Related
Had the following response to o2 as a result of emailing them with a load of bugs in the XDA IIs a while ago. My email to them it still on the end of their response.
Hi Nigel,
Thanks for this detailed and comprehensive report.
Most of your observations relate to the core Microsoft OS or the integration of the WIFI software, and we will pass them on to the right groups.
In response to some of your comments:
- When will O2 be releasing the firmware update that HTC have already made available to resellers?
* A new ROM image is planned for release in the next few months. We cannot advise a specific date at this time.
- Will this update fix the bluetooth issues
* We are looking to include a new version of the Bluetooth software from the Vendor, Broadcom.
- Will this update include mobile media player 10 as recently made available to integrators by MS
* WMP10 is planned for a later release of the software, later in 2005
- Have any of the hardware faults above been fixed on later units, have you managed a software work-around for the microphone issues?
* O2 reviews all customer feedback with it's supplier, and changes to device manufacture are made from time to time. We cannot comment on what changes are made or when, but we are aware of your observations and are actively discussing with our vendor.
Regarding the yellow screen: our experience is that if Cleartype is enabled, this will significantly affect the quality of the screen display. Please disable cleartype if it is enabled. If the screen is still visibly yellow then you should discuss returning the unit for repair under warranty with your service provider.
thanks,
O2 Product Management
-----Original Message-----
From: Nigel Webber [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 04 January 2005 11:54
To: [email protected]
Subject: List of issues discovered on O2 XDA IIs
Hi
Having owned an O2 XDA IIs for 6 weeks now, I have discovered a huge number of bugs - its actually the most buggy product I have ever purchaced, and I do buy alot of gadgets. I am a programmer by trade, so you can rest assured that these issues are genuine and not 'finger trouble' on the part of the user.
Anyway, I suspect MS/HTC have fixed most of these by now, I note that both QTEK and IMATE have released firmware updates based on new firmware from HTC for the Blue Angel. We are yet to see the same from O2.
Connectivity Problems
---------------------------------
Add a new profile to connection manager and then add a 'modem' to that connection. Go and fiddle elsewhere for a while. Often when you come back to change the settings for that connection the 'modem' has dissapeared. (its still there, a soft reset will cause it to re-appear).
Skype does not work with the XDA IIs. This is not a skype issue, but rather an issue with the WiFi implementation on the XDA IIs. Using skype with the XDA IIs (more than 10 metres from your AP) will cause the XDA IIs to drop the connection, and worse still, the WiFi system on the 2s locks up completely requiring a soft reset. No app should be able to cause WiFi to crash like this! This is fully repeatable on Skype versions 1.00.14 and 1.00.20 (latest).
Often, after setting connection manager to always use certain profiles, and then encountering a problem, you head into connection manager and find that your selections never stuck
VPN connections do not always stick when set, they dissapear from the menu (aka the modem settings)
I have tried for ages and failed to make a VPN connection over anything GPRS, WiFi etc. VPN was one of the reasons that I bought the device (access to home and work networks), but it just does not work. Additionally, the instructions with the unit offer no help about how to get it working. Perhaps O2 can offer an FAQ on this feature.
IMAP support is very very bad. Its quite common for an IMAP server to not store mail folders in the root. In decent clients you can specify the root imap folder, not in pocket outlook, it ends up pulling the entire dir struct from your home dir!! I rebuilt the imap daemon on my linux box to compile in a default root folder. This solved the previous problem, but the imap support is not suitable for use away from wifi cause its so damned slow. It does not just look for new messages, and there is no way to tell it to do this. Also, when you send an item it ends up in the default sent items, not the imap sent items. Imho, the main reason to use imap is to keep your emails intact (be able to see what you sent from the mobile device from a desktop). I realise that this is an MS issue, but its pretty naff. (Outlook 2K3 on the desktop has the same issue re sent items btw, but at least that supports rules so you can put it right.)
MS wrote pocket outlook for connecting to an exchange server, which, I suspect only 50% of the devices purchaced will ever do. Pocket Oulook *always* starts pointing at the exchange folder structure, not your POP3/IMAP account, and there is no way to config this. Unessesary taps required. Why can I not DELETE the default exchange folders if I dont need them? I have a work-around for this, perhaps O2 should FAQ it. Changing the shortcut for outlook in the appbuttons folder makes the outlook button on the device start outlook in a user specified mail folder. Just change the shortcut to: 19#"\Windows\tmail.exe" -service "ServiceName"
Sending/recieving MMS messages is unrelable. I seem to have to go into the connections manager and manually select 'MMS Network' in the Work and Internet sections, then I can send/recieve MMS messages. After this, I then have to reset Network Connections to what they were before. MMS should automatically select MMS network when the user is sending/recieving an MMS message and automatically put the original setting back afterwards. There is an option in pocket outlook asking the user which connection to use. This is set to MMS network, but it keeps asking for a password all the time, and fails to remember the password when told, and fails to retrieve the MMS message. To get MMS to work, I have to manually select MMS network in the Connections Manager.
WiFi
-----
WiFi Reception is **attrocious** my laptop will tell me that I have a full signal and the XDA IIs will barely register when at the same location. Even holding the 2s 1 ft from the AP does not cause the signal indicator to go past 40%. I have tried the unit with several AP's all with the same result. Did someone forget to fit a WiFi patch antenna on the Blue Angel??!
Refuses to connect to a network that is not broadcasting the SSID. In general, when you want to add a new box, you can set AP to broadcast SSID, it will then find the network, after it has connected, you can hide the SSID. For future connections from 'pre-registered' boxes, no SSID is required. Not so for the XDA IIs, refuses to connect to a base station that is not broadcasting an SSID, or in some cases, creates a new connection with the name "" (i.e nothing) (which again refuses to connect).
Right, now, if you have 2 wifi networks listed in PPC settings, it will sometimes sit there for ever failing to connect, do a soft reset and it connects.
Another one: you have two connections in the 'configure wireless networks' dialogue, one is 'connecting' other is 'unavailable'. The one that is connecting is obviously not gonna connect despite 100% correct settings, so I select 'remove' it does not dissapear!!! If I had written this software, the user would see a dialogue box thus 'This network is connecting/connected, are you sure you wish to remove its settings?' Selecting yes, would either terminate the connection attempt, or terminate the connection and then remove the damned setting with no further agro!
In network settings, I often get some *stupid* status info. It sometimes says that my home network is 'available' or 'connected' when I am at work, and that the AP thats 3 ft away is 'unavailable' Clearly it isn't, wifi does not travel 10 miles! Soft reset solves (it connects to the AP thats 3 ft away).
Sometimes, when Wlan is disabled, and I enable it, it stays disabled. i,e I try and re-enable it and the tick has dissapeared again. This continues until I give up and soft reset the device. This seems to happen more when there are two networks present, and more still when the disable WLan after X mins of inactivity option is used.
BlueTooth
---------------
When you use bluetooth, for network access, all the stuff in connection manager gets reset. If this needs to be changed to facilitate bluetooth network access then I would expect it to return to the old settings once the BT Network access session was ended.
Sometimes bluetooth fails to start complaining about insufficient driver space. I write windows KMD's all the time, I suspect its somet daft like a lack of available stack space, or stack recursion. Soft reset cures
Also, sometimes when I try to start bluetooth, I get a daft message saying that the licence for the bluetooth stack has expired!!! It then starts BT and all is OK.
Most usefull application of bluetooth is the headset. Unfortunately, no headsets work with the XDA IIs. It says it supports bluetooth, but it does not. When will this be fixed and will O2 be releasing a bluetooth stand-alone patch like Imate have?
Applications
------------------
The bundled O2 active stuff is very flaky. Take the end programs applet - it often crashes its self while trying to force an app that is 'not responding' to stop. The built in 'stop app' applet (which they burried in settings) seems to work but...
- If you reconfig your shortcuts (so you can find stuff!) Then the applets 'camera' and 'O2' always seem to copy themselves back out into the root of StartMenu-->Programs again. *why?*
Go into the find applet and get it to do a search that takes some time. Wait for it to get going and then click stop. PDA hangs. It does come back eventually (2-3 mins later), but remains sluggish until you do a soft reset. Trying to suspend while its hung just switches the backlight off!
There are a load more issues as well... I currently do around 10 soft resets/day. My basis is that a wait of more than 10 secs means that the device has crashed. Perhaps if I was willing to wait 5 mins all the time for it to get its arse into gear then the number of soft resets could be reduced!
Hardware Issues
------------------------
Microphone: No one can hear a word I say to them on the phone. This is especially bad with the built in microphone, but also present with the supplied headset. Is this a hardware/software issue? do I need to return my unit to be exchanged for one with a working microphone?
Keyboard slider mechanism: This gets progressively looser until it starts flopping around. Has this issue been solved on later units?
Yellow screen: The screen takes on a yellow hue when view off angle (by say 10 deg). XDA II did not suffer from this problem. Is there a fault with the LCD on the 2s?
Questions
---------------
Since my device is basically a door stop due to the huge number of issues above, I have some questions:
- When will O2 be releasing the firmware update that HTC have already made available to resellers?
- Will this update fix the bluetooth issues
- Will this update include mobile media player 10 as recently made available to integrators by MS
- Have any of the hardware faults above been fixed on later units, have you managed a software work-around for the microphone issues?
If you require any more info on the above problems, let me know. The XDA IIs could be a decent unit, there aint ought else like it which is why I am documenting my problems rather than buying a competitors product. I would like to see these issues fixed.
Regards
Nigel Webber
If you're a chewin' the fat fan, you'll know what I mean when I say I'm taking a seriously big sniff and there's a hint of something in the air.
Sounds to me like they really are just fobbing us off with standard responses and aren't taking complaints seriously.
* O2 reviews all customer feedback with it's supplier, and changes to device manufacture are made from time to time. We cannot comment on what changes are made or when, but we are aware of your observations and are actively discussing with our vendor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well thats just pish isnt it?
We cannot comment? Why not? Is it because they would have to acknowledge the product has gone to market well before it should have?
The least they can say is that they have gone to HTC with the list, and what HTC are planning on doing about it.
This is what I got:
Hello,
Thank you for yoru email,
Unfortunatley we don't have any dates at present for an upgraded
Bluetooth stack, we are aware of issues with it and are pushing our
products group for an update or at least a timescale.
I will keep this mail, and as soon as any information is released, we
will let you know.
Regards,
Paul
O2 Data Support UK
-----Original Message-----
Sent: 12 January 2005 01:03
To: O2 Data Support (UK)
Subject: XDAIIs Rom Upgrade timetable
Hi
Have you guys got a timetable for rolling out an upgraded ROM for the
XDA IIs?
I'm having quite a few complaints from callers saying they cant really
hear me well and bluetooth isnt working particularly well either.
From what I've read on the web, this is a known fault with the default
ROM version included as standard.
Also, i'm interested in the Blackberry functionality once it becomes
available, but at present, I'd settle for a handset thats not annoying
colleagues and customers.
Thanks
Darren
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to seem too critical (after all, if you're really having to reset 6-10 times a day you must be on the verge of killing someone by now) but a lot of the issues you list aren't bugs, they're useability issues. Someone working in a customer complaints department (wouldn't wish it on anyone) is going to take a lookat the list and dismiss most of it as whining because you present personal gripes and subjective observations as bona-fide bugs. It is very tempting when angry to try to oversell parts of a long list of complaints, but this just gives the recipient amo to dismiss the lot.
I also think you should get your unit replaced with a new one ASAP. So few people are having the problems you describe, particularly surrounding the WiFi signal strength and screen, that you do seem to have a barely working unit!
You do have my complete sympathies. To spend so much money on something that SHOULD be as near as dammit perfect, only to end up with a damp squid is hugely frustrating (it has happened to me a couple of times).
I agree, most of this list is not bugs that anyone has. Some are even limitations of the operating system.
If you are soft resetting 6-10 times a day you should hard reset your device because it is 3rd party software, do not restore from backup, do not install software and see how it is. If you still have to reset your xda is defective and its time to send it back!
I would agree with some points mostly that bluetooth is a mess and needs to be fixed, the o2 bt patch resolves the connection issues but there still is static issues! But this is not exclusive to the XDA iis but all blue angels. The siemens model SX66 has no update at all!!!
Oh remember when we had our xda II & imates and wanted to dump the microsoft BT stack and would do anything for the widcomm stack. LOL we sure got what we wished for. Bet most of us would go back if we could.
Indeed, got it all of my chest in one go! Trouble is, with PDA's your only point of contact is with your reseller. I dont have a way of contacting HTC, Broadcom, MS separately as I would if this were a PC with faults in several manufacturers programs/hardware.
I am indeed, not expecting the likes of the mail/imap issues to be addressed for the blue angel, I would like to have some mechanism to tell MS where they are going wrong from me (the user's) point of view.
If we have no mechanism to provide feedback then we just end up with half baked kit in the next iteration as well. Perhaps this is why Windows Mobile 2005 will be the 6th? release of what was originally called windows CE, and why 'CE' is now on its third name? And I still doubt whether they will have got it right!
Nigel
I suspect that I just expect too much!!
Its not third party software cause I have hard reset the device, and installed nothing and I still have to do regular soft resets. I doubt very much whether it is a hardware issue either, and all XDA IIs devices have the same firmware. Most of the time, my soft resets are done to pursuade said device to see the wifi ap thats 2ft from it. I regularly use three different AP's in three different locations. I suspect that this is not the case for most people.
I am also very impatient (a device such as this should be quicker than I am!) The PPC OS suffers from 'pregnant pauses' where the whole thing appears to lock up. If they last longer than 30 secs then I am likely to get bored waiting and do a soft reset. Give me a 3GHz PDA with a 10 hour battery life!
My mate is getting one soon, so I will compare his with mine and return mine if the issues have been fixed. I'd hate to return mine and end up with one thats even worse ;-)
Nigel
veletron said:
MS wrote pocket outlook for connecting to an exchange server, which, I suspect only 50% of the devices purchaced will ever do. Pocket Oulook *always* starts pointing at the exchange folder structure, not your POP3/IMAP account, and there is no way to config this. Unessesary taps required. Why can I not DELETE the default exchange folders if I dont need them? I have a work-around for this, perhaps O2 should FAQ it. Changing the shortcut for outlook in the appbuttons folder makes the outlook button on the device start outlook in a user specified mail folder. Just change the shortcut to: 19#"\Windows\tmail.exe" -service "ServiceName"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you explain this workaround a bit more. Are you just changing the name of the shortcut within \windows\appbuttons or is this some sort of programing? Sorry if I'm missing something obvious but I'd really like to get this one working.
Thanks, JD
@jdee246
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=13755&highlight=
I agree with Nigel on the issues with the XDA2s some i have not seen because i dont use it to its full. I also rest probly 5-10 times a day. I got my first XDA2s on 5th November i am now on my 5th one and in a few days i will be changing for a new one. I simply ring them and go over the list of faults, and then remind them that the device they send me will be no better than the one i have and i will be calling again soon to change it. They told me as long as its less that 28 days since the last one was sent to me it can be changed. So i will keep swoping it for new ones until they get me a working one ( we know this will never happen) but at least the new ones dont slide open on there one when you pick it up for a couple of weeks. So i asume i will contine to do this untill the XDA2i is released then i return the current XDA2s (probley number 20 by then) and do a up grade to the new XDA2i
veletron said:
@jdee246
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=13755&highlight=
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Veletron. That worked like a charm. Thats been hacking me off for ages.
JD
@applecom
How long does O2 take to send you a new unit, and whats this 28 days thing? Surley if its faulty then they are obliged to sort it as long as its within the 1 yr guarantee.
You are saying that apart from the keyboard not sliding open, the new ones are no better? If thats the case then there is no point in my sending mine back cause I'll get one with the same problems.
My screen is only yellow when viewing the unit from an angle, and the keyboard does not fall open (although it is very sloppy).
Any idea if the wifi reception is better on the later units that you have had?
Nigel
XDA IIs Customer Services Response
Hi
As an addition to this subject I contacted the company I bought my XDA from re the poor microphone issue and they asked if I had read up on the issue via any support websites as they (she) did not think the issue had been resolved and I wouldn't gain by receiving a new product.
I agreed that I didn't think it possible yet but wanted to keep within the 28 day replacement window for as when they did.
The response was to:
A) Open up the 28 day replacement window on this problem for a further 3 months and
B) State that if a fix was forthcoming then a recall would take place and I would get a replcement anyway.
On this basis I decided to hold for the moment to see what happens.
In all maybe an easy solution for them but it suits me for the moment! :wink:
veletron
The 28 day window is for an immediate (a few days?) replacement
with a new unit, after this period your unit is taken away for repair with no replacement and no estimate of when it will be returned/replaced.
pvb
they replace it same day, I recieve it by courier the next day and give them my old XDA2s, some times i do a restore from a backup and some i reinstall my software from fresh. But no they are all the same i am hopeing for one that has newer rom and thus might work correctley
Agree with all the problems above, the few that really frustrate me are...
- Floppy keyboard slide, should latch back in?
- Hands Free needs to be louder, could someone build a preamp util?
- Annoying that picture contacts seems to be a separate app to regular contacts?!
- Still slow, thought the faster CPU would mean no delays!!
Cheers, Ash
XDA IIs Battery issue
I have just upgraded from an XDA II to a IIs and other than the normal unlock problem I have just brought a second battery, when I changed the batteries the unit did a hard reset, I thought this was because the new battery was fully discharged.
I did some further testing and found that when ever you remove the battery and replace it the unit does a hard reset (all batteries are fully charged).
Any comments or do I have a unique unit?
Hello to you all.
I have just read all the above with great interest as I am seriously thinking of buying an XDAIIs this week. I will be moving from a Treo 600.
I am very concerned about all the problem you seem to be having and I am starting to think that buying one may not be the best idea. The other phone I am looking at is the Nokia 9500. I already have an HP 4150 and so I really dont need all that the XDA IIs has to offer.
I would be interested in hearing peoples comments on the phone to help me make my mind up. I do have to say that when the Treo came out loads people reported a lot of problems but I had mine for a year and it worked perfectly for 10 months then the screen gave up. It appears that nearly all these "Smart/PDA" style phone have teething problems that are mostly down to the product being shipped before it is really ready.
What do people think? Should I take the plunge?
All the best.
Raymond
XDAIIs Battery Issue
I have two batteries and swap them regularly. Your backup battery is either not charged or faulty if the unit hard-resets when you swap them - I think a warranty claim is likely.
I saw a post on here about the progs in the windows/startup folder. Someone mentioned that removing the "connections" executable file had made their XDA more stable. It seems to be the exe that places the O2 icon on the task bar at the top of the screen.
I tried just that...moved the file out of startup to a temp backup folder and did a soft reset.
That was a couple of days ago and I haven't had to reset since Previously I was having to reset 3 or 4 times a day just through very light use!
Thanks for the suggestion Wilesd
Hmm not sure what .exe you are talking about in the windows\StartUp folder.
All I have there are:
Code:
aPerSaveStark.lnk
Camera_Detect.lnk
CheckAutoRun.lnk
ChgDfLnk.lnk
cPerSaveStar.lnk
IA_Caller_ID.lnk
nPerSaveStar.lnk
O2 Connect.lnk
poutlook.lnk
RegNotify.exe
Run_BTTrayCE_10.lnk
Spb GPRS Notify.lnk
STK.lnk
tPerSaveStar.lnk
As you can see.. The only .exe I have is the RegNotify.exe.
The closest that I get to O2 is the O2 Connect.lnk shortcut..
Is that the one you moved?
I don't have the "02 Connect" link in my startup. The file I moved was called "Connections". I can't see on my pda what the file extension is so I don't know if it was a .lnk or a .exe. The mention in the previous post I got the info from was that it was an executable though.
THIS is the post I saw it in.
Maybe it's a country specific thing ?
After all the crashing I was getting with the 1.31 ROM and O2 Active which I never used I decided to do the Corporate install that does not put on the O2 Active rubbish. My phone has not crashed since before I was getting at least 4-5 lockups a day!
Glad I could help, anyway I had to hard reset mine after i installed some dodgy camera upgrade Cab file so decided to give the "Corporate" option ago this time, just select Corporate during the Boot up and type 0506 when it asks for a corporate code.
No looking back now, basically you get a clean WM2003SE install without ANY O2 rubbish but all the GPRS configs etc.. intact. I have not had to do a single reset since.
Recommend this method to any fed up with the O2 active stuff screwing up your IIs. I can honestly say I can't fault the device now.
Thanks for the info guys.
I been holding back from doing the ROM update on my XDAIIs due to everyone saying they have to keep sot reseting their device.
I've just removed the connections.exe from startup folder on my existing setup - make sure i'm happy to carry on without the O2 icon at the top.
Will let you know how I get on.
Thanks again.
Great I shall try this tomorrow.
I've been getting regular crashes on my XDA 2s since I upgraded to the latest ROM.
D
Thanks, removed the O2 connections as suggested 2 days ago and have not needed to reset since.
Was having to reset 2 or 3 times a day since I'd upgraded.
difference between corporate and personal
Whats the difference between corporate and personal mode?
Corporate mode basically doesnt install O2 Active at all so you're left with the default windows screen (presumably so you could customise with your own corporate guff)
numanoids said:
Corporate mode basically doesnt install O2 Active at all so you're left with the default windows screen (presumably so you could customise with your own corporate guff)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks and what do you mean "0506" as corporate code?
thanks ...yellow screen?
thanks guys the corp version seems to do the trick, look very stable now. who need o2 crap. however i can't fail that notice that the screen is slightly yellow from certain angles. it look whitish when you are right in front of it but from any other angle it looks yellowish...anyone else with similar screens? don't remember this to be the case with my previous trusted xda 2...it's a nice device though...
yanni
It seems to be a thing with the latest XDA2 "s" and "i" models as it didn't happen on the original XDA2. I did read that the original had Sony screens but the newer ones are made by someone else.
Regardless of this minor inconvenience, I do think the new screens are much brighter that the previous ones...Just my opinion of course :roll:
It seems to be a thing with the latest XDA2 "s" and "i" models as it didn't happen on the original XDA2. I did read that the original had Sony screens but the newer ones are made by someone else.
Regardless of this minor inconvenience, I do think the new screens are much brighter that the previous ones...Just my opinion of course :roll:
increase brightness levels
yes they are brighter indeed...also, the xda2s by default reduces the light of the screen to conserve power when used on a battery...if you fix this the yellowish feel goes almost away...why can't they get their sceens right, same probs with bloody apple products, don't they understand that their screen are the most important interface with their devices...
y
connections.exe in start up
I removed the connections as advised in my XDA IIs and yes it did improve the stability, but after several days I found that even though the PDA was working well the phone would not work properly, either the phone would lock or it would not dial out, or you would answer a call but the caller could not be heard. On two occasions my blue tooth connection was lost. though this only happened on the first day. This was solved by a soft reset. So I have come to the conclusion that yes connections is the trigger but also it dose serve some purpose. I am therefore going to use the corporate mode which seems to be a common solution on many forum topic subjects. I hope this feedback helps others.
I have only just got an XDA2s & noticed that I was resetting 5 or more times per day. I have now removed connections.exe from the startup folder and also removed all references to O2 Active from the Today program and the Start Menus
I'll post results in a few days
Re: connections.exe in start up
fvau72 said:
I removed the connections as advised in my XDA IIs and yes it did improve the stability, but after several days I found that even though the PDA was working well the phone would not work properly, either the phone would lock or it would not dial out, or you would answer a call but the caller could not be heard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried corporate mode with removed connections.exe and installed beta of the new today screen.
I have noticed an issue with losing connections too, and your comment about not hearing caller reminds me that happened to me but I thought nothing of it at the time.
I have noticed a bit of a pattern to the not dialling out issue
Basically if the phone loses all connection for a while (not sure how long) then it seems to not get it back when you get to an area you can receive. A soft reset sorts this out.
But this is highly annoying for me, I live in London and go to work on the underground (subway to you yanks) and when I come out if I forget to reset my BA it will not receive calls or dial out.
XDA IIs Stability
What ROM version or versions are you all using?
I'm also having to reset my XDA a couple of times of day and would like to improve on the stability of the device. I've looked in my \Windows\startup and have various links (one is O2 Connect) and two executables (CommLoader.exe and RegNotify.exe).
Also, when I have had to do a hard re-set I have never gotten the option of 'Corporate or Personal'. Probably because of different ROM versions.
Also have any of you experienced problems with the Bluetooth no starting because of low memory on a regular basis?
Do any of you have an O2 XDA IIs from Asia?
Thanks
No resets in 3 days now I've removed connections.exe & stop using O2 Active UI Not using corporate mode though - I'm not brave enough yet to try upgrading my ROM
I just had to have my old xdaII replaced with the XDAIIS. Im not sure this is a good thing. I felt a better replacement would have been the XDAIIi , but the insurance wouldn't go for it. After getting it, I found it to be better than expected. I didn't like the keyboard feature at first and still havn't used it. I can say it does have a pretty blue lighted keypad, which I will probably never use.
What I don't like is the fact it locks up 5 to 10 times a day and has to be reset.. There seems to be no reson for this. I do use the old xdaII case, which might come in contact with some of the buttons ( not sure) probably not. I have ordered a new hard case that is made for this pda, in hopes this will solve the problem.
Has anyone else had this lockup problem???
Dave
David Vinyard said:
I just had to have my old xdaII replaced with the XDAIIS.
<snip>
Has anyone else had this lockup problem???
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you loaded any other apps or today screen plugins etc?
Is it a vanilla device that is just locking up?
You'll get lots of people teeling you it's the O2 software - but mine works fine with it running.
I had exactly the same problem. The device would usually hang while I was using Wi-Fi or GPRS, and I'd have to reset at least 3 or 4 times a day.
The o2 active software constantly monitors the status of these types of connections, and is most likely the culprit. Believe me, you are much better off without it.
After removing the o2 software I've not had to reset device at all. Just disable the o2aui today plugin by unticking the item in the Today settings dialog. You'll also need to delete the shortcut called Connections in the \Windows\StartUp folder.
Let us know if this helps with the lock-ups.
-no1
how to remove the O2 software.
thanks very much
I have an MDAIII Purchased from T-Mobile in Germany.
This software "works" but there are several irritants which I wanted to cure. My overall goal was a device which would do:
-Motorcycle Navigation
-Palm with MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint
-Blackberry (My company requires it)
-Quad band phone (I travel to North America)
-WiFi
My previous device was a Blackberry 7290 and except for not doing everything I needed, it worked very well.
Now, I have to admit, this Blue Angel (I almost said "this Swiss Army Phone" but that would imply a quality many orders of magnitude beyond the HTC device) will do everything listed.
However;
- It won't send BB PIN messages (will receive them)
- I can't use it in English (replys to English mails say "Betr."
- MS Word doesn't support all the functions
- The missed call light only blinks for a fixed amount of time instead of going off when I've looked at the phone.
- The keyboard is the same size as the BB but unusable where the BB keyboard works very well.
- It requires several reboots a day
- The call quality is horrible and varies
- The Wifi range is half of the other devices I have
- PPT presentations say "made for an old unsupported version of PPT"
- Word doesn't support many of the formatting stuff I need
- Excel is also very limited in support
- I can't insert todays date and time in two keystrokes like I could on my first Palm years ago
- There is no standard command to close a program, it just stays in memory when clicking the red X
- The BB software doesn't handle the mails well (store, copy, delete, etc)
In the vain hopes of trying to conquer this thing I attempted to increase the software versions of the various programs.
After spending most of today failing, I am now resinstalling the T-Mobile version.
Here's what I tried:
I started last weekend with an update of the radio in an attempt to make the telephone problems go away.
After much much trial, error and reading (often in that order) I was able to use the trick of the entry in RUU.conf, and then the program MaUpgradeUt_noID.exe to force foriegn upgrades onto the device.
I also learned that a .CAB file will run as an installable executable so I installed the Blackberry cab after updating the roms to 1.4 and the radio to something also very recent.
While what I saw looked good, I didn't play with this configuration very long because I found no matter what I tried (including downgrading the radio version), the Blackberry refused to work.
So now I'm on the way back to 1.22 rom (The current released software which can be downloaded shows dates on the .nbf files of 26 April 05.), and I find that the BB software here is newer (2.0.1.26-26) than the one I downloaded as a cab (2.0.0.25). This also has a few more whistles and bells in it.
I also found that the 1.4 imate roms in the RAR file here are different than the files downloaded from the Imate site. (These here have an O² splash screen)
One more time I have to commend the RIM people. It is evident that the devices were made by people who need to use them.
In the meantime, the reinstall has completed and I'm going to bed.
I think if I had it to do over again, I'd get a device with a built in GPS antenna but no phone, and just keep the BB.
A possible improvement?
After the pains of yesterday I did upload the newest Bluetooth cab I could find and ran it.
After a soft reboot I found the today screen scrambled but was able to fix this by reselecting the a windows theme.
A brief test shows that everything seems to be ok - phone and Blackberry works.
A missed call is indicated in the top line, and when I've looked at the call, the blinking light goes away. Thats an improvement but the incoming mails still make the light blink constant.
My old Bluetooth was 1.0.0.3900 (the newest software currently available fron T-Mobile Germany)
My new BT is 1.6.0 build 0600.
Time will tell if this is better.
There is a recent press release about HTC and RIM working more together so maybe sometime we will be able to send PIN mesages too.
This entire forum is fantastic and it is a shame on HTC that such a complex fourm is necessary to manage the junk they put on the market.
Good work all!
There's a new Zest firmware available for download from http://www.my-xda.com/. The filename is Xda_Zest Firmware Update_V7.7.0S.WWE20.00_M4.6.5.P7_V2.1.4 GBR20, which seems to be updates to most of the roms inside the zest. It's installing at the moment, and the upgrade interface on the phone is displaying "GalaxyMini5 Eboot (3.33.0). Since this appears to be a codename for the P565, I guess this is more evidence that the XDA Zest is simply an underclocked P565 and more evidence that P565 firmware may well work on it.
Warning, this firmware does not appear to contain the O2 menu software, or the free GPS software that comes with the phone (although maybe the latter can be re-installed from the SD card). Shame - I rather liked the O2 menu interface.
what improvements does it have? Is it actually worth upgrading?
Thanks.
The only things I can see that I don't remember seeing before are a couple of new or updated control panel entries. Video calling is probably the really important one.
You seem to lose the RSS reader, the O2 auto settings, the O2 menu and the GPS s/w (although the latter was only a demo). I have no idea if using the SD card that came with the Zest will restore these, as I don't have it. (If the software is all on there somewhere, and someone could bung me a copy, I'd be really grateful.)
It does make me wonder how the P565 firmware compares. I understand it has a nice touch interface on it.
It seems odd that the new firmware would remove all the o2 specific bits. Great if you want to use it on another network I suppose, but I quite like the mobile shell or o2 menu.
The satnav software isn't on the sd card - only the maps.
The instructions say:
Please note that if you already have CoPilot satellite navigation software on your Xda, refer to the Xda Zest user manual before upgrading your device software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't see anything of significance in the user manual.
Interesting. I actually have Tomtom for GPS on a different SD card, which is related to the reason I don't have the original SD card. Tomtom autoinstalls from the SD card, so I thought it might be that the O2 software installed itself from the SD card provided by O2. I guess that if it's only maps on the SD card then that's not the case, and the new firmware does strip out all the O2 extras, which seems like a peculiar decision to say the least.
Still, it did get me to try the new SPB mobile shell 3, which is what the O2 menu is based on, but nicer. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth the $35 for just a flashy finger driven interface. The weird thing is, it actually might be.
I'm actually going to upgrade my firmware to new one which is currently available in O2 site. What I want to know is if upgrade mine to the latest what would be the changes I may seen... Is it worth upgrading by loosing all the software?
So far I've seen nothing to write home about. The only reason might be if you can't already make video calls and want to do so. (I never make them, so I have no idea whether or not they're supported in the original firmware.)
I just upgraded mine to new firm ware. It worked fine for me. I didn't lose any O2 extras inc O2 menu. It was Oki but haven't tried yet to make video calls.. I will install iGO8 and will uninstall the co-pilot.
SPB Mobile shell 3.0 Rocks working smoothly with my Omnia and Xda Zest
I've just updated, and I didn't lose any O2 extras either (including Copilot). I backed up the Program Files\Copilot folder on the device to my PC before updating, and copied it back over after the update and voila, I've still got my fully activated version of Copilot. It did still prompt for allowing it to connect to the net during the 14-day trial the first time I ran it, but the license screen confirms it's the full version.
aDe
I have a working theory that the autorun on my Tomtom SD card might have run in preference to some autorun that might otherwise have run the first time the OS booted. I could test this by re-installing the firmware, but it's kind of a pain to have to put all the data on again.
Having played around some more and browsed the Extended ROM on my device, this does appear to be what happened, as all the CAB files are present. Fortunately this is a bonus for me, since I'm not on O2, and most of these files are useless to me, and I can therefore just pick and choose the apps I'd like to install.
This might be useful to other Zest users - the hack to make the Extended ROM visible:
Use your favourite Registry Editor to make HKLM\System\StorageManager\Profiles\ONDisk2\FATFS\MountHidden set to 0 (default is 1)
You can then browse to \ASUS_ROM\ in Total Commander to view your Extended ROM partition. The ROM does not appear to be write protected, so you can now put all the packages *you* want re-installed on a hard reset in there. Neat.
I contacted O2 support about this issue, and they replied saying that:
On occasions the O2 menu can drop off after a ROM upgrade, but this would usually be resolve by either hard resetting or running the upgrade again. The o2 menu is still installed on the new ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have now done this upgrade and have retained the 02 menu. The radio reception seems a bit better as I now get HSDPA at home, which I didn't previously, so the radio upgrade seems to be worth it.
ringer
ive got the zest and am happy with it so far apart from the last 2 days i cannot hear it when i get a call everything else works ie.system sounds,core player etc but the actual phone wont ring it just vibrates ive reset it a million times and checked system settings etc but nothing so if anyone has any ideas i would be very grateful, also how do you know if you are getting hdspa or not is there a setting for it or something, cheers guys.
The connectivity icon at the top right of the screen shows what communication protocol is being used by showing a symbol (usually just a single letter) in a solid square. The letters I have seen so far are:
G - GPRS (2G)
E - EDGE
3G - 3G (this is the odd one out with the two letters squashed together)
H - HSDPA
It's worth mentioning that on my train ride home I see all four protocols at different points, and the hand-off between them is very smooth.
thanks for quick reply i will keep an eye on it, still no joy with my ringer though its very strange. never had a problem like it on my orbit. i will keep investigating ,also do you know if anyone will be coming up with a rom for zest as i miss manila 2d although mobile shell v3 is good.
Have you checked:
Start->Settings->Sounds & Notifications
On the Notifications tab you can select the "Ring type", one possible choice of which is "Vibrate", which will make the phone only vibrate on incoming calls. Just guessing.
yes ive tried all that it might be affected by software ive installed recently i will try unistalling them one by one and see if that helps, failing that il do a hard reset i guess, anyone know how to hard reset the zest? thanks for your help.
There is a contortional key sequence for this, but you can also reset it by going to:
Start->Settings->System Tab->Default Settings
cheers managed to sort it , i installed mini lyrics software and ticked all in associating files which for some reason stopped the phone from ringing
thanks for your help.
Failure of firmware upgrade
Ive just had a power failure whilst upgrading the firmware on my new xda Zest and all it it shows when turning on is "OS Update failed! Please update again". Is there anything i can about this or will it need to be returned to O2. Any suggestions. thanx