Products & Services
What do you expect to see in a software update?
By JBC on 29 July 2009
GLOBAL – Last week’s cameraphone poll got plenty of feedback, including this suggestion from lupixx – what do you expect to see in a software update? Although we had a different poll planned for today, we figured this one was good enough to run instead so let us know what you think. Software updates are a regular part of our lives now, and for many a welcome addition. That we’ve bought a device, but it’s still being developed offers an assurance that what we have will constantly improve, at least through the period of time we’ll own and use it. Question is though, what kind of improvements do we expect? Get your vote in now!
[UPDATE] If you opt for the “other” option, we’ll compile all the answers and publish them next week, with some attempt to weigth them in popularity order.
Related posts:
- All of the above
- N97 poll update – your favourite features so far
- What makes a flagship device – vote now!
Tags | Nokia Software Update
July 29th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
This obviously varies depending on device JBC.
In the N97’s case for example, this option would be “Improved memory Usage”.
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July 29th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Is there no ‘all of the above’ option?
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ming387 Reply:
July 29th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
@Ricky Cadden, That’s exactly what I commented after select the “Other” radio button – all of the above.
I would also like to see new firmware – ie Symbian ^2 on N97 (probably in my dreams).
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Tupe Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 11:26 am
@ming387, Yeah, I want that ability too. that’s the way ti should be.
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July 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I agree with Ricky, there needs to be an “all of the above” option. Thought that may be asking too much, I chose “New Features” as it is the only one that could include all of the above. As a user of the E63 and a Mac users (I also have a 6682 that needs updating) I would say the first new feature needs to be the ability to do OTA updates.
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July 29th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
It would be great if the poll allow multiple options to be voted.
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July 29th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
“All of the above” really should have been an option here – that would be my selection.
If the choices though are limited to what is here, I would like to see updates follow a more predictible pattern:
- v1 (initial new device)
- v1.x updates (bug fixes only)
- v2 (major relese, new features, and updated applications)
- v2.x (bug fixes for the major release items only)
etc.
In terms of expectation, maybe there’s some sort of policy that can be communicated to owners of software where a device is slated to get (1) major and any necessary minor updates during the market life of the device. In this way, users have an expectation that something will be address, and then they know what specifically to expect depending on when they purchased the device.
Yes, I’m aware of technical and legal issues behind making such a statement for every device; but, that’s better than saying nothing at all.
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July 29th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I suppose it depends on the device. Assuming huge, glaring mistakes weren’t made in the device (for instance not enough RAM) then some of these things shouldn’t be necessary in an update and the focus can be on improving existing apps or including new ones to help the device stay competitive in an intense marketplace. And of course the inevitable bug fixes, which didn’t used to be such an issue but with the rush to market on these devices it’s remarkable how often buggy firmware is present.
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July 29th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
symbianguru is completely right. therefor i chose ‘other’ and typed ’simply all of the above’. I’m also a bit tired to pay for a machine to be a betatester. Normally it should be me that has to be payed if they want me to live with and report about new bugs everytime, not?
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July 29th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Even though new features is what I look forward the most everytime there’s a firmware update, I voted for bug fixes. It’s a need vs. want thing.
But if I could select “all of the above”, that’d be my choice.
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July 29th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
With the Nokia N97 the feature upgrade I would love to see would be adding a ‘manual’ touch focus to the camera software.
In each firmware update, I always hope that there will be camera and battery performance upgrades.
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July 29th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
“3rd party applications which were bought by Nokia, removed from the market, and are released for other phones but not older ones”
Panoman, this is working now in the N86… why not release it for other phones?
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July 29th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
From the list, I would choose speed and stability over the others. Much ballyhoo has been made over all the features added in iPhone updates, but really most of those features are already present in more mature smartphone OS’s. The one thing all platforms have in common is that they’ll all still pretty unstable, at least compared to computer operating systems. Until one application can no longer bring down the entire phone OS , we have a long way to go.
I like getting new features, but I’m plenty content with downloading them as separate applications. The E71 is still more-or-less a business flagship device- there’s no there option if I want a premium Nokia business vertical qwerty candybar right now, so it would be a bit of a ripoff to buy it in July 2009 if it were that much less capable than all the more recent FP2 devices. Thankfully, with downloads like Nokia Messaging, geotagging, MFE, and others, it holds up pretty well almost two years after its release.
My “Other” choice would be that the updates need to actually exist. I don’t mind if it takes a bit longer to get updates in the US, but often we don’t even have an idea if the updates are *ever* coming. Nokia should at least provide an ETA for when newly-released updates will arrive in other regions. We pay for the phones like everyone else (often we pay more due to lack of subsidies), so we should receive the same level of service.
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July 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
in theory firmware updates should not concentrate on improving speed and memory functionality, that should be taken care of mostly by the hardware ie amount of RAM and such. bug fixes are an obvious expectation of the update as is new feature set possibility. lately in nokia phones it seems like nokia is chasing backwards and instead of concentrating on innovation in their updates they concentrate hugely on patching what has been released and is a fiasco. i get bugs and a part of life with new devices in every arena that has to deal with various OS’s but what has been happening lately is a bit much even for a hard core nokia fan like myself. dishing out few hundred bucks every time i want a new phone is not an easy task for a lot of users. i used to love nokia for its simplicity, then for its – right innovation with great phones like n95 n82. even those have been through some growing pains. it seems like every new firmware update brings bug fixes but also introduces new bugs. how in the world does that even happen? anyway here is my two cents on the firmware issue and what really needs to start happening with updates and phone releases. better planning during the pre manufacturing phase, better components that deliver….an n97 is a prime example. it is one of the best n series in terms of material sturdiness and endurance but everything else for a flagship is a bit of a joke- meaning internals. you give the phone 32gb of memory, but how much ram and phone memory (c) right……..and how is that supposed to make sense. current phone memory does not even come close to my dear die hard n95-3 that had 130mb of it. how is it again ok, for a ‘world leader’ to keep on going backwards? i guess we will never know
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July 29th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Adding to what Ms. Jen commented on, the whole camera UI needs an overhaul.
The N97 camera UI right now is far too dependent on a d-pad to navigate menus and is a terrible experience for touch.
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July 29th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I think that in every FW update, bugfixes should be present, there will always be bugs after all. Further to that point, stabilization and maximization should be the focal point of any update meaning that, more than just fixing existing bugs, tweaks should be introduced that help us get the most out of our devices. I think the C: Phone memory update for the N97 was a good step in that direction.
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July 29th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
I used “Other” to add “All the above”
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July 29th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I think it depends on the device we are talking about. If we are talking in general, then I voted “other” and typed “all of above”
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Anonymous Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 3:43 am
@Mark Guim, I too chosen these options
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Mr G Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
@ Mak Guim and Anonymous.
Same here….other>all of the above.
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July 29th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
I’d love a new UI … I know that is not going to happen very soon but something like the android interface would be great … except for the touch functions on non touch devices. I want a new fluid interface … I know it’s possible with this hardware, they just don’t want to make one and want to make you upgrade.
How about an option for custom firmwares (open source anyone).
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July 30th, 2009 at 4:38 am
oh id also expect the update to not crash my device…you know, just a thought
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July 30th, 2009 at 4:45 am
An easy way to report bugs would be nice.
Stupid things like:
- last name first name in SMS list
- entering am/pm hard
- “You should have disconnected this USB device before unplugging it message”, even when I already used the Windows Vista remove device option
- backlight turns off when I’m doing something
- lots of little papercut bugs
Plus being able to enter a contact’s name in the To field rather than having to click in there and scroll (E51 v E71) would be a nice feature.
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July 30th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Fixing the icons.. NOKIA? what.. did you guys not notice the 5800 did’t have a complete icon pack
and the continious play around of icons and menu structure? its the same freakn OS so why does every device need a different Menu..?
Like what Mikel said.. get the daam basics right
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July 30th, 2009 at 9:17 am
my posting is still “waiting for moderation. says enough i guess.
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jbc Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
@fil, This is the only comment of yours I could find in the comments queue. Post again if it still hasn’t come through.
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July 30th, 2009 at 10:52 am
The product code lottery needs to be abolished.
Updates should be available at the same time all over the world. Some countries (like the UK) have to wait weeks or months for updates, even on generic unbranded models!
The randomness over FOTA and NSU updates is plain crazy too. Why do some countries only get NSU updates whilst others get FOTA or even both? Again the UK is a common example of this.
The ability to add languages to the phone using the software updater would make common sense too. Even better if it could be done OTA.
As commented earlier above we should also get new feature packs or even operating systems like symbian^2. If that isn’t cost effective i’m sure many would be willing to pay for such an update.
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July 30th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
As stated prior it really depends on each individual device.
For example Id like to see camera focussed improvements on devices catered to the photograpy while on business saavy devices improvemnts to PIM managements and email/document improvements…
and to more directly answer the poll “all of the above”
id like an update to keep making me go “wow”….like ive gotten a new device altogether…
even though this wont stop me from purchasing another device in the future
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July 30th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
pls.. pls… provide an option to enter alphanumeric in dialpad , like dialing 1-800-WHATEVER for e71 (any qwerty keyboard only phones)
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July 30th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I also agree there should be a all of the above option in the poll. A great example is that recently I updated from firmware V 20.2.005 to new firmware V 31.2.008 & since this I’ve been very dissapointed because of the bugs & constant crashes.
Hope a new firmware be developed asap.
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July 30th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I opted for all of the above. My if we have to select them priority wise then here is the list.
1. Bug fixes
2. Speed improvements
3. Improved memory usage
4. Application improvements
5. New features
6. New applications (placed 6th, because I think this is 3rd party reponsibility
7. Increased compatibility ( I don’t have these issues)
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July 31st, 2009 at 2:19 pm
It would be nice if Nokia even provided an update for the N95-3. They seem to have thrown us out with the bathwater. It’s been over a year since the last update, and believe me, there are many things that an update could “fix”. Too bad, Nokia, no more new Nokias for me!
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July 31st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
For me it’s simple. The answer is “all of the above”. The Software Update should provide anything that will be useful and make life easier/faster/better for the end user.
I also think that the PC version of Software Updater should be enabled to download and install everything that the phone based one does. This saves file corruption etc associated with poor mobile network coverage. I have hit this issue and had to do a hard reset to recover.
Why not make it like “Windows Update”. There I’ve said it.
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July 31st, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Updates should be that… an update to CORRECT features that are already present MEANING that it should FIX any BUGS in the current software!!
If it ADDS any new features, then fine AS LONG as it does NOT problems (i.e. new bugs) in the phone’s OS or functions!!
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August 1st, 2009 at 11:59 am
Hi, first I’d like to thank you for creating such a nice blog.
I’m a proud owner of a N97 and what I’m missing the most is full touch experience in the Nokia applications. Mostly the calendar, foto browser (like the one on betelabs).
HTML support in e-mail.
Marco
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August 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 am
I am a user of N97. The features in software update I really wants are:
1. Improved stability and performance.
2. New software features.
3. AND MAYBE virtual memory that uses the 32GB mass storage to complement the SMALL 128MB of Memory, just like MS Windows uses the hard drive for managing it memory.
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October 21st, 2009 at 1:29 am
I would like the option to automatically turn blue tooth on when charging… this would mean that everytime i plugged my phone into the car charger .. blue tooth through the car stereo would be activated.. Instead of clunkity clunk next button clunk.. Once unplugged the bluetooth should turn off .. saving my battery, braincells and and umm would save the blue tooth from wearing out… (told ya i have trouble with my braincells!)
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November 1st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I really miss the ‘last sent’ option in the write messages. It would make sending messages really fast as time was saved not having to type the name or number of the one whom you wish to send the message to. This feature was there in Nokia 5610 music express but I think Nokia97 doesn’t have this feature.
As a result, whenever I have to send a message, I either have to type the name or the person, search the name. Whereas, in my Nokia 5610 I simply went to ‘last sent’ option and selected the name.
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