I've been told off over at discussions.europe.nokia.com for talking about debranding an N900

Thing is, I suggested a user tried a different firmware on their rebooting N900 device.. This isn't debranding since the N900s are branded.. it is simply using a different yet completely available N900 firmware from tablets-dev.nokia.com

Question is.. WILL changing the firmware INVALIDATE the warranty?

The end user terms and conditions on the download page doesn't seem to mention anything.. and with projects like Mer and details of compiling different kernels documented on Maemo.org, you'd think it was fine.. otherwise why would be there..

If Nokia make 4 different firmwares available but do not want you to change them they need to make this very very clear.. and not by deleting posts on the discussion forums!

I don't mind being told off, but I didn't think I'd done anything wrong and I was only trying to help a user with problems using tools made available openly to all N900 users!!

Can someone from Nokia maybe let us know directly what we can and can't do, then I can pass that information on to people I'm trying to help..

Bottom line, I thought I was helping and I'd like confirmation changing/altering firmware invalidates warranty

sure if anything goes wrong he can always change the firmware back.

also the firmware comes up when you put in your imei so i doubt they can say that you were not suppose to put it on it.

also all n900 have the same hardware so all firmware should run perfectly on all of them so that shouldnt effect the warranty!!

if you use NSU it logs your device and what firmware you have on it, how many times you've updated your device and with what versions etc, so they know you've been changing firmware just by putting your imei number in the computer at the care centre.
not sure how it works with the other flashing tool as i've not used any.
changing product code on s60 to get different firmware versions invalidates your warranty, if they decide to do a check when you send it for repair and repair guy is a tosser, but sometimes they dont care its like a lotto but not worth the gamble.
so i'd expect them to go with same policy across all there devices

For a long time (until I logged a bug report to have to fixed) Nokia didn't provide the UK firmware on the tablets-dev site.. so for some time any UK user who re-flashed would now have the "wrong" firmware.. I hope this doesn't mean they all have invalidated their warranty!!

NSU might be able to do this with Symbian and S40 handsets, but I wonder if it does this with Maemo! Interesting

Besides, installing a different firmware (perhaps not even Maemo) using flasher doesn't require a product code change as debranding would nor does it require 3rd party or nokia internal software to do it..

I think there is a case for "you didn't make it difficult or say it was unauthorized" flasher-3.5 and all the firmware versions are available to all N900 users.. this is why I'd really like some Nokia official input! If it is bad, I'd refrain from suggesting it ever again!!

to change firmware version on NSU you have to use a tool to change product code before hand as its product code what determines what firmware gets pulled from server for you. i dont konw if theres such tool to change product code on maemo but if there is and you change NSU will log that change when connecting to servers to update

Well, as far as the forums are concerned I'm betting it's a undertrained forum cleanup person that doesn't really "get" Maemo so wouldn't take too much away from that.

I hope so! I think I'd hoped Maemo might leave some of the problems associated with firmware on S60 and other Nokia handsets for dust! It's never a good idea to upset a mod, but at the same time it's good to know the official stand on the matter!

Point is, NvyUs is right, you need nasty third party software.. or even worse Nokia internal software to change a product code on a regular handset..

But from the flasher help:
flasher-3.5 -h

-h, --hw-revision=ARG Specify product code and HW revision

It's an official public tool.. if using that would break the terms of the warranty, Nokia *REALLY* need to let people know less they ruin their warranty out of curiosity!

Your warranty only invalidates if you change the ProductCode of the device

That I can understand, that applies to all other handsets..

I'd never recommend changing the product code.. Thankfully flasher kind of removes the need to do so. Why else would you want to change it other than to get a different firmware?! Dunno...

Installing alternative firmware doesn't seem to care about product codes if using flasher..

If this rule applies to the N900 flasher should at least have a warning (using this option will void your warranty) It is fairly dangerous to provide an end user tool that voids a warranty without warning..

Maybe that should be raised as bug for flasher.. then again, they might take the functionality away for those who are already outside their warranty (like European buyers who bought from the USA)

Changing product codes... bad... changing firmware... also bad? dunno

HW revision != product code

As far as I'm aware there's only one product code for the N900 anyway.