Palm Removes the Sprint 700p MR Update

Palm has temporarily removed the recently posted and oft-delayed Treo 700p maintenance release, which was posted early Monday for Sprint 700p's. Palm says it has received isolated reports of an installation issue that causes the device to continuously reset when applying the software update. A few reports of endless reset loop issues after updating were posted by PalmInfocenter readers as well. According to a few unconfirmed reader reports, Palm and Sprint are issuing replacement devices to users who experienced problems (i.e. bricked devices) due to the update. Palm support is encouraging users who have experienced an issue with the maintenance release installation contact them at: 1-866-750-7256.

Palm's Paul Loeffler has posted a statement on the Palm blog: "We're investigating the issue and will make the Sprint Treo 700p update available again as soon as possible. We know this has been a frustrating process for customers and apologize for the inconvenience it may have caused."

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Measure Twice and Cut Once

Gekko @ 6/5/2007 10:24:14 PM # Q

when will they learn?



RE: Measure Twice and Cut Once
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 7:53:34 AM # Q
Marketing required they release the software on the third date, buggy or not.

The geeks were getting boisterous and the release shut them up.

Does Palm test ANYTHING before releasing it? Seriously.
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 6/7/2007 6:57:26 AM # Q
How many times have we seen Palm release BUGGY patches to its BUGGY software, only to pull the patch soon after it was released? Why is the company incapable of fixing its software bugs? Isn't Palm primarily a software company? I won't be patching my Treo 700p until Palm releases version 3.0 of this update - I refuse to be Palm's beta tester/guinea pig/biotch EVER again.

This does not sound like a company capable of developing/supporting a new OS. Windows Mobile + StyleTap Platform would have made a lot more sense for Palm to focus on as its mobile OS.


TVoR

RE: Measure Twice and Cut Once
retrospooty @ 6/7/2007 9:34:21 AM # Q
"How many times have we seen Palm release BUGGY patches to its BUGGY software, only to pull the patch soon after it was released? Why is the company incapable of fixing its software bugs?

I really REALLY hate to have to agree with TVOR... I really cant stress that fact enough but he is right here. WTF Palm? What monkeys do you employ that test these things? Seriously, I cant imagine what idiocy goes on with your QC people, in this and many other instances like it.

RE: Measure Twice and Cut Once
hkklife @ 6/7/2007 1:59:21 PM # Q
Initial LifeDrive release aside, I remember the previous worst example of Palm's utter lack of quality control for a shipping product was back in summer 2002. This was when Palm released the OS 4.1 update for their m500 and m505. Win XP had been on the market for nearly a year but Palm STILL didn't support flashing these handhelds under XP. I seem to also recall some kind of distinction between flashing with a USB cradle/cable vs. a serial cradle/cable.

I tried to flash my m505 under a Win2k machine at work but the updater crappped out halfway through. I had to hunt down a friend with an old Win 98 box and do the whole process on his machine. Of course, unlike the 700p, the m500/505 didn't DESPERATELY need the OS 4.1 update.

http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/palmos41.html

Of course, the T3 SD card frying bug was quite bad, as was the initial ROM or two of the Treo 650, the initial T5 release and, of course, the wacky T|T launch where the device's OS AND hardware were buggy and OS5 broke compatibility with a slew of recent OS4 apps.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Nagel
Gekko @ 6/7/2007 4:35:24 PM # Q
these misteps make me nostalgic for Nagel


RE: Measure Twice and Cut Once
Gekko @ 6/7/2007 4:50:31 PM # Q
"When in a rare moment, all of the QA divisions would say thumbs down to shipping the buggy OS, the infamous Dave Nagel would say ship it anyways."

Reply to this comment

Laughable

linds @ 6/5/2007 10:34:04 PM # Q
My friend, a diehard apple fan, asked me if I think my Treo 700p is the best smartphone on the market. I wanted to duck and hide or change the subject, I would never want to make someone else go through pain I go through with my phone.

Reply to this comment

Is this some kind of sick joke???

drbuzz0 @ 6/5/2007 11:11:01 PM # Q
Just when I thought they could not make a bigger fool of themselves....

Reply to this comment

wel duh

benway88 @ 6/5/2007 11:14:21 PM # Q
Earth to Palm: It's the software, stoopid.

RE: wel duh
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 7:54:15 AM # Q
Oh!

You mean like The Fooleo!

Reply to this comment

sad, sad, sad

joad @ 6/5/2007 11:32:08 PM # Q
Well Palm - you've had a year to bring this *first* patch out. You gonna blame "third party apps" as you always do? Or will you finally admit the 700p is defective and can't be fixed?

We got scr3wed again. First the 650, then the 700p. No hope. I bit the bullet and bought 755s, figuring these geniuses MUST have fixed at least the bluetooth by now. Also had to tack on another year to my contract to avoid paying the ridiculous "MSRP."

Palm seems to benefit with every defective phone they sell us, as we soon have to re-purchase it and add to our contracts to get the features we were supposed to have on the original.

I can't wait for the Treo to have some real competition. "Frustrating" doesn't begin to describe the support experience Palm has provided on the Treo line.

RE: sad, sad, sad
wildmantrader @ 6/5/2007 11:59:02 PM # Q
How are the 755s working out?
RE:How are the 755s working out?
joad @ 6/6/2007 12:47:32 AM # Q
>>>How are the 755s working out?

Battery life no picnic, but manageable as long as I have a charger or old 1800mAh battery somewhere near (works w/o the battery cover).

MiniSD absolutely sucks. Need to jam it in and out of the slot with the stylus - afraid it will soon break. Can't use my 4GB SD, waiting for 4GB+ MiniSDs to come down in price.

No friggin reset hole(!!!). Palm's answer: "just" pull off your case, then the battery cover, then hold the side button and yank the battery. I guess putting a reset hole beside the MiniSD slot (as on the 750) was just too difficult for the engineers. My prediction is that Palm won't be selling many of their "crystal cases" that encapsulate the 755... as it's no pleasure yanking that thing off every time the device freezes up.

Speaking of freezes: Although a few things like Crashpro created problems and were quickly eliminated, for a Treo release the 755 seems fairly compatible with much that worked on the 700p. After a week I have an occasional reset but few lockups. (knock on wood).

Hardware Buttons: Once again, Palm couldn't leave well enough alone. We still have no direct control over the #1 and #4 hardware buttons, and although LudusP seems ok on the 755 and will give *some* hacked control, other things like LauncherX have lost the ability to override the "default launcher" button on their own.

Build quality seems tighter and more durable. Screen seems brighter and of better quality. The back battery cover no longer squeaks - but they redesigned the removal latch to make it more difficult to remove (a brilliant move when you are REQUIRED to remove it every time you need to reset).

All in all, I'd prefer a patched and functioning 700p over the 755. But I've given up hope that Palm will ever use anything but Unicorns and monkeys to test their devices and patches before releasing them upon the general public. I buy the latest device with perpetual hope that somehow Palm will accidentally fix problems which were obvious in the last (few) devices. ...But I ain't happy about it.



RE: sad, sad, sad
VampireLestat @ 6/6/2007 2:34:54 AM # Q
"... I've given up hope that Palm will ever use anything but Unicorns and monkeys to test their devices and patches before releasing them upon the general public. I buy the latest device with perpetual hope that somehow Palm will accidentally fix problems which were obvious in the last (few) devices. ..."


hehe thats too funny, unicorns, monkeys and accidental fixes. rotfl
Wait til the new Apple guys get a load of Palm.



RE: sad, sad, sad
nybble @ 6/6/2007 1:17:10 PM # Q
Yeah, this is pretty sad. :( After how long they finally release a patch for only sprint 700p's? And then there's problems with the patch? I really like that on the palm forum sprint has been sending 700p owners 755p's instead of dealing with the problem. I'm hoping that the iphone lives up to a reasonable amount of the hype and that my 650 can last me till the next gen iphone. Mmm. Or Helio starts reselling AT&T and making gsm phones. :)

Reply to this comment

Return your 755P... Check out iPhone

palmstory @ 6/6/2007 1:08:12 AM # Q
So, why not just return this 755, and see what iPhone is like?

iPhone = OS X, not old orphaned Palm OS...
iPhone + 3rd party apps = the New Mobile Economy in the PALM of a hand!!!!

Looks like Sprint did us, on Verizon, a favor:) with this "UPDATE" PATHETIC, ha?

And of course, no mention about VZ Treo 700p UPDATE... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The more I think about this, the less hope I have for Bluetooth on 700p as a Modem for my Mac Laptop... Why, cause Treo's inventor has been working on that Folio FIASCO, that he dubs as his best idea ever...!!!!!!!!!!! So, why would they make it work with laptops, when it's exactly what they are trying to defeat?! -- a CLEAR CONFLICT OF INTEREST!!!!

The new bosses at Palm will probably fire him, even if he knows all U2 songs lyrics from memory:):)!!!! See this article:

Palm Sells 25% Stake, Announces New Board Members
http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/9444/palm-sells-25-stake-announces-new-board-members/

Wouldn't that be funny if Bill Gates buys another 25% of Palm, or more?:)!

Meanwhile, I try not to give in to iPhone HYPE that is fun, but still -- so much UNKNOWN!!! The POLITICS of it all are icky:)!

I feel caught between:

the frustration of using an UNSTABLE Device, given that like with most people, as you have seen by now, 700P has NOT delivered on the promises which were so clearly stated on its packaging over 1 year ago... It'll likely be my LAST Palm product that I buy!

And being a test rabbit for a whole new paradigm - iPhone!!! Regardless of the fact that I am passionate about my Apple Echo System, but I am not Apple Fanboy, jumping every time Apple says jump!

iPhone is only getting out of the womb on 6/29/07 A lot of Q's to be answered!!!

Overall, I like Verizon Wrls. ATT is an UNKNOWN, as are their Price Plans, Network etc.

http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/06/05/att.ramps.edge.for.iphone/

Hopefully Verizon will be offering iPhone SOONER than expected. Next week is Apple Developers Conference with ANNOUNCEMENTS...

Either way, iPhone is a BLESSING to your industry, cause it'll force better products coming sooner!

The 2 year CONTRACTS are UGLY, and I hope they will be done away with, prices come down, Data Speeds go up, and CDMA/GSM etc. WARS go away too... There should be ONE FORMAT for ONE WORLD!!!

Obviously, Treo's INSTABILITY is carriers' fault... Palm OS has been orphaned a while back, as Palm Bosses SCREWED UP a GREAT CONCEPT, until Apple came in to DELIVER on that promise with iPhone, which will have 3rd party apps running on OS X which is ROCK SOLID, compared to Palm OS which hardly changed since 1999!!!!!!!!!!! But, I wish Palm all the luck in the world, and Windows Mobile too, so that Apple doesn't fall asleep while getting to many ovations:)!

Hope we can laugh about all of this SOON!!!!

Meanwhile, enjoy this video!!! You'll LOVE IT!!!

Jobs, Gates interview available free on iTunes
http://www.macminute.com/2007/06/05/jobs-gates-interview/

GREAT VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!! 1hr:33m. Great CONTENT and VIDEO QUALITY! Wish it was longer!!! Hope those guys make such joint appearances a habit.

Direct iTunes Store Link
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=256972720

Don't bother watching it as a Stream from iTunes... At 997MB, you'll be waiting FOREVER for it to buffer, if that even happens...

The Video Downloaded in 20 min on my 9,773 kbps Road Runner Cable!!!
-----------------------------------------------------

If only iPhone had even half of that speed, 100GB Flash Storage, 16 hrs battery (video and voice at the same time), cost $120, with all you can eat Calls, Data, Video Chats WORLDWIDE -- for $50 a month, and 1-2 year commitments became a faint memory, plus KILLING Bluetooth Stereo Headphones, with NOISE CANCELLATION mic --

that would be HEAVEN...:)!

And now, back to LIFE!!!!

RE: Return your 755P... Check out iPhone
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 7:59:30 AM # Q
> ...And of course, no mention about VZ Treo 700p UPDATE...

Given today's news, probably a good thing.

RE: Return your 755P... Check out iPhone TV Ads
kpr @ 6/7/2007 9:17:57 PM # Q
Check out these nice iPhone TV Apple put up on their web site:

http://www.apple.com/iphone/ads/

Reply to this comment

sale to investors

itster @ 6/6/2007 7:23:27 AM # Q
too bad they didn't sell 100% of palm to investors

Reply to this comment

What's the excuse this time?

asiayeah @ 6/6/2007 8:13:27 AM # Q
Ok. Palm has been blamming the excessive testing required for the delayed release. Now, given so much excessive testing time, why the patch has to pull off? Any excuse from Palm so far? This is very sad for both Palm users and investors.

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.
RE: What's the excuse this time?
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 8:32:46 AM # Q
What!?

Are you implying extensive testing was NOT the reason the pulled-update took so long to be released!?

No!?

RE: What's the excuse this time?
asiayeah @ 6/6/2007 10:15:37 AM # Q
That's my guess.

I don't think lengthy testing was the reason.

A lot of time could have been spent in something else, such as useless meetings, idle waiting, business negotiations, political issues, non-motivated...etc

What other excuses can Palm come up this time?

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

Reply to this comment

Resource allocation

mikecane @ 6/6/2007 9:39:42 AM # Q
It seems to me the same thing that happened with Apple. So much effort was required to finish the iPhone software that they had to pull engineers off Leopard and delay that release.

Here it is probably in reverse: they've pulled Treo engineers to work on the Flopeo.

Whatever the truth is, this is just another black eye for Palm -- and, like all the rest, it is *self-inflicted*.

RE: Resource allocation
asiayeah @ 6/6/2007 10:20:18 AM # Q
This could be one of the reasons.

Apple is only delaying Leopard because of iPhone. Leopard is a un-released product, so it is up to Apple to re-prioritize their product schedules. Apple never delay any security updates or fixing critical issues on existing products, because of iPhone.

On the other hand, if Palm delays fixes on Treo 700p, because of Foleo or Treo 755p, that simply means they do NOT provide a good support on existing products. Does that mean they no longer concern about old customers (such as PDA or Treo)? I hope they are NOT only interested in potential Foleo customers, which aren't so well-defined yet...

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.

RE: Resource allocation
mikecane @ 6/10/2007 12:56:24 PM # Q
>>>Does that mean they no longer concern about old customers (such as PDA or Treo)?

When have they really ever been recently?

Blazer in the LifeDrive is a piece of crap. Crashes within minutes of my using it, taking the whole LD with it!

Reply to this comment

Update

mopcodes @ 6/6/2007 10:35:18 AM # Q
My device appears to be fine with no noticeable performance issues, etc. I cannot tell if anything was fixed or not. But once I try some blue tooth functions I'll know for sure if I notice anything.

It still resets once a day on it's own for no apparrent reason that I can determine.

D. Martin
Former Amiga/Commodore Author/Writer/Reviewer

RE: Update
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 10:49:54 AM # Q
TreoCentral had some sort of poll in their discussion forum that suggested something like 70+% had "no problems" with the update.

That is - it is more likely that one would be fine than that one would have problems.

-------------

Of COURSE 30-ish percent failure rate is HORRENDOUS! But that's NOT what this reply is about! Giggle...

RE: Update
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 10:51:02 AM # Q
Darn - meant to include...

[I still have a couple Amigas - "signed" 1000 and a 500 - fantastic machine]


Reply to this comment

iPhone

mopcodes @ 6/6/2007 10:49:44 AM # Q
Ref. iPhone comments I see posted here.

I'm going to watch and see with that phone. AT&T is not my favorite company and I broke ties with them so long ago I cannot recall the last time they got a dime from me. :-p

Cingular therefore would not be my carrier of choice. I prefer what I have now Sprint although they are less than perfect. I have them for a while yet and will be looking at iphone Phase 2 for 2008 that is rumored. At that point I'll be month to month on my contract.

I'll look at an iPhone again then. Right now it looks fragile and I want to see how it holds up, etc. And everyone knows Apple is big on hardware refreshes. It's better to wait and upgrade after version 2 or 3 comes out.

I think it's insane that they gave Cingular the exclusive. What a bunch of junk.

I also have a lot invested in my Palm Treo - applications, time, knowledge, etc. but the 755 is not for me due to the memory card change, lack of reset button, etc. Booo hiss Palm.

D. Martin
Former Amiga/Commodore Author/Writer/Reviewer

Reply to this comment

Nobody Mentioned It ...

LiveFaith @ 6/6/2007 11:34:37 AM # Q
Nobody has mentioned it as far as I can tell. Palm at least made and apology and acknowledged that this has been a circus ride. At least they are being forthright in the statement. Gotta give credit where credit's due.

I know that should be enough to satisfy everyone. :-o

Pat Horne

RE: Nobody Mentioned It ...
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 12:20:43 PM # Q
> Nobody has mentioned it as far as I can tell...

Because no one sober would think such a thing.

> ...Palm at least made an apology and acknowledged that this
> has been a circus ride....

Oh yeah, sure they did! Here's what they said:

== "...We have received isolated reports of an installation issue..."

and here's what someone accurately replied with:

== "Isolated reports huh? That is not how it appears on every
== message board relating to the 700p that I have seen. I would
== say there are isolated reports of success..."


Reply to this comment

Well, we know a couple of things

theog @ 6/6/2007 12:38:10 PM # Q
#1 Verizon is VERY smart.

#2 Palm is a hurting unit.

#3 The update process at palm is flawed.

#4 Palm needs a "beta" program.

#5 We are all still waiting and praying for the palm of old.

Is it just me or has anyone else not wondered why there is not a touch screen black berry aimed at palm? Very odd... I think we would all convert over fairly quickly....


Vote for John Kerry... best man for the job.

RE: Well, we know a couple of things
SeldomVisitor @ 6/6/2007 2:00:47 PM # Q
> ...Is it just me or has anyone else not wondered why there
> is not a touch screen black berry aimed at palm?...

Maybe because RIMM can afford market surveys and the market surveys unambiguously told them (and all the other Huge Guys without touchscreen devices) that touchscreens wouldn't sell them any more popsie-poopsies than non-touchscreens?

RE: Well, we know a couple of things
ndurantz @ 6/7/2007 11:24:52 AM # Q
"#1 Verizon is VERY smart."

Why would this be? Because they made their customer's wait even longer than they already have? Just because the patch for Sprint wasn't perfect for everyone doesn't mean that Verizon is smart for waiting. From my understanding, the phones are different enough between the two carries that even if bugs are worked out on the Sprint patch and then Verizon releases theirs doesn't mean that it will be perfect. At least Sprint is trying to get things resolved (755p and the first to patch). Looks like Verizon is relying on their "reliable network" to keep their customers happy - not a working Treo.

RE: Well, we know a couple of things
Spiff @ 6/8/2007 9:47:13 PM # Q
After installing the Sprint 700p ROM update, I took it to the (independent) service center. They ordered me a new one immediately. I wonder if the Sprint store would have done that?

This will be my third and probably my last 700p.

Regarding #4:
Palm IS a beta program.

More than a year to release a patch that breaks the phone. This probably wouldn't have been the case if Palm had spend more than a year on the initial development instead of taking a Windows phone and shoving a Palm OS into it.

Oh, well, what do I know? I'm just a customer.

Would you like to buy a FOOLeo® (the Treo's biotch™) instead?
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 6/8/2007 10:16:11 PM # Q
From what people of Beersy's ilk (Palm's lapdogs) pretend to believe, the Treo 700p doesn't have anything wrong with it. I suppose all the problems we've documented with it over the past year must have been imagined...


TVoR

RE: Well, we know a couple of things
hkklife @ 6/9/2007 4:09:14 PM # Q
TVoR:

Have YOU risked your Sprint 700p yet to the ROM update? If so, what was your personal experience like while flashing it? Any crashes, hiccups,new bugs etc?

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

WANTED: beta testers for Palm
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 6/9/2007 7:29:32 PM # Q
TVoR:

Have YOU risked your Sprint 700p yet to the ROM update? If so, what was your personal experience like while flashing it? Any crashes, hiccups,new bugs etc?

No way in He11 am I going to beta test yet another buggy bugfix from Palm. I believe my device is now out of warranty, so if this "bugfix" ended up bricking my Treo 700p, no doubt I'd be screwed. Based on my experience with Sprint, it wouldn't be worth the hassle to try to get them to replace the phone. Once Palm has finally issued a stable update, I might take my phone into a Sprint store and have them reflash it. That way, if they brick it themselves, then those Sprint biotches can't claim it was due to something I did. I wouldn't consider switching to the Treo 755p, due to its lack of a regular SD card and also its crappy battery life.

At this point, the only things I use my Treo 700p for are to work as a wireless modem for my ThinkPad (thank you June Fabrics for PdaNet!), for e-mail using ChatterEmail (a superb application), and for the occasional SMS with Palm's brilliant little threaded SMS application. I gave up using it as a real phone soon after I bought it + experienced numerous random OS crashes when answering calls. Most people I spoke to also told me the voice quality on their end was horrible. Given the way I use my Treo 700p, I would happily dump it as soon as someone comes out with a small Sprint smartphone (any OS!) that lets me do email and functions as an EVDO modem. For my "real" phone I continue to use my Samsung i500 - which has the best voice quality of ANY cellphone I've ever used. I loaded up on backup Samsung i500 when Sprint was blowing them out at half price ($300) a couple of years ago, so I really don't plan on switching primary phones any time soon.

I'm glad that I stocked up on European TH55 (Bluetooth + WiFi), CLIE UX50 (Bluetooth + WiFi), CLIE VZ90 (WiFi) and Samsung i500 when they were still available. These were the last good PalmOS devices that we'll ever see and they'll be as useful in 10 years as they are today. Now I know how Apple Newton fans feel...

I feel vindicated in that people are now finally seeing that everything I had warned people about re: Palm's ineptitude was true. Devices like the (embarassing) FOOLeo and the Treo 600.3 Treo 755p prove that a decade of fleecing customers with its policy of incremental upgrades has left Palm incapable of designing truely innovative devices. Emperor Hawkins has no clothes and unfortunately for him, his long-abused, starving, downtrodden Palm-faithful subjects are no longer blind. And the kingdoms next door are offering free land, housing and lower taxes. Buh-Bye, Jeffy! Palm can take their "revolutionary" 4-years-2-late-2-matter FOOLeo and shove it up their a$$es, Yankowski-style.

TVoR


RE: Well, we know a couple of things
hkklife @ 6/9/2007 11:52:09 PM # Q
Voice;

Your 700p cannot be out of warranty. I got my 700p about a year ago this week (I think it was June 2nd or somthing of '06) and it was a good two months after my purchase that you got yours despite my warnings (you got a killer deal from Sprint SERO IIRC).

And WILL SPrint techs flash it for you? I know Verizon won't. In fact, the VZW techs during the 650 days used to say to just leave it stock so as not to risk anything.

Believe it or not, in preliminary testing, the 755p lasted longer on standby than my 700p does (with or without the Seidio extended batteries).

In fact, if your 700p gets toasted from the update, the chances that you can biotch at Sprint for a replacement 755p seem reasonably high. A shame about the miniSD on the 755p, as otherwise it's EVERYTHING the 700p should have been (at least from a performance standpoint). I still vastly prefer the 680's phone app, however, and not having a stereo 3.5mm headphone jack in this day & age on smartphone of the Treo's price is basically criminal.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

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