tbutler@mac.com | # 1 | 2006-07-14, 02:11 | Report

My apologies in advance if this post becomes intemperate; I'm still frustrated and annoyed by today's run-in with official Nokia support.

So.

I go ahead and decide to update to the 2006 release. I go to the official Nokia download page instead of mameo.org because I want to make sure I don't download the beta release by mistake. Now, I remember the official download page for past releases containing a link to a manual installation instruction page for OS X and Linux users. For the 2006 release, this link wasn't there. So I e-mail Nokia support asking for information on updating to the 2006 release with a Mac.

The reply I got stated "The software update can only be performed with one of the following [Windows] operating systems... In order to perform the update for your Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, you would need to operate on one of the above systems." I replied saying this was unacceptable, as I do not have access to a Windows machine that I could install and run the update wizard on, and asked if there were any plans to provide a Mac firmware updater. Their reply: "Travis, we periodically check demographic information and customer feedback to determine marketing trends. Your opinion is important to us, and we take your comments seriously. Please know that we have forwarded your comments to the appropriate department for review." Followed by a set of directions for accessing an installed memory card on a PC using a USB cable, which makes me wonder if they were stupid or just grasping at straws.

At that point, it seemed like e-mail support was being staffed completely by low-level drones that I wasn't going to get a useful or even coherent answer from, so I decided to try phoning support. The support tech I talked to confirmed that there was no Macintosh version of the updater; worse, she flat-out stated that the 770 would not work with a Mac. (Which is patently false.) She then went on to claim that Nokia had never supported the 770 on a Mac; I pointed out the manual instruction link for prior updates, but she did not change her story. Unless my memory's playing tricks on me about the link, that's another patent falsehood.

Browsing the forums here, I've found links to both the binary firmware image and Andrew Flagg's GUI flasher utility, so I should be able to get the update done on my own. My question is more basic: Does Nokia even care about supporting anything but Windows? Leaving out the manual install link for OS X and Linux seems to suggest that they're backing away from official end-user support for alternate platforms. OTOH, the fact that Andrew Flagg was able to get an updated binary for the flasher, from Nokia, suggests that at some level there's some degree of semiofficial support.

So I guess I'm asking the people like Andrew who deal with Nokia at a level beyond the end-user disaster I just went through: what kind of support can I expect for the 770 out of Nokia? Is this just a case of the end-user support group not communicating effectively with the engineering and development groups? Is it a case of the support group deliberately deciding to leave out support for things that the technical groups could provide? Or is it just a few interested people inside the technical groups providing unofficial support with things like the flasher, while the rest of the company doesn't care?

mk500 | # 2 | 2006-07-14, 07:13 | Report

Well said. I am guessing there are quite a few Nokia 770 and Mac users like us. Mac users are good customers to have. Lets hope Nokia figures this out.

aflegg | # 3 | 2006-07-14, 09:11 | Report

Basically the flasher-2.0.macosx (which I just wrap up) exists because of Mac users within Nokia compiling the flasher.

TBH, I'm not surprised the pretty website at the front doesn't mention Linux or Mac OS X, and I'm satisfied with the more unofficial, Maemo-level, non-Nokia-branded support from the Maemo folks (although getting a Mac OS X Flasher 2.0 took too long)

I can imagine it's frustrating if you don't search, and go to the Nokia homepage but that's what Google and forums are for. I don't trust anything customer service drones say about computers ;-)

Cheers,

Andrew

tbutler@mac.com | # 4 | 2006-07-14, 14:20 | Report

This makes me more concerned, in fact. Unofficial 'Mac users within Nokia compiling the flasher'-style support seems fundamentally fragile to me; what happens if your friend inside Nokia leaves? Are we then left unsupported?

I think the thing that bothers me the most is my memory that Nokia did provide an official manual update page for prior releases, and did not with this release. That suggests to me either a deliberate decision to drop support they provided before, or else something got overlooked because it wasn't important enough.

I don't trust customer service drones either, but I'd hoped for something better from an actual technical support line. And while searching certainly wasn't difficult, it was a waste of time and energy - and I consider it an unacceptable level of support for something that's being marketed to the general public. Also, a link on the official support page implies a degree of official commitment that I'd prefer to see for a $360 device.

---

Last edited by tbutler@mac.com; 2006-07-14 at 14:24.

kimmoj | # 5 | 2006-07-14, 15:23 | Report

Mac users are running a pretty marginal OS, when all is said and done. What is it, 4% market share for Apple atm? Being a Mac user, I can imagine that it is not fun to acknowledge the fact that supporting those 4%, of which a small sub-percentage may be candidates for buying a 770, is of rather limited importance to Nokia. Certainly focusing on Windows first and possibly Linux support second for the tools makes perfect sense, with Mac support added later as an afterthought, time permitting.

As for support experiences... well, in my opinion, the quality of the support you get for consumer products seems to be invariably crappy these days. Pro stuff that costs a minor fortune and where you have to pay through the nose for support gets great support because it is a life or death thing for the company, but the $360 you paid doesn't include a lot of leeway for providing premium support.

Personally I practically never even try to get support for a consumer level device unless it is actually broken and I need some warranty attention - the people answering the phones will most likely be named Sandeep or something like that and sit somewhere in a support outsourcing center in India with a script to read and follow when users call and want support... :P

Odin | # 6 | 2006-07-15, 20:32 | Report

I have used Macs since 1984 and seen it all. My life was complete when Apple came out with Unix-based OS X as I have used Unix from 1981 or so. The 770 is more Mac-like than Windoze, but the reality is that we Mac users are a minority and will most likely remain so. A great deal of artists and "creatives" use Macs because of the seamless (and stylish!) interface as well as the avant garde case designs. More importantly, in my opinion, is that fact that we also have a great number of scientists and very sophisticated computer folks who use macs. I must agree with Aflegg when he says:

...I'm satisfied with the more unofficial, Maemo-level, non-Nokia-branded support from the Maemo folks...

...I don't trust anything customer service drones say about computers ;-)

So, buck up and deal with it. The most important thing we can do is stay active on this board with our Mac issues. It may be useful to start a sub-forum here just for Macs.

PS

Not picking on anyone, just my $.02.

millerah | # 7 | 2006-07-15, 20:38 | Report

I'm honestly not trying to be inflammatory here, but...

Are you forgetting that this is just a preview/beta version of the os?
It's not "officialy" supported for any of us.

Jerome | # 8 | 2006-07-15, 20:56 | Report

I don't agree.

I am a mac and (former, except for the 770, of course) Linux user.

When I buy a device, I make sure it works with a mac, else I don't buy. I bought the 770 because it worked with my mac. If Nokia drops support, I'll feel cheated.

Besides, I am perfectly content with flasher.macosx I don't need more of an application to simply upload bytes to the 770. What I find preposterous is that windows users need to install bloats like the .net framework, just to be able to upload silly bytes via usb. That is where the real problem lies in my opinion.

If you keep things simple, then you can support many operating systems. Just a little command line flasher, and make sure it compiles easilly so that anyone interested can port it. That's the way to do it.

fpp | # 9 | 2006-07-15, 21:49 | Report

You are right, this is totally delirious. The time spent by Nokia staff creating this monster could probably have been used better...
What reasonable Windows users do is boot a Knoppix live CD and flash with the 2.0-flasher like everyone else :-)

kimmoj | # 10 | 2006-07-16, 07:06 | Report

And I'm honestly not trying to be inflammatory either when I point out that you're behind the times and that the official 2006 OS release is available and is what I have installed on my 770.