Ewan's Corner

Posts Tagged ‘reference’

Finally – an official version of BlackBerry OS v6 has been released for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 (v6 has so far only been available for / shipped with the new Torch, Bold 9780 and Style 9670). Several cracked/leaked versions of v6 have been circulating for awhile, but they’re dodgy and unreliable by all accounts. Official is the way to go – and you don’t need to wait for your local provider to offer the update, you can easily upgrade using the upgrade from *any* BlackBerry provider as long as you get the right version for your device.

Thanks to Indian cellular provider Vodafone Essar (others will follow), you can now download OS 6 and upgrade your Bold. OS 6 is a huge leap forward, even for non-touchscreen devices – the WebKit default browser alone is worth the upgrade.

Package Version: 6.0.0.1478
Applications: 6.0.0.380

Software Platform: 6.6.0.86

File name: 9700jAsia_PBr6.0.0_rel1478_PL6.6.0.86_A6.0.0.380_Vodafone_Essar_Limited.exe

File size: 150.12MB

Download URL: https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=15CF76466B97264765356FCC56D801D1

The procedure remains the same as for any OS update:

1. If you’re a corporate / BES user, I recommend doing this from your work desktop if possible. Makes re-activation automatic and painless.
2. Make sure you have the latest version of BlackBerry Desktop Manager installed
3. Do a *full* backup of your device using Desktop Manager
4. I recommend you then delete all 3rd party applications to simplify the upgrade (you can re-install them afterwards), especially those which automatically start at boot. Desktop Manager makes this quick and easy, with only one device restart required.
5. Download and install the OS 6 install (on your PC/Mac) – be sure to get the correct installer for your device model (e.g. the Essar URL above is https://www.blackberry.com/Downloads/entry.do?code=15CF76466B97264765356FCC56D801D1)
6. If you are installing an update from a different cellular provider (e.g. you downloaded from Essar above, but they’re not your local provider) then delete the “vendor.xml” file (on Win7, located in “Program Files –> Common Files –> Research in Motion –> AppLoader”)
7. Run “loader.exe” in the same AppLoader directory and follow the prompts
8. Voila!

If you get stuck with BES / Enterprise activation, this may help.

General comments on OS 6 on my Bold 9700 so far:

• Snappy performance – no noticeable lag
• The new WebKit based browser rocks. Finally, a decent default fast browser with tabbing, proper rendering, decent zooming etc. I’ll still likely use Opera Mini in parallel though.
• Reboots down from 7 minutes (!) to under 2
• Taking photos is faster – and browsing images is *much* faster, especially for large collections
• I’m not sure how I survived without universal search / search from the home screen rocks
• Setup / config menus are far more intuitive and usable
• Social feeds – we’ll see.
• “Application Management” has been hugely improved – finally you can see what apps are running, which are chewing up CPU cycles (now and by day) and memory usage. Excellent.

Now the happy owner of a BlackBerry Bold 9700, I’ve been running the latest formally released OS version 5.0.0.743 for over a week with no issues.

If you want to upgrade (give you something to play with while we all wait for OS 6 later this year), the procedure is as detailed in my previous post Upgrading Your BlackBerry Operating System, and is much faster on the 9700 (took around 40 minutes). You can grab version 743 from the Rogers Wireless BlackBerry download page:

Package Version: 5.0.0.1254
Consisting of:

Applications: 5.0.0.743
Software Platform: 5.1.0.165
File name: 9700M_PBr5.0.0_rel1254_PL5.1.0.165_A5.0.0.743_Rogers_Wireless_Inc.exe
File size: 133.47MB

Improvements:

1. Generally improved phone responsiveness (no more occasional lagging when switching between running apps, media/photo browser is *far* faster with large collections, even the bootup process after a reset is somewhat faster)
2. Browser performance noticeably improved (hotspot / wifi browser in particular)
3. Better battery life (I don’t have metrics, but it definitely seems significantly better)
4. GPS locks are faster (previously locks would take ages, or simply fail after a few minutes)

Changes / potential issues:

• The lock button no longer password locks the phone. Screen is turned off and keypad locked (from accidental presses, like standby) but not password locked as it was before. Not a biggie, since you can still easily lock the phone using the lock icon.
• Standby (via the top mute button) no longer works. However the lock button does pretty much the same thing now as far as I am concerned.
• AT&T users bitching that visual voicemail is broken (not supported locally by MTN so no loss for me).

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer here, if you’re not comfortable upgrading your phone then don’t. Backup! One of the great things about a BB is the ease of backing up (and should something go wrong, restoring) the phone. This is a new OS version, so you may want to search forums and the like for other user experiences with it before you upgrade.