Nokia updates firmware DIY service

N73 and N93 users breathe sigh of relief

Posted in Mobile, 6th February 2007 17:23 GMT

Nokia has at last pushed out updates for its N73 and N93 handsets after users grew increasingly frustrated at its self service software program.

A new version of Nokia Update was made available this morning, allowing N93 users to upgrade their software. This follows the release of new firmware for the mobile operator's N73 handsets on 1 February.

Nokia launched its DIY firmware upgrade service in August last year, and while many users have benefited from ready-to-install upgrades, the service has been plagued by bugs.

The inherent instability of the N93 handset led to the suspension of updates last November, a situation only rectified by today's release, though anyone visiting a Nokia Service Centre could get an update.

Bugs in the N73 have also led many to seek replacement firmware, but in this instance divergent firmware versions from operators have confused customers.

Network operators have their own firmware versions for each handset, which may feature additional icons or applications, as well as preconfiguration settings for GPRS, etc.

This means that when a new version of firmware is created the manufacturer must make different versions of it available for each operator.

Allowing users to upgrade their own firmware has opened up some frustrating inconsistencies - users of the Nokia N73 on the 3 network that wanted to use their handset with GPS equipment found that a Bluetooth bug made it impossible, and worse, they couldn't download a fix, while users of the same handset on other networks could.

Hopefully, today's news will mean all those bugs will be ironed out. Well, you can always hope. Do let us know. ®

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