Flash your P900 Firmware Now!!!

Yes, the connection is lost, too. Plus I have to manually check the "USB" checkbox in "Properties again".

But I was able to update my phone once (to R2B02), albeit on a different machine.

I'm going to take my docking station home and try there again. If it works, then, oh well...

Get me a technician and the source code, and I'll fix it 😃

The update worked at home. Why it didn't work in the office I'm not sure however.

I have an (up-to-date) Windows 2000 system in both places. The only differences I found:

- PC at home runs latest Java version (1.4.2_x)
- PC at home runs version 1.04 of the SE update software (I think PC at home runs 1.11 or so).

You can download the latest Java release at http://www.java.com.

latest java still doesnt work : (

Hi i have tried to upload the firmware, however, its stuck on the page that said "Please wait... Checking the installation of Sony Ericsson Update Service " for a long time with no sign of movement at all.

Its this consider normal?? If so, is there any other faster way to upload the firmware??

Thanks
😞

Not normal. Read the FAQ on the site. It does a good job at explaining how long the entire process should take. Best advice. Use another computer with fast connection and no hang-ups.

Originally posted by deeznutz
yes but you can't because sonyericsson does not support on-line updates with CDA162004/14. I don't know why and they won't help me either.

So does that mean i won't be able to upgrade my firmware??? 😞

That means you can ONLY upgrade your firmware at a service point and the online service will not be made available to your phone.

It means SE has decided not to support online firmware updates beyond the R1A05 as of right now. I don't know if this will ever change, but as of right now that is the only firmware you can get from the online update service using a P900 with the 162004/14 CDA. I have spent extensive time with SE support online, telephone, and developers forum to no avail. They are all clueless to this problem. You best bet is to get your phone re-flashed so that you can have a 162003/x CDA which will allow installation of the latest firmware via on-line updates. Good luck!

Originally posted by Ah-Kit
So does that mean i won't be able to upgrade my firmware??? 😞

Originally posted by deeznutz
You best bet is to get your phone re-flashed so that you can have a 162003/x CDA which will allow installation of the latest firmware via on-line updates. Good luck!

thanks for the info! 😊

but do you know where i can get my phone re-flashed to the 162003/x version????

TIA!!

Well you are getting into a sticky topic that has caused a major flame war here. But the BEST way to do this would be to go to a Authorised SE service center. If you are in the USA you are SOL until the phones are released and even then you maybe SOL. Where do you live?

Originally posted by Ah-Kit
thanks for the info! 😊

but do you know where i can get my phone re-flashed to the 162003/x version????

TIA!!

i'm from Canada.... I don't think the P900 is released in Canada yet either.....

😮 I guess i'll either have to wait or get someone to take it back to Hong Kong (where I got the phone) to get it reflashed for me then...

thanks again 😊

Originally posted by deeznutz
Well you are getting into a sticky topic that has caused a major flame war here. But the BEST way to do this would be to go to a Authorised SE service center. If you are in the USA you are SOL until the phones are released and even then you maybe SOL. Where do you live?

I am currently on 162004/14 CDA R1A05 ... is it possible if I go on the www.sonyericsson.com/updateservices/p900 website and try to flash it by typing in 162003/14 ??

Would it work or would it screw up my phone? ... .anyone tried ?

(typing in 162003/14 instead of 162004/14 @ sonyericsson's update website ...)

Cool -

The service actually verifies the information that you manually input. Therefore, you can not 'trick' it. You might want to read through this thread or use the search button for an explanation.

Bigfeat is right .. u cant trick it .. it automaticlly ... update the one u have on ur P900 :>

Originally posted by Hassan
I ran update on my orange p900 every think was ok i had a bluetooth problem that fixd aswell but orange start up mp4 is still there🙄

I purchased my P900 from Orange UK and am not able to upgrade my firmware using the SE update service. How did you manage? My firmware is:

Phone: CXC162022 R3B004
BT: CXC12529 R5D
Org: CXC162021 R1C01
CDA: CDA162004/3 R2B01

Is there a newer one after this? Having huge issues with my bluetooth headset. Very random in connecting!!
Thanks

Originally posted by vikast
I purchased my P900 from Orange UK and am not able to upgrade my firmware using the SE update service. How did you manage? My firmware is:

Phone: CXC162022 R3B004
BT: CXC12529 R5D
Org: CXC162021 R1C01
CDA: CDA162004/3 R2B01

Is there a newer one after this? Having huge issues with my bluetooth headset. Very random in connecting!!
Thanks

I got my P900 two days ago on Orange and I have the following

Phone: CXC162022 R3C006
BT: CXC12529 R5D
Org: CXC162021 R2C01
CDA: CDA162004/3 R4A01

I am also having some problems with my BT200 headset on my P900.

DiGRem2k

Originally posted by DiGRem2k
I got my P900 two days ago on Orange and I have the following

Phone: CXC162022 R3C006
BT: CXC12529 R5D
Org: CXC162021 R2C01
CDA: CDA162004/3 R4A01

I am also having some problems with my BT200 headset on my P900.

DiGRem2k

Thanks dude. So if the upgrade is not really going to solve the BT problem, I feel a little less bad about not being able to upgrade it online 😊.

I use a BT200 headset with R2B02 and everything works perfectly, as it did with the original firmware. I don't think the Bluetooth headset thing has anything to do with the firmware. There are far too many people out there having no problems at all with their headsets.

To me, it sounds more as if either a batch of P900's got out with a dodgy bluetooth chip or people just aren't setting them up correctly.

Anyone that has ever used bluetooth in any way knows that it it not the "plug n play", easy to use dream solution that it was made out to be and the P900's implementation seems particularly convaluted.

Once you have successfully paired the phone and headset, set the phone's Bluetooth to on and turn on the headset. Set the bluetooth prefered audio device to headset in the handsfree control panel and set answer mode to any key.

I wouldn't be so sure on that one Bassey;

There's a definite bug in the latest Bluetooth stack - R5D - the P900 is advertising it's device address as 11:11:11:50:11:11 instead of what it ought to be..

That means that a lot of devices (my iPaq, for example) will no longer work properly with the P900 😞

Some stuff still works OK (my Jabra headset), and other devices display a whole hoast of random behaviour..

There's another post around here somewhere which describes the problem - looks like the device ID was left incorrectly set as a 'test' ID.. D'oh..

[edit:
The post I was thinking of is here
[/edit]

Aaron

it looks like the bug is specific to Orange customers.

I just checked and the device ID I'm getting from my P900 is perfectly fine.

Originally posted by oferlaor
it looks like the bug is specific to Orange customers.

I just checked and the device ID I'm getting from my P900 is perfectly fine.

Mine to. I'm running the latest firmaware which includes Bluetooth R5D and am connecting to my Jabra BT200 headset, my PC with a D-Link bluetooth dongle and a 7650 - all without a problem. My P900 was a SIM Free from Expansys.

I must admit that I'd find it (selfishly) rather amusing if the problem IS limited to those who saved a fortune by getting their P900's on the cheap from Orange!

Originally posted by Bassey
Mine to. I'm running the latest firmaware which includes Bluetooth R5D and am connecting to my Jabra BT200 headset, my PC with a D-Link bluetooth dongle and a 7650 - all without a problem. My P900 was a SIM Free from Expansys.

I must admit that I'd find it (selfishly) rather amusing if the problem IS limited to those who saved a fortune by getting their P900's on the cheap from Orange!

Don't think it's limited to Orange phones only - a certain run of phones, perhaps, though..

Mine was SIM free from Expansys too, when they only had the German stock (i.e. I paid �650 - I don't call that cheap! 😉 )..

Phooey 😞

Looks like it's time for me to call SE UK, and beg for a replacement..

I don't think the BT connect issues are entirely dependent on the the 'BT' profile revision #. That profile serves a specific purpose which is a commonality in all BT enabled devices. The 'Organiser' does play a bit more specific role in how the P900 behaves with BT headset/devices. There is documention that could be found in the SE release notes (R2B02 release) that supports how changes in that profile revision has fixed known BT issues. It may have been done in the lastest release, but SE still has not released 'official' release notes. As far as getting what you pay for I do believe common issues shared by P900 owners should be resolved by the manufacturer despite the deals that one may have landed. I wouldn't say my (+) $1,500 USD (~ 800 + GBP) P900 was hicup free, but I don't think I have more of a right to complain about it then the next person. But then again, I really don't think most should make a big deal about it if they got it at a discounted price. I think everyone believes they paid 'a lot' for their P900 dispite the differences in price figures qouted on this board by various members. I guess it's all relative.

Here's a snapshot of the latest SE firmware upgrade for the P900. The upgrade is available online for selected phones. The only profiles affected in this upgrade are the Organiser and CDA. No official release notes are available for this upgrade. Primary things to look out for: Resolving BT connectivity issues, Security Gaps, etc. If any member notices any 'noticable' changes please feel free to list them.

'Applications' -> 'Edit' -> 'System Information'

Note: if the above information does NOT match what you see on your phone then you don't have the latest SE P900 firmware release.

Originally posted by Bigfeat
If any member notices any 'noticable' changes please feel free to list them.

Note: if the above information does NOT match what you see on your phone then you don't have the latest SE P900 firmware release.

Strangely, the only thing I've noticed is that, straight after the upgrade, I got the "Your phone has been rebooted in order to improve performance" message. I'd never had that before in nearly three months and three previous firmware's! But that was almost a week ago and it hasn't happened since.

I upgraded from the version immediately prior (only a month old, if that), and noticed no differences whatsoever!

(And my Bluetooth still doesn't work 😉 .. And SE's answer is 'Never heard of that before. If a firmware update doesn't fix it, there's nothing we can do'😉

Okay, now the funny thing is since the last 2-3 weeks, my HBH-60 is doing much better with my P900 (?????). Its still not 100% reliable, but it connects more often than it does not! Do these things have a running-in period or something? 😉

Of course, the HBH-60 is a lesson in poor usability design, but that's another discussion altogether. What I can't get over is that the headset runs out of battery mid-conversation without as much as a "by-your-leave" beep to alert the user. My guess is the SE WILL heed the feedback. But what they will probably design is a sophisticated mirror that lets you see when the light turns red while your headset is on your ear, instead of a simple audio alert. And then price it premium 😊!!

Hence the reason for the HBH-65. SE BT headset batteries do run short after a few months of use. That's why I ended up buying a pair of each SE BT headset. They are quite quirky. You might want to consider testing a BT headset from a different manufacturer. You'd be suprised how much better they fair with the P900.

I have a couple of friends who have the HBH-65, and to my best knowledge, there is no low battery audio alert on that either.

But you're right, I've been advising everyone to stay away from SE BT headsets. Any recommendations on which one is the best i.t.o. battery life, reliability & usability?

I suppose it depends on how much you want to spend. There has been lots good written about the Nextlink bluespoon digital on here, but that costs about �270 ($500) in the UK!

The Jabra BT200 is fantastically simple and - so far - 100% reliable. I couldn't comment on battery life though, I'm afraid. I'm a frequent, rather than heavy user. So mine spends a lot of time in it's charging cradle. It costs just under �40.