T-Mobile USA Inc. announced it will suspend sales of the Hewlett-Packard Co. iPAQ h6315 personal digital assistant-style phone until the two companies can develop a software upgrade “that will deliver an improved customer experience,” T-Mobile said in a statement.
T-Mobile did not say what ails the device. However, Internet posts on sites such as PhoneScoop.com indicate that the device suffers from a variety of bugs, specifically affecting the telephony and Bluetooth functions. One user complained that the device froze at least twice a week during normal use.
“T-Mobile customers who own an h6315 should continue to use their device as they normally would,” T-Mobile said in a statement. “As soon as the new software is available, we will alert our h6315 customers to the free upgrade for this device. We apologize for the inconvenience.”
T-Mobile did not indicate when the upgrade would be available.
The iPAQ h6315 is one of the most advanced wireless devices on the market in the United States. The GSM/GPRS device features built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera and an SD card. The device runs Microsoft Corp.’s Pocket PC operating system and sells for $500 with a service plan.
T-Mobile’s announcement highlights the complicated, cutthroat nature of the high-end smart-phone market. Such smart phones balance on the cutting-edge of wireless technology, and often feature technologies from dozens of companies. Carriers often run extensive tests on such devices to make sure they will work as promoted, although bugs have in the past slipped through testing procedures. Further, some carriers rush to be the first to market with high-end devices, while others are content to conduct extensive testing and thereby relinquish the first-to-market position. T-Mobile is not the first to suffer phone bugs, although suspending the sale of offending devices is relatively rare.