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Berylium
11-09-2003, 11:58 PM
I've had my i600 for 2 days now and I've found a serious problem that, unless I can get it fixed, will cause me to return the phone.

The Caller ID doesn't seem to work until after I answer the call. The phone rings, the external display lights up and shows an icon of a ringing phone, and the internal display just shows the phone number of the caller even though I know the caller is in my phonebook (and even a speed dial contact). When I answer the phone all the caller ID information is displayed. After the call, when I look at the call history it correctly shows the Caller's name and number. I've let a call ring up to the point that the next ring will send it to my voicemail but the Caller ID information never appears, the instant I answer the phone all the information pops up. Other times I've watched an incoming call and after 3 or 4 rings the caller ID information pops up. I've seen it where the same caller calls twice in a row, on the first call (after 3 or 4 rings) the caller ID info pops up, on the second call the caller ID never pops up.

I read in a MPx200 forum that people were having the same issue when they had "big" contact lists (I have about 400 contacts) and when they got their contacts list down to about 60 contacts the phone would show the caller ID again. Obviously, if true, that's ludicrous. There's a 200MHz strongarm processor in the phone and it can't match a name and a number the same way other phones with far less computational resources have been doing for years? My i700 has no problems with caller ID even when I crank it's CPU down to 200mhz. This is a phone aimed at business use, the reason to purchase this phone is to store and sync all your contacts, tasks, and appointments. The memory in these devices is there to hold applications and thousands of contacts, that you have to ween your contacts list down to 60 individuals for your caller ID to work is unthinkable. I don't see any way this issue got past quality control.

So, obviously, my question to anyone who knows the solution: how do I get my caller ID working? Is it possible I just have a bum device and need an exchange?

I'm truly baffled how such a powerful, expensive, and otherwise great phone could be hampered in this way.

-Berylium[/i]

ARW
11-10-2003, 05:10 AM
I can confirm that this is a problem on the i600. I have about 440 contacts and I don't get a name displayed until after I've answered my phone. It's obviously a bug of some sort that will hopefully be sorted out with a patch very soon. It does make the phone much less functional than it should be.

On the other hand, I've not encountered any other problems, and the rest of the phone functions with no delays or hesitations.

Berylium
11-10-2003, 05:42 AM
Damn, I was kinda hoping I had a bum unit :)

I sent an email to Samsung support, hopefully I'll get a response from them soon. I agree with you, ARW, that it's a bug. There's no reason the phone, given the hardware in it, should take any noticable amount of time to connect a phone number with a name in the contacts database. It is a bit troubling that this bug was/is also present in the MPx200. The way I look at it, I either need a response from Samsung with a firm ETA on a patch or some other fix within the next 12 days. Without operational Caller ID this phone, despite its awesome capabilities, will have to be returned.

-Berylium

Berylium
11-11-2003, 10:34 PM
Well, I've combed the Smartphone newsgroup and, as baffling as it seems to me, this Caller ID issue is the result of a slow search algorithm and we really shouldn't be expecting a solution to it until Smartphone '04. Apparently Smartphone '03 doesn't fix it completely, although it supposedly improves on it.

There is a small workaround that may work for some people.

The searching process that tries to link an incoming phone number to a contact searches through the contacts list alphabetically. So, if the name of an incoming caller is at the front of the alphabetized list you'll get your caller ID right away. To do this you put a '!' in front of the names of contacts you receive calls from regularly, and make sure it's "Filed As..." with the exclamation point first.

before: Jimmy Hoof -or- Hoof, Jimmy
after: ! Jimmy Hoof -or- ! Hoof, Jimmy

If you keep your list of Exclamation-pointed-contacts to around 30 or 40 your caller ID will work properly. Of course, if a caller who isn't exclamation-pointed, but is still in your contacts, calls you, you're screwed just like before.

I don't understand why the OS searches through the contacts database alphabetically. It would take far, far less time to match the number and then pull up the name associated with it rather than search every contact looking for the number.

Personally, I need to have access to all my contacts but I really only receive calls from 40 or so people with any regularity. Given how much I've come to enjoy this phone over my i700, I'm willing to deal with this issue by exclamation-pointing some contacts rather than return the phone.

-Berylium

KeilwerthSX90R
11-13-2003, 02:00 AM
Does the outside display at least show the phone number of incoming calls?

Josh

ARW
11-13-2003, 07:51 AM
My outside sidplay doesn't display anything unless it's a name that can be displayed. i.e. it's in the first 30 or 40 contacts.

This is one huge disappoint for me and it looks like it's a msft problem. Why it doesn't plague the SPV is apparently a mystery. The SPV has as slower processor, so they must have altered the OS between SPV and i600.

It's funny though, the i600 was complete in August of last year, which was before the SPV was launched. So, maybe the i600 is the dinosaur that didn't get the updates that the SPV got.

The whole thing is rather baffling to me. Verizon's highly touted testing failed to turn up this rather rudimentary PHONE problem. I could give them some slack if it was a data problem, or some arcane OS thing, but a PHONE issue?

pstamus
11-14-2003, 01:38 AM
It seems the Verizon phone gurus are aware of this problem and know about the issue. I’ve been told from the top of the food chain that the issue deals with how they are entered originally. It seems that new entries are indexed and prioritized a certain way for quick searching (bit tree?) and that a synchronized contact is not equivalent to an originally hand entered one. The structure in an original Outlook contact from a *.pst file vs. the smrtph2002 hand-entered one are different. We have confirmed this ourselves. Currently looking into what is different on our emulators between the two.
-Panos

robinsonb
11-15-2003, 11:54 PM
I just got my Samsung today and this caller ID issue is very frustrating. The outside shows a ringing phone, and when I open it up it does shoe the phone number then I answer. Isn't the phone number supposed to display on the outside? How annoying! :roll:

iqat
11-16-2003, 07:53 AM
they are probably referring to a "b-tree" not a bit-tree. A b-tree is an algorithm that allows for very quick search if the tree-structure is maintained well. b-tree structure tends to degrade as new entries are added, old ones removed, etc., unless the tree is re-built or re-balanced. imagine a desk with a mess of files on it. at first you can find everything quickly, but unless it gets organized every once in a while, it gets too hard to find anything.

robinsonb
11-16-2003, 01:58 PM
So, are you supposed to re-enter all your contacts? I don't understand why it can't just show the phone number.

ARW
11-16-2003, 08:23 PM
It seems the Verizon phone gurus are aware of this problem and know about the issue. I’ve been told from the top of the food chain that the issue deals with how they are entered originally. It seems that new entries are indexed and prioritized a certain way for quick searching (bit tree?) and that a synchronized contact is not equivalent to an originally hand entered one. The structure in an original Outlook contact from a *.pst file vs. the smrtph2002 hand-entered one are different. We have confirmed this ourselves. Currently looking into what is different on our emulators between the two.
-Panos

So is Verizon going to do anything about this? It's obviously an error of great magnitude, that defeats much of the benefit of the whole Smartphone synching idea.

iqat
11-17-2003, 11:49 PM
caller id doesn't work because the programmers were too stupid or careless or lazy to write it correctly, and because the quality assurance people were too stupid or careless or lazy to test it carefully.

nothing more, nothing less. oh, you can blame management too, since its their job to take the blame. :D

kilofox
11-24-2003, 04:01 AM
I tried this that was posted on HoFo for the i600

On your phone, go to: Settings/Call Options. Toggle Down to Country Code, and enter 001. Then Save. It helped me, but I don't have huge Contact List like some of you do. Maybe this will help :?:

ARW
11-24-2003, 06:23 AM
I tried this that was posted on HoFo for the i600

On your phone, go to: Settings/Call Options. Toggle Down to Country Code, and enter 001. Then Save. It helped me, but I don't have huge Contact List like some of you do. Maybe this will help :?:

I too tried this, but it makes no difference on my phone. In fact, when I make this change I hear a message from Verizon saying the call can not be completed as dialed.

srw
11-24-2003, 10:39 PM
Hey all...I too have had this problem and I called them the same day I got the phone (2 weeks ago last friday) and at that time they had no clue

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned too much is that on my phone the inside flip does have the ID its the outside that does not.

robinsonb
11-25-2003, 02:06 PM
I noticed that too - the ID shows up on the inside. My external display never lights up - is it supposed to? My old Sprint Sanyo phone would light up to show I missed a call or if I had a new message.

iqat
11-25-2003, 06:59 PM
so it microsoft's fault... just blame samsung for a crappy phone?

Berylium
12-02-2003, 05:41 PM
It seems Microsoft, Samsung, Motorola, Verizon, and AT&T all know about the issue now but mums the word on any possible fix.

Recently, I contacted the developers of Photo Contacts to see if their software could fix the problem. At the time, they hadn't heard of any problems but they said they would look into it.

Last night, a representative from PocketX sent me an advance release copy of Photo Contacts 2.0 and after installing it I now have functional Caller ID again! Granted, it only works on the internal display (for the time being) but I can't tell you how wonderful it is to know who's calling me again!

Photo Contacts 2.0 should be out this week (according to the email I received), anyone with an American Smartphone and more than 100 contacts should really check it out, it's a life saver for me.

-Berylium

ARW
12-02-2003, 06:11 PM
I'm very eager to try this, though the demo is apparently not available right now.

If this does fix it do you think Verizon will give us a copy for free? :wink:

maxnix
12-03-2003, 07:05 PM
It seems to cure the caller id delay.

www.pocketx.net

The trial version does not have the caller id feature.

ARW
12-04-2003, 05:37 PM
I took the plunge and bought a copy. I can report that installing the app to the SD card will not work, at least not as well as installing to the phone. Installing to the phone, in my 24 hours worth of experience, does clear up the problem. There is a slight delay, but a delay I can live with. I have about 440 contacts with probably close to 800 numbers. I haven't tried adding photos to the mix.

The above comments apply strictly to the internal main display. The external display on my i600 has never displayed even a number, and photo contacts hasn't changed this.

Anyone know where in Verizon I can submit my reimbursement request?

chaevans
12-17-2003, 01:42 AM
This is one huge disappoint for me and it looks like it's a msft problem. Why it doesn't plague the SPV is apparently a mystery. The SPV has as slower processor, so they must have altered the OS between SPV and i600.

The didn't alter the OS. Samsung altered the caller ID program just like Motorola altered it. Both of their implementations clearly do not work. They should have just left the Microsoft version in there. That's what Mitac and HTC were smart enough to do.

maxnix
12-18-2003, 12:15 AM
The didn't alter the OS. Samsung altered the caller ID program just like Motorola altered it. Both of their implementations clearly do not work. They should have just left the Microsoft version in there. That's what Mitac and HTC were smart enough to do.Interesting. I wonder what the odds are that both Samsung and Motorola would make the same alteration if they are not collaborating? Highly plausible since the E200 doesn't have this problem, or did Smartphone 2003 fix it?

encece
12-18-2003, 04:57 AM
Then again the e200 doesnt have the outer LCD.

maxnix
12-18-2003, 07:36 AM
Then again the e200 doesnt have the outer LCD.
True, but would that throw a monkey wrench into the system? The outer LCD never dispalys a calling number anyway, does it?

encece
12-18-2003, 08:38 AM
It does on my phone when certain people call. Best I can tell is that these people are alphabetically high in my numbers list.

It's supposed to work all of the time. The phone needs to index the contacts better so it can get thru even very large contact lists quickly.

Santa Fe
12-19-2003, 08:04 PM
The external display showed the contact name when I only had one contact. Then I synced to Outlook and it no longer shows any names.

maxnix
12-20-2003, 08:14 PM
The external display showed the contact name when I only had one contact. Then I synced to Outlook and it no longer shows any names.Now that is interesting ingormation. I wonder it anyone would add contacts one at a time using the phone and have each new contact call after he is added? It would be interesting to know at what number of contacts the outside display failed.

Of course, the whole point of the phone is to be able to sync with Outlook.

Santa Fe
12-20-2003, 08:29 PM
Well if someone wanted to experiment (not me) they could cull their contact list 50 at time I guess. I just noticed this on day one of the phone before I had time to get back to the PC and sync up.

Santa Fe
12-24-2003, 07:43 PM
More about this here: http://www.mpx200.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=719&highlight=

mklyotskin
01-27-2004, 03:31 PM
Called Verizon, Samsung and Microsoft. Microsoft said, that it's a bug effecting external display, they released the fix to Verizon and Samsung a while back, also SmartPhone 2003 has been released to them as well. Verizon said that 2003 should be out in Feb as free upgrade. Samsung said that 2003 will fix the problem, but upgrade is not free. Also keep contacts under 100, that will speed up the search. Sounds like more runaround from those three. We may need some help from the media, put their feet to the fire, for not testing and not fixing their problems.