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SMIL(e) MMS GatewayVerizon-Compatible MMS Server [ v0.4.1 ](Please do not email the author with questions about your phone) What is the SMIL(e) Gateway? The SMIL(e) Gateway is an MMS server which receives, analyzes, extracts, and processes incoming MMS transmissions being sent via HTTP request (e.g through a web server). SMIL stands for Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (pronounced "smile"). A SMIL transmission contains a multimedia presentation, and is used as a wireless transport for many different mediums, including the MMS messages used by Verizon's Pix Place® service. The SMIL gateway listens for, then deciphers incoming multimedia data via HTTP transport. Features include:
Using an MMS Gateway In order to use an alternative MMS gateway from a mobile phone, it will be necessary to modify your handset to post MMS messages to an alternative destination. This is not possible on all phones, because many carriers have hard-coded the handset to deliver your media to their server only. A bit can be set on some handsets, however, to enable the editing of PIX profiles. The Motorola v710 and E815 are two phones that presently can be modded to allow the redirection of MMS messages. Click Here for instructions on reconfiguring your v710 (instructions are the same for E815). Please submit instructions to me if you should discover any other phones capable of custom PIX server profiles or a way to change the hard-coded MMS host. As of SMIL(e) GW v0.4, the correct response is now sent, so you should see a success message upon completion (thanks to SuperDaveX for getting the correct response packet information from the server). Disclaimer You may be violating the terms and conditions of your carrier's contract by using this software. Please consult your carrier's terms and conditions prior to using or downloading this software. The author will not be liable for any damages, expenses, fees or libel incurred in the modding of your mobile phone or use of the software or gateway. Author is not a lawyer and makes no claim to provide sound legal advice. USE ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK! Downloads SMIL(e) Gateway v0.4.1 [ smilgw.tar.gz ] License SMIL(e) GW is public domain. FAQ Q. Why did you write this? A. I wrote this for my own personal use to transfer pictures from my v710 after discovering that Verizon admittedly crippled the Bluetooth functionality of the handset in an attempt to force me into using their Pix Place® service. In all likelihood, this tool never would have been written if it weren't for Verizon's greed in the first place. This project shows that: A. Your pictures, messages, and data are not secure traveling over Verizon's network, as they are not encrypted. Clearly Verizon is not as concerned about the privacy of your data as they should be. B. In spite of Verizon's attempt to convince the public otherwise, Verizon is not providing a proprietary service that cannot be duplicated (SMIL is a standard format). C. This project provides a proof-of-concept that it is possible to transfer media and text wirelessly with the v710 directly to your PC. Now that I own an E815, which can be easily hacked to enable OBEX object transfer, I don't have much need for this except as an occasional "drop zone" or for relaying images via email. Q. Does this alternative prevent me from being charged 0.25 for sending a picture? A. It appears that way but we don't guarantee anything. The SMIL(e) gateway has been operational for almost a year, and nobody's complained of being charged by Verizon. Q. Is this illegal? A. Of course not. You are simply using someone else's picture delivery service instead of Verizon's - there is no law that says, "thou shalt use Verizon's Pix Place® Service". In fact, Verizon has made it possible to transfer pictures right on your handset by means of TransFlash, so we're not adding any functionality you don't already have, just making it more convenient for you. On top of this, Motorola are the ones who included this functionality on your handset, you're just unlocking it. It is your phone, and therefore up to you to decide whose service you trust to send photos and text to. It's not our fault Verizon/Motorola made the phones customizable so that you could specify your own servers, and if they were especially concerned about the privacy of your personal info, they would have used an encryption algorithm. Q. Does this violate the DMCA? A. This has nothing to do with the DMCA. It's not cracking any copy protection, all the software does is listen for standardized multimedia data to come in and parse it. It's a radio. Neither the software or its use is a violation, as you're transferring your own copyrighted works (namely, the pictures you take). It's a piece of software that you can download and use privately - that's it! Q. Is this a service? A. No. I just wrote the software. I have a demo site up that people are welcome to use for testing the software out, but I do not provide any service - only a fully functioning demo of my software. If you like what it does, you are encouraged to download it and use it on your own machine. My demo box deletes all pictures older than 2 days, so it's not much use as a repository. Q. Who else is doing this? A. Since writing the SMIL(e) GW, many others have ported to other languages including .NET and PHP. The folks at http://www.thepixplace.com/ have rewritten the gateway in PHP, and are providing a service-oriented solution. Pix Place is a registered trademark of Verizon Wireless Bell Atlantic Cellular Holdings, L.P. |
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