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The labels can be bandied around and around. The bottom line is simple.

If the update is paused to your phone and it has a problem then Motorola/Verizon have to fix it.

It the update got installed by you from a third-party source and has a problem then you assume the responsibility to fix it. Worst case in the past was to flash back to the previous system and then apply the update when it was pushed to you.

So ... the decision is yours ... wait for it to be pushed to you (sometime) and have it supported or install it now from a third-party source and assume the responsibility for fixing it if needed.

(Motorola/Verizon have to know the unique MEID of your Bionic to push the software update to you. Therefore they know the MEID of every Bionic they pushed the software to.)

(The postings on the Verizon website have historically been unreliable.)

... Thom
 
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On what date was 5.9.902 released to everyone?

On or about February 8, 2012 the Verizon support docs were updated to show 5.9.905 coming soon.

On February 9, 2012, 5.9.905 had not yet been officially released for pull or push.

I don't see how the announcement came weeks after release.

The current 5.9.905 update is proceeding so far in the same fashion as the 5.9.902 did.
 
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I know I'm not supposed to say anything, as I'm part of this 905 soak test...but be forewarned, testers are experiencing LOADS of data drop/handoff/connectivity issues. I would not recommend installing this manual update. YMMV.

I've noticed that since about the time this 905 test/release/whatever started happening a few days ago there has been a LOT of data drops. Nothing that lasts a long time, just drop, then right back a few moments later. Highly annoying.

And I have not yet got 905, still on 902.
 
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The answer to your question is shown in the history in ... http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid-bionic/438060-bionic-reference-terms-links.html ... as 2012.02.10.

There was a lot of confusion around 5.9.901 and 5.9.902 and the "leaks" right before 5.9.901. 5.9.901 was the first time they pushed a non-release to a collection of users who had not sighed up for the soak test.

(Since I only have my memory to rely on 5.9.902 late documentation ... I deleted the reference.)

... Thom
 
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I've noticed that since about the time this 905 test/release/whatever started happening a few days ago there has been a LOT of data drops. Nothing that lasts a long time, just drop, then right back a few moments later. Highly annoying.

And I have not yet got 905, still on 902.

I'm in 3G-only and have not encountered that. Are you in 3G/4G or 3G-only?

... Thom
 
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I've noticed that since about the time this 905 test/release/whatever started happening a few days ago there has been a LOT of data drops. Nothing that lasts a long time, just drop, then right back a few moments later. Highly annoying.

And I have not yet got 905, still on 902.

Funny you should say that--I've recently gotten well over 20 drops a day of 4G. Most of the time it's back in less than 30 seconds, but when one is using the phone as much as I do, it's readily apparent that 4G drops. My wife, a much lighter user, hardly notices the drops. Most of the time if Pandora is playing it doesn't interrupt the music, but the drop shows up as delayed data in news apps and stoppage of games, etc. I think much of the issue I'm having relates to exactly where I'm using my phone. When at the kitchen table, I notice more drops, for example. I think coverage inside my home is marginal...
 
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I'm in 3G-only and have not encountered that. Are you in 3G/4G or 3G-only?

... Thom
3G/4G. It's a ton of little drops a day. Goes out, immediately comes back up.

This wasn't happening before this rollout of .905 and considering quite a few others are seeing this I think it has something to do with it. And since .905 seems to be about 4G connectivity that may be why you aren't seeing it in a 3G only area cause whatever they are doing wouldn't affect you.
 
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There are people reporting that they got it OTA and have not signed up as a soak tester, also not getting an email. (No I don't have any links to their posts)

My wife received the update on 6/7 and I can guarantee that she didn't sign up for the soak test.

4 days later and I'm still patiently waiting for my update to arrive.
 
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My experience reguarding the 4G data drops is that I noticed an uptick it problems about 5 days ago. I would randomly have data dropping in and out at times, then other times I could browse around with no issues at all. This was happening before I manually installed the 905 update.

Saturday morning I decided to install the 905 since it was supposed to address the data drop issues but so far I haven't noticed any better performance.

Prior to around 5 days ago the data drops were not that big of an issue...one here and there. I am wondering if Verizon is having network issues in my area and the data drops have nothing to do with the phone or software/firmware version.
 
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So far so good with manual update. 3g to 4g transition worked well this morning, rarely did previously. I'm hopeful. What happens when I get OTA? Ignore it? Install over the manual update I did?

As far as I know, if you are already on 905, you will not get an OTA notice - since you are already running it. The update process takes your system version and looks to see if there is an update available for it - so, you will not see an update to 905 until there is a new official update.
 
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3G/4G. It's a ton of little drops a day. Goes out, immediately comes back up.

This wasn't happening before this rollout of .905 and considering quite a few others are seeing this I think it has something to do with it. And since .905 seems to be about 4G connectivity that may be why you aren't seeing it in a 3G only area cause whatever they are doing wouldn't affect you.

Have you tried a soft reset since you did the update? Hold down Volume Up/Volume Down/Power until the menu appears and then disappears.

It would be interesting to see if this had a positive impact on your issue.

... Thom
 
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I downloaded the file and installed it, but my phone is still saying I'm on 902:

shot_000005.jpg
 
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Have you tried a soft reset since you did the update? Hold down Volume Up/Volume Down/Power until the menu appears and then disappears.

It would be interesting to see if this had a positive impact on your issue.

... Thom
Yes. It's not an issue with the phone. It's not happening nearly as often, but is still going on. Even had it switch down to 3G for a little while yesterday in an area that I have always gotten four strong 4G bars. It's quite apparent they are doing some work in conjunction with this .905 rollout.

The most irritating thing about these little data drops is the fact they showcase what to me is a huge flaw in the Android phones in the fact every time the data reconnects it checks my email even though every setting there is is set to manual. In an ironic way, that "droooiidddd" tone let's me know when a data drop has occured.
 
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The most irritating thing about these little data drops is the fact they showcase what to me is a huge flaw in the Android phones in the fact every time the data reconnects it checks my email even though every setting there is is set to manual. In an ironic way, that "droooiidddd" tone let's me know when a data drop has occured.

Motorola phones maybe. Motorola has a custom mail app, not the stock Android email app. (It may be an issue with stock Android as well; my point is that you cannot blame it on Android because it happens on a Bionic.)

By the way, does the same thing happen with a good third-party mail client like K9 Mail? (Actually I believe that we have had this discussion before; it seems familiar...)
 
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Motorola phones maybe. Motorola has a custom mail app, not the stock Android email app. (It may be an issue with stock Android as well; my point is that you cannot blame it on Android because it happens on a Bionic.)

By the way, does the same thing happen with a good third-party mail client like K9 Mail? (Actually I believe that we have had this discussion before; it seems familiar...)
If I remember correctly, yes. Although I wasn't to impressed with K9. I'm also not a big fan of just downloading app after app. I have the few apps I need, a few "fun" apps like Tunein Radio and such but that's all.

Don't get me wrong, I am very impressed with my Bionic. Voice is nice and clear and it's a well made phone. I do think Verizon didn't implement their 4G in a very smart way, but honestly, it hasn't been too bad. Huntsville seems like a stable 4G area and .902 seems to work well. I don't even mind these little data drops that seem the last few days that coincide with the .905 rollout (I say coincide because it may or may not be related to any software upgrades, but the timing is certainly the same). I'm someone who perfectly understands work needs to be done and sometimes services get interrupted. Would just be nice if Verizon communicated a bit more with people.

I'm just hoping .905, and especially ICS, may take care of some of the issues that are more annoyances than actual flaws.
 
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