[flagpole]

I see that for n97 V21, not only is CV Norway out but there are network branded variants starting to appear before the UK generic.

to be honest if it was my responsibility to look after uk firmware i'd be so embarrassed i'd resign.

[Eyghon]

100% agree with this.

I bought my 5800 Blue (0579934) direct from Nokia in Feb '09 and it has been stuck on firmware V21.0.025 since April '09. why can't I get the update when my phone is unbranded, unlocked, sim free and bought direct from Nokia UK?

I'm currently on Orange PAYG and about to switch to Virgin PM but does the network operator make any difference to firmware updates becoming available when it is an unbranded, sim free phone?, is this what the "Custom version" is which on my phone is V21.0.025.293.05?

I sent Nokia an email on the 29th Jan asking when I'm likely to get the update, I received the usual auto-responder saying I will get a reply within 48hours and it's now a week and no reply.

Regards

[grschinon]

FWIW, Nokia is not the only party involved in approving the release of country variant firmware. Regulatory bodies have a say in what happens, and as soon as bureaucracy gets involved in anything, it is slowed down until it flows like molasses in midwinter.

That is why country variants are released after generic regional variants.

Something still needs to be done, though. It's shameful how operators manage to get their branded variants out before UK SIM-free variants.

[GadgetAddict]

Include Australia in this. I think it's similar to the UK because we have many of the same operators. Still waiting for the E72 update.

[pressure]

I can understand different language versions but apart from that  I don't see the need for all the many versions of firmware in the modern GLOBAL world we live in.

Phone Manufactures  should tell the operaters  they can't  have custom firmware (only custom add on theme)    This would enable the like of Nokia to do more updates to fix more problems.   

I think it would be fair all round for

One version for each language    all released in the same week

[grschinon]

That's not going to happen any day soon. If Nokia tells networks that they can't have customised firmware then the operators will say, "fair enough, we'll push Sony-Ericsson/Samsung/LG/whatever phones instead of Nokia."

[grschinon]

Yet another example of owners of UK CV handsets getting a very rough deal compared to other areas: /t5/Eseries-Devices-and/E72-1-Fimware-update-still-not-showing-up/m-p/629942#M60475

Vodafone-branded E72s now have V22 firmware. How do you reckon that makes people who shelled out £350 for a SIM-free variant (for which V22 is NOT yet available) feel?

Yes. I am annoyed!

[john32]

Vodafone beating Nokia UK to the E72 - that's just wrong. This campaign is not working!!!

I tried to update a number of E63's to 400.xx today, started well but then I realised that the Red version (0576446) has been approved but not the Blue (0576447).

[psychomania]

Sadly it looks like this campaign has failed. The only results we saw were a PR stunt in response to the mainstream media. It changed nothing in the long run.

Nokia UK are an absolute disgrace for not handling this situation in an appropriate way. The fact that the vodafone version is out before the UK version highlights the fact that people are not doing their jobs properly.

Lets hope the next round of nokia jobs loses are for the waste of space UK staff.

[storaiki_san]

You could say the same about Nokia BeNeLux.

So in general you could say that Nokia is an absolute disgrace for not handling the situation in an appropriate way.

[twopuds]

Am I reading this right, a branded UK variant has been released before SIM free?

How on earth can this happen, is it due to pressure applied by the network operators?

Surely Nokia must have had a UK release ready in order for it to have been Vodafone modified/messed up. If I didn't love my E72 so much and hadn't paid so much for it I'd take it to Nokia UK and place it sideways in someone's mouth.

[grschinon]

You are reading it absolutely correctly.

Vodafone UK branded E72 handsets can update to firmware V022.007.

SIM-free UK CV E72 handsets can only have V021.024.

It can happen because someone at Nokia UK is not doing their job.

[twopuds]

I'm not one for ranting, but this makes my blood boil. It was a similar fiasco with my E90 and updates, in fact it's about 9 months since the last release which is still not available and doubt will ever be.

If I didn't love the E series devices and despise WM so much I'd seriously consider moving on. Whoever is responsible for this needs to get their finger out of wherever it's currently stuck.

[The_Funkateer]

I totally with you on this one Psych!!  

I, like you, buy unbranded phone DIRECT from Nokia but still have to wait.  It's not on.  £500 for this phone would have been reasonable had it been able to do what it is supposed to do and if we got the good and service we paid for.

I have never had any other make of phone other than Nokia but I am seriously now considering moving to another brand.  

One can only take so much BS!!

[ziggyball]

I wish there was a place in the UK to buy a SIM-free phone with a european product code!  Does anyone know anywhere?

I bought a SIM-free E-72 (UK product code) and to hear that Vodafone branded handsets are getting updates quicker than mine is a total joke!

I just can't imagine a reason why!?

I have had this problem on my last 3(!) Nokia phones (all with UK product codes)

I changed the product code on my N85 and the local service centre refused in-warranty repairs as they could see I'd used NSU with a different code!  I had to pay £ to get all the manufacturing defects fixed!

[CJSS5]

I'll back up all the way psychomania. Surely there can't be that much great a difference for UK updates compared to other regions! I'd be really interested to know what Nokia come up with as a reason, because it can't be the networks as the firmware update is independent of network, for many phones at least.

[cpitchford]

It isn't completed related but I'm sure it'll give some people watching this thread a laugh..

The N900 (running Maemo) has 3 ways to update (or reinstall) the firmware:

1) the built in app manager, this is FOTA update essentially

2) NSU, the tool we all know and love

but then there is:

3) using flasher.. it is a command line tool for Windows, Mac and Linux that uses firmware files you must download from Nokia.. This makes this phone unique in that Nokia provide a website (tablets-dev.nokia.com) from which you can actually download the firmware file

What is funny is that there is 5 versions of the firmware:

1) USA

2) North Africa/Middle East

3) Global

4 & 5) UK

The UK gets TWO versions of the firmware where as Europe has just one..

And guess what, the download site (which provides the flasher firmware files) STILL does not carry the latest versions of the UK firmware a month after it was released for FOTA and NSU updates..

Now, you could say stop whining, it is available for FOTA and NSU.. but the problem is, frequently the phone can become wrecked and flasher is the only way to re-flash..

So, there are almost as many UK versions as there versions for the REST OF THE WORLD!!!

What's more, Nokia have released it for 2 of the 3 methods for updating, but cite "problems in nokia" that prevent it from releasing it to the recovery assisting, multiple OS supporting third method!!

Why does UK need to keep chasing Nokia for this stuff!!

(granted one UK version is a vodafone specific version, but the other is most certainly generic). Yet again the UK gets some special attention that really none of its customers want.

[maverik_77]

I have been watching this thread for a while and was really happy when V2.0 was released within a week. I even thought that Nokia had listened to people all over the internet and provided a version fast, but I was wrong.

Being in a related technology, I can safely say that English will be the first language a firmware will be built on. All translations and version packings happen later. So there is no valid reason for having a delay in firmware release.

Nokia should know human psychology whereby people don't get angry when something is not there, but they get really angry when something is out there which they can't get hold of.

As suggested by many people I don't think their UK firmware is packaged by vodafone, but there is more possibility of Vodafone/3/Others requesting them to delay the release because of the delay in their custom firmware.

If Nokia thinks  people who purchased SIM free phones should be treated like this, I don't think many of us complaining here will stay loyal for long.

[deadkenny]

Have to say it's pretty shocking really. Like many, I went SIM free to ensure I was free of operator restrictions and firmware delays. I even bought direct from Nokia UK to make sure I was getting a genuine UK model and not a grey import. To make it even more frustrating though, there is so much in the E72 that cannot be updated by an application update like on other phones because of integration into the firmware. The recent Nokia Messaging updates are going to be months if not years (or never) on the E72 because we have to wait for the firmware updates. Chances are the same changes may not even occur because it could be a different implementation of the client. The bugs that exist in the E72 email client are fairly crippling for a business emailer device, but should be quite fixable in a software update. How about in the next firmware, all applications are decoupled from the firmware and make them updateable individually instead? Not going to happen though. Once a phone is out there, then that's it and major changes are rolled into the next phone instead. There are obvious rapid updates occurring to the likes of NM based on feedback, and these just simply aren't going to be rolled out quickly in firmware updates.

[vikrit]

i m agree with you all... but the equality problem is not only with UK or between branded, unbranded or sim free mobiles.... nokia is heavily partial about firmware updates...

may be they dont have any proper method to release updates.... it is like when it comes to their memory...

you all people cant believe, my friend and me both purchased 5800XM together from same shop, but i could able to update my firmware, and he could not.... he has to use same firmware 30... means he cant use even ovi maps (free version)

for your information, both phones are unlocked (free to use with any operator), purchased from nokia directly....

you all can feel how my friend is feeling.... he is just feeling like cheated...

nokia is just fooling around his users.... they dont care at all...

because i cant believe that nokia like company cant handle this issue or cant have proper management for issuing firmwares

if users cant benefitted then whats the use of releasing...

actually they are forcing users either live like this, tolerating this lottery system or just shift....