ota

When Windows Phone 7 rolled out in 2010, it had one feature that was met with some mixed feelings: over-the-air download limits for apps and games tied to your cellular connection. In short, Microsoft imposed a 20MB cap when you were on cellular to help limit data usage for people on the go.

What some don’t realize is this limit was lifted recently by Microsoft (we don’t have an exact date). Now users of Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 can download files up to 50MB, matching the iPhone.

Last night we broke the story about the international version of the HTC 8X receiving the Windows Phone 8 OS 10211 (Portico) update, which included a fix for the rebooting issue and some new features as well.

Of course the majority of you with Nokia Lumias or branded 8Xs are probably frantically checking to see if your update is ready too. So when should we anticipate it?

Unfortunately, we don’t have any specific dates for you—not yet at least. But past experiences and some common knowledge tell us that this will be a controlled, rolled out procedure. The reasons for that should be obvious but in case it’s not, let us explain.

We’ve known for quite some time that despite what a lot of the doom-and-gloomers out the have said, Windows Phone 7 is far from dead. Between Windows Phone 7.8 coming out and Nokia who keeps churning out all sorts of neat additions to the OS, people with 7.x phones still have reason to be satisfied.

A new leaked slide from a 25-page Nokia PowerPoint deck may make things even better, if we’re not reading too much into it. (This will be the second Nokia PowerPoint presentation to have leaked in recent days.) The slide, attained by WPArea.de, shows a timeline with Windows Phone 7.x being overlapped by Windows Phone 8. There we see the familiar Mango --> Tango --> Windows Phone 7.8 progression but there is another box after 7.8 that simply states “Windows Phone 7.x”...

An easy to miss morsel of information in today's Windows Phone 8 keynote is the news that all future Windows Phone 8 updates will be delivered Over-the-air.

That's right, no longer will you need to dig out the USB cable and hook your phone up to the nearest computer running Zune to pick up any new features. All new hardware running the Windows Phone 8 platform will be able to bring down updates over a data connection.

Such methods of updating phone software are present for many of Windows Phone's competitors, so it's good to see Microsoft taking another step in severing the need to keep your phone tethered to a larger device. That's not to say that we don't expect to see synchronising play a huge part in the Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 relationship, but taking away the dependence on such a connection is a smart move.

Whilst the issue of the update path for existing Windows Phone 7.5 users may be stirring quite a debate, we're sure that this will be welcome news to everyone who's interest in a new device later this year has just piqued. 

While far from exciting, as it won't bring any new features, Microsoft is rumored to be working on an update to fix fraudulent SSL certificates in a hacking attempt that took aim at many web browser. Microsoft just published a security advisory on the issue to address the bogus SSL certs. As Bruce Cowper, manager of the Microsoft Trustworthy group states:

This is not a Microsoft security vulnerability; however, one of the certificates potentially affects Windows Live ID users via login.live.com...These certificates may be used to spoof content, perform phishing attacks, or perform man-in-the-middle attacks against end users. We are unaware of any active attacks.

Microsoft has since patched Internet Explorer against the attack is reportedly mulling over an update, even possibly an over-the-air (OTA) one for Windows Phone, though nothing is certain at this point. No time line was given either. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft utilizes the OTA update capability for Windows Phone, a feature which was originally thought to be used for adding copy/paste but has since taken a back seat due to reliability concerns.

Edit: For those curious about SSL certs and how they work, see VeriSign

Source: WinRumors

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about how updates will work on Windows Phone 7. Now there's talk about talk about talk in Ars Technica's latest article on the subject. Much of this we find amusing but not too illuminating. Still, we'll take a crack at why some of this is wrong and misguided.

The issue, we believe, starts from what Microsoft's Charlie Kindel said awhile back about WP7:

"We want everyone on the same version of the OS." He continued, "Updates will be available through the Zune desktop or over the air." Larger updates would be handled through the Zune software while minor updates would be handled OTA.

Recently however, Windows Phone Thoughts had an in-depth interview with Andrew Brown, Program Manager for Windows Phone Update who stated that OTA updates are now out of the picture.

Reason? Read more to find out why and why some of Ars Technica's arguments are either incorrect or unimportant.

One area that is crucial for Microsoft's success with Windows Phone 7 is in the browser. As the iPhone has demonstrated and Opera fans know, if you have a good browsing experience, you'll have a dedicated following.

Mobile IE has never really been great and while it's better on WP7 e.g. containing

...four-point multitouch fully enabled, zooming in and out by a pinching finger gesture on the screen, so-called "deep zoom" for extreme, high fidelity closeups, a remarkably clear typography, and very smooth, fast operation

...well, it doesn't inspire that much confidence. In fact, with greater enthusiasm for the desktop IE9, the mobile version (based on IE7, little bit of 8) seems like last-year's technology (and that's being generous).

Luckily, Microsoft may have a trick up their sleeves. It was revealed in the comments on the Mobile IE Team blog that the browser can be independently updated of the whole OS i.e.firmware.

Q:Will the browser in Windows 7 get more updates more frequently than only with full firmware updates?

Hi Tom,

Yes, we are building in the ability to update the browser independently of firmware.

-joe

While we knew OTA updates for the OS were a big deal, selectively upgrading just the browser can give Microsoft more flexibility in getting Mobile IE current. Of course that doesn't guarantee that those updates will give us a killer browser, but hey...options are good.

[via MobileTechWorld]

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the disease, and that appears to be the case for some Samsung Epix owners. AT&T recently made available a hotfix (you have to call to get it, and then it's pushed to your phone) that fixes the "Slog Dump" problem, which looks like this. That's all fine and good, but apparently people are having major issues with the radio after applying the hotfix.

What about you folks out there in TV Land? Having the same problems?

Via the Boy Genius Report