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Microsoft Scraps 'Where's My Phone Update?' Site
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft disappointed some Windows Phone users on Friday by saying it would stop providing specifics about who will get software updates and when, and announcing vaguely that a new update is 'available to all carriers that request it.' The update fixes a few issues, including one that caused the on-screen keyboard to disappear and another that caused problems with synching Gmail. Eric Hautala, general manager of customer experience engineering for Windows Phone, said Microsoft will no longer say when people will get updates based on their country, phone model and carrier."
Get your popcorn! Hot fresh buttered popcorn here!
Microsoft disappointed some Windows Phone users[...]
Humm... all three of them?
Mastering the English language is fucking easy: all you have to do is to put an f* word in every fucking sentence.
I have been preaching for years that a Corporate Monopoly on phones such as Microsoft would never be able to stand the test of time against an open platform such as Android. There is no way that I would allow such proprietary lock in on something so important such as my phone. I'd rather control my data, thank you.
Sig: I stole this sig.
They took the phone manufacturers and carries out of the update process. When they release their updates, users of current and recently released devices get the update which they can apply. The other mobile OS makers need to make the same sort of change or they fear annoying what users they have left.
Just speaking from my experiences with Blackberries, the slowdown always seems to be on the Telco's end. There had been many important updates which were put out by Blackberry... but ATT wouldn't release them for a month, or sometimes a few months, after Blackberry released it.
This is, once again, another example of why these companies need to be "dumb pipes" through which we access the internet. There's no practial reason we can't have a phone which simply connects to the internet for all it's needs, aside from the Telco's blocking it from happening.
What happened to phones that Just Work? I don't want to update my phone. It must be reliable, just like an analogue wire line phone used to be.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
http://www.businessinsider.com/android-activations-2011-12
"The other mobile OS makers need to make the same sort of change or they fear annoying what users they have left."
Boggle.
What's with the AC posting? Tired of making new troll accounts just to have them modded into oblivion?
Microsoft ran some spreadsheets and determined their 0.23% marketshare by default means that an update was neither urgent nor financially justified.
the first update affected by this policy change benefits a competitor. what severity is the gmail bug which this patch claims to address?
MS isn't the problem, but they are neither the solution.
Statistics are just confusing numbers to you right? Do a little search on the number of models of Android phones versus WP7 devices and also note that this is ONLY WP7 and not any earlier version of MS mobile while some Android phones have gotten multiple updates.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
What would be most useful is an independent site listing which phones (on which networks) are missing updates, also listing the phones' state when not in a network subsidised form (often the lack of updates is down to the manufacturer, not the network provider).
That would allow buyers to see which manufacturer is most likely to leave them in the dust six months after they buy a given phone, and which network is more secure with regard to releasing updates (when available from the manufacturers) compared to the others.
Unfortunately any such site would face legal battles as companies try to stop them posting information that does not show them in the best light, and funding it would be a problem: providing accurate information would require some research and information verification effort which will not be cheap.
I'm not a Windows 7 user, but I wonder; can you buy Windows 7 phones unlocked and download updates directly from Microsoft? That might provide some relief.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
The updates always come from Microsoft - they are actually downloaded (transparently, by the Zune software) from the Windows Update site.
However, Microsoft doesn't actually build the full updates themselves. They provide a basic kit that the OEM then customizes for their model - things like adding the required drivers for the hardware and system utiltiies, adding the built-in application packages for those utilities, and adding branding customizations and so forth. They then test those updates, a process which apparently takes weeks. It's a little surprising how long it takes for many updates, considering the simplicity of the customizations which the OEMs are permitted to make.
In theory, it should be a quick process, with the OEMs simply taking Microsoft's kit and sending back the update CAB file. In practice, even for simple updates which have almost no impact on the OEM (see 7392, a security update that revoked some bad root certificates and had no other impact), some phones got it before others. The OEMs can also push updates themselves (which still go through Windows Update) independently of the Microsoft-developed OS updates, or bundle their own updates into the Microsoft ones.
After the OEM signs off on an update, it can go out to open-market phones immediately, or to the mobile operators for a carrier-specific round of customizing and testing. This is where having an "unbranded" phone comes in handy (and, at least for the first significant update, a common tactic was to modify the phone's registry so it reported itself as non-branded and got the update before AT&T approved it).
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
My reasons for buying my WP7 device was to check out the Xbox Live integration specifically and general curiosity about the OS. (Disclosure: I am an Xbox geek and phone/handheld/mobile geek, so the merge could not be passed up without investigation.
I was impressed with device and rated it high, right out of the box.
-calls were good, even on at&t network.
-easy to text
-easy to connect to personal AND work email
-I find the Office apps easy to use if viewing apps and making minor changes. I would not recommend writing your business proposal or powerpoint slides, duh.
-bing search works fine
-speech recognition worked well for me on text, email, and searches. somewhat less so on the maps
I rate the same device higher now, with the type of quality apps available that make the phone better/cooler/more fun for me personally.
-itunes connector
-xbox companion which lets me control my xbox 360.
-the best casual games I have ever seen on a handheld device
I still wish the map application was better with directions and some of the speech recognition. "Union City" not "King City" come on!
All in all I am looking forward to new diverse hardware coming out for the WP7 OS.
For every benefit you receive a tax is levied. - Ralph Waldo Emerson