vB Easy Archive - 55R Concerns. . .

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55R Concerns. . .
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Posted by: JonnyBruha

Not to beat this dead horse with a stick anymore than it already has been, but I'm still terrified of 55R. I saved the RAR file as "The DEVIL!", I'm so scared of it.

I'd love to use it, since it's the newest and everyone's raved about it, but I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO worried that it will ruin everything.

My main concerns with it are the RF quality and the ability to flash/flex to future firmware. If I upgrade and it has terrible RF in my area, that's it. Say goodbye to good signal, cause there's no going back. And if the newer phones aren't similar in build to 55R, doesn't that mean I can't flash to those new firmwares?

I know plenty of you great HoFoers are using it, so please, help me get over my fear. Someone give me the reassurance I desperately need. . . :hurt:

(I'm in the Chicago suburbs on ATT)

Posted by: Cr@cker

Don't fix whats not broke. Yea ok its newer but so what? Your going to hear the same story, some say good stuff, some say nope. Bottom line if you have money to burn like some do around here then go for it. I myself just wasted $600 on a v3 so I guess I guess i fell victim to the hype around here and listened to all the praise about it. Its a nice phone and all but its not even all that. Oh and I did upgrade my v600 to 55. Wow it looks pretier (same as the v3 compared to the v600) As far as RF, I'm with Cingular and I have access to all networks so it doesnt make any difference to me. I had that before the upgrade.

Posted by: JonnyBruha

I have access to all the networks too on my ATT account, (WHICH IS AWESOME) but I noticed a dramatic difference between RF on different flexes. I believe 4AR gave me the WORST and the AM and 45R gave me the BEST so far.

Prettier you say? Do tell. . .

As far as the V3, I'm really sorry. When I first saw it, I almost hyperventilated because it was so pretty, and thought about selling my arm or some fingers for it.

But my girlfriend talked me out of it, and sure enough, everyone says it's just like the V600 and the $1000 markup is dwindling down to somewhere between $4-500 and dropping. Sell it while you can! Wait for your contract to Re-Gen (ha) and grab the newest technology then.

Thanks for your input, my fears are diminishing already.

Posted by: Da Rippa

I wouldn't worry... I had questions about it too. I was going to put it on the V600 I'm modding to sell.. I decided against it. The 45R flash I have on there is doing well... So why mess with it right? Also... If and when the V620 flash/flex comes out... You may not be able to upgrade to it if you have 55R installed.

BUT... if you really spend some time reading... The opponents of 55R are the ones who don't have it installed... I have yet to read someone's thread about installing it and not liking it... They all love it. Faster and more stable with great RF.

It all comes down to this... If you've tried other flash/flex combos and your V600 still lags and has bugs and poor RF... Try it... You'll like it... If you don't really need it... Save it for another day.

The one thing I don't like is that it's a VF3 file and has to use MSS to open it. I've heard that MSS can be very buggy... I'd hate to have something happen in the middle of a flash/flex.

You're a grown man... Don't be afraid... j/k

Posted by: i2k

R55, quicker, better RF, new browser.. all good.

Posted by: Ryujin

I've made about 50 posts raving about how good 55R is, so I won't do it all over again here. I ended up flashing it because 45R and 4AR were horrible on my phone, so I had nothing to lose. Fortunately, 55R has been fantastically stable (phone hasn't been switched off for six weeks and counting) and RF and GPRS are both far better. but I can understand how people who are happy with an earlier flash would be reluctant to change.

As for being "stuck" with 55R, chopsu3i demonstrated (in another thread) a proof of my theory that it's the bootloader in 55R that prevents it from being flashed back to an earlier version. He used a v400p flash (which itself contains a bootloader and so can overwrite the 55R one) and was then able to flash to "earlier" versions again. It seems the v400P flash is compatible with 45R and 4AR so there is a "downgrade" path from 55R (albeit a slightly longwinded one).

MSS can be a bit frustrating to get working but, once it does, it handles the flashing job fairly painlessly. In my case, MSS is far less trouble than PST, which still bluescreens my PC from time to time (usually if I haven't remembered to uninstall MPT's USB modem driver before running PST).

Posted by: JonnyBruha

Well, ××××, if there's a way to go back, one way or another, what am I waiting for? That doesn't mean I'm screwed at all, if I can take a rough road back.

But I have to use MSS? For all I've read about this firmware, I never saw that. Eh, whatever. I'll search and learn.

Thank you all so much. "You're all so very thoughtful."

Posted by: dviper

it took me about 2-3 months to finally find a working copy of MSS

and DO IT, .55r is the best, faster, better browser, GPRS, and better signal, and the most stable of all

Posted by: JonnyBruha

So I found MSS. Interesting little intro I got, but I'll leave it at that.

Everything's flying. The phone is detected (as "megabytes phone"?) and everything's running smooth. I begin to flash and it won't let me! Tells me it's unable to set baudrate?

I searched and was redirected to the Nextel area and was getting in depth instructions about WebJel.

And I'm only getting serial port connection, but I don't think that matters unless I was ripping files with it.

So what to do? What to do? You guys GOTSTA know, since you have 55R on your phone, right?

Posted by: BigDaddy5

Quote:

Originally posted by Ryujin

As for being "stuck" with 55R, chopsu3i demonstrated (in another thread) a proof of my theory that it's the bootloader in 55R that prevents it from being flashed back to an earlier version. He used a v400p flash (which itself contains a bootloader and so can overwrite the 55R one) and was then able to flash to "earlier" versions again. It seems the v400P flash is compatible with 45R and 4AR so there is a "downgrade" path from 55R (albeit a slightly longwinded one).

No he didn't, infact he proved the opposite. He had the v400p firmware, but lost bluetooth. He then tried to flash .4ar, and flex with the engineering flex to no avail. The phone would not turn on. So he THEN used .55r and was able to revive his phone.

Reread the thread, because you've successfully spread false information to someone who was nervous anyway:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...0p&pagenumber=3

Posted by: Ryujin

Not quite, BD. Actually, I didn't see Chop's posts in the thread you linked, because he said something a bit different in another thread a couple of days later without cross-referencing:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...15&pagenumber=2

In fact, Chopsu3i's experience points the way to backflashing from 55R on the v600, although I agree that the v400P flash is a red herring. What's needed is an earlier bootloader-included v600 flash version (so that things like BT don't get disabled). This should overwrite the 55R bootloader and enable subsequent flashing to, for example, 45R and 4AR.

The v400P flash would be a viable flash option for a v400 owner who was running 55R, though, because the BT issue Chopsu3i encountered wouldn't arise. However, it appears that the path to backflashing from 55R on the v600 isn't that clear yet. We still need to find an earlier v600 flash that contains a bootloader that will overwrite 55R's.

As for "successfully spreading misinformation," that was not my intention. I was reporting my understanding of Chopsu3i's experience from the thread I read. I named him in my post so that anyone who was "nervous" about the process could read his posts for themselves. My errors lay in not realising that Chopsu3i had posted his v400P experiences in two different threads and in speculating that v400P was compatible with 45R and 4AR (although, in my defence, I did use the phrase "seems [to be] compatible" to indicate that there was some uncertainty).

I apologise for any confusion my post might have caused, but resent the implication that I was seeking to spread misinformation.

Posted by: Extortion

Just upgraded from 38r flex to the 55r and my bluetooth headset is not pairing to my phone, can anyone help?

Posted by: BigDaddy5

Quote:

Originally posted by Ryujin
I apologise for any confusion my post might have caused, but resent the implication that I was seeking to spread misinformation.

No worries, and to be honest, I cheated. I happened to be talking to him via IRC when he tried all this. What happend with .45r and .4ar after he used a v400p flash was he couldn't turn the phone on, so he had to use .55r. That means 1 of 2 things: that .55r and 400p use the same boot loader, or the v400p uses a seperate bootloader all together.

Posted by: Ryujin

Rats, I thought we were getting close to a solution. I suppose it seems logical that the v400P flash would use the same bootloader as 55R. 55R was apparently taken from a v551, which is, I think, part of the new range of v-series phones that includes the v400P. So we can flash back and forth between the 400P's software and 55R. Whoopie.

We still need to find the elusive previous-generation equivalent of 55R. I think that's going to be the only way to get out of the bootloader trap. Grrr.

Posted by: Ward83

I've had no problems with 1DR, I'm keeping it until I find a reason to upgrade.

Posted by: JonnyBruha

Anyone have a solution for my problem with the baudrate? Anyone care to share how they upgraded to 55R and where they got the file? I tried to download the link for the 0037 language pack, but it was taking somewhere around 4 hours to download at less than a kb per second and I KNOW there has to be a better way.

Posted by: dgwyn

I read with some serious confusion how others feel so wonderful about the 55R release. I am very frustrated with the new flash and wish I could go back. My frustrations include:

1) The browser introduces a "You may have additional charges" question before it launches into MMode. Not a show stopper, but anonying.

2) The browser itself is terribly slow. It takes almost a second to scroll from one menu item to the next, so when logging into MMode it takes about 5 seconds to get to the bottom of the first screen.

3) The browser doesn't display some of the graphics on WAP sites. It includes a button that says "more" and if you select it you get an error message that it's an invalid file type.

4) The rest of the menus are equally slow, outside of the browser. While the phone book doesn't type ahead, all other menus I've tried do.

5) Battery meter is still broken - uses two bars instead of one, so it's not as informative as it should be. Again, this is a bug introduced from earlier flashes, but still a problem.

So, for me, bottom line is stay away from this thing. I wish I had waited. I hope a new version comes out soon!

Posted by: Sentinal

First-time poster here...

I was skeptical about 55r and agonized over the dicision.

Last Saturday was spent reading through the forums and learning as much as I could. I flahed my new T-Mobile Branded V600 to .45r with SE F8 Flex. Everything was good for the most part but I noticed the signal strength wasn't as strong as my wife's virgin T-Mobile V600. The bluetooth connection was also a bit flaky at times. So I finally decided to give it a go. I flexed to SE F9, flashed to 55r, and did a 015 language pack flash to keep it North American English.

All is well so far. The signal strength is slightly better than the wife's phone and the browser is much faster. Overall I'm quite happy that I flashed the newer firmware.

One thing I would have done different though. After learning a bit about seem editing, I wish I would have kept the stock flex and just tweaked it. So I will flash the wife's phone to 55r and tweak the original flex.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum. I never would have attempted this without the knowledge gained here.

I did have trouble finding the language pack and flash. If anyone is looking for it pm me and I'll send it to you.

Posted by: deanjen

Okay, just got my V600 unlocked and flashed to .55R...

And here comes the first hang...:P My cousin was using it to call the shuttle service(she needs someone to drive her to the airport by 4AM next morning)...and she was putting on hold by the other sides for like 15 minutes...

And boom...my phone just shut it down by itself...

Now I was talking to my friend earlier today for almost an hour without any problem at all...

Kind of strange...honestly, UI speed does feel slightly faster...not sure about RF, but browser is slower in response(fortunately I just don't use my phone on internet).

Any other response?

Posted by: gcogan

I havent noticed much of a difference with the 55r. I was hoping it would fix indoor reception, but I still get better reception with my v220.

Posted by: JwY

Quote:

Originally posted by deanjen
Okay, just got my V600 unlocked and flashed to .55R...

And here comes the first hang...:P My cousin was using it to call the shuttle service(she needs someone to drive her to the airport by 4AM next morning)...and she was putting on hold by the other sides for like 15 minutes...

And boom...my phone just shut it down by itself...

Now I was talking to my friend earlier today for almost an hour without any problem at all...

Kind of strange...honestly, UI speed does feel slightly faster...not sure about RF, but browser is slower in response(fortunately I just don't use my phone on internet).

Any other response?

my first flash didn't seem smooth
i had to reflash it again

Posted by: Artster

With a v505, I immediately noticed an increase in Browser speed. As far as reception, it may be slightly better but it was pretty good before.

I am new to this and took a few days to read through the forums and then acquire the software and data cable.

I have the engineering flex on the phone along with 55R. I have not had any bluetooth problems whatsoever. Is it ok to put another flex on, such as the F9 now that I moved up to 55R?

To be honest, I actually liked the OEM branding and environment. Is there anyway to get the phone back to AT&T flex? Will AT&T do this even if I keep the 55R flash?

The only issue I have after flex & flashing is a "no installed MIDLET Suites" error. I understand all I have to do is upload a Java file (game) to it, since there are no longer any on it. My issue is I tried to do this using MSS and the settings immediately get get switched to serial from USB. Is there a better utility I can use to upload games?

I also unlocked the phone by paying for a subsidy code via IMEI. I understand this will allow the use of other SIMS, which I have tried with success (Cingular, I have AT&T currently). I am just curious when searching for available networks why I do not see other carriers such as Verizon & Sprint. In my area I see AT&T, Centennial, T-Mobile. Is this because of GSM?

Posted by: JonnyBruha

Quote:

Originally posted by Artster
With a v505, I immediately noticed an increase in Browser speed. As far as reception, it may be slightly better but it was pretty good before.

I am new to this and took a few days to read through the forums and then acquire the software and data cable.

I have the engineering flex on the phone along with 55R. I have not had any bluetooth problems whatsoever. Is it ok to put another flex on, such as the F9 now that I moved up to 55R?

To be honest, I actually liked the OEM branding and environment. Is there anyway to get the phone back to AT&T flex? Will AT&T do this even if I keep the 55R flash?

The only issue I have after flex & flashing is a "no installed MIDLET Suites" error. I understand all I have to do is upload a Java file (game) to it, since there are no longer any on it. My issue is I tried to do this using MSS and the settings immediately get get switched to serial from USB. Is there a better utility I can use to upload games?

I also unlocked the phone by paying for a subsidy code via IMEI. I understand this will allow the use of other SIMS, which I have tried with success (Cingular, I have AT&T currently). I am just curious when searching for available networks why I do not see other carriers such as Verizon & Sprint. In my area I see AT&T, Centennial, T-Mobile. Is this because of GSM?

Well, you did say a mouthful! But I'll help, newb or not.

As far as flexes, from what I've experimented with, you can most certainly upgrade your flex from here. I recommend 0E9, but others will argue and say F9 is better. I didn't like it, but that's me.

As far as getting it back, THERE IS NO GOING BACK. Not just for 55R, but for any flashes other than the provider. Even if I'm wrong, there's no known way to down-flash from 55R. That's why I started this thread, because it's a terrifying step and I hate it now.

If MSS is automatically switching to Serial, then you're using the wrong MSS. Here's where I got mine: MSS It may be in Chinese, but the only link is in English, so you'll see it. And you should be able to use the drivers from P2K for MSS too.

Also, make sure to use P2K to enable Java App Loader, otherwise you won't be able to upload games!

And yes, you don't see Verizon or Sprint because they are on cdma and the BETTER providers are on GSM.

Hope that helps!

Posted by: dgwyn

Quote:

Originally posted by JwY
my first flash didn't seem smooth
i had to reflash it again

When you say it didn't seem smooth, what exactly did you notice? I didn't get anhy error messages at all during the flash, but I still have the issues I showed above. Is that what you mean? Should I reflash?

Posted by: i2k

If it ain't broke..
dont fix it!

Posted by: dgwyn

Quote:

Originally posted by i2k
If it ain't broke..
dont fix it!

Well, that's my point. I don't know if it's broken or not. I know that the menu speed, meaning the reaction to key presses, is terrible. I'm wondering if anyone else is having the same problem.

Posted by: ryanc2

Noob to flashing/flexing, so sorry up front for the ignorance.

I've got a V505 (AWE) and have experienced sub-par RF at my house when compared to previous Nokia phones. Actually, clairy is very good, however I have dropped some calls.

Not sure what SW version I'm running, but will flashing to this version help my RF problem. I love the phone and don't want to return it and resort back to my trusty old 6590i.

Posted by: JwY

Quote:

Originally posted by dgwyn
When you say it didn't seem smooth, what exactly did you notice? I didn't get anhy error messages at all during the flash, but I still have the issues I showed above. Is that what you mean? Should I reflash?

as in it crashed for me and seemed sluggish
reflashing won't hurt even if it doesn't fix it so it's worth a shot
just around 10mins of your time

Posted by: dgwyn

reflashed and it's no better. Oh well.

Posted by: i2k

What is sluggish?

Posted by: dgwyn

Sluggish means that it takes almost a second to scroll from one menu listing to another, for example. Plus, images that were viewable before are no longer available. I have a gray button to press that says "more" and when I select it I'm told the graphic format cannot be viewed.

Posted by: JwY

Quote:

Originally posted by dgwyn
Sluggish means that it takes almost a second to scroll from one menu listing to another, for example. Plus, images that were viewable before are no longer available. I have a gray button to press that says "more" and when I select it I'm told the graphic format cannot be viewed.

did you check that the software was actually 55r in the menu?
maybe the flash file you obtained is a bad copy
55r is amazing to me

Posted by: i2k

same here - very quick

Posted by: dgwyn

Well, that stinks. I just checked and it shows 55R, so why is mine working so crappy?