It’s a problem we’ve discovered all too often – every smartphone outside of Apple’s ecosystem needs carrier approval for software updates, which means that customers can spend weeks, if not months, waiting for information about when they’ll get the latest update. In a baby step forward, Telstra has started offering some vague guidance on when different smartphones on its network can expect updates.
As Gus over at Lifehacker points out, there’s a few too many “TBCs” for the page to actually be too useful. There’s also no indication of how often the page will be updated, which could render it pointless if the information isn’t the most recent possible. But those complaints aside, it’s still a much better alternative than what we had before – a huge serve of rumours, unconfirmed reports and uncertainty over whether or not the updates would even appear. Let’s hope the other Telcos follow Telstra’s example here.
[Telstra via Lifehacker]
termsandconditions?
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:17 AMeven the iphone stuff spends time inside the networks getting carrier approval. they don’t have that much control, and the 3ggp spec applies to even apple :D
DAWOOKIE
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 12:29 PMWhy is it a belief that Iphone software does not go through carriers testing. Of course it does! It is just done before the release more than like part of the developer release process.
hugh
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 10:30 AMWell telstra has done a back flip into a lie with the Nokia stuff there. Nokia gave telstra the firmware back in first week of feb. interestingly they only updating to 1.1 when 1.2 is currently out. but better late then never. now if only optus can get there shit together i want my updates people
Daniel Busoli
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 11:58 AMGreat to see Telstra doing something it’s customers asked for:
http://feedback.telstra.com.au/forums/106069-ideas-feedback-about-our-website/suggestions/1604251-you-need-a-single-portal-update-page-for-all-smart
Daniel Busoli
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 12:21 PMHTC 7 Mozart
Windows Phone 7 software update
Expect to receive software for Telstra testing in April
TBC
Wait, this pages says that Telstra hasn’t even received test software for the HTC Mozart WP7 NoDo update (I assume from HTC). What the hell is going on there?
Mat
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 1:22 PMHi folks,
As the main Moderator of the t.com feedback forum – and the guy who pushed to get this delivered so quickly – I just wanted to let you know that the page will be updated ASAP when new information comes to light.
The page does have quite a few TBC’s, but the intent was to get our smartphone users what information was available, as quickly as possible – and that meant going out with some gaps in the page.
Daniel, thanks for the call-back to the forum – it’s turning out to be a strong tool for making the voices of telstra.com users heard in a fairly active environment around here. Oh, and I’ll forward your question on and see what information I can get back.
Cheers,
M@
Renny
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 5:50 PMMat
thanks for your efforts, but every time I get an email from Blackberry saying an update is available it never is. TLS must be months behind in processing these updates and thec “app world” is just a joke. I see advice from Overseas that I should download this or that app and they are not even in the store over here…what gives?
Dean
Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 8:43 PMHmm, sucks to be a T-Touch owner then.
S.Whitwell
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:42 AMI’m really Pissed off with Telstra. Having a planed trip in my Caravan I wanted to purchase a suitable Next G phone to access email and internet. After asking three Telstra dealers if their ” Telstra Smartfone” would do the job, act as a modem for my computer, they all said it would. Bought it on the road,even changed service providers to Telstra, got it home to find that the software does not include any Mac software. I’ve visited many Telstra shops since while traveling to find they just don’t know what they are talking about and just plain do not know what they are selling and don’t don’t care. I can only presume there is little or no training by Telstra for their Telcom staff.