BELLEVUE, Wash.-T-Mobile USA Inc. is offering a software upgrade for the iPAQ h6315 Pocket PC from Hewlett-Packard Co. The carrier recently suspended sales of the device due to unexplained software problems.
The carrier posted the software upgrade on its Web site at www.t-mobile.com/hpupdate. T-Mobile said the upgrade would improve overall stability, Bluetooth performance, voice quality, e-mail performance and “other general improvements.” The carrier said users must connect their device to a personal computer to conduct the upgrade, which would take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Although T-Mobile and HP did not say what ailed the device, Internet posts on sites such as PhoneScoop.com indicated that the device suffered from a variety of bugs, specifically affecting the telephony and Bluetooth functions. One user in an e-mail to RCR Wireless News complained that the device had to be rebooted several times a day.
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, a 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 is not the first carrier to suffer from phone quality issues. Yankee Group analyst John Jackson said the Siemens SL56 was briefly pulled from AT&T Wireless Services Inc. store shelves, as was the Motorola V600 with Cingular Wireless L.L.C. And T-Mobile’s Sidekick users recently suffered a glitch that affected their wireless data services. T-Mobile has offered to credit users’ accounts, as well as provide complimentary ringtones and games.
Although those in the industry generally decline to discuss the topic, software upgrades for wireless devices are becoming relatively commonplace. For example, Sony Ericsson’s Internet site offers software updates for the company’s various phone models, and PalmOne Inc. recently posted an upgrade for the Sprint Treo 650 to improve the device’s roaming capabilities and memory functions.
The need to distribute software upgrades has also given rise to over-the-air updating technology. Such technology allows carriers to remotely push bug patches and software updates to wireless users. Indeed, Sprint recently announced it had installed such OTA technology in several new devices.
“The problem of device failure is extremely impactive to the carrier,” Jackson said.
