07-29-2007, 04:30 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Desperate Times Make Desperate ROM Flashers
A couple of days ago, a AT&T/Cingular Windows Mobile 6 ROM appeared on XDA-Developers forums, and the frenzy began. The ROM File, which wasn't even packaged in an executable (as normal ROMs are), has probably been downloaded a few hundred times now (conservatively), been thrown on to MiniSD cards, and manually installed via the Treo's bootloader by individuals who have been foaming at the mouth since early June for the Treo Upgrade. Some have reported serious problems, while some report that the upgrade has gone amazingly well. Heck, even one person reported that they believed that this leaked ROM would prompt Palm and the OEMs to release their official ROMs this Tuesday! (Wishful thinking I suspect, someone who is just hoping to "will" the carriers into producing a real upgrade!)
The problem here isn't that ROM leaks occur and are detrimental to the community (Which they very well may be). The problem is that a group of users, namely Treo 750 owners, has been baited for so long by Palm for a WM 6 upgrade (with pictures of it showing up early this year and an official announcement stating that their will be an upgrade coming several months back), that these 750 owners are willing to jump as soon as ANYTHING WM 6 related comes along! This ROM, which I suspect is actually an earlier beta (Not that close to the finished product as some may think) that now has found it's way to the hands of users, is seen by users as filling a void that their OEM should have filled months ago - and users are downloading a rather large file that may potentially destroy their devices just because they can't wait any longer for the slow OEMs and Palm to react. In a strange way, it appears to me like a child who has been told not to eat the cookie from the jar grabbing a jar of potentially dangerous cookies and devouring them!
Are you desperate enough to try a "iffy" ROM on your device just to get to Windows Mobile 6? And Does Palm have any of the blame resting on it's shoulders for bricked devices given their non-existant communication with users regarding the timeline for this upgrade?
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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07-29-2007, 04:39 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 43
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Heck yeah. I already had WM6 for 2 weeks now. This is a newer build than the one I had. Works flawlessly....
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07-29-2007, 05:22 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 3
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People these days like positive change that happens to them. Otherwise their life is very much boring.
50 years ago people could work for the same company their whole life. These days it's usually 2-3 years.
Olden type people could (and still can!) drive the same car from dealership and till the last breath at the scrap yard.
We the "new" people get bored with stuff. 3 years old car is lovely, but you still want something new. 12 months old mobile phone invites upgrade. Windows XP?! It's ancient, out of date, rubbish -- here we go Vista.
Naturally, people have paid for their Windows Mobile devices and they want more and more from it, or a new device. The latter is not always practical, so we try to squeeze new juice from old fruit.
This is why WM6, not that it's a revolution in Windows Mobile line, but merely because it's newer, cleaner, crispier, better, is in such a demand.
People bored to death want something new, this is why they don't mind risk involved... new experiences are tempting. 
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07-29-2007, 06:03 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,202
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I think this really points to the fact the Windows Mobile upgrade model is terribly broken. MS updates the OS on a regular basis, yet it's up to the Manufacturers and now the phone carriers to actually deliver the upgrade to the user. Quite often that takes much longer than necessary or doesn't even happen. All the while, users who have paid several hundred dollars for a device and are usually locked into a long term contract see new features available that they can't get, only because of the whim of the carrier/manufacturer, NOT because their hardware isn't capable of utilizing the new feature. So, tech savy users take matters into their own hands. Some upgrades go bad, but a majority work just fine.
The reality is that MS is going to have to separate the core OS from the device specific drivers and "stuff" and start making these upgrades available to everyone, even if they charge for it. The current system just is too complex and too burdensome for everyone involved. WM is no longer the new kid on the block that must conform to the whims of it's OEM customers. They are in a position to dictate some of the terms of use of their software.
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07-29-2007, 08:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 403
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The ROM is fine. It's the real deal. If you want it, get it. What would we do without XDA Developers! 
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07-29-2007, 10:21 PM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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It works perfectly well on my Treo 750v. And yes, Palm and others are taking too long to update their devices.
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07-30-2007, 12:36 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 403
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I'm kinda surprised you guys posted a link to a illegal rom. 
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07-30-2007, 01:04 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 841
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I just found out one interesting feature: you can control voice mail playback using the directional pad. I have a screenshot in my blog.
It works really well on Vodafone's VM system, even though the feature is for the AT&T service.
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07-30-2007, 01:19 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 192
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Re: Desperate Times Make Desperate ROM Flashers
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
Are you desperate enough to try a "iffy" ROM on your device just to get to Windows Mobile 6? And Does Palm have any of the blame resting on it's shoulders for bricked devices given their non-existant communication with users regarding the timeline for this upgrade?
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Yes.
No.
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07-30-2007, 02:34 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 32
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"Desperate" ROM upgrades ?
This comment isn't specifically for "desperate" Treo owners, rather a specific example of the irritation of "Waiting for Godot", aka waiting for a ROM upgrade.
The advent of SDHC 4Gb and upwards cards is a big deal for those many who use the computer section of PDA's. Using these cards is not a hardware issue, but a firmware issue. FAT32 sector addressing rather than FAT16 byte addressing. OEM firmware drivers for WM5/6 are commercially available for ROM development (try BSQUARE website). Digital camera developers are shipping firmware updates for older cameras now.
But the capability of PDA's to utilise them is almost non-existent. Several cooked ROM's for older HTC models are available for download off xda-developers. When one is available for my device, I shall NOT hesitate.
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