Finally! My Computers Are As Reliable As My Cell Phone

[Ed Hansberry]

The problem is, my computers haven't gotten any more reliable. My cell phone, in getting all smart and cool, has learned some PC tricks. This isn't to say my PC or Pocket PC isn't reliable. Since switching to Windows NT 4 Workstation in 1996, moving to Windows 2000 Professional in 2000 and then Windows XP Professional in 2001, I experience <i>very</i> few system crashes. Maybe 5 since 1996, three of which were after installing HP printer drivers. :? I have been pleased with the stability of my Pocket PCs too, though they aren't up to NT standards yet.<br /><br />Today, I am driving home and decide to check email with my iPAQ 3970 via bluetooth to my Nokia 3650. After downloading 6 of 16 messages the session dies. I wait a few minutes until I am sure I am in a better cell and reconnect. A minute later I look over to make sure I am online and the VPN hooked up.<br /><br />I glanced at my cell phone screen and it says "Nokia." My phone's screen saver is the clock, not their logo. It dawns on me my phone has spontaneously rebooted! How PC-like of it. :) My T68i wasn't any better. More than once I had to remove its battery when it locked up. For the record, my 3650 is bone stock - nothing has been installed on it.<br /><br />So, after years of wishing my computers were as stable as a phone, I finally have my wish... I guess.

[JonnoB]

My Motorola designed/built Nextel iDen based phone needs to be shut off periodically. It is all that Java junk they are shoving in them these days. My HP568 is more stable than my phone.

[PetiteFlower]

My phone reboots itself once in a while (LG 5350). Usually after I was using the wireless web and then not using it for a while; I think that's the only way it can disconnect itself.

[Sven Johannsen]

I've heard it said more than once...Be careful what you wish for, you may get it ;)

[dma1965]

Yeah, I too noticed that my T68m likes to act like a PC at times. I have experienced several crashes of my cell phone. Strangely enough, my old Nokia plain Jane cell phone has never even burped. All it does is receive phone calls and can do WAP, but nothing fancy and rock solid. I also have 2 iPaqs, one which is stock and one with loads of software on it, and my stock unit is no less likely to crash than my loaded unit. :mrgreen:

[iPaqDude]

I'm on my 4th SE T68 in 5 months:

1st T68i - periodically locked up and I had to drop the battery to get it back
2nd T68i - BlueTooth was sporadic - sometimes it would work, sometimes not - and occasionally it would drop the pairing....
3rd T68i - buzzing / humming sound that got progressively worse.

T-mobile has been good about replacing the phone each time, the last time with a T68m that has the new programming. But it has been a pain in the butt to have to go through doing it.... :evil:

[Ramin]

I glanced at my cell phone screen and it says "Nokia." My phone's screen saver is the clock, not their logo. It dawns on me my phone has spontaneously rebooted! How PC-like of it. :) My T68i wasn't any better. More than once I had to remove its battery when it locked up. For the record, my 3650 is bone stock - nothing has been installed on it.

Ed, what firmware version are you running on your Nokia 3650 and Sony Ericsson T68i? :?: I'm using a Sony Ericsson T68i (heavy user) with the current R7Axxx firmware and it works without a hitch... :D (There's also a newer R8Axxx firmware version that's just been released). OTOH, Windows XP even with the latest Service Pack & hotfixes etc. hasn't been behaving recently... :roll:

[Ed Hansberry]

My first 3 T68Ms were on ROMs Pathetic 3.3, Pathetic 3.6b-Lame and Pathetic 3.8-SuperLame. The T68i ran ROM ePathetic 2.9 and that was the final bit of torture I was forced to endure.

I have no clue what my 3650 has. WorksFine 1.8c I think.

[danmanmayer]

I have still never had anything as reliable as pen and paper. I still take most numbers on paper and transfer them into the pocket pc later it just seems easier.

[beq]

^ But that's the most dangerous -- I've had paper cuts on all 10 fingers...

[Kati Compton]

^ But that's the most dangerous -- I've had paper cuts on all 10 fingers...
Lifetime or simultaneously? :D

[ctmagnus]

^ But that's the most dangerous -- I've had paper cuts on all 10 fingers...
Lifetime or simultaneously? :D

I was going to ask that. :)

[beq]

Lifetime or simultaneously? :D

Guys, I'm not that clumsy :)

[Janak Parekh]

Lifetime or simultaneously? :D
Guys, I'm not that clumsy :)
Whew. ;) I think I've had quite a few more papercuts than 10, though. If anyone stuffed envelopes here for some time, I bet one could get a bunch in one sitting.

::shake head:: OK, back ontopic. Phones are becoming general-purpose computation devices. There's no reason they will be 100% stable anymore either. It's worth noting that people somehow assume that because it isn't Windows, it won't crash -- that's not really true.

--janak

[Bob Anderson]

It's strange.. computers are getting better about crashing and phones are getting worse! My Motorola T720 has decided from time-to-time to just stop working. Removing the battery is the only way to get it up and running again.

On the other hand, my Windows XP laptop is light years ahead of my first laptop that ran Windows 3.1...

[daninnj]

My cell phone resets several times a month, plus once I got a computer-like error message on it. I have a LG VX4400.

[Jonathon Watkins]

My wife had a Nokia 6210i that just would keep randomly rebooting. The thing was practically unusable. All complex devices have some defects and ‘issues’. The Manufacturers need to spent more on QA and Testing to get the things working right (said the software tester :wink: ).

[PlayAgain?]

The most unreliable phones I've ever used are an old NEC D90, Sony J5e and now the SPV. They all spent/spend a fair amount of time leaving me wondering if I a connect is forthcoming, or should I just disconnect and try again before it crashes.

Mind you, only my SPV has actually lost me any data (messages and contact details - except for one NEC D90 crash which cost me the phone!).

I did have an Ericsson I888 World and that was pretty good, probably the most reliable phone I've ever had, with te Nokia 7110 following close behind.

It seems the smarter phones become, the more likely they are to crash. Heh! Seems like my gran was right when she said that the man who never made a mistake never made anything - the same can no doubt be said about phones, smart phones and smartphones.

[tekguru]

Well all I can say the occasional problem I had with the T68i has vanished....

I've now moved up to the T610 and it is superb, not one crash, not one failing, no lost connections. Worls a dream with the PC and the iPAQ 3970 and even works perfectly with the HBH-60 headset.

Dream phone...

[iPaqDude]

My first 3 T68Ms were on ROMs Pathetic 3.3, Pathetic 3.6b-Lame and Pathetic 3.8-SuperLame. The T68i ran ROM ePathetic 2.9 and that was the final bit of torture I was forced to endure.

I have absolutely no clue what the OS version is on my current T68m, but I will agree with the "Pathetic" part.

Prior to going with the T68i I did a fair amount of research on the phone out on the web - there were a few posts about issues, but most of the data was very supportive. Since then, however, you can find negative posts everywhere - seems like once the phone got on the market in full force, the quality dropped. Or maybe the quality of the support side of the house dropped - whichever, I am in the process of looking at unlocked GPRS/Bluetooth phones to get off of the T68 wagon.

[iPaqDude]

Hey-hey!! I'm a Pocket PC PONDERER!! No more lowly Pupil!! Woo-hoo!! :alfdance:

[denivan]

I have absolutely no clue what the OS version is on my current T68m, but I will agree with the "Pathetic" part.

Then if in any way possible, try to find a vendor or service point that will upgrade your firmware. My first firmware had continues lockups, slowdowns etc...Now my firmware has still some annoyances (wrong translation, sometimes unlogical interface...) but it doesn't reboot automatically anymore or doesn't lockup while using it. I really recommend this instead to go looking for a new phone. I've had my T68i for a year now (that's the longest I've ever owned a mobile) and I'm so happy with it, that I'm gonna change the faceplate (scratched alot) and flash the firmware to the latest one available. Doing this, I'm sure I'll hold on to my trusty T68i for a very long time

[iPaqDude]

Then if in any way possible, try to find a vendor or service point that will upgrade your firmware.

Since you have a T68i then you understand what it takes once you either get a replacement phone or would have the firmware flashed. With all of the setup that is done on the phone - address book (copied from SIM), voice commands, email setup, GPRS stuff - it takes me a couple of hours each time, and I don't always get it right. My T68m is working now (even with occasional loss of GPRS functionality - probably environmental, not phone, though), so I am not sure I want to screw around with getting it flashed.

The reception on the T68 is marginal at best. I have been standing next to another T-mobile user - she with her Nokia 3650, I with my T68m, and she was getting much better reception than I - much better.

Anyway, the state of phones will get better, and right now it is probably hit or miss on getting a "good" phone. Kinda like buying a car - the ones made on Tuesday are better than the ones made on Monday or Friday...

[marlof]

I've now moved up to the T610 and it is superb, not one crash, not one failing, no lost connections. Worls a dream with the PC and the iPAQ 3970 and even works perfectly with the HBH-60 headset.
Dream phone...

Yeah, a truly nice phone. Alas it has a PDA disfunction: it collects dust under the hard screen. Not as much as my T39 (one side is completely dusted), and when using it as a mere phone is doesn't go noticed, but when playing MiniGolf or something, it shows. Happily since my iPAQ 3670 and Jornada 565 I've grown accustomed to dust under a screen. :)

[jmarkevich]

Hey-hey!! I'm a Pocket PC PONDERER!! No more lowly Pupil!! Woo-hoo!! :alfdance:

I'll meet ya there in a few posts :lol:

Ok it was gratuitous. Sorry.

[krisbrown]

Rubbish!!! I've got my fingers in my ears, can't hear you!!!

My experience is the only time since I purchased it ,my 7650 has only locked up when talking to my PC via bluetooth.

[rlobrecht]

I've had a similar problem. I stopped receiving voice mail alerts on my phone. I called tech support to find out what was wrong. After about 15 minutes of debugging, they asked me when the last time I turned my phone off was. It had been weeks or months. The tech said that I should turn it off every day or two. This is an LG VX-1 on Verizon.