S710a + Unsigned Java Midlets = Frustration

I posted this message to the SonyEricsson forum at Cingular:

I'm in the process of writing a Java app for my phone, and I've also been trying to run a few free programs, such as midpSSH and GooglME. My S710a is giving me SecurityExceptions when these programs try to access network sockets or even send SMS.

I've come to understand that Cingular may have disabled access to these capabilities for unsigned java apps.

How can I bypass this security, so I can run my programs?

How can I install my own certificate authority, so I can sign my own midlets?

Or what's the cheapest way to get my apps signed? What about these other 3rd-party apps I'd like to use?

I upgraded from my T616 to get a socket implementation in J2ME, and in the process, I still can't access sockets and I've LOST access to SMS (for GooglME). I find this HIGHLY disappointing, and I'm really beginning to regret the purchase of this otherwise great phone.

I'm tempted to try getting it unlocked and unbranded just to see if it'll make those security restrictions go away.

Does anyone have any experiences, ideas, or leads on how to overcome this issue? Thanks.

Hopefully, someone will be able to help me out and make me happier to own this phone.

I've been reading elsewhere about signing MIDlets, and there seems to be many people who need to be able to do this. Are these security configurations really the norm these days? I'll have to go poking around Cingular's Developer site to see if I can learn an acceptable way to code and deploy fully functional J2ME applications.