CAB File Available To Update Your Device For DST Changes

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.edgeblog.net/2007/daylight-saving-time-windows-mobile-fix/">http://www.edgeblog.net/2007/daylight-saving-time-windows-mobile-fix/</a><br /><br /><i>"...the Daylight Saving Time change for 2007 is going to cause problems for unpatched technologies. Most vendors, including Microsoft, have released patches. One big area that is lacking is Windows Mobile smartphones &amp; PDAs. Microsoft release a registry fix and instructed the carriers to push out a patch. Most of the carriers, in their infinite wisdom, have neglected to do so. If you rely on your Windows smartphone, you need this fix. Microsoft published the registry fix here. This fix requires you to build a CAB file and then install it. To save you the trouble, I have bundled the CAB file for you."</i><br /><br />Thanks to Bill for making this easy. Personally, I hope the carriers and Microsoft get a ton of flak from this incident when, in a few weeks, most people's devices get the wrong time on them. I know if I were a average consumer that didn't keep up with their technology like the readers of this site do, and my phone got an hour off, I'd remember that the next time I purchased a phone, and wouldn't look for the "Windows Mobile" logo. Who knows, maybe the carriers will push this fix out in the coming weeks. :idontthinkso:

[Jeff Kirvin]

Okay, I must be missing something, and I'm not even drunk!

Why would these be necessary on devices that have "carriers"? I can understand it for stand-alone Pocket PCs, but Phone Editions and Smartphones sync the time with the carrier signal, neh? So as soon as Sprint updates the time properly on their end, my phone should have the correct time.

What don't I get here?

[melsam [MS]]

Microsoft is working on an end-user downloadable patch as well. In fact, I'm working on the desktop installer for that patch as we speak. It should be released very soon (certainly before Mar 11). I recommend waiting for that since it will go through our test and release process.

-Mel Sampat
PM, Windows Mobile
Microsoft

[Snobosh]

Does this problem and this solution apply to dell axim x50v with 2003se, also?

[melsam [MS]]

It affects all devices dating back to 2003. This isn't a Windows Mobile bug. It is because of some law passed by Congress...

[Snobosh]

Thank you. I understand the law part - so does this cab file to alter the registry work equally for WM2005 and WM2003se, as they are different os's and some programs work on one but not the other?

[applejosh]

Okay, I must be missing something, and I'm not even drunk!

Why would these be necessary on devices that have "carriers"? I can understand it for stand-alone Pocket PCs, but Phone Editions and Smartphones sync the time with the carrier signal, neh? So as soon as Sprint updates the time properly on their end, my phone should have the correct time.

What don't I get here?

As I read (somewhere out there), it's because of the time zone thing and the OS making changes based on what time zone it perceives you to be in (as an offset of GMT). So if Sprint pushes out a time of 5:23pm at GMT-4 (Eastern Daylight savings), the OS will adjust it by an hour because it thinks you're still GMT-5 (Eastern Standard Time). Or something to that effect.

[daS]

Why would these be necessary on devices that have "carriers"? I can understand it for stand-alone Pocket PCs, but Phone Editions and Smartphones sync the time with the carrier signal, neh? So as soon as Sprint updates the time properly on their end, my phone should have the correct time.
While CDMA carriers (Verizon, Sprint Alltel) do push out the time, GSM carriers (Cingular, T-Mobile) don't need to for network operations. Also, as others have pointed out, while the phone might know the absolute time where you are, it still can have an offset due to the PDA portion of the device "thinking" you are in a different time zone.

You should be able to test this yourself by simply switching time zones on your device and changing the time setting, then see if the carrier resets it for you. I don't think it will change your time zone settings.

[PDANEWBIE]

Ed,

I believe your rant should be a little more directed at government than the cell companies OR the Windows Mobile. This will actually affect ANYTHING that us set with an automatic DST changeover. From VCR's, TV's, Set top boxes that do not get info from the central cable company, phones, Alarm clocks, Cars with high end clocks, Microwaves and Ovens, Watches, and Computers.

The worst part about it is after this year the law can go back if the government does not see a significant enrgy useage decrease as this is only a "trial". Then we will be in a mad scramble to unpatch everything we just patched.

Nothing like the govt to screw with all of our personal devices ever manufactured before this law.

IMHO Arizona has their stuff together in one aspect. Its one of the few states in US that you don't have to worry about govt/corperation based crocks like DST.

[daS]

This will actually affect ANYTHING that us set with an automatic DST changeover. From VCR's, TV's, Set top boxes that do not get info from the central cable company, phones, Alarm clocks, Cars with high end clocks, Microwaves and Ovens, Watches, and Computers.
I don't know of too many devices such as alarm clocks, phones, microwaves or watches that support DST. For almost anything with a clock - other than a computer - the user has to manually adjust for DST. Sure there's a VERY small number of devices (again other than computers) that have DST built-in, but they are so rare as to be a non issue. In fact, for most computer users, DST is not even something they need to worry about. It's only a problem for the small number of users that schedule meetings and/or phone calls with contacts in other time zones - especially when their contacts are in other countries with different DST rules. Otherwise, just set the clock twice a year and forget it.

IMHO Arizona has their stuff together in one aspect. Its one of the few states in US that you don't have to worry about govt/corperation based crocks like DST.
I have never understood the anger over DST. It makes sense to want the time the sun is up to be in sync with when most people are awake rather than having the sun up at 5AM. (More people are doing things at 8PM than at 5AM.) Of course, we could leave the clocks alone and businesses could open their offices an hour earlier and close an hour earlier when they days get longer, but it seems to make more sense to keep the business hours the same and adjust the clocks instead. Regardless, of all the things our government does, it seems to me that DST is the least intrusive. :?

[eagle63]

I have never understood the anger over DST. It makes sense to want the time the sun is up to be in sync with when most people are awake rather than having the sun up at 5AM. (More people are doing things at 8PM than at 5AM.) Of course, we could leave the clocks alone and businesses could open their offices an hour earlier and close an hour earlier when they days get longer, but it seems to make more sense to keep the business hours the same and adjust the clocks instead. Regardless, of all the things our government does, it seems to me that DST is the least intrusive.

I couldn't agree more. I will happily put up with a time change twice per year in order to be able to spend more time outdoors when the weather is nice.

[bdognet]

I hope your readers find the CAB file useful. I have tested it on my Blackjack and it seems to work. I also posted an article with links to most major vendor's fixes for the DST problem: http://www.edgeblog.net/2007/daylight-saving-time-the-year-2007-problem/

As someone here said, this problem affects all technology that is dependant on time and auto-adjusts. Thanks Congress!

-Bill
http://www.edgeblog.net

[jalex]

Speaking as a consultant in the Utility industry, DST is a big deal in Utility metering (especially in the Electricity sector) and has been twice a year, every year I've been dealing with these devices. This year sees a major increase in pain levels for any utility/municipality whose meters' DST calendars need updating. Arizona really is the only oasis.

There are a lot of sectors in a lot of industries that will be impacted but this change.

My personal opinion is that, where Y2k had at least some justification and was a global issue (although it ended-up being a storm in a teacup), this DST mess is simply a result of some political palms being greased and will serve only to line the pockets of some senators and a lot of consulting firms. I must disagree that DST is necessary or even useful; the argument exists that a gradual change in sunrise/sunset is only natural and easier to deal with than the artificial step-changes that civilization felt warranted.

I'm writing this as I sit in a Toronto hotel. Ontario has even more fun to look forward to as their whole "smart metering" drive pushes on toward the 2010 deadline, making this even more intense (and, hence, tougher) for all concerned (north of the great lakes).