Last September, Nokia released updated firmware version 30.0.018 for its N95 8GB model, the one I have.

Today, some six months later, running the Nokia Software Updater application shows that the updated firmware version is still not available on my phone.

Running a manual check on the Nokia website by phone product code number confirms the non-availability of that updated firmware.

That’s because my phone is tied to a particular mobile operator – Vodafone in the UK – who obviously have not yet approved this firmware for installation on an N95 8GB that connects to its network.

That’s how it works – Nokia publishes new firmware but Vodafone has to test it first, according to this post from Vodafone on a Vodafone forum earlier last year:

[…] The reason that Vodafone take more time in releasing new software versions is because they have to be tested with all of our services and applications first. Given the amount of products that Vodafone have in place, from Sat Nav, Music Station, Vodafone L!ve and many more, I am sure you can appreciate the amount of testing involved.
Once testing is complete we then have to make any changes needed to the Vodafone firmware version including possible documentation changes and then re-writing of the firmware itself. Vodafone have to be very careful with this procedure as even the smallest mistake could result in services becoming unusable.

I get it, Vodafone, and thanks for being so focused on customer service. I appreciate it (and I mean that sincerely).

But six months? That’s ridiculous! Doubly so when I see that a newer firmware version was released by Nokia even more recently.

Version 31.0.17 for the N95 8GB.

How long will it be, Vodafone?

[Later] Never, by the looks of it, to answer that question.

A comment from Twitter buddy Jim Taylor points me to this statement from a Vodafone employee called Tom in November on that Vodafone forum I mentioned earlier:

[…] As the N95 8GB isn’t a product we sell any more, and the firmware version currently available is known to work well on the device, there are no plans to release the newer version 30 firmware.

Hmm, I wonder why he says “As the N95 8GB isn’t a product we sell any more” when it’s still listed on the Vodafone website as a model you can currently get from Vodafone UK.

But so much for that customer service I referred to earlier – I have a phone that someone at Vodafone obviously thinks is now obsolete.

Quite a bit of further comment in that forum discussion, leading to this subsequent post from Tom at Vodafone:

Hi everyone,
To confirm what I’d said previously we aren’t planning on releasing a Vodafone version of this firmware.
I appreciate you wanting to get the latest versions, but the answer we’ve received is that we won’t be releasing the updated version. As this is the definite answer on this topic I’m going to close the thread.
If any of you are having problems with your handsets at the moment, please feel free to start a new thread and we’ll get the problems sorted for you

Notwithstanding the fact that the firmware Nokia released contains some bug fixes in addition to new features and enhancements to benefit the user..

A few choice words spring to mind to describe my opinion of the arrogance of this Vodafone feller and his colleagues.

Remind me to think hard about which mobile provider to talk to when I look at renewing my mobile monthly-contract deals (I have a few including my wife’s), all currently with Vodafone.

Or maybe I’ll just shift over to an O2 deal with iPhone. With the iPhone, it just updates the firmware as it needs to, no messing about with whether the mobile operator thinks it needs to test it first with a load of apps.

I think Apple/O2 have the better business model in that regard.