Anyone had their Nokia firmware flashed?

[XRated]

Well I am getting really annoyed with my Nokia N70. It's got awesome features, but is painfully slow. I know the firmware isn't the latest and that you can't flash it yourself : I just want to know if anyone has had their's flashed and if someone knows of somewhere in Melbourne that can do it?

I'm with 3 and I'm worried that it won't be able to be flashed because I'm on a contract.

I've e-mailed a Nokia centre and am waiting to hear from them.

Thanks in advance.

[goldfire]

Depending on what state you live in it'll be sent to Adelaide most likely, i know perth can't do it.

nothing wrong with the N70, least with mine. Keep in mind it's a mini-pc pretty much, and symbian OS does chew some resources, specially if your running a non-standard theme like I am.

Fware flash won't fix this, only H/ware upgrade or software cleaning out of your fone will.

[goldfire]

just re-read your post.

point form.

• Care centre in melb should be able to do it, I'd ring them not email
• Contract doesn't matter, it's a service thing, i've had work done on my fones before
• There is a way to flash it yourself, but you really really really really don't want to try it, Nokia will disown you if you do. 'nuff said.

[XRated]

Thanks goldfire. I heard back from the Care Centre and they said the flash is under warranty (12 months), if not it's $45. It'll take two hours. Sweet! I might get rid of this crappy 3 interface/setup.

If your in Sydney you can get it done at Nokia CC 688 Pacific Hwy Chatswood.

[jmc-007]

Yeah i have an N70 too and its extremly slooooow.

I will give the place in chatswood a ring

[XRated]

Originally Posted by jmc-007

Yeah i have an N70 too and its extremly slooooow.

I will give the place in chatswood a ring

Apparently the software update isn't likely to change this... But it can't hurt. Otherwise I am requesting another phone hehehe :

[PH47]

Flashing firmware wont fix it, unless there's something actually wrong with your existing software.

Symbian phones are all s..l..o..w..

It's what you get for trying to cram a PC into a phone, running off inadequate hardware.

[davocol]

I would remove the symantec software from the phone, I had the exact same issue ****ed of the av and firewall crap and presto runs well now, still have a couple of minor gripes but will get these sorted out in due course.

[fairmont1998]

I've removed the Symantec cr@p from my N70 as well.

[S3SR]

Originally Posted by goldfire

There is a way to flash it yourself, but you really really really really don't want to try it, Nokia will disown you if you do. 'nuff said.

what could nokia possibly do

since in uses a OS im thinking it should be easy just getting around the functionality of the phone is the prob

sorry to hijack your thread
FalconSR

[Aussie Falcon]

A friend of mine has the same phone and bellow are some of his suggestions:

------------------------------
Chris,

Interesting thread. If you want to post this in the forum go ahead it
answers all the questions raised. A bit wordy but I think it solves all the
problems.

Flashing the phone will not fix the problem. Here in Melbourne you can take
it to Nokia in the City or in Melbourne and they will do that for you. Have
read elsewhere that it will potentially remove the network lock on the
phone. That that other person said, even though you can flash it yourself,
highly NOT recommended.

With the N70 on 3 Mobile, even though you Symantec software for AV comes as
an installable file, there is no point (besides, the product seriously chews
close to 100MB RAM on PCs so you can imagine how much it chews in the
phone), as Planet3 Services or the Web browser will not let you go to a page
on the Internet beyond their Planet3 portal. Get rid of it. If you are
using Mobile Internet with the phone still no point as the phone is merely a
modem.

You want performance then I would strongly recommending removing ANY
applications you do not use. I run mine barebones. The phone also works a
bit like an iPAQ or other Windows Mobile devices. By this I mean, when you
start an application it remains open until you actually close it. It the
case of Symbian apps you need to ensure you 'Exit' the application. If you
hold down the Menu key you will see this 'task bar' type of thing come up on
the left of the screen. That will let you know what you have open. Go
through that and close of what you are not using. Not only will it improve
performance it will also improve battery life.

Functionality is something you will need to fiddle with to get it the way
you want. On the N70, along with all the other Nokia Symbian phones have a
measure of customisation you can do. I know on the N70 (and my 6670 before
that) I could individually program all the function keys and each of the
joystick thing to do specific tasks (eg, open Bluetooth, start the camera
etc) You will need to have a look at the manual for this. Not hard, but
worth a look. I have set mine up with my most used functions programmed my
way on the keys. The N70 will even allow you move the icons around and copy
them to different folders. That way you can put your most used icons in the
easiest reach. Again look at your manual, this is simple stuff.

Before I go any further, I have to say the N70 is a great phone. It does
what I want when I want and how I want. I use it to make calls, do the odd
SMS, send and receive email, browse the content on Planet3, and Mobile
Internet via my laptop.

Now for the problems, I am now up to my fourth, yes fourth, N70 in 3 months.
The reason being is that phone will re-boot itself when receiving SMS, or
email, or on Planet3 on occasion for no reason. I have had USIMs replaced,
phones with supposedly new firmware installed and ran a couple of batteries
through it, to no avail. On this last time I had the phone, the battery,
and the USIM all replaced with brand new ones. Things are looking good so
far. Tomorrow is the crunch time. If I make it past tomorrow with no
issues I will be happy. I have to say that the people at the 3 Store in
Chadstone have been very good. They have not made a fuss, they dealt with
the Customer Care on the phone for me and everything. On my last visit I
said I am going to one of their shirts and name badges cause I have been
there so often.


Regards,
Jason
-------------------------------------------

[4.9 EF Futura]

^ good read and i agree with everything said about symbian phones. If you dont use a program, go into the manager and remove it - should clean up the registries etc.

Using a non standard theme does put a fair strain on resources... but heck, it's worth it lol. Took me a while to figure out that stuff does run in the background and you need to make sure apps are properly closed. Lol, I held the menu key down and about 5 things were open and running!!

Cant say that my 6630 phone runs slow at all tho now?? Its a series 60 OS - the same that the N70 runs IIRC?

I'd vote to clean it out. Move as much stuff onto the MMC as you can, keep the phone's flash clear.

Another thing to check is your SMS/email inbox. The problem with these things is that the inbox will never fill up. As i look at my phone now, there's over 600 messages still in the inbox which need deleting.

Turning bluetooth off when not using it will also free some resources up.

[4.9 EF Futura]

BTW file explorer is a must have little program for a symbian phone IMO. Easy to find on the web.

[XRated]

Whoa, thanks for the detailed info above!! Send your mate my many thanks.

Originally Posted by 4.9 EF Futura

Another thing to check is your SMS/email inbox. The problem with these things is that the inbox will never fill up. As i look at my phone now, there's over 600 messages still in the inbox which need deleting.

This is the most frustrating - I can't see an option to empty the inbox, rather I have to delete each message separately and it's awfully painful!

A few points;
I haven't installed the Symantec junk
All applications are closed
I have about 150-200 messages (but it's as slow since the day I got the phone)

I'm just removing some of the programs now and will see how it goes.

In the end, is it safe to assume that it will always be relatively slow because of the Symbian O/S and poorly matched hardware?

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by XRated

In the end, is it safe to assume that it will always be relatively slow because of the Symbian O/S and poorly matched hardware?

Lol.

That's probably a little on the side of harsh... but yeah, the symbian phones are always processing something lol. It muswt be fairly bad?? I get a small amount of delay when switching applications etc but no way would i consider it slow... and the hardware (6630) is probably inferior to that of an N70... and i wouldnt consider it poorly matched...

If i can play carmageddon in full 3D @ 24fps or have real time 3d GPS naviagation with TomTom Mobile 5 then the hardware cant be too bad!

Ps check out http://www.imserba.com for utilities, applications, games, multimedia etc all for S60, S80 and UIQ (sony ericsson) symbian phones. Sign up and hit the forums. Gold.

[goldfire]

it's like putting windows xp on a P2 with 128 meg ram.. doable.. but really crap.

I'd caution against removing the symantec stuff, unless you don't use wap/gprs at all to surf the net from your fone. If you do then leave it on as Symbian OS fones are quite suceptable (sp?) to virus's. If you don't use the net at all then turf it.

[SB076]

I have got a few issues with my N70 (doesnt ring - no volume, if you watch the screen you can see its connecting but the is no sound, however if someone phones a couple of minutes later everything is fine. Phone also locks up occasionally) I am with Telstra showed them (thankfully it didnt ring with them too, and they suggested getting new software, couldnt leave it as they wanted it for a few days) But I will have to do something soon.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by SB076

I have got a few issues with my N70 (doesnt ring - no volume, if you watch the screen you can see its connecting but the is no sound, however if someone phones a couple of minutes later everything is fine. Phone also locks up occasionally) I am with Telstra showed them (thankfully it didnt ring with them too, and they suggested getting new software, couldnt leave it as they wanted it for a few days) But I will have to do something soon.

Depending on what kind of plan you're on... telstra has a "lemon policy"... if a phone is sent for repair 3 times within a year... new phone.

Note - i said "if it needs to be sent" not "if it stuffs up"

[Aussie Falcon]

Here is the reply from one of my mates:


------------------------------------
Chris,

Tell all in the forum no problem and glad to be helpful. I would join the
forum, but I believe I gave up that right when I moved on from my beloved EB
Falcon to a blue oval of different kind. Rest assured I am still a Ford man
at heart and if the Territory came with a clutch I would still be one. That
is why I am posting by proxy.

I also agree with '4.9 EF Futura', move as much stuff off the internal
memory and on to MMC as possible. Also using non-standard apps, themes etc
is entertaining you do take both a performance hit as well as battery hit as
it needs to keep that stuff alive while it is in use. I have learnt the
hard way as I am a very heavy user of my poor phones.

What goldfire says about not removing Symantec if you have the ability to
access the Web directly off the phone. I know with Telstra you can do that,
yet with 3 you can not.

I also agree that some enterprising individuals have written 'virus' type of
packages Symbian phones are susceptible to. Yet to my knowledge they are
mostly spread via Bluetooth. A lot of people who use the Bluetooth for
headsets or for the car leave their Bluetooth set to 'Show to all'. This is
not good. I tested this out in my office and was able to detect about 10+
phones in range at any given time. I would strongly recommend pairing your
phone up with the devices you want to connect to and then setting the phone
to 'Hidden'. This makes the phone more secure against the spread of the
Symbian viruses and stops people trying to snoop your phone. Have a read of
the manual for how to do this.

Comparing phone models is really a futile exercise as the manufacturers
build certain models to cater for certain demographics.

A couple of little tips for cleaning out your phone of MMS/SMS/emails or any
group of things you have stored (eg. Music or photos via the File Manager)
in 1 foul swoop.

- Say you are in your Messages|Inbox. Hold down that 'pen' button located
below the Menu button and then scroll through the messages. You will notice
a little tick beside each message as you go past it. This marks the
messages. Then you have 2 ways to actually delete them. First is to then
press the 'C' (Clear) button. It will then ask you if you want to delete x
messages, press OK. Presto, done.

- What if you are in your File Manager and you want to delete a number of
photos you took cause you though it was a good idea at the time. Find the
location where they are stored, hit 'Options' and then scroll through the
list until you see 'Mark' press the left arrow and it will show 'Mark' (for
one at a time) or 'Mark All' to select everything. The same 'ticks' will
appear. You then hit 'Options' again and then scroll through to 'Delete'.
It will ask the same question as above and you hit 'OK'.

Word of caution, there is no un-delete that I am aware of, so once gone it
is gone.

Both of these methods work on any Symbian Series 40, 60 and 80 that I am
aware of and will work for anything in which a list of items is presented.

If you have filled your Nokia up with apps and then removed them and the
thing is still not performing as it used you, you can do a hard reset of the
phone. Through my 'Trails and Tribulations' I was given the code by 3
Customer Care. It is different from the 'Factory Reset' option and more
complete. What this will do is set basically erase EVERYTHING and re-load
the core applications. It works on the N70 and the 6670 I have. If you
want it then let me know and I can give some instructions.

So you know, as my proxy for posting does, I do not work in any way related
to mobile phones or the industry. I am just a heavy user of my phone and I
am a big believer in reading the manual. I actually work in IT.

It is now Thursday and my N70 has run for an entire week without any of the
problems I was experiencing. I do not know if the problem was the phone,
the battery or the USIM. Apart from curiosity, I would have liked to have
known. Then again the damn thing works as it should so why should I care.

Hopefully this has been helpful.



Regards,
Jason
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