1. crazyyen's Avatar
    Is there a website with just sfi files I can download? As I want to try another one on my 9320 as my battery life is really poor
    07-29-13 03:17 PM
  2. Don_Henry's Avatar
    Is there a website with just sfi files I can download? As I want to try another one on my 9320 as my battery life is really poor
    No - you have to download the complete OSs to get all the sfi files you want, install all the OSs on your PC so you can extract the sfi files, and then un-install the full OSs from your PC (except the one you want to load to your device).

    Also note: you have to use sfi files that are specific to your 9320 - which means only download OSs that are for your 9320 from whichever carriers offer a build.

    Hope this helps . .

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk
    deezy87 likes this.
    07-29-13 07:42 PM
  3. bibbula's Avatar
    This is super duper off topic, but I thought I would post this question here, since a number of BB experts show up on this thread. Do you know if anyone has reverse engineered the BB Beta Zone's key generation? It's obviously dependent on your phone's PIN. I ask this because I'm considering switching devices, but BB Navigator isn't available for download from the Beta Zone anymore. I have a key from the Beta Zone for my current phone, but if I switch phones, bye bye BB Navigator. If someone were to reverse engineer their key generation, then I could have it for any device. Anyway, sorry for going off topic.
    07-29-13 11:33 PM
  4. crazyyen's Avatar
    Thanks Don_Henry I thought as much never mind and bibbula I hope this helps

    BlackBerry World - BlackBerry Navigator
    Sator likes this.
    07-30-13 12:16 AM
  5. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    Hey wout,

    Curious which .912 you are running - TMOB or Telstra? And how are you using 1033 sfi on your 9810 since 1033 is from a 9900 OS?

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk
    I'm using the Telstra OS but TMOB will run fine. I'm not sure if any COD's are different between the two of them but the SFI file is generally the most important bit.

    Tbacker explained it well:
    The sfi file (some call it the radio file but it's much more) contains essentially the core of the OS. It's the Blackberry kernel and the Java virtual machine (VM) that actually runs the programs. Think of it as similar to the Windows kernel. There's a version for each type of hardware, just like theres a Windows x86, 64 bit, embedded, etc. It interfaces directly with the hardware, runs the applications, and provides the means for applications to interact with the hardware of the device.

    COD files are multi-purpose containers that can hold programs, support data for programs, images, sounds, ringtones, etc.. The programs are run by the kernel / java VM contained in the sfi file. The applications interact with the user, hardware, network, and other applications by "talking" to the kernel. These are not just full applications like media player, the browser, etc., but little support apps like the keyboard GUI, launcher (Home), etc.

    The apps (from the CODs) will generally run on most kernels / VM's (from the sfi's), whether 9500 or 9530, as long as the app doesn't access a function that doesn't exist or is changed in the core (sfi). I believe the apps can only access hardware / be accessed by the hardware through the kernel.

    So upgrading the apps (CODs) without changing the kernel (sfi) will benefit those apps, but the core is the same. It may run better or worse because the apps are using the resources differently. It can have benefits when the apps improve, but can also cause problems if the apps call for new functionality that the old kernel doesn't have.

    The sfi can directly affect hardware performance (graphics, touch, click, radios, power use, etc) because it directly controls it. It can also benefit or detract from any apps running on top of it.

    The "Platform" version number refers to the sfi file - it is the platform that the rest of the OS operates on top of. The "Device Software" version refers to the supporting applications in the COD files.
    source: http://forums.crackberry.com/storm-o...xplain-210944/

    The 1033 was just a simple matter of downloading the latest OS for 9900, installing and extracting the SFI file from that install, deleting the SFI file from the 9810 OS file and replacing it with the 1033 SFI file.

    Apploader chews a bit longer on the process of upgrading the phone but everything works as smooth as butter and I average a battery drain rate of 1.2%/hr to 3.3%/hr. No dropped calls, or misfunctioning apps.

    I can recommend the .912 base with BL18 java, some serious shrinking and the 1033 SFI for a smooth 9810 experience.
    Kevin Lim likes this.
    07-30-13 03:13 AM
  6. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    No - you have to download the complete OSs to get all the sfi files you want, install all the OSs on your PC so you can extract the sfi files, and then un-install the full OSs from your PC (except the one you want to load to your device).

    Also note: you have to use sfi files that are specific to your 9320 - which means only download OSs that are for your 9320 from whichever carriers offer a build.

    Hope this helps . .

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk
    This isn't true.

    First of all, there's only one SFI file, the others are COD files or ALX files.
    Second, i'm running the 1033 SFI from the 9900 on my Torch 9810.

    The only thing you need in order to get a hybrid build is an install of the OS for your phone.
    Once that's in place you can freely change the java files with files from a hybrid, shrink your files and swap out your SFI.

    Caution is required though as not all SFI's will be compatible with either your version of your phone or the java files... see my previous post for a more detailed explanation about SFI and COD files.
    Last edited by wout000; 07-31-13 at 08:41 AM. Reason: spelling error
    07-30-13 03:19 AM
  7. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    This is super duper off topic, but I thought I would post this question here, since a number of BB experts show up on this thread. Do you know if anyone has reverse engineered the BB Beta Zone's key generation? It's obviously dependent on your phone's PIN. I ask this because I'm considering switching devices, but BB Navigator isn't available for download from the Beta Zone anymore. I have a key from the Beta Zone for my current phone, but if I switch phones, bye bye BB Navigator. If someone were to reverse engineer their key generation, then I could have it for any device. Anyway, sorry for going off topic.
    I don't think anyone has ever bothered looking in reverse engineering the key process of the Beta zone. You can always try and contact the Beta zone moderators of Blackberry directly and see if they can provide any support... Or take a trip to the UK and download it while there
    bibbula likes this.
    07-30-13 03:33 AM
  8. Kevin Lim's Avatar
    hey again folks. For those seeking better wifi locking and reception pls go into your saved profile and select ssid broadcasted and inter access handover then reset and see if things are better. I'm still testing but so far it seems better. btw this is for 9900 users but others can use it too.
    K1fox,
    Can you give us a simple steps please, thanks for sharing in this thread.
    07-30-13 04:30 AM
  9. josh74's Avatar
    This isn't true.

    First of all, there's only one SFI file, the others are COD files or ALX files.
    Second, i'm running the 1033 SFI from the 9900 on my Torch 9810.

    The only thing you need in order to get a hybrid build is an install of the OS for your phone.
    Once that's in place you can freely change the java files with files from a hybrid, shrink your files and swap out your SFI.

    Caution is required though as not all SFI's will be compatible with either your version of your phone or the java files... see my previous post for a more detailes explanation about SFI and COD files.
    So, is changing the SFI trial and error or is there a method to what will work and what wont? I know CDMA must use CDMA and GSM must use GSM but how do I know the latest for the 9930 will or wont work on my 9850?
    07-30-13 09:13 AM
  10. Sator's Avatar
    So, is changing the SFI trial and error or is there a method to what will work and what wont? I know CDMA must use CDMA and GSM must use GSM but how do I know the latest for the 9930 will or wont work on my 9850?
    I don't think 9850 sfi is swappable with 9930 sfi since 9850 is an all touch phones and 9930 is a qwerty and touch phones. If you're using 9930 with 9850 sfi you'll loose some of the features that 9930 sfi has. Personally I don't recommend you switching your sfi with other device's sfi, since you might end up with bricking your phones.

    Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2
    Legal Eagle, Kevin Lim and deezy87 like this.
    07-30-13 12:15 PM
  11. josh74's Avatar
    I don't think 9850 sfi is swappable with 9930 sfi since 9850 is an all touch phones and 9930 is a qwerty and touch phones. If you're using 9930 with 9850 sfi you'll loose some of the features that 9930 sfi has. Personally I don't recommend you switching your sfi with other device's sfi, since you might end up with bricking your phones.

    Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2
    Thanks Sator.
    07-30-13 12:43 PM
  12. bibbula's Avatar
    You can always try and contact the Beta zone moderators of Blackberry directly and see if they can provide any support...
    You know, I'm so used to everything being hacked around here (hybrids, unlocks, etc.) that this simple solution totally eluded me. Should I make the phone switch, I'll try contacting them. Thanks for the idea! But I have to say, if we reverse engineered the process ourselves, we wouldn't need no stinking moderators.
    07-30-13 06:16 PM
  13. k1fox's Avatar
    K1fox,
    Can you give us a simple steps please, thanks for sharing in this thread.
    Go into wifi network under manage connections, press menu key, then saved wifi networks, select your home network in which you are using and then you will see all the options for that network. Select what I said earlier, reboot, retry and report (back to me lol)
    Kevin Lim likes this.
    07-30-13 07:44 PM
  14. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    So, is changing the SFI trial and error or is there a method to what will work and what wont? I know CDMA must use CDMA and GSM must use GSM but how do I know the latest for the 9930 will or wont work on my 9850?
    Yes, read my previous post about SFI and COD distinction.

    I don't think 9850 sfi is swappable with 9930 sfi since 9850 is an all touch phones and 9930 is a qwerty and touch phones. If you're using 9930 with 9850 sfi you'll loose some of the features that 9930 sfi has. Personally I don't recommend you switching your sfi with other device's sfi, since you might end up with bricking your phones.

    Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2
    The 9850 SFI is in fact swappable with 9930 SFI but it won't run smoothly. Basically because the 9930 SFI will have options that are unnecessary for the 9850 not to mention whenever you pull up the virtual keyboard, a call to the 9930 SFI hardware keyboard will be made resulting in either a crash or malfunctioning of your phone or app.

    It's like only being able to use button A but asking to use button B.
    There are 3 possible scenarios
    1. Total phone crash and phone bricks
    2. Serious slowdown
    3. The call gets ignored due to a missing featureset and everything works as expected


    I haven't tested to see which of the 3 will actually happen, but I'm guessing number 2 to be more likely. That is if you are able to get that SFI on the phone. Sometimes it will just brick on install.
    07-31-13 04:19 AM
  15. Sator's Avatar
    Yes, read my previous post about SFI and COD distinction.



    The 9850 SFI is in fact swappable with 9930 SFI but it won't run smoothly. Basically because the 9930 SFI will have options that are unnecessary for the 9850 not to mention whenever you pull up the virtual keyboard, a call to the 9930 SFI hardware keyboard will be made resulting in either a crash or malfunctioning of your phone or app.

    It's like only being able to use button A but asking to use button B.
    There are 3 possible scenarios
    1. Total phone crash and phone bricks
    2. Serious slowdown
    3. The call gets ignored due to a missing featureset and everything works as expected


    I haven't tested to see which of the 3 will actually happen, but I'm guessing number 2 to be more likely. That is if you are able to get that SFI on the phone. Sometimes it will just brick on install.
    It's not woth it to do it with all the risk of nuking, stuck booting and bricking our phones. There is a safer way to achieve a better performance with swapping SFIs specifically made for our device.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Sator; 07-31-13 at 05:12 AM.
    07-31-13 04:51 AM
  16. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    It's not woth it to do it with all the risk of nuking, stuck booting and bricking our phones. There is a safer way to achieve a better performance with swapping SFIs specifically made for our device.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    I don't necessarily agree with you on that Sator. I don't want to try and profile myself as a guy who knows everything about it but the statement that using swapped SFI's specifically designed for your phone to improve performance doesn't totally hold up.

    I agree that staying with an SFI designed for your type of phone will be safer and will significantly reduce the risk of nuking a phone. However as quoted in some posts above, the SFI file contains in essence the core of the OS.
    It consists of the Blackberry base OS or Kernel and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) which is overlayed on top.
    The Java Virtual Machine version will never be the cause of an unexpected crash or bootloop cause it is in fact just an Interpreter layer that reads your COD's. Think of it as a car that with each "tuneup" (new version) runs smoother.
    It's the Kernel that is of interest to Hybrid builders and hybrid users, as it will be the Kernel updates that bring the biggest effect on performance.

    So why would I want to swap the SFI with a new one from another phone?
    Well, 2 reasons:
    1. updated JVM which will make apps run smoother and more efficient (bugfixes)
    2. new Kernel with a tweaked or added featureset


    Let's take the 912 SFI designed for the 9810 and the 1033 SFI designed for the 9900.
    There hasn't been a new OS for the 9810 in quite some time now while the 9900 gets frequent updates. This means bug fixes, new features, etc... for the popular 9900 while the 9810 is being pushed aside by BlackBerry cause they're putting their focus elsewhere (OS10, 9900,...).
    So BlackBerry is content with how the latest OS for the 9810 worked out and put development of that OS on a low burner. As a hybrid user this annoys me as I see other phones get regular updates while i'm sitting with the same OS all the time.

    1033 SFI vs 912 SFI
    The JVM will probably have been updated so we will benefit from this update (can be improved app execution, bug fixes, better memory management, etc...)
    The kernel will undoubtedly be updated with either bug fixes/new features/optimizations/...

    What the biggest issue is with swapping SFI files from other devices is the fact that sometimes a feature needed in 9810 might not be in the SFI from another BlackBerry phone. This will cause it to brick or behave unexpected.
    So far the 9900 SFI's work smoothly on the 9810 and I personally will keep swapping the SFI's until i brick my phone

    BIG NOTE: Using a different SFI with JAVA from a hybrid can negate the benefits of that hybrid.

    Explanation:
    A hybrid is essentially the art of taking certain COD files (newer versions or older versions) and making them perform optimally with the radio file (SFI). Hybrid builders test the hybrid with the SFI that's linked to your phone (so for the 9810 it will be SFI 912) this means that if you swap the SFI with one that's not linked to your phone, it's every man for himself from that point on as the Java mix and the custom SFI will not have been tested on your phone.
    Last edited by wout000; 07-31-13 at 05:53 AM.
    07-31-13 05:42 AM
  17. Sator's Avatar
    I don't necessarily agree with you on that Sator. I don't want to try and profile myself as a guy who knows everything about it but the statement that using swapped SFI's specifically designed for your phone to improve performance doesn't totally hold up.

    I agree that staying with an SFI designed for your type of phone will be safer and will significantly reduce the risk of nuking a phone. However as quoted in some posts above, the SFI file contains in essence the core of the OS.
    It consists of the Blackberry base OS or Kernel and the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) which is overlayed on top.
    The Java Virtual Machine version will never be the cause of an unexpected crash or bootloop cause it is in fact just an Interpreter layer that reads your COD's. Think of it as a car that with each "tuneup" (new version) runs smoother.
    It's the Kernel that is of interest to Hybrid builders and hybrid users, as it will be the Kernel updates that bring the biggest effect on performance.

    So why would I want to swap the SFI with a new one from another phone?
    Well, 2 reasons:
    1. updated JVM which will make apps run smoother and more efficient (bugfixes)
    2. new Kernel with a tweaked or added featureset


    Let's take the 912 SFI designed for the 9810 and the 1033 SFI designed for the 9900.
    There hasn't been a new OS for the 9810 in quite some time now while the 9900 gets frequent updates. This means bug fixes, new features, etc... for the popular 9900 while the 9810 is being pushed aside by BlackBerry cause they're putting their focus elsewhere (OS10, 9900,...).
    So BlackBerry is content with how the latest OS for the 9810 worked out and put development of that OS on a low burner. As a hybrid user this annoys me as I see other phones get regular updates while i'm sitting with the same OS all the time.

    1033 SFI vs 912 SFI
    The JVM will probably have been updated so we will benefit from this update (can be improved app execution, bug fixes, better memory management, etc...)
    The kernel will undoubtedly be updated with either bug fixes/new features/optimizations/...

    What the biggest issue is with swapping SFI files from other devices is the fact that sometimes a feature needed in 9810 might not be in the SFI from another BlackBerry phone. This will cause it to brick or behave unexpected.
    So far the 9900 SFI's work smoothly on the 9810 and I personally will keep swapping the SFI's until i brick my phone

    BIG NOTE: Using a different SFI with JAVA from a hybrid can negate the benefits of that hybrid.

    Explanation:
    A hybrid is essentially the art of taking certain COD files (newer versions or older versions) and making them perform optimally with the radio file (SFI). Hybrid builders test the hybrid with the SFI that's linked to your phone (so for the 9810 it will be SFI 912) this means that if you swap the SFI with one that's not linked to your phone, it's every man for himself from that point on as the Java mix and the custom SFI will not have been tested on your phone.
    Newer SFI or OS doesn't mean it's always better, that's why we see people downgrade their OSs to an older/lower OSs, SFI is also carrier dependent, for example Tmo .912 SFi maybe works great on your phone but not on mine or others, maybe mine is better with Telstra .912. and so on.

    Ofcourse you can do it at your own risk, but I have to warn my hybrids users that swapping SFI frm different type of phone is not recommended, if they brick their phones, there is no point of return...

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    07-31-13 06:30 AM
  18. anon(1464249)'s Avatar
    Newer SFI or OS doesn't mean it's always better, that's why we see people downgrade their OSs to an older/lower OSs, SFI is also carrier dependent, for example Tmo .912 SFi maybe works great on your phone but not on mine or others, maybe mine is better with Telstra .912. and so on.

    Ofcourse you can do it at your own risk, but I have to warn my hybrids users that swapping SFI frm different type of phone is not recommended, if they brick their phones, there is no point of return...

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    Exactly, a newer SFI doesn't always mean better performance. That's why swapping SFI's isn't recommended if you have no clue what you're actually doing. The carrier dependent SFI is because a carrier will have asked BlackBerry to include/block certain features (in the case of Tmo i think the wifi calling is in there while Telstra lacks that functionality) meaning depending on your phone it will run smoother/slower.

    I added the warning at the end of my post to specifically warn hybrid users that they must be cautious cause a bricked phone is a sad phone...
    Last edited by wout000; 07-31-13 at 11:31 AM.
    07-31-13 08:39 AM
  19. Sator's Avatar
    Exactly, a newer SFI doesn't always mean better performance. That's why swapping SFI's isn't recommended if you have no clue what you're actually doing. The carrier dependent SFI is because a carrier will have asked BlackBerry to include/block certain features (in the case of Tmo i think the wifi calling is in there while Telstra lacks that functionality) meaning depending on your phone it will run smoother/slower.

    I added the warning at the end of my post to specifically warn hybrid users that they most be cautious cause a bricked phone is a sad phone...
    Swapping sfi's is a trial and error, nobody knows the result until he/she tries it...lol, smothness, faster loading speed, faster UI depend on the hybrid java mix cods not the sfi, sfi is mostly responsible for the signal strength, wifi locking and languages files support, therefore we have different kind of sfis, fat and small sfis.

    Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2
    Last edited by Sator; 07-31-13 at 10:47 AM.
    07-31-13 09:42 AM
  20. sipple31's Avatar
    I am giving this a shot. Running the Verizon .991 base/sfi with the BL18 java. So far it's running excellent! Less than 24 hours in... 1.1% drain, 42% free mem. No lock-ups. Great signal. Smooth as butta. GPS locked much faster than when I was running the 1033 java. Thanks devs!
    Sator and Kevin Lim like this.
    07-31-13 02:15 PM
  21. EnriqueRv's Avatar
    Official 7.1.0.1033 OS for 9900 released by O2 UK can be downloaded here if anyone wants to try it.
    Must be the same os as the beta one, but you can give it a try if you want.
    Sator, Kevin Lim, JC61 and 2 others like this.
    07-31-13 04:00 PM
  22. drtiendiep's Avatar
    I am giving this a shot. Running the Verizon .991 base/sfi with the BL18 java. So far it's running excellent! Less than 24 hours in... 1.1% drain, 42% free mem. No lock-ups. Great signal. Smooth as butta. GPS locked much faster than when I was running the 1033 java. Thanks devs!
    What do you install Apps?
    07-31-13 06:28 PM
  23. sipple31's Avatar
    What do you install Apps?
    I'm sorry... what are you asking?
    08-01-13 07:14 AM
  24. Adam Benji Brookes's Avatar
    i loaded the BL18 java files to my 9320 last night..........
    i put the java files to 7.1.0.1011 vodafone uk (even tho my 9320 is virgin mobile uk ) and shrunk it down and loaded it
    done a couple of battery pulls after it loaded and it is running smoother than ever
    when i check the platform version it saying i am on 7.1.0.1033 which i have just read is for 9900.....
    it has made my 9320 rocket fast and battery life is 0.6% to 1.1% per hour usage

    this hybrid is wicked fast on boot up and so far everything is working fine

    Legal Eagle, clie610 and Kevin Lim like this.
    08-01-13 10:51 AM
  25. Sovereign17's Avatar
    Guys what the F is goin on here? What is hybrid ?Which one am I going to download? I have a BB 9900 with v.7.1.0.1033 which one am I gonna download? Damn CONFUSED :S
    08-01-13 12:51 PM
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