Nokia firmware fixes to come via the Ether

UNTIL NOW any bug fix for a Nokia mobile phone's firmware had required the consumer to take the device back to a reseller for its firmware to be re-flashed. At the Symbian Smartphone show, however, Red Bend was demoing an OTA (Over-The-Air) fix capability.

Red Bend's client for its OTA offering was supposed to be a secret but it's blatantly Nokia. Red bend was able to show how a Symbian v9 handset can search for software updates; download them; then reboot and install the fix with a Nokia N80 handset.

It sounds like a small step but it should help to revolutionise product support for what are effectively the best selling handsets around the world. There should be no further need for product recalls once this client software is installed on a handset.

Known as Vcurrent Mobile, the demonstration was with a Symbian based phone but Red Bend's OTA client is installed on a variety of handsets from top vendors including BenQ, LG, NEC, Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE.

Red bend claims to be the leader in the FOTA (Firmware Over The Air) sector. Its main rivals are InnoPath, Bitfone, Microsoft and Samsung. µ

L'INQ
Red Bend