Phone software question

Gavin Watson wrote:Hi all,

1) What is the latest software version?
2) What improvements does it have?
3) Will this wipe the phone? If so, will a backup I do now work on the new software?
4) If I do it through Nokia Software Update, am I correct in thinking this will have no affect on my guarantee?
5) Anything else I need to look out for?

Thanks all.

1. V20 - with different slight variations accross regions and phone models

2. Loads of bug fixes, kinetic scrolling (like iphone) and album art on menus in music player, newer version of maps - its a big difference and worth doing

3. do it through Nokia update and its fine. If you deliberately debranded say from a Voda phone model it will still be ok via Nokia update - but if you take it to a nokia care point shop you may have a problem as by deliberately debranding you invalidate the warranty

4 correct

5 back up all your stuff with the ovi suite backup tool. generally only back up and restore contacts, messages, emails and such like - never settings as when you restore these it can cause probs with new operating system.
If adding new software always install to mass memeory or memory card if given the option.

anything on mass memory or memory cards should not be affected or deleted by the update - only the phone memory C: is changed.

Hope this helped

Just to add , if you were not aware, that you will need to download the latest version of Nokia's Software Updater ( approx 24mb ) from the Nokia website, ensure you have a full charged battery before starting the phone upgrade.

BTW - NSU is only available for Windoze - there is no Mac version.

Turtle, great info thanks, I did an update from the phone (*#0000#) but it only upgraded to v12.0.26

Notanbantam, yes, just discovered that if you do it this way it lets you upgrade to v20.

I'm just doing this right now, so fingeres crossed, I will still ahve a phone when its finished!!!!

Thanks for info and advice

OK, all went well, im now on V20 and so far cant tell the difference!

Phone refused to unlock first time I switched it on, which wasnt a good sign! But all seems OK now, time will tell I guess!

AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!

Man i�m starting to hate this phone!

Cancel my above statement, I hadn't realised that the phone wasn't actually working. Yes thats right, everything except making and receiving calls seemed to work.

I tried to make a call and was told 'not allowed'. I tried ringing it, it rang out (phone didnt ring)!!!

Spoke to Nokia and they asked me to give them the IMEI, I dialled in *#06# and it was blank!!!

Had to (much to my dismay) do a hard reset and lose all the info, just about to install the backup I did earlier...

Grrrrrrrrrrr. 😡:icon13:

Gavin Watson wrote:
Had to (much to my dismay) do a hard reset and lose all the info, just about to install the backup I did earlier...

Restoring a Nokia backup after FW upgrade almost always causes problems. Don't do it!
(instead, use PC/OVI suite to synchronise your contacts,etc, and re-install all apps manually).

Another wonder of N97 sentence/ownership. Luckily they don't have to release lot's of firmware updates to fix their bug ridden rubbish - oh wait they do. 😃

snoFlake wrote:Another wonder of N97 sentence/ownership. Luckily they don't have to release lot's of firmware updates to fix their bug ridden rubbish - oh wait they do. 😃

I bet you are glad you don't own a big ridden crashing Sony 12MP flagship (Satio?) which apparently cant take a decent picture. Nokia's no (much) worse than any other manufacturer in my view.

Dez, sorry, but I have to write a response to that...

The N97 is awful, and I really wanted it not to be, and still went ahead with getting one after all the reviews, thinking that people were exagerating the issues.

My (unbranded) N97 and Vodafone combintation is the worst experience I have ever had with mobile phones.

Im sure there are many people, like myself, that are Nokia (dare I say) 'fans', and I personally, have been with Nokia since the 101, previous to that I was on Motorola analogue only because it was the only one available on analogue.

In my opinion, they are cramming far too much technology into the phones (which I admit, we seem to be demanding) and they are failing all the time.

I don't mind the odd reset, but I have missed two important calls, one of them was a business opportunity and the second one, the unforgivable one, was a call to say that my son had had an accident. Both times the phone was on and in coverage. If we can't trust them for calls, what can we trust them for?

Maybe I should just buy a 5110 off Ebay and use that for calls, and use the N97 as an expensive toy to play with on the Internet (when Vodafones pretty useless network isn't congested).

Sorry, pretty unhappy user here...

Why would I care about the Satio's woes - the reason I got a Nokia was because of Sony Ericsson's inability to release a decent smartphone for the last 2 yrs. But have you noticed the SF^1 strand in these 2 poor phones. Heck I don't even need that smart a phone just decent web access. I don't care how smart it is, it just better work - 99-100% of the time. If I want unreliability I've got Microsoft for that. Of course I'd like to add my own bits and pieces but anything I add shouldn't be able to bork the phone.

Gavin

What have you done since the upgrade that went wrong? what version is it now? also is it a vodafone branded phone that has been debranded or an unbranded one on the vodaphone network?

Just asking because some of the problems might not be the 'phone' but the settings either of the phone or for the phone to get onto the network.

TurtlePower wrote:Gavin

What have you done since the upgrade that went wrong? what version is it now? also is it a vodafone branded phone that has been debranded or an unbranded one on the vodaphone network?

Just asking because some of the problems might not be the 'phone' but the settings either of the phone or for the phone to get onto the network.

Hi Turtle,

I did nothing since the upgrade but turn it on! Unresponsive first time it restarted, had to reboot (not a good start), then it wouldnt make or receive calls, called Nokia, they told me to factory reset it, not happy, then it turned out to be backing up the settings which the new version of software didnt like, so I had to manually do loads of stuff, not happy again.

It is now version v20.0.019

It was an unbranded phone which I use on Vodafone.

And it is a combination of phone/network.

I have also discovered that I also have a scratched lens now... How long before the GPS module needs replacing?

How Nokia have let me down on what is the equivalent of 500 pounds worth of phone... And they seem to be getting away with it. This is truly shocking.

Gavin Watson wrote:Dez, sorry, but I have to write a response to that...

The N97 is awful, and I really wanted it not to be, and still went ahead with getting one after all the reviews, thinking that people were exagerating the issues.

My (unbranded) N97 and Vodafone combintation is the worst experience I have ever had with mobile phones.

Hi Gavin,

Very sorry to hear you have had had such a terrible experience with your N97.
I don't work for Nokia or in any mobile related industry, so I can honestly say I don't suffer any of the problems you and other forum users describe.

My N97 was bought generic/sim-free with no network branding, and my first FW was V20, as I only bought it a few weeks ago.
Perhaps you are very unlucky, I am very lucky, Vodafone FW is more buggy than Generic, or some combination of all of the above?

Anyhow, I don't blame you for being fed up with your N97, but mine is reliable and fully functional at all times, so I just want to put my own experiences on record.

All the best, whatever handset you buy next. 😉

Dez

snoFlake wrote:Why would I care about the Satio's woes ...
... If I want unreliability I've got Microsoft for that...

Just to rub salt into the wound, I find Microsoft (XP & W7, Office 2007, etc) to be highly reliable.

I sometimes think half the problem with smartphone and PC reliability & stability problems is due to the dubious quality of hacked/self-signed/beta apps so many of us install on our phones and computers. I have about a dozen trusted and tested S60 apps on my N97, and maybe double that number of trusted PC utilities / apps on my PC. Both my PC and my Nokia smartphone are usually very reliable - because I don't regularly install & uninstall trialware, beta, cracked/self-signed, apps downloaded from dubious sources.

I do agree Nokia FW is usually very buggy for the first 3+ months after release of a new handset, but also I reckon Network branded FW variants (and the pre-loaded crApps they contain), contribute significantly to users experiencing unreliability & problems.

dez_borders wrote:Hi Gavin,

Very sorry to hear you have had had such a terrible experience with your N97.
I don't work for Nokia or in any mobile related industry, so I can honestly say I don't suffer any of the problems you and other forum users describe.

My N97 was bought generic/sim-free with no network branding, and my first FW was V20, as I only bought it a few weeks ago.
Perhaps you are very unlucky, I am very lucky, Vodafone FW is more buggy than Generic, or some combination of all of the above?

Anyhow, I don't blame you for being fed up with your N97, but mine is reliable and fully functional at all times, so I just want to put my own experiences on record.

All the best, whatever handset you buy next. 😉

Dez

Dez, I wish you all the best, but my phone also was OK for the first week or so, then it just started to get worse, same as you, mine was unbranded from Nokia, so no excuse for the buggy netowrk software... I hope that as happened with me, you dont start to notice this starting to go wrong until you end up like me, as annoyed as the rest of the users on here...

Good luck!

dez_borders wrote:Just to rub salt into the wound, I find Microsoft (XP & W7, Office 2007, etc) to be highly reliable.

Actually I agree (although Vista Stunk up the place a bit at first - interesting to note that XP and W7 were/are really just bug fixed variants of the previous incarnation or giant service packs).

The worrying thing for my N97 is that there are no Apps on it other than out of the box stuff and three Apps all purchased through OVI: Profimail, Sudoku, and IM+ (I know, my bro put it on) anyway I find it hard to believe any of them is likely to be at fault and as I say other than that it is all only as installed after the various Nokia firmware/software updates.

Good to hear yours has been so trouble free maybe when mine eventually gets out of repair there might be some hope for it - coz I'm locked into it now without taking massive pounding. I wish you all the best with it.

But for me the pleasure of ownership is well and truly gone. Not to be emotional they are just a tool but one I use every day. My W800 did everything and more I asked of it at time of purchase 4+yrs ago so even as it aged and there were newer models available I was always happy with my purchase and it even carried on matching many new models for several years. Every time I get the N97 out I think I'm going to feel a slight pang of regret and annoyance (and a mug) assuming I get anything done at all.