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Firmware posts

Verizon already prepping DROID and DROID Eris firmware updates?

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 10th 2009 @ 4:08AM

The last thing you want to hear about a few short days after a product's launch is a litany of issues plaguing devices in the field, but that's not quite what's going on here -- instead, this looks to be an extension of Verizon's well-known policy of testing the crap out of devices until manufacturers are practically crying uncle. The carrier has already generated long internal lists of issues on both the DROID and DROID Eris, it seems, with the leaked documents revealing some five pages for the Motorola product and seven -- yes, seven -- for the HTC one; the good news is that they're all slated to be fixed in one of two firmware updates slated for December and January windows. Again, knowing Verizon, these firmware updates could very well get stuck in the testing lab for another six years, but we'll keep our hopes skyward.

Read - DROID
Read - DROID Eris

New Meizu M8 beta firmware looking desirable, bordering on original

by Paul Miller posted Nov 3rd 2009 @ 10:33AM

It's been almost three years since we saw our first taste of the Meizu M8, which was at that point a fairly shameless rip of the iPhone, albeit mostly theoretical. In the ensuing years we've seen an ever-changing OS and two generations of hardware, but we might be finally coming upon something worth lusting after. The new M8 Firmware 1.0.0.1 beta has been demo'd on video, and seems to be taking some new cues from Android and Windows Mobile -- along with some original and sexy UI elements of Meizu's own devising -- that really set it apart from its iPhone-aping days of yore. We're particularly fond of the unlock screen, which has three icons at the bottom that can be swiped-up like an Android app drawer, but with quick access to phone and messages, similar to how Windows Mobile 6.5 can be unlocked into multiple modes. Apparently the OS is only 50% ready, and there's no telling how many changes we might see between now and when it's finished, but for now we're fairly impressed. Video is after the break.

Continue reading New Meizu M8 beta firmware looking desirable, bordering on original

Palm Pixi definitely shipping with a new webOS version, but which?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 31st 2009 @ 2:44PM

Whoa, is that webOS 2.0 we see on the horizon? No, sorry, it definitely isn't -- but we can say with relative confidence that the upcoming Pixi will be shipping with a newer, slightly more feature-rich version of webOS than its Pre brethren around the world; if nothing else, Synergy supports Yahoo on the new model, as PreCentral observes. What remains to be seen is the exact version number that'll be shipping out of the gate -- recent DSLReports user agent logs suggest that 1.2.9 might be the gold build (for the record, the Sprint Pre currently rocks 1.2.1), but apparently there's some chatter going on about a 1.3 as well. Doesn't seem like much of a difference, but a 0.1 increment usually means more features, fixes, and changes than a 0.01 increment does, so naturally, we're pulling for a bigger number. There isn't any intel on what this mythical 1.3 might contain just yet or whether it'd be heading to Bell, Sprint, and O2 Pres, but we'll keep an eye out.

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 hits the tubes, is ready for your attention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2009 @ 8:57AM

Got an N97? Yeah? Reckoned that Nokia has forgotten about your loyalty and moved all of its focus onto the N900? Fret not, dearest early adopter -- the engineers in Espoo are making good on a promise to clear out lots of bugs in the aforesaid handset with firmware 2.0, and if we're seeing this right, it's available now to download all over the world. We know, you 5800 owners are clamoring for the same type of TLC, but for now it looks like the pricier sibling is getting its due. Hit the read link and get your download going, and make sure to report back on your kinetic scrolling experience, cool?

[Thanks, Daniel]

Sense UI update for HTC Magic makes the scene in Taiwan

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 5:04PM

If our ability to guesstimate Chinese website contents based on sketchy machine translation software is correct, it looks like HTC Magic owners in Taiwan are finally getting that Sense UI update they've been teased with since mid-August. Further blurring the lines between the aforementioned handset and the Hero, it is unknown whether or not the update will ever come to carriers besides Chunghwa Telecom, or how long that could even take. One thing we are fairly certain of, however, is that phones "with Google" will probably remain without this update, into perpetuity. Sorry, myTouch! If you're one of the lucky few, hit that read link to get started.

[Via Unwired View]

Novatel MiFi 2200 gets new firmware, now stays on even when you don't need it

by Tim Stevens posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 9:05AM

MiFi gets new firmware, now stays on even when you don't need it

If you're using one of the various MiFi incarnations, you may have been slightly annoyed at the thing shutting itself down after a few minutes of inactivity. It's a lovely feature to save juice when running disconnected -- a little less desirable when running on AC. There's a new firmware in town and it does away with such bad behavior whilst also adding better compatibility with the Nintendo DS and BlackBerry Curve. It's not an automatic update, though, so you'll need to dig through some menus to make the magic happen, but we're sure you can figure it out. (If you get stuck, the read link has pictures.)

[Via Zatz Not Funny]

BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2009 @ 11:01AM

Hey, you -- yeah you, the BlackBerry Storm owner over there. You listening? Good. That mythical software update we heard about just last week is obviously the real deal, and a screen grab from Verizon's internal systems has shown up to prove it. We're told that it should go live tomorrow (that's October 25th for those in strange, potentially illegitimate time zones) at 6PM. On the whole, it'll make your Storm act a lot more like the forthcoming Storm2, but specifically you can expect a "faster, more accurate and more natural text input experience, word completion, a virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view and enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting." You'll also get the ability to "enable Auto Correction as opposed to Word Completion in landscape view." The full changelog should be coming soon, so hang tight! Oh, and cancel those plans for tomorrow night, okay?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

Original BlackBerry Storm to get flick scrolling, better browsing through firmware update?

by Darren Murph posted Oct 19th 2009 @ 10:19AM

Despite Verizon's best efforts to ignore the obvious, RIM's BlackBerry Storm2 is not only official, it's (un)officially destined for Big Red's airwaves. If you're one of those slightly disgruntled Storm 9530 owners, however, you could be looking at a rather nice firmware update coming your way in the near future. According to phoneArena, the Storm and Storm2 will eventually be "practically identical" in terms of software, with a forthcoming update to add flick scrolling, tabbed browsing and threaded texting to the original. Of course, we should probably wait for VZW to confirm the existence of the Storm2 before expecting any formal word on this, but feel free to go about your day with cautious optimism.

HTC Dragon Android device surfaces in firmware build, could pack 1GHz processor

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 5th 2009 @ 5:24PM

This one's about as early as it gets, but what you're looking at above is purported to be a screenshot of a firmware build for a hereto unheard of Android device called the HTC Dragon. Now, that's interesting enough in and of itself, but the real kicker is that the phone is said to pack a 1GHz processor (most likely Snapdragon), which should help make HTC's Sense UI snappier than ever -- the rumored 800 x 480 display certainly doesn't hurt things either. Not much more to go on than that, unfortunately, but you can check out a few more exciting screenshots at the link below.

[Via HTCPedia]

Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, 'fixes' iTunes media sync

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 3rd 2009 @ 4:20AM

The game's back on. Palm just announced the availability of its 1.2.1 update to WebOS for the Palm Pre and, well, that's it for the time being. It fixes Exchange mail syncing issues experienced by some users, which is nice, but for everyone else it re-enables media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, with or without the USB-IF's support. In fact, Palm has signaled its commitment to its rogue approach by improving synchronization with the Photos app to keep the album structure in tact while allowing lower-resolution images to be synced to the Pre. Oh happy day -- enjoy it while it lasts Pre owners.

Android 1.6 update now official for T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 1:49PM

Donuts for everyone! Well, not everyone -- but as we'd heard, at least some G1 and myTouch 3G owners on T-Mobile USA are now being blessed with an official Android 1.6 build over the air. The carrier says it has "begun delivery," which we take means it's not all happening at once; that's the way the 1.5 rollout was handled, so it really doesn't come as a surprise. Keep checking for that update notification, folks.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Nokia N86 firmware v20 brings exciting new features, improvements

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 11:44AM

Something like a year and a half ago, every camera manufacturer in the world suddenly decided that face detection was the Next Big Thing -- so naturally, cameraphones were destined to follow down that path. Given that the N86 8MP currently resides as Nokia's undisputed photographic champion, it makes sense that the company would be pushing its awesomest (is that even a word?) camera features that way -- and indeed, the just-released firmware version 20 adds face detection, red eye reduction, improved video quality, and a host of bug fixes and tweaks. Seems like a must-have update, so fire up that NSU client and go to town, won't you?

[Via All About Symbian]

Android 1.6 getting pushed to G1s starting tonight, myTouch 3Gs in a day?

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 12:28AM

This is totally out of left field, but TmoNews (which tends to have a pretty solid track record when it comes to all things T-Mobile) is claiming that "select" G1s will be receiving Android 1.6 "Donut" starting... well, right about now. So much for any lingering worries that the first retail Android device was being left high and dry, eh? If everything goes well, the rumor goes on to say that myTouch 3Gs would be getting their own over-the-air upgrade in about 24 hours -- and like the 1.5 update before it, it'd likely be a staggered rollout to make sure that T-Mobile doesn't brick a bazillion phones in one fell swoop. Any G1 owners out there seeing anything yet? This sounds awfully quick, especially considering that the Dev Phone 1 just took delivery of 1.6 a handful of hours ago -- but hey, if it's true, we like T-Mobile's hustle.

Verizon releases new Tour firmware, lets mayhem briefly reign before pulling

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 21st 2009 @ 8:23AM

We know from discussions with tipsters (and from the simple fact that rumored phones take a century to get released) that Verizon tests the crap out of things -- generally speaking, anyway. Apparently that wasn't the case with the latest Tour firmware to see action, though, because 4.7.1.53 got pulled within a few hours of its release -- but not before wreaking havoc with at least a few users' phones, some to the point where Verizon went ahead and recommended a replacement unit. When you consider that BlackBerrys are probably among the most mission-critical devices in any carrier's lineup, this is a big deal; Verizon did the right thing by moving swiftly to pull the bunk build, but the question remains: how did such a quickly-detected problem make it through what was very likely an exhaustive internal testing phase?

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic bumped to firmware 31.2.008

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 14th 2009 @ 10:29AM

Those drool-worthy changes in store for the N97's next firmware are nowhere to be found here, but 5800 XpressMusic owners are probably still well-advised to update to the latest release that's just hit most product codes around the globe -- including the NAM version in the States -- build 31.2.008. The two big changes here appear to be "several performance improvements" and the inclusion of Ovi Maps 3.0 with better pedestrian and in-car navigation, so if you mount up your phone as a GPS the second you set foot in your car, you've probably already started the update process before you even bothered finishing this article. It's okay, we understand.

[Via Symbian-Guru]