Even more chat about Firmware Over The Air - here's a set of interesting videos featuring Mikko Kuusisto from Nokia's firmware group, talking about how NSU and FOTA came about and with some interesting titbits about automatic notification for users of new firmware. (via S-G)
Read on in the full article.
Thanks for the link, Steve. I think this is great, and couldn't come sooner. However, my only real concern is that this will be disabled by default, to prevent 'surprise' data charges. While that's very responsible, specifically to users in countries where mobile data isn't really accessible, it's going to seriously prevent this feature from becoming as big of a deal as it should/could be, no?
Maybe they could make the phone automatically check for updates only when the user is already using data?
I sure hope there's a way to disable automatic checking anyway, I'll update my phone as and when I want to.
Why not just ask the user if they want automatic updates or notifications when they first use the phone?
That's what most OSes do when they're first installed, and this is a very similar situation.
I sure hope there's a way to disable automatic checking anyway, I'll update my phone as and when I want to.
How would you know that you CAN update it if there's no notification of updates being available?
I agree no update should be forced on you, but surely it's okay just to let you know a new update is there if you want it?
The same way I've always found out about firmware updates... The internet...
I think people are over-reacting here... The article says automatic notifications, not automatic updates. I am sure update would be by approval of the user only...
Updates anyway do not come out that frequently. So automatically checking for available updates once a month should not take a hit on your data plan.
Plus, Nokia may use a different method altogether. When I bought my last phone, there was a pamplet in it that asked me to register at the MyNokia website where I also had to register my phone model with the IMEI, etc. I get regular smses from MyNokia now with tips and tricks for my specific phone model, since I registered it. So everytime a new update is available, Nokia may simply alert the user using an SMS, instead of a setting in the phone to check for updates using the data plan.
This is certainly the way forward, and I will look forward to this being implemented on other devices. I wonder if they could possibly get this working on the N95, and N82?
@Ricky:
Have a think about "countries where mobile data isn't really accessible" for a moment. I presume you mean developing countries. In actual fact, I think you'll find that developing countries' mobile coverage is way ahead of their PC ownership. In a developing country, you have a mobile device before you have a PC or Mac; a mobile device is your main computer. Having to use an internet-connected PC to do updates must be very annoying. In that sense, those people will benefit from FOTA more than you or I.
I just used FOTA feature on my N79 last week. Very small file ("delta file"😉 about 200kb's. One reboot, thats it. 😊
I'm amazed by Hih's comment. Seems that, at last, these firmware updates are tweaking only what needs tweaking and not replacing the whole operating system. I've always wondered why tethered updates need to be such huge downloads which, if interrupted, can brick your device. This seems now to be as it always should have been. Brilliant!
This has been discussed over on the Nokia forums for quite a while.
The N96 uses FOTA and it only downloads the files that are needed. It also retains all of your data.
@neilhoskins - that's a valid point. I was actually referring to India and parts of the African continent, where I have heard data is unruly. Granted, these firmware updates aren't massive files, but still.
In any case, that's often a response I hear from Nokians about why specific data-centric things aren't automated (such as why, apparently, the Podcasting application doesn't automatically resume downloads if they get interrupted), is to avoid using data without express permission.
Personally, I would *love* to see a setting somewhere that tells the phone to allow cellular data to any app that I install that needs it, without pestering me about it. I have unlimited, so I could care less.