Microsoft explains Windows 7 Phone phantom data cockup
Blames third party, doesn't reveal who
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Microsoft has blamed third party software for a Windows Phone 7 glitch that transmitted huge chunks of data over 3G networks, causing some subscribers to exceed their monthly tariff.
The software vendor issued the following vague statement to Seattle PI:
"We have determined that a third party solution commonly accessed from Windows Phones is configured in a manner that potentially causes larger than expected data downloads.
"We are in contact with the third party to assist them in making the necessary fixes, and are also pursuing potential workarounds to address the configuration issue in case those are needed. At this point in our investigation, we believe this is responsible for most of the reported incidents."
Microsoft added that it was looking into "additional potential root causes" for the remainder of customers who reported the data transmission cockup.
"A small (low single-digit) percentage of Windows Phone customers have reported being affected," said MS, without revealing the exact number of punters who had complained about the glitch on their smartphones, nor any details about the third party.
"We are continuing to investigate this issue and will update with additional information and guidance as it becomes available." ®
COMMENTS
windows phone 7 - Fail for so many reasons
To be honest having seen and played with a shiny new HTC HD7 phone, I'm sticking with my winmo 6.5 HD2 and will probably move to Android for my next phone.
Data slurping of my monthly allowance would be a minor inconvenience of upgrading to WP7 in comparison to having no file manager, no bluetooth file transfer, no USB PIM sync ability (unless you use a web based service), no USB storage mounting option, unable to use mp3 as a ringtone (assuming you can transfer the file onto the phone in the first place)....
Unfortunately Microsoft seem to have gone down the iOS route and have locked the device owner out of any useful features unless you buy an app from their marketplace, which is a shame because they've finally got the bloody user interface right
Windows phone 7 is literally just a (slightly) smart phone OS not a mobile computing OS.
Low (single digit) percentage
So somewhere between 1 and 9 users then ?
Low (single digit) percentage?
Given that the vast majority of smartphone users (of any particular OS) are going to be pretty much ignorant of data allowances, and how much data they actually use, I would say that if a low, single digit, percentage of WP7 users are actually *reporting* the problem, it is likely far more widespread than MS suggests.
Just because (a) someone doesn't know they have this issue, or (b) doesn't report to MS that they have this issue, doesn't mean that they aren't affected.
I'm not a WP7 user, but I do read sites such as these. If I were, and I'd noticed the excessive data usage, but knew that it was a known issue that MS were looking into, I wouldn't have reported it myself either!
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