settings, now known as Easy Settings
- Windows Live
- Dialer Touch Lock Settings-Off, 2s, 5s, 10s.
- Disable Threaded Text Messaging via System Settings
- iPhone-esque popup keyboard keys
- Better kinetic scrolling in Samsung apps
- Samsung Volume Control
If you’re brave enough to flash your Samsung Omnia with unofficial firmware, head on over to MoDaCo for the ROM download and flashing instructions. Make sure you back up all your data before hand, because it’s not going to be there after your ROM flash. Remember, this ROM is only intended to be used with the Samsung i910 Omnia – the one with the Verizon logo.
Enjoy all that unlocked GPS goodness!