6315 Rom Update Now Available!

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.t-mobile.com/hpupdate/' target='_blank'>http://www.t-mobile.com/hpupdate/</a><br /><br /></div>"In our continuing efforts to provide the best wireless experience possible, T-Mobile has teamed with HP to develop a new version of software for the HP iPAQ h6315 Pocket PC.<br /><br />This software upgrade is designed to provide: <br />Improved overall stability <br />Improved Bluetooth® performance <br />Improved voice quality <br />Improved e-mail performance <br />Other general improvements"<br /><br />Well, file this one under "Amazing things no one thought would happen anytime soon". T-Mobile has released the HP ROM update for the 6315. This ROM pumps up your version to 1.10.08 ENG and is supposed to provide the improvements listed above. I'm pretty swamped the next few days so I probably won't get a chance to load it until the weekend. Does anyone have it running and wants to report to us how it is?

[rlobrecht]

I can't believe T-Mo pulled the device, and then less than two weeks later shipped a ROM upgrade that is supposed to magically cure all the problems. Does't seem to make too much sense to me.

[Paul P]

I wonder if this is any different from the unofficial rom update released by HP for other models. It's been working really well for me.

[Phillip Dyson]

I can't believe T-Mo pulled the device, and then less than two weeks later shipped a ROM upgrade that is supposed to magically cure all the problems. Does't seem to make too much sense to me.

Customer perception would possibly be that even though they decided to not sell the device anymore, they did not abandon those who already have it.

[cuteseal]

I can't believe T-Mo pulled the device, and then less than two weeks later shipped a ROM upgrade that is supposed to magically cure all the problems. Does't seem to make too much sense to me.

Hey maybe it's an April Fool's hoax! :D

[davehudsn]

I just completed the upgrade.

It took 9 minutes for the Flash updates to complete. All total it was about a 20 minute process, which included backup/restore of my device data.

I would suggest you read and follow the directions that popup as part of the download screen! I followed them exactly as they said and it worked like a charm ....... no lost data and everything seems to be working fine.

The real test will be over the next couple of days to see how well it performs.

[rfischer]

I diid the upgrade as well and lo and behold, it actually fixed my Bluetooth issues with my BMW X5. I can now initiate phone caalls from the steering wheel and use the voice dialing to make calls. Very cool! I haven't confirmed if the voice quality is any better for someone ion the other end. Too late HP &amp; T-Mobile, I'm already trading my iPAQ in for a Blackberry......

[Janak Parekh]

I can't believe T-Mo pulled the device, and then less than two weeks later shipped a ROM upgrade that is supposed to magically cure all the problems. Does't seem to make too much sense to me.
Actually, it makes perfect sense to me. What better way to "wake up" HP and force them to push the upgrade through to T-Mobile? I'm sure the top execs at HP handed down edicts as soon as they heard about the initial pulling.

I think the pulling was temporary -- we'll see. Kudos to T-Mobile for a change.

--janak

[dkb218]

:D Loaded rom update this morning...did notice some improvements.

Also the 6315 is once again for sale on the T-Mobile website. Just waiting for the ROM update I guess.

[dmck]

It's been ages since I've done a ROM update so I have a question. As I started to do the ROM update, the "readme" page says that I will no longer be able to use the previous ActiveSync partnership as a new one is created, and that I have to re-load all of my programs individually. This sounds like I can't just restore a backup to reload the programs?? I just counted and realized that I have about 60 programs I've added on. Would I have to reload all of these individually? Also, some of these programs are device specific......will I have to contact the companies I purchased the software from to get new registration codes with a new ROM "device"?? Thanks in advance for the help.

[q-live]

for the ones that have updated can you post if the sms messaging working like it suppose to and did it fix the echo problems. Also did it help the camara sticking problem??????

[davehudsn]

Well, I posted earlier today that I had succesfully upgraded my phone.

Good News - the upgrade was easy.....

Bad News - My phone is WORSE now than it was before the upgrade!

The only problem i had with my phone before the upgrade was that if i walked out of range of my blue tooth device, i had to stop the bluetooth on the phone and restart it so it would pick it back up again.

After i did the upgrade, here is what happened to my phone:

1) Bluetooth stopped working - PERIOD - I could no longer pick up my Bluetooth handset - i "removed" it and tried to add it back - it won't even find it now when it searches for devices.

2) Phone Signal drops - Now the level of my phone signal goes up and down wildly - i can stand in one place and the bars will go up and down, up and down....... to the point where it now drops calls

3) Voice Quality got WORSE - now voice quality on calls sounds "distant" and fade in and out..... no matter if i'm using handset, ear piece, or speaker phone

4) Sound no longer works on Windows Media Files...... Now the audio no longer plays. Video works fine, and other applications can play sound, but my Windows Media Files have no audio when i play them now.

That's it for me ---- i'm throwing in the towel...... I called and asked for a Treo.

NOW COMES THE REALLY BAD PART!!

I called T-Mobile customer service to ask for a swap.... they handed me off to the "Wireless Group" -- if you call - DON'T LET THEM HAND YOU OFF TO THE WIRELESS GROUP!! ASK TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR.

The guy at the wireless group wanted to "help me fix" all the problems.... first thing he said was - "Have you done a hard boot again?" I said "not since the hard boot it did earlier today after the upgrade". He said "ok, first lets hard boot your phone" --- at that point i said "No thanks - i'm not playing that game" -- i was not about to get into a 3 hour call with them on playing lets reboot your PPC. The firmware upgrade should work - PERIOD - I have lost all confidence in the HP 6315.

So for the SUPER BAD PART - So i told the guy - "Hey - thanks for playing but i want a Treo". So he did all his tapping and typing and said - ok, here is how it will work - we will send you a new phone, blah, blah.... then he said "you will see a charge for the Treo and then a credit for the Treo so its even". I said "Hold on Cowboy! I paid almost $600 for my PPC and the Treo is a $300 phone! We swapped my wifes 6315 for a Treo last Friday and you gave us a $200 credit! (she is much less patient than me). He said "Nope i don't see that as an option" and then he proceeded to argue with me for 20 minutes.

Long story short, i told him to finish the transaction as is. I then had to CALL BACK and speak to customer service again and spent 20 minutes on the phone - had to get to a supervisor and then i got the "oh yeah - i see it right here - i'll give you the $200 credit"

COME ON T-MOBILE!! We have suffered enough!

HP really dropped the ball on this one.... i was a hard core PPC fan.... I still am, but I can guarantee you the next one i guy won't be from HP!!!

[rfischer]

That sucks Dave! I haven't had those problems, but now I'm extra glad my new Blackberry is on it's way!

[q-live]

thats really fff up...... thats why i am praying that samsung 1730 is on the way at least in the next 2 week and that compusa or best buy gets it right when it comes out

[mjj0000]

I did the upgrade with no problems at all. I am still testing but it looks really good. Headset works, WiFi works, Voice Commander also.

[h6315user]

I didn't have problems* before the upgrade, but I installed it anyway. (From reading the posts on PPCT, you'd think I was the only one.)

The upgrade went without incident, though I had to modify the instructions a bit, because awhile ago I upgraded HP's backup to the full version of Sprite Backup. (HP Backup is a less-featured, branded version of Sprite Backup.)

Essentially, I...
1. Backed up all settings, installed apps, and iPAQ File Store to a self-extracting archive on my storage card (Much faster than transferring everything to/from my PC.)
2. Removed the card (just in case)
3. Ran the update
4. Inserted the card
5. Restored all settings and installed apps from the self-extracting archive (The update appeared to leave the iPAQ File Store intact, so I didn't bother restoring that. BTW, I left "Enable Device Upgrade Mode" turned off.)

As far as I can tell, everything works as well or better than before.

* OK, I was having one problem with Wi-Fi before the upgrade, and still have it, since the upgrade did not include any Wi-Fi improvements (that I know of)... Here's the problem: If there are multiple Wi-Fi access points available, some without any password, and you want to use an access point that does require a password, you will have problems maintaining a stable connection to the protected access point. Using an unprotected access point seems to work better.

Since I bought my h6315, it seems a number of people in my neighborhood got on the Wi-Fi bandwagon and didn't bother to properly lock down their access points. So now, using my h6315 with my access point can be a trying experience.

Someday I'll have to tour the neighborhood, track down the offenders and politely educate them on why it's not a good idea to leave their Internet accounts open for public use and how easy it is to fix. (And if I'm not mistaken, the owner of the source of interferrence is responsible for correcting the problem, but I won't go there unless absolutely necessary.)

Hopefully, T-Mobile will continue to support the h6315, and in turn continue to put pressure on HP to keep up with their part in supporting the device.

[q-live]

h6315user, you shouldnt tell anyone anything because i hate when i go around town and everybodys network is locked down especially when i need to see something on the web real bad :-)) anyways one thing i want to know is are you having the same problem with the camara??? as in the when your trying to take a pic and move the cam around it LAGS BIG TIME..... i was hoping that and sms be one of the first things they fixed.

[sigother]

i sucessfully upgrade my 6315 - 3 times. first time, bluetooth won't work after i did a restore. flashed it again and tried bluetooth before doing a restore, bluetooth worked fine. did the restore again and bluetooth stopped working. did a 3rd flash then this time manually restored my files and applications. so far so good.
might be something in the backup (registry maybe?) that is nuking the bluetooth.
anyway, before you do an upgrade, make sure you have copies of your files and applications - not just a backup image.

[Jason Lee]

you are never supposed to restore a backup from a previous rom version to a newer one.
things that are different in the regisry on the new rom image to fix problems will be put back to how they were before the rom flash, and there is also a good chance you will also overwrite some of the new system files with old versions.

It is always best to reinstall from scratch after a rom upgrade. they used to tell you that when you upgraded or you backup program would refuse to restore because the rom version changed.

it is kinda like upgrading from win 98 to xp with out removing the partition and starting from scratch. it may work but it will never work as good as it could or should.

[sigother]

well this is interesting. the instructions yesterday stated to do a backup before the update and restore after the update. e.g. step 3 "Once your iPAQ is connected to your computer, backup all the information on your device by going to ActiveSync > Tools > Backup/Restore. Make sure you choose “Full Backup” and then click “Run Backup Now”. "
Today the instructions are different on: http://www.t-mobileapps.com/downloadcenter/Software_Detail.cfm?ID=68
including this note: "DO NOT restore old backup files created prior to the upgrade. Restoring old backup files will cause compatibility issues with your new iPAQ software. "
they obviously figured out that restore from a previous version backup would mess things up.

[q-live]

well this is interesting. the instructions yesterday stated to do a backup before the update and restore after the update. e.g. step 3 "Once your iPAQ is connected to your computer, backup all the information on your device by going to ActiveSync > Tools > Backup/Restore. Make sure you choose “Full Backup” and then click “Run Backup Now”. "
Today the instructions are different on: http://www.t-mobileapps.com/downloadcenter/Software_Detail.cfm?ID=68
including this note: "DO NOT restore old backup files created prior to the upgrade. Restoring old backup files will cause compatibility issues with your new iPAQ software. "
they obviously figured out that restore from a previous version backup would mess things up.




so how is your camara and sms messaging working??????

[sigother]

both sms and the camera (as well as exchange based email, 802.11, bluetooth headset &amp; bt gps) are working fine with the new upgrade.
so far, have not had any problems with the upgrade.

[Jason Lee]

well this is interesting. the instructions yesterday stated to do a backup before the update and restore after the update. e.g. step 3 "Once your iPAQ is connected to your computer, backup all the information on your device by going to ActiveSync > Tools > Backup/Restore. Make sure you choose “Full Backup” and then click “Run Backup Now”. "
Today the instructions are different on: http://www.t-mobileapps.com/downloadcenter/Software_Detail.cfm?ID=68
including this note: "DO NOT restore old backup files created prior to the upgrade. Restoring old backup files will cause compatibility issues with your new iPAQ software. "
they obviously figured out that restore from a previous version backup would mess things up.

Wow the instructions actually said to do that? that's not good. :lol:

[sylvanascent]

I had a similar problem with BT not working after I did a restore. After a hard reset, it started working better.

My problem has always been that my BT GPS connection dies when going on standby.

Now I am seeing the followind: If I just hit the power button, BT works right. If it powers off automatically, it still dies.

Roger