Sprint fumbles, fries Fusics with faulty firmware

We hate to see a nifty technology like FOTA (firmware over-the-air) getting such a bad rap early on in the game, but in the same breath, our mommies always told us "measure twice, cut once" -- and we think that's an eminently appropriate adage in the aftermath of Sprint's recent attempt to re-up Fusics already in the field. It seems the firmware update, pushed just a couple days ago to customers' handsets, quickly and efficiently bricked each and every one of them. The whole situation is a full order of magnitude more frightening than Nokia's similar experience with the E70, seeing how Nokia's update was optional and at least required the user to manually perform the upgrade. Naturally, Sprint's pulled the bogus firmware and is offering a free replacement to affected customers, but it's still a shame that they've cost Fusic owners a trip to the Sprint Store.

[Chris Taylor @ Oct 1st 2006 5:20PM]

FOTA is BAD BAD BAD !!! People should whenever possible refuse to buy a phone that has FOTA without an option to COMPLETELY disable it with NO CHANCE of a forced update.

I am less worried about people phones being bricked by an erroneous update than I am with the provider deciding to "change" the features of my phone after the fact like verizon did with the 710 and like I believe sprint did with some phones to disable to ability to download untrusted material (like our own ringers and pictures)

They do not and should not have this right - the hardware belongs to me and I bought it with the feature set it had when I bought it. they should not be allowed to change the terms AFTER the fact unless they want to buy my phone for full retail price WHEN NEW AND with my permission only.

This is no different than say FORD coming into your garage late at night 15 years after you bought your car and "tweaking" the engine to limit you to say 55mph because they don't think you should be able to go faster.

Or microsoft coming into your house and tweaking your computer late at night so it will no longer run 98 or XP or Linux to FORCE you to go out and buy Vista.

We would NEVER accept those situations so we should also not accept MANDATORY FOTA. Optional FINE. but the moment they make it mandatory its WRONG.

and ANY update that is requires to maintain functionality should be legaly forced to be SEPERATE from "function change" updates that otherwise do not affect the ability of the phone to use the service.

[teodoro @ Oct 1st 2006 6:55PM]

The difference is that this is a service based hardware. Leasing computers would be a more accurate analogy.

[Chris Taylor @ Oct 1st 2006 5:21PM]

Hey engadget what is the point of a password if your going to make it some freaky funky set of characters that users have absolutely ZERO change of every memorizing ?

[Paul @ Oct 1st 2006 6:33PM]

My browser asked if I wanted it to remember the password, since the feature was implemented I have not had to confirm a single comment because my browser just holds onto the password for me.

I dont think you have to worry about people logging onto your comptuer to leave nasty comments on engadget in your name... heh

[Ben @ Oct 1st 2006 5:24PM]

you're wrong...companies do this all the time...ie, apple forces you to update to a new version of itunes if you want to download things...

[Dario @ Oct 1st 2006 5:38PM]

i didnt hear about any update availible to my fusic, well good thing i guess. my fusic is workin just fine

[tiuk @ Oct 1st 2006 5:44PM]

Chris, while I agree with you, has anyone ever told you you type like a comic book character?

[andrew @ Oct 1st 2006 5:56PM]

just to clarify, the phone does NOT automatically download this update. You must go into the menu and CHOOSE to download this FW.

[Cecil Helton @ Oct 1st 2006 6:05PM]

Not the first screw up by Sprint FOTA - earlier in the year, they did an FOTA update on Samsung A900s that ended up turning the main screen completely white. That required a useless trip to the Sprint store as well.

[Rusty @ Oct 1st 2006 6:09PM]

My Sony Ericsson W810i has this feature. It was the FIRST thing I turned off. I bet all of us have at one time or another updated something with "the latest & greatest", only a couple of days later find that it broke more than it fixed. I usually wait a couple of weeks, to a month before I do any updates, just to make sure. I'll let someone else beta test the software.

[Matt @ Oct 1st 2006 6:29PM]

sprint sucks

[John Dlugokecki @ Oct 1st 2006 6:33PM]

nothing happened to my fusic, phew!

[Saffy @ Oct 1st 2006 6:37PM]

"our mommies always told us "measure twice, cut once" -- and we think that's an imminently appropriate adage"

urm...

Iminently
1. likely to occur at any moment; impending: Her death is imminent.
2. projecting or leaning forward; overhanging.

Eminently
1. high in station, rank, or repute; prominent; distinguished: eminent statesmen.
2. conspicuous, signal, or noteworthy: eminent fairness.
3. lofty; high: eminent peaks.
4. prominent; projecting; protruding: an eminent nose.

Sure you got the right word there Chris?

[Shredsled87 @ Oct 1st 2006 6:50PM]

These comments are funny.

[QUOW @ Oct 1st 2006 8:01PM]

From what I hear, teodoro, it did it to unlocked phones that you were using on their network as well...

[QUOW @ Oct 1st 2006 8:02PM]

AND WHY THE HELL DO I SHOW UP AS QUOW?! This is getting tiring....

[rick @ Oct 1st 2006 9:45PM]

Sprint did that with my LG-325 too.

Twice.

Don't really think they get it.

Or maybe this is my "Sprint Genuine Advantage"

[... @ Oct 1st 2006 9:55PM]

Does anyone know if singular does this too?

I have no less that 3 times found my cingular razr v3 at the screen where you enter the password to the phone, with the password reset (once it was 0000, twice it was 1234)... The first time I though it was because the battery died or something, but the second two times I know that wasn't the case...


Oh, and the first post was flawed. When you phone company gave you that phone for free or whatever you signed a contract saying that they could do whatever they wanted with it...

If ISP's started offering free pc's if you sign up for 2 years, then they would be able to fux0r with it all they want (mine already does this with my cable box/modem)

[Matt @ Oct 1st 2006 10:02PM]

"Does anyone know if singular does this too?"

its spelled cingular.

oh btw i have the razr v3 and the software is all messed up... there was a recall on it when i first got it and my second one freezes and all kinds of wonder full stuff.. it flashed it and it stopped freezing and stuff but saves videos and pictures very slow

[Mike @ Oct 1st 2006 11:42PM]

Well, guys get used to this happening. With managers at software companies pushing faster and faster updates/releases code will just get buggier and buggier. After getting jobs at several firms after college it seems like managers just want code as fast as possible. Unrealistic due dates for software leaves little time for testing and general QA practices. It seems like we've been seeing these results more and more often. Working in a high level language with ridiculous deadlines is one thing, I'd hate to imagine what kind of preasure those guys at a low hardware level have to deal with!

[B Berg @ Oct 2nd 2006 12:41AM]

Nothing happened to either my Fusic or my wife's. Working just fine as of tonite and they've both been turned on the entier time.

[Coyote @ Oct 5th 2006 12:00PM]

if anything people should lobby celphone comapnies to release their hold on carrier specific software and hardware. It should be more like ISP's in that you can use whatever phone/revision/software you want so long as it fits GSM or whatever standard their pushing now.

[mhzrush @ Oct 10th 2006 11:23AM]

I thought my phone wasnt affected, I didn't even try to manually update. When I turned on Bluetooth my phone was then screwed; it kept rebooting.

Went to sprint store, showed the rep the broken fusic, and said it would cost $35 for a replacement. I said why should I have to pay for a replacement phone that wasn't my fault? He said 'story policy', $35.

Called up tech support and he put a note on the account to replace the phone free and they still wouldnt do it. (1hr)

I called up tech support again and got transfered to a supervisor who wanted me to put the manager on the phone, so I waited about 30 mins on the phone with the supervisor, and he keeps trying to call the store with no answer. Finally, the store manager comes out and says if I pay $35 now I can get the $35 credited back on my bill. I don't want to pay my bill, I want my FUSIC!(2hrs)

Next, he calls his district manager, who tells him to replace my fusic for free.(3hrs)

About a half an hour later, I had my phone. After wireless backup was done I was still angry. This experience would have been alright for me if everyone was educated that this phone does have a recall and to replace it free no questions asked. A $20 Credit for almost 4 hours at a sprint store?! The manager also said that the notation that they made about this phone was that the user had to upgrade the phone to receive this update, but its wrong.

I love sprint service and data, but the stores suck really bad. I guess sprint isnt notifying anyone that their phones are possibly fried? At least let the Sprint stores know so they're not as ignorant either.

[Kitchendude @ Jul 19th 2007 4:21PM]

Yup...

Just got back from 1 1/2 hours at the Sprint store. Dropped off my Fusic, they said, "Come back in 1/2 hour". I did, and waited another 30 minutes to talk to the techie.

She explained that she was going to replace my phone. I explained that it only needed a firmware upgrade, but she did it anyway. Then the manager comes out and says, "That'll be 50 bucks plus tax". I said, "Nope". I explained that for me to pay to replace the phone would be like the graffiti artist offering to cover up their own graffiti for a charge.

They immediately waived the charges.

I wonder how many folks ponied up the $50? Can you sa, "Class Action"?

[Sizzle @ Oct 16th 2007 2:05AM]

:( S/W upgrade? My fusic just went crazy and started dialing random numbers :( when i went to check it it would hang up and lower or higher the volume then the S/W upgrade is on my screen and i can't use the phone at all... i haven't had it for more then 2 months :( WTF is going on?!?

[leeAnn @ Mar 25th 2008 8:58PM]

my phone just did the exact same thing S/W upgrade will not leave the screen!!! wtf

[Ori @ Nov 3rd 2008 10:07AM]

Can anyone tell me how long it took for Sprit to identify the mistake they have made?

Ori