01 Nowember 2008

Weekend Watching:
Mikko Kuusisto Talks About FOTA Updates

Over the last several years, mobile phones have undergone a transformation from relatively simple voice-based handsets to more sophisticated multimedia communication devices, a smartphone beasts that now commonly includes high-end hardware and advanced features like navigation systems, desktop-like web browsing, MP3 players, megapixels cameras, DVD like video recording and various other sophisticated and useful features.

In order to provide these more sophisticated features, these devices now require increasingly complex mobile phone software and user interface.

This growing complexity of mobile phone firmware presents a significant challenge to Nokia and other mobile handset manufacturers to ensure that the mobile firmware is of high quality and 100% reliable.

Fortunately, some of the latest S60 devices support Firmware upgrade Over The Air which is also known as OTA or FOTA. Firmware over the air (FOTA) technology enables cost effective mobile phone firmware updates. By using OTA methods to update mobile phone firmware and to patch flaws in the firmware originally installed on the handset, users no longer need to bring the handset to a service facility to update the firmware on their mobile phone.

Usually you have to go to the nearest Nokia service center to get a an update or upgrade firmware from your phone with assistance of the Nokia Software Updater. Unfortunately, both of mentioned methods are considered inconvenient by consumers and also depend heavily on consumers to seek out the upgrade, and therefore the majority of mobile phone manufacturers and operators have now adopted FOTA technology for their handsets.

If the mobile phone has FOTA capability, you can instead download the firmware upgrade directly from your mobile phone. It also allows manufacturers and operators to "push out" firmware upgrades to ensure that mobile consumers have the latest software improvements, which helps reduce customer support costs and increase consumer satisfaction. The process typically takes between 3 and 10 minutes, depending on the size of the upgrade file and the speed of your wireless connection.

I've also found few interesting videos over at Nokia Conversations in which Nokia's Mikko Kuusisto talks about Nokia's Software Updater, Firmware Over The Air service and finally demos update process from start to re-start on the Nokia N96.