What does brick really mean?

[Astrak]

Okay, so I've heard the term "This will brick your phone" now I'm a Motorola technician and when we say a radio has been bricked...it really means that without the radio system admins 512bit code your radio will never be unlocked. Is this the same with cell phones? So if you accidently flash a GSM ROM/Radio does that mean your cell phone attempts to connect to a GSM network without proper authorization and the reply from the tower/system tells it to go into brick mode or is it something that has more to do with a hardware error that can be recovered from rather than replacing the phone.

I haven't done this I heed all warnings, I was just wondering how it works.

[Laos101]

Brick is a literal term, it turns your device into a paperweight, AKA A brick.

Bricking a device goes beyond the actual components. You can brick ANY electrical device through MANY means. Bricking, in short often relates to some process that will often permanently destroy your device software-wise. It is often unrepairable except for that usual rare method that MAY save the device.

Bricking usually involves the firmware of a device and the very hidden memory that is often carried over through hard resets and such. Think of it like the "Brain" of your device. If it gets ever so slightly tampered with in the wrong way (such as a flash, which would be the equivalent of brain surgery here) it can be permanently damaged forever.

Trust me, you have NOTHING to worry about here, if you read ALL the documentation before hand, and ask simple questions around, you will not brick your device.

[Mutiny32]

It's the same for phones. Phones can also be bricked not by software upgrades gone bad or hardware failure; but as a result of being lost or stolen on certain carriers. On CDMA carriers, a phone can be bricked if it is stolen pretty easily, because most (the standard actually has a provision allowing the equivalent of a GSM SIM and is used by some South Korean carriers) CDMA phones have a ESN that is hard-wired to the device and thus can be blacklisted.

The origins of the term "brick" comes actually from the computer CMOS chip world. Due to the nature of CMOS and similar semiconductors; writing data to them can be very dangerous. If a data write goes bad for a myriad of reasons, the CMOS chip is essentially useless. Since most computers and complex electronics have some sort of CMOS-type semiconductor in them used as an essential piece, it's pretty much a fact of life.

So now you're stuck with a very expensive piece of useless equipment. Since computers, routers, phones, and most other electronics are square and usually relatively heavy, they are compared to the only thing you can do with heavy square objects other than make a wall out of them; use them as paperweights. And what is the best paperweight? A brick.

I just went waaaaay into this. Lol, my ADDHD-IA medicine makes me super analytical the first few minutes it kicks in. Just be glad I didn't try to explain this out loud, I could have made a History Channel monologue.

[Astrak]

I can thank you for that one, mutiny32, I completely understand where the term come's from and I know how it works on a public safety/business trunked radio system and I assume cellular works in a similar way as a trunked radio system. So I assume cell phones can be bricked the same way. I was just wondering if there was an in depth description.

[Mamastechno]

Thanks for the info...I am really "newbie" material here and have just started. I wanted to speed up my i760 and tether it. Got some great info but do some additional research prior to adding additional software/components.

[Weltschmer_Ze Vampdoll]

No analytic in this dystopia could have ever predict, conclude,etc. that a simple lil paragraph...{I just went waaaaay into this. Lol, my ADDHD-IA medicine makes me super analytical the first few minutes it kicks in. Just be glad I didn't try to explain this out loud, I could have made a History Channel monologue}...IS THE REASON I JOINED THIS SITE!
*sorry but I love meeting my Janus' in random places! * and btw MUTINY32 the explanation was great!