MS Blog update on Nodo delay, Carrier Issues etc....

[Strider_Aus]

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_p...nd-timing.aspx

Since my team started sending out the first phone update a few weeks ago, there’s understandably been a lot of interest in how we deliver them. I also know there are concerns around Windows Phone updates, and today I want to try to address them. I’ll provide a brief behind-the-scenes look at the process and bring you the latest news on the copy-and-paste update, which I know many of you are waiting for.

This is from Eric Hautala; General Manager, Customer Experience Engineering.

The proverbial lamb to the slaughter Fronting up and trying to (with a lot of corporate speak) whats going down at MS over the update process, NoDo and other related matters.

Make up your own mind - some of my comments are posted on the linked Blog comments section.

[CrowdAds]

[Strider_Aus]

Checkout the interview with Eric (and Greg Sullivan) on this topic - and clarification (?) on the issue of Carrier blocking of updates for WP7 in the latest WP Radio podcast edition 21 (2:25-9:40)

Looks like Greg was there to support Eric (new in the role) with the continuity of him having been working with WP7 leading up to the Joe B launch demos and onwards. Dorothy Dixer question right there from Brian!

.....

Appreciate the added complexity of multiple OEM suppliers with multiple OEM ROMS/Firmware/Software code. Sure - harder than iOS.

I'm curious re: the comments on Operator/Carrier testing vs, Op/Carrier Blocking.

It looks to me like MS released the WP7 pre-update update as a way to allow the carriers to test and report back any issues more specifically on the update process itself, as a lead-in to Nodo....Did MS offer Testing Schedule deadlines ? Did they know up front that AT&T (US) and TELSTRA (AUS) as the resepctive 2 largest carriers for their respective countries for WP7 would NOT have the pre-update out prior to Nodo (ie they intended to bundle)?

If so - why not have the Carriers confirm these deadlines/release dates up front and inform their customers. Why this song and dance of possible release dates (planned by MS for Nodo) and then public announcements of pre-Nodo updates, which many customers were plainly not going to receive until Nodo ?

Did the Carriers overshoot their deadlines - if so, many here can shift their concern and apply public pressure on the carriers getting their act together.

This process needs more transparency and customer engagement. Seriously. In the scheme of things - the updates will not run that late from originally hoped (start to late March on Nodo), the extra features and perfromance improvements will be great I'm sure - but the Marketing/Customer Engagement and "Message" is at risk of souring these inevitble positive outcomes and becoming the focus instead of the soon-to-come achievements.

C'mon MS - please deliver the message better and with more transparency for all of us that <3 V1 WP7 and want it to live up to it's full potential as the most modern, intuitive and great to use mobile OS/UI experience.

l8r.

PS - Greg, unless Paul Thurrott has misquoted Joe - here's a copy of his account @windowsphonesecrets

windowsphonesecrets.com/.../the-truth-about-windows-phone-7-software-updates-and-carriers-ability-to-block-those-updates

"We build an update for everyone, and certify them with carriers,” he said. “They’re on a regular cadence as they are on the PC. If a carrier wants to stop an update, they can. But they will get it out on the next release.”

“Updates are cumulative,” he added. “If a carrier doesn’t get their testing done in time, the next push date comes and it goes out then.

“Carriers could in fact block updates to sell you a phone. That can happen,” he said. “We don’t expect that to happen. We are not going to push updates onto carrier networks that they have not tested. Microsoft is being very trusting of the carriers here. It’s very different from the situation with Windows Mobile, where every phone was very different and a full test pass was required on every phone. Here, there’s no impact on OEM code, network code, etc. There are upgrades that will require a full test pass. Most will not.”

Maybe we still need that clarification I'm afraid.

copy of my reply at WPBlog:

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_p...nd-timing.aspx

[terminalx]

After getting tired of At&t and all their BS - it looks like someone found a way using the unlock tool to force the update through...

I just updated and the nodo update is fantastic! Copy/Paste? Sure, its great but the performance enhancements are incredible