Qtek 8300: AKU2 Firmware Upgrade - Findings

[Guest]

I took time last night and upgraded my Qtek 8300 to the next major firmware version 2.x !

If you do so pls do NOT forget to save the following items before commencing the upgrade:

* Phone Contacts (best use the Jeyo Mobile Companion)

* SMS (use Jeyo)

* Internet Bookmarks (simply copy them to your Storage Card and afterwards back to the

phone)

* various files you haven't yet saved to your Storage Card

Primarily I decided to upgrade because of the "DirectPush Mail" functionality introduced

with the AKU2 service pack.

A lot of controversal information has been given by both web portals as well as individuals

posting to forums.

Some of these even argued that Push is not Push but rather something like a synchronization

and not comparable to Blackberry.

I was very keen therefore to find out on my own.

A colleague of mine however has successfully upgraded his Qtek 9100 a few weeks before and

he has been very satisfied with the MS DirectPush Mail since.

And this was finally what motivated me in doing likewise for my device.

So this is what I can report to you from one day of intensive work with the new firmware and

its features:

The upgrade procedure itself went very smoothly and faster than the previous upgrade (from a

pre-release firmware to the first final last fall). The "up to 10 minutes" it would last

according to the info screen were not at all even reached.

After the upgrade the phone showed the following version:

ROM version: 2.0.8.0 (previously: 1.0.7.0)

Windows: BS 5.1.195 (previously: BS 5.1.70)

RIL version: 2.002 (remaining the same as before)

Radio version: 413.1.03_02.07.00 (previously: 4.0.13.17_01.04.00; maybe an error with the

point ?)

The programs in the ROM (File Explorer, WMP etc.) only showed a higher build number, all

version numbers are pretty the same, so I do not include that here.

Now for the more "substantial" changes !

I immediately asked myself: Will the DirectPush Mail work with my company server ?

What other noteable features will there be (unfortunately no Release Notes are provided with

the firware pack) ?

This is what I found checking all features for one day:

1. new: AKU2 WM5 DirectPush Mail

2. new: Comm Manager optically reworked and containing more and better feaures

3. new: Internet Explorer can now display pages with frames !!!

4. improved: increase in speed when "problematic" pages are displayed in IE

5. new: utility "USBswitch" showing up in Accessories (Selection between Serial and RNDIS

for ActiveSync)

6. new: new arrangement of items on Today Screen (Operator, Time in bigger font)

7. new: WLAN Status displayed in Today Screen under operator name

8. improved: Bluetooth now heavily improved in function and speed of invocation (devices now

connect reliably and fast; BT integrated into new Comm Manager)

9. fixed: transfer of files via Bluetooth now really works :-) hurray !

10. partly fixed: invoking CellBroadcast now shows CB infos os cells; however it seems that

they are not updated (previously CB infos were not shown at all even if invoked)

Remarks:

ad 1)

WM5 DirectPush Mail is really cool !!!!!

I received the details on how to use it with our corporate server by our sysadmin. Thes

edetails are "company-specific", so I cannot post them here. As I'd assume that only a few

people run a (legal) MS Exchange Server at home better ask your company's sysadmin for the

credentials and advice on how to use DirectPush. Either it is available and allowed to be

used by employees and he will tell or it is not and you must not use it.

Fortunately it is available in the company I am working.

From what I experienced today mails are coming in almost instantly (in case you select

immediate transfer in ActiveSync).

I am not familiar with the deep technical details of Blackberry and MS DirectPush.

In case they are not functionally identical "under the boot" this is then only an academical

controversy, something like the choice between yes and YES (thus virtually the same).

Actually I am convinced now of the practical use of MS DirectPush and I'm glad I can do

without a Blackberry :-)

ad 2)

The new Comm Manager has been both optically and functionally reworked and is now very

convenient to use. It contains now 7 functions (including BT and a switch for turning

DirectPush on and off).

I can upload a screenshot if requested, but I think someone has already done so.

ad 3)

This is an unexpected improvement. Pages with frames are now no longer rejected and remain

blank. They are displayed now. However I did not yet discover how to switch between the

frames. Any ideas ?

ad 4)

There are certain webpages, which performed very slow when scrolling up and down.

An example for such a page is the price checker www.geizhals.at. If you select there a type

of product, e.g. harddisks 2.5" and try to scroll down the page you had to wait a long time.

The page simply scrolled step by step in very low speed. Now it is possible to scroll in

turbo speed.

ad 5) more or less self-explaining

ad 6)

The operator's name as well as the time are now shown in a larger font on the Today Screen.

ad 7)

more or less self-explaining

ad 8)

more or less self-explaining; for the first time now I'd say that the buggy BT on MS

Smartphone devices is fixed !

ad 9)

Try to transfer a file now from the File Explorer of the Smartphone to your big Windows XP.

It works !

ad 10)

Previously a CB message transmitted by a base station was not displayed at all on the

screen. Now it is, but if you leave the coverage area of this cell it still shows up. Seems

that the displaying of a CB message is not updated. As I do not use this function I see it

as a neglectable bug.

Conclusion:

This upgrade contains a lot of really substantial improvements beyond the brush up of the

user software of previous firmware releases.

In a working Exchange Server environment the WM5 DirectPush Mail works like a charm.

What I did not see is the display of "E" in case the connection is done via EDGE. Can this be changed somewhere in the registry ?

In case someone out there experiences any further substantial improvements with this

firmware release pls report them here.

BTW:

Does anyone happen to know why the HTC Universal apparently is the only HTC device whose

AKU2 firmware bears a 1.x version number ?

[Guest kam_]

Some of these even argued that Push is not Push but rather something like a synchronization

and not comparable to Blackberry.

.....

From what I experienced today mails are coming in almost instantly (in case you select

immediate transfer in ActiveSync).

I am not familiar with the deep technical details of Blackberry and MS DirectPush.

In case they are not functionally identical "under the boot" this is then only an academical

controversy, something like the choice between yes and YES (thus virtually the same).

Actually I am convinced now of the practical use of MS DirectPush and I'm glad I can do

without a Blackberry :-)

The only real difference from your point of view is that MS push email takes 6 to 12mb of data a month just to work, even if you have no mail. Any mail is on top of that amount. Blackberry on the other hand will only use data when you have mail - so if you had no mail that month it uses no data.

The advantage of MS push is that you don't need the operator (your mobile service provider) to support anything, and its independant of them - you can setup MS Push on any operator in the world as long as there is some data conectivity like GPRS.

The disadvantage is that it takes 6 to 12mb of data in heartbeats (data it fires back and forth) to make sure you connection to the server is still up - this means it costs more.

The advantage of blackberry is that it only uses data to send you your mail. There is no overhead. This means it is cheaper.

The disadvanatge is that the operator needs a Blackberry server at their side, and configure you access for it. So not all operators will be able to provide the service - only those that have bought the server side from blackberry. Also they may try to recoup some of that money by charging you a service fee for 'blackberry service' - although in my experiance its usually bundled into an unlimited data plan.

[Guest]

The only real difference from your point of view is that MS push email takes 6 to 12mb of data a month just to work, even if you have no mail. Any mail is on top of that amount. Blackberry on the other hand will only use data when you have mail - so if you had no mail that month it uses no data.

I have had only two working days (meaning I really made a stress test) practical experience with DirectPush.

Your hint on the frequency of its heartbeats and the data overhead is a very interesting input !!!

I will have a closer look on this.

Thanks !

I think DirectPush is by no means already "perfect". Rumors can be heard already about an AKU3 under preparation by Microsoft.

I hope they already work on it and believe they do, because the first stories about the AKU2 I heard reached back to last spring, but the final release version wasn't available until only recently.

So in the MS Labs there should also be at least an early experimental version of an improved DirectPush.

Provided you get a good data (flat) rate from your operator DirectPush is however predestined to be something like a "killer application" (I know a frequently (ab)used term in the IT Business).

Why ?

Most of the reason why has already been said by you and I need not repeat it.

Having mobile and CONVENIENT access to one's mails is one of the most important and useful purposes of "mobile data" and people are prepared to pay for it.

The "big hypes" however happen elsewhere, e.g. DVB-H. Contrary to the success and demand for mobile mail applications I rather doubt in the success of all those hype apps - although they are all s cute ;-)

[Guest kam_]

you can expect improvements in the protocol, but not much of a decrease in the heartbeat size, or period. Changing either would mean a connection could drop more often, especially with GPRS handovers not always going smoothly.

I personally don't beleive MS push is a killer app. A killer app is bigger than the hardware, and you buy the hardware just to run the killer app. For example photoshop was a killer app for the mac. Alot of people bought a mac JUST to run photoshop.

Pull email is more than good enough for almost everyone, and for the few it isn't good enough for, they could use SMS initiaed pull.

If you want email on a phone, and thats all you buy the phone for, then blackberry is a much better solution. Although it costs the operator to buy the server, once its there, from the customer point of view its MUCH better than MS push. It can handle POP3 as well as incoming services like ICQ file transfer and DCC. It can also reformat atachments for better displaying on the device.

There is zero chance that the connection will drop and email will always be instant. With MS push the connection could drop and the mail could be delayed by the heartbeat period (2 minutes by most defaults).

Don't get me wrong MS push is good, but don't get ahead of yourself. Its not GREAT. There ARE better solutions around, but as an adition to a smartphone its an adequate attempt at push email.

By design it uses badnwdith, and don't expect that to change with any upgrade. Also remember MS push only works with MS exchange servers. So overall is it really a killer app? Is it really going to change the whole market? I don't think so! For most its a novelty, for business it means u have to change your mail server if you don't have MS exchange!

[Guest mofo]

Hi guys! I noticed some more "small" changes in new ROM.

1. You can't disconnect GPRS like before pressing "red phone" button. Now you have to go to Comm Manger and switch off "Data recive" (nr. 5). I am not sure that I like this, it was easier before.

2. If you missed a call and if you want to check time when somebodey called, before you could just click the joystick in order to see that. If you do that now your phone is gonna call that number. I am used to procedure from previous ROM, cause if you want to call that number you allways have "Green phone" button.

[Guest kam_]

On the i-mate rom hangup still disconnects. I read somewhere the qtek had some tool that pops up if u hold the home button?

[Guest maximr]

I took time last night and upgraded my Qtek 8300 to the next major firmware version 2.x !

Where can I get the new ROM? I am in the US and got my phone from expansys - therefore I cannot get onto myqtek.com because of the IMEI number not matching their stock. There's a direct link to the 8310 ROM in another thread; could you post a direct link to the 8300 ROM?

I also wonder if someone had a chance to compare the Qtek 2.x ROM to the one iMate released a couple of months ago.