Fixing Java in the Razr V3xx (Cingular)

I received a brand new Motorola RAZR V3xx Phone that is branded by Cingular, and they have set the J2ME (JVM) environment so that 3rd party j2me/java applications (such as Google Maps) are not trusted to use the network. Unfortunately, this means that every time I move Google Maps it pop's up a dialog asking me if I want to let it use the network. This completely ruins the user experience.

Browsing the web, I found out that if you delete a file from the phone a/mobile/certs/root/x509/kjava/j2me_domain_registry.sm it will fix this problem, but keep some of the built in (signed by Cingular) applications such as mobile email from working. Since I didn't want to use built in applications, I decided to remove the file (after backing it up!).

The hardest thing was to find out what software to use to access the file-system on my phone. After trying several options, I settled on the latest version of p2kcommander (4.9.8, earlier versions didn't work for me) and the p2k usb drivers that are  available on the Motorola developers website.

This combination of software allowed me to edit the file-system and remove the j2me_domain_registry.sm file. (it also allows you to add files to the file-system, such as your favorite skins, mp3s or MIDI ring-tone). 

14 thoughts on “Fixing Java in the Razr V3xx (Cingular)

  1. Do you know what applications specifically would be lost if the file was removed? Would the MP3 player and camera still function? Thanks.

  2. Hi Kurt,

    You would loose the use of any java applications signed by Cingular (Cingular mall, buy games, the mobile radio application are the three that I remember).

    luckily, the MP3 player and camera are not java applications, and they continue to function just fine. All other java applications work great (gmail, google maps, etc…)

    Jay

  3. HELP!! ok, ive tried everything for about 3 hours total!! i have most recent p2k, moto drivers, etc. In p2k i can access all parts of the phone but i cannot find this file in the “a” folder. V3xx. connected as modem. then i throw out modem in utility. thanks for your help!

  4. It’s also worth noting that some of the programs you may have purchased from the Cingular (or AT&T, or whatever the hell they want to call themselves this week) Mall may not work after this hack is applied. One notable example seems to be Gameloft games – Vijay Singh 3D 2007 and Platinum Mahjongg crapped out. Small price to pay to have my Opera Mini back, though.

  5. If you are attempting to find files on the phone's filesystem using p2kcommander, and you can see some things, but not all folders/files are visible, (like JB above!) one thing to check is the type of p2k commands that are being used. In the P2kcommander "Options" screen, try the "New (fast) 3G-p2k commands" instead of the "Standard p2k commands" radio buttion. (Yes, the v3xx is listed on the "standard" buttion, but JB reported that it works when you change this to the "fast" setting.)

  6. i had two windows open up and i needed to drag the partition to the right in order to find / see the ‘mobile’ file.

    Thanks Jay – you should be knighted for bring these poor crippled machines back to life!

  7. Pingback: Jay’s Technical Talk › Cingular/ATT is locking down newer V3XX phones

Leave a Reply to mark z Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *