Puleen Patel

Yesterday around 9:00 pm EST Rogers released an update for the HTC Magic and Dream devices which fixes the recent 911/GPS bug. You can find out more about this bug in my previous posts. This update does not actually update the phones to a newer Android platform, but simply provides a patch which fixes the 911/GPS bug. Interestingly enough it also brings the HTCs Sense UI experience to the Android 1.5 platform which both of these devices are powered by.

For those who like to hack around may have used the exact same ROM which had been released for other Android based phones by HTC. If I had to take a wild guess, I would bet you anything that Rogers and HTC decided to back port one of the existing android releases with the Sense UI and include some of the Rogers branding and make it available in the shortest amount of time possible. It all makes sense and seems just too good to be true that they had this release waiting for us. This also raises more questions with regards to testing from both Rogers and HTC sides. How much time did they actually spend testing this new update. It may fix the main bug which they intended to fix, but how many other bugs did it introduce, if any?

Here was the email which I received from @RogersMary this evening notifying me of the update. Unfortunately, I was busy with some personal commitments and was unable to apply the new update until now. So far so good, but this update brings nothing new that was not otherwise available through other channels. This update just officially brings Sense UI to the HTC Magic/Dream on Rogers and the related support from Rogers.

Hi Puleen — The fix for Rogers HTC Dream and Magic is ready. Wanted to give you the statement:

“A mandatory software update is now available for Rogers HTC Dream and Magic customers to ensure 911 calls can be completed on these devices. These customers need to go immediately tohttp://www.rogers.com/dreamsoftwareupdate or http://www.rogers.com/magicsoftwareupdate on a PC to download the update. Users of Windows 7 or Macintosh will need to call 1-888-Rogers1 for update instructions. Customers will need to backup any personal items before the update process.

Customers who have not downloaded this software update could have problems accessing 911. As a result, we are taking the precautionary measure of temporarily disabling internet access for Dream and Magic users on Sunday January 24 at 6:00AM (EST). Voice and text messaging will not be impacted. By disabling internet access, we can ensure that 911 calls are completed for all our Dream and Magic customers. Once a customer completes the software update, his/her internet access will be re-enabled within 24 hours.

Temporarily disabling internet access is the only decision we could make to ensure all customers can make 911 calls. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. Dream and Magic customers on data plans will automatically be credited for one month of data fees (excluding roaming). This credit will show up on invoices within 60 days. We take this matter very seriously and continue to investigate the way this issue was addressed to determine how we can improve our internal and external processes.”

Thanks,
Mary

The shocking part is that the “precautionary” measure which Rogers interestingly came up with was to disable internet access for all Magic and Dream users as on Sunday, January 24th, 2010. This is the best tactical approach you could think of? Really? All I can say is, wow. What if the customer does not update his/her devices within 24 hours after Sunday? What then?

While I am glad to see that Rogers decided to credit one month of data fees, it’s a very reactionary response on their part, as it always has been. At some point I would hope that Rogers decides to really understand their core business processes and try to improve upon them rather than let them continue going the way they are going. Then again, why should I care about their processes, if they don’t care that much about me as a customer.

For time being, I’ll enjoy the Sense UI and look for the day when I can move over to a communication provider who gives a damn.

Cheers!