Help What's fixed/new in I7500XXIH8

[akanbi]

Seeing as there are no release notes with the new firmware (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), I thought we could try to work out together what's fixed or new in the latest firmware.

I'll start with what I've noticed:
- WiFi connectivity is much better and phone now stays connected if you have enabled the never sleep option.
- Device seems faster overall: lock button, scrolling, launching apps, etc
- New Switchers app that toggles GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Auto sync

Too soon to say anything about battery life.

 

[momagic]

Well, I hope everything!

What's the point of having a phone like this when you can't keep it on for 24 hours without turning off all of its main features?

 

[legendary1022]

Well, I hope everything!

What's the point of having a phone like this when you can't keep it on for 24 hours without turning off all of its main features?

My thoughts exactly. I think most people have come in on Android on other phones (me being on Blackberry previously) and wonder why my other phone could keep WiFi and Bluetooth on all day but its impossible with Android. Most people get tired of having to micro-manage what apps are running in the background and if you have auto-sync on or not. It's sad really. A consumer should not have to be Nurse Betty with their phones. Hopefully with Donut and 2.0(aka Eclair) right around the corner, Android will begin to take shape as the a monster that many of us have seen the potential that it has already.

I'm flashing the update right now, and if i find anything i'll post here

 

[REEM-B]

Google Sky Map seems to finally point on the right direction!

 

[momagic]

Exactly! I came from a n95, n95, HTC Touch HD and now I have an i8910HD. All of these phones had good battery lives with wifi and 3g on ll the time.

Now I don't use my phone a lot but I expect the phone to last atleast 2 days!

My i8910 had crap battery life to begin with but I go it changed by Orange. Supposedly it was the firmware causing the battery to dies so quick. Many users reported that battery was far better with the upgrade.

I just hope Samsung stick their finger out and fix shit quick.

 

[legendary1022]

I haven't found anything really different and the switchers app has already been done by many apps out there and those have more features.

The performance however, is outstanding. Much faster and is what we've been hoping for. It blazes through menu's and between apps. Very nicely done Samsung.

Now i just have to re-root my phone.

 

[Bozzy]

Where did you get H8 from, as i cannot update through NPS



Eidt: Never mind i found it in another thread.

 

[KlaymenDK]

FYI: that "other thread" is the one called "new firmware samsung new pc studio", but it's quite long and you may need to read all of it before beginning your first update. The H8 bit starts at post #120.

It still strikes me as very odd, and quite unprofessional/untrustworthy, that none of the firmware files are available, or even mentioned, at somewhere.samsung.com.

I'd still love to see a better walk-through, to answer questions such as:
* Will an update erase all my settings?
* Will an update erase all my apps?
* Will an update erase all my data?
* Will an update erase all files in /sdcard?
* Will an update erase all files in /sdcard/sd?
* How should I back up my apps & data if I haven't rooted my phone?
* How should I back up my apps & data if I have rooted my phone?
* How can I root my phone, and what are the risks of doing so (if I'd only need it for backups)?

When I did the H7 upgrade, what I found was that it had deleted all settings and apps, but left my files alone. I had to sign up with Google again, download all the applications, and reconfigure all the settings.

 

[akanbi]

When I did the H7 upgrade, what I found was that it had deleted all settings and apps, but left my files alone. I had to sign up with Google again, download all the applications, and reconfigure all the settings.

I had the same problem with H7 upgrade, but the H8 upgrade retained all my settings except the APNs, and it retained all my installed applications.

 

[Member12446]

I had the same problem with H7 upgrade, but the H8 upgrade retained all my settings except the APNs, and it retained all my installed applications.

I'm guessing you didn't do the factory reset that was recommended then? That would wipe everything including APNs, but leave the files on the external flash alone.

 

[spottyelephant]

I'm only a brand new owner - 2days! Spent the time "setting it up" with backgrounds, apps, contacts etc....if i download the new firmware (through the pc studio i assume as no carrier in ireland supports the phone yet), will everything be wiped? Is there a "backup" functionality that sucks the phone setup over to the PC, and re-sets it up after the firmware upgrade??

 

[akanbi]

I'm guessing you didn't do the factory reset that was recommended then? That would wipe everything including APNs, but leave the files on the external flash alone.

That's right, I didn't do a factory reset. All settings and applications were exactly the same, except for the APNs.

You shouldn't need a factory reset after every firmware update, that would get very annoying, very quickly, if you kept loosing all your data every time.

Just to be clear, I used odin and selected the "one package" option to do the update, which in theory should be the same thing NPS does.
However, I upgraded from H7 and I did loose everything when I upgraded to H7. So maybe the factory reset is required for upgrading from earlier firmware versions prior to H?

The phone definitely performs faster and the WiFi connectivity is so much better.
I quite like the Switchers app and it no slower than the other toggle widgets I've used - I have it as a shortcut on the home screen.

 

[zukbang]

I also updated to an H8 firmware yesterday. I didn't want to reset but had to. after the update, my phone was freezing. but after a factory reset, it is smooth. I have notice that it is much faster going in to menu. and keyboard is more accurate for sure.
I don't know about the battery life but seems like it has improved a little.

 

[FLT]

Will take me an hour to get my phone back the way I want it, but I don't care. The better performance & much smoother keyboard are so worth the effort

Updated it with NPS

 

[akanbi]

Hmm, I hadn't tried the keyboard as I use TouchPal by default.

Just tried it and it's definitely improved from the original firmware, but I still find the keys a bit too small (too much spacing) and the letters still don't pop up quickly enough.

 

[Xenon]

Seeing as there are no release notes with the new firmware

This is really annoying. We need to let Samsung know that they have to be more user friendly if they want loyalty and good word-of-mouth.

 

[bitxboi]

Will take me an hour to get my phone back the way I want it, but I don't care. The better performance & much smoother keyboard are so worth the effort

Updated it with NPS

which NPS version did you use? I'm amazed how people manages to update his phone via NPS...

 

[Member12446]

Is there something different about the Galaxy from the UK then? Have any o2 customers managed to get NPS to work?

 

[H103efa]

Well i'm in the same boat
I have a Samsung Galaxy from O2 and have been unsuccessful in updating my firmware from XIH6. The NPS recognises the phone but when you go to update it says device is not supported...
Has anyone been able to update their firmware using the NPS with an O2 supplied Galaxy?

 

[bisanu]

i have the same problem, only different thing is that i am from croatia. now, i am not sure about that way to update it with odin multy, because AS I UNDERSTOOD once you "crack" your phone there is no way to return it to factory defaults. rooting, or what's the name for that process

 

[pegasus21]

To un-root the phone, simply flash an unmodified version of recovery. Then you're back to default.

 

[bitxboi]

To un-root the phone, simply flash an unmodified version of recovery. Then you're back to default.

hmmmmm...just in case, are there some unmodified versions of recovery available to download?

 

[pegasus21]

The unmodified ones are from Samsung. Like those you find in the updates.

 

[bitxboi]

The unmodified ones are from Samsung. Like those you find in the updates.

so, if I've updated my phone via Odin, but with an official update (H8), there won't be any problem with the warranty, is that right?

 

[akanbi]

So after a couple of days with the new firmware I can definitely say the battery life is better.

Scenario 1:
- 3G on
- Background data on
- Auto sync on
- WiFi on and off at various times
- 10 to 15 mins calls
- Sent a couple of sms messages
- Regular email checking (when notified)
- 2 hours of listening to music
- 10 to 15 mins of playing Retro defense (great game)

Scenario 1 was over 12 hours and battery went from 100% to 71%.

Scenario 2:
- 3G on
- Background data on
- Auto sync on
- WiFi on
- Left phone overnight

Scenario 2 was over 8 hours and battery went from 84% to 79%.
Previously when I left my phone on overnight it would always be dead by the morning.