Nokia recently let loose a firmware fiesta, with newly updated firmwares available for the Nokia E75, Nokia E90, and Nokia N79 (the N85 shouldn’t be too far behind this one, either. The Nokia E75 firmware is up to v110.48.125, the E90, old though it may be, was updated to v400.34.93, and the little old N79 got a boost to v30.011. If you’re the proud owner of one of these smartphones, you can use Nokia Software Updater on your PC to get the update, though the E75 and N79 can both get the firmware OTA by pressing *#0000# on their phone, then choosing Options, Check for updates.
Whereas in the past, firmware updates for Nokia’s smartphones were rarely anything other than a collection of bug fixes, more recent updates – including these – bring actual new features, such as Ovi Chat integration, homescreen Contacts search, and various other actual new features. Awesome. So what’s the problem? None of these updates are available for NAM variants. Granted, there is no E90 NAM (it supports EDGE networks, but not 3G), but the E75 and N79 both have NAM variants, neither of which were gifted with these new firmwares. The N79 NAM, in fact, is still anxiously awaiting the v20.175 update that its Euro counterpart received nearly a month ago.
If you’ve been a Nokia fanboy in the U.S. for a while, this likely feels frustratingly familiar. The Nokia N95-3 was, I believe, the first U.S. 3G device officially released by Nokia, with support for AT&T’s new dual-band (850/1900MHz) 3G network. It was one of 4 devices in the N95 family, which consisted of the Nokia N95-1 (Euro 3G), N95-2 (Euro 3G 8GB model), N95-3 (US 3G), and N95-4 (US 3G 8GB model). The N95-1, I believe, is currently on firmware v31.0.017. The N95-3? Stuck in the stone ages on v20.2.011.
With the E71, I was slowly getting the idea that perhaps things were changing. The NAM variants of this device have typically recieved firmware updates within a week of their Euro counterparts, which still sucks, but at least they happen. Unfortunately, it seems as though I was merely temporarily blinded. Though I was able to fanagle the update, my favored N79 NAM is still officially on firmware v11.049. We’re still waiting on v20.175, which added homescreen email notification and a handful of other niceties to the Euro variant. The Euro variant, which, as of a few days ago, has moved past v20.175 and is on to v30.011. I’m beginning to refer to my N79 NAM as the red-headed stepchild, again.
When I’ve asked Nokia about this, I receive a range of answers, depending on who I ask. The most common answer is that it comes down to resources. Clearly NAM is a smaller market for them, which means there are less resources, and less of a push for after-sale support. I think this is complete crap. We pay the same price for our phones here in NAM that our Euro counterparts pay for theirs (with currency fluctuations, etc), and should receive the same level of support.
It’s been pointed out that such a small fraction of S60 users are aware of firmware updates, both globally and within the U.S., but is that really something to be proud of? Compared to the iPhone, where *everyone* knows about firmware updates, applies them in haste, and gets them at the same time, is that really the position that Nokia wants to take? ‘No one knows about them anyways, so it’s not crucial that we get them out in a timely fashion.‘ I sincerely hope not.
This also baffles me because Nokia has gone to great lengths in the past 2 years to really make firmware updates a pleasurable experience. I remember with my N80 and N73, I had to install dodgy versions of internal Nokia software, and download firmware files from foreign-language forums. Talk about a stressful update. Then came NSU, straight from Nokia, which made things easier, except for that it hosed my phone, so I had to re-set everything up after each update. Shortly thereafter, we were blessed with UDP (User Data Preservation), which retains all your settings/apps through a firmware update, so that it’s a seamless process. Newer phones now have OTA support, so that I can download the update over WiFi or cellular networks, without a PC. They’ve come a *long* way, and I find it absurd that after all that work, Nokia seems to be so flippant about NAM firmware updates.
I really hate to rag on Nokia NAM all the time. They’ve made some great progress in terms of getting devices with US 3G support into the market, and lowering the prices. Heck, the N97 NAM even went on sale nearly a month before the Euro variant did, which I think is a first. You can also easily pick up a new Symbian-powered smartphone, SIM-free, with US 3G support, for under $400, and have several to choose from. However, once we’ve bought our phones, I feel like the post-sale support is abysmal, specifically compared to other markets.
It’s kind of like a body builder who does reps with his right arm all day long, but never with his left. Sure, he’s lifting weights and building muscles, but if he only focuses on one arm, he’s going to look pretty jacked up, in the end.
