Floating 6315 Rom Upgrade

Whatever. I hate to see all the 6315 haters. Apparently they have NO idea what they are doing.... True, the learning curve is steap, but with minimal effort, any idiot can learn to rid themselve's of the t-mobile applications and turn their 6315 into a fully functional and fantasically fun 6365! I am a current t-mobile customer and my year old 6315 ipaq is now kicking some serious ass a 6365!!!! This paranoid warning was written over a year ago. Times change, and I would direct you to the forums of www.mobilitysite.com to seek TRUE and CURRENT options for your 6315.

All of the comments and pain are extreemly familiar. I purchased a 6315 in Oct '04 and have had nothing but the familiar probles. I am now on my third unit!!
.
I did apply the "rogue" rom upgrade with no difficulties about 3 weeks ago and conditions did improve - mainly lock-up related probs.
.
I was sent a message from TMO to my 6316 stating that there is an upgrade available for download at http://www.t-mobile.com/hpupdate --
.
I downloaded it, started it up, got a message window that said my USB connection died and to stop the program, do a reset on the 6315 and start again. I did a soft reset and a hard reset - pulled the battery, and now am the proud owner of a $500 device that only dislays the iPAQ
and HP logos.
.
Do I have any options????
.
Thanks to any that read this . . .

Jim

I just spent a couple of hours with HP online support trying to find out how to change my GSM/GPRS settings manually. I have an unlocked h6315 using a Cable & Wireless SIM in Jamaica. The HP maunal states that I should be able to access these settings by going to: Start -> Settings -> Connections [tab] -> GSM/GPRS Settings. The problem is that I do not have a GSM/GPRS Settings icon. Please let me know if this problem is specific to my phone or a common problem. Below is my conversation with HP online support (do they always try to pawn everything off to T-Mobile?)

Wed, Mar 23, 2005 3:58 PM] -- Status Message
This is an automated message. Your request has been received by the Technical Support Center and has been queued until a support analyst is available. Support for HP and Compaq handheld products is available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. You will receive a response to your support request in 5 minutes or less.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 3:58 PM] --
For reference, your Case ID is 3210097500
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 3:58 PM] -- Status Message
Support analyst Nulenur J has been assigned to your request.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 3:58 PM] -- Nulenur J
Hello Jake, thank you for contacting HP and for your interest in our Instant Support program. My name is Jagadeesh and I see you have a question with your iPAQ. I'm going to take a few moments to review the information of your iPAQ and will message you back very soon.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:01 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please perform the soft reset on the iPAQ.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:01 PM] -- Jake J
ok
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:02 PM] -- Jake J
done
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:03 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please check if the issue persists.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:03 PM] -- Jake J
still no icon for GSM/GPRS Settings
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:05 PM] -- Jake J
hello?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:05 PM] -- Nulenur J
Do you have the backup of the data present on the iPAQ?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:06 PM] -- Jake J
i have no performed a backup as of yet, but i could if need be
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:08 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please make a backup of the data, you need perform the hard reset on the iPAQ.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:09 PM] -- Jake J
doing it now
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:10 PM] -- Nulenur J
Okay.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:11 PM] -- Jake J
backup complete, restart device?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:14 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please perform the hard reset on the iPAQ.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:14 PM] -- Jake J
How do i do a hard reset?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:17 PM] -- Nulenur J
Press and hold down the Power button.
While holding the Power button, use the stylus to lightly press the Reset button on the left side of the Pocket PC for about five seconds.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:17 PM] -- Nulenur J
The Pocket PC screen fades and the device resets. Once the device resets and the screen comes back on, release the Power button and remove the stylus from the Reset button.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:17 PM] -- Nulenur J
Note : If the Pocket PC does not power on after a reset, try the following:
Check the battery door to ensure it is locked. If not, insert the stylus into the battery lock on the back of the Pocket PC and slide the battery lock to the left (or locked position). This action locks the battery door. If the battery door is not locked, the Pocket PC does not power on.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:18 PM] -- Jake J
done
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:18 PM] -- Nulenur J
Is the issue persisting?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:20 PM] -- Jake J
still NO icon
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:20 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please call the following number 1-800-937-8997 for further assistance.
Toll free at 1-800-937-8997
From customer's T-Mobile phone, dial 611, free of charge.
E-Mail Inquires: http://support.t-mobile.com/caseSubmitForm.html
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:22 PM] -- Jake J
that's it? isn't this your device? why are you refering me to t-mobile?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:24 PM] -- Nulenur J
The phone issues are taken care by T-mobile, so you will have to contact T-mobile for further assistance.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:24 PM] -- Jake J
This is a software issue. not a phone issue.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:26 PM] -- Jake J
Your manual stats that I should have an icon to launch the application to change my GSM/GPRS settings. My device does not have this icon. Obviously that makes it a software issue.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:27 PM] -- Nulenur J
Please give me a moment. I will check on this real quick.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:27 PM] -- Jake J
thank you.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:31 PM] -- Nulenur J
Even though it is the software issue, they will be having the updates for that and you will have to contact T-mobile for further assistance.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:31 PM] -- Jake J
software updates?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:32 PM] -- Nulenur J
Yes, they will be having the software updates and you will have to contact them.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:33 PM] -- Jake J
Do the get the software updates from HP?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:34 PM] -- Nulenur J
No, as of now we do not have any updates for iPAQ h6315.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:35 PM] -- Nulenur J
HP has developed a Software Maintenance ROM release for the h6315 model sold in the United States under its partnership with T-Mobile. The anticipated release date for this maintenance release is April 2005, and will be available from HP at www.hp.com/support.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:36 PM] -- Jake J
do you know when in April?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:37 PM] -- Nulenur J
I am sorry, we do not have the exact information about the date of release.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:38 PM] -- Jake J
will the new ROm release fix the problem that I am having?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:40 PM] -- Nulenur J
I am sorry, we do not have any information regarding that. But as of now, I request you to contact T-mobile for further assistance.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:42 PM] -- Nulenur J
Is there any other technical issue I can assist you with?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:43 PM] -- Jake J
I would like to state that you have been of NO help whatsoever. HP needs to support it's products better than this. May I please speak with your supervisor, or next higher level of support regarding this issue?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:45 PM] -- Nulenur J
Jake, I have provided you all the information. If you still want me transfer this chat to my higher level, I will do it. But the answer will be the same.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:46 PM] -- Jake J
Please transfer me.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:48 PM] -- Nulenur J
Jake, I am assigning this case to my colleague John. He will assist you further. Please be online.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:48 PM] -- Jake J
ok
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:49 PM] -- Status Message
Support analyst George J has been assigned to your request.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:50 PM] -- George J
Hi Jake, my name is John with the Instant Support group and I will be taking over your case from here. Please give me a few moments to review your case and I will be with you shortly.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:50 PM] -- Jake J
have you had a chance to review that problem that i am having?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:51 PM] -- George J
I am going through.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:52 PM] -- Jake J
ok
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:57 PM] -- George J
Please tap Start, iPAQ Wireless.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:57 PM] -- George J
Please tap the Phone icon.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:57 PM] -- Jake J
hello?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 4:58 PM] -- George J
Now, you may tap the Settings button next to the Phone icon. for the GSM settings.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:00 PM] -- Jake J
there is no option for GSM settings after tapping the settings button next to the phone icon.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:04 PM] -- George J
To access the other options, please tap Start, Phone, Tools, Options.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:04 PM] -- Jake J
I get the Connections screen, not the GSM/GPRS Settings screen
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:05 PM] -- Jake J
done i'm on the phone options screen
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:06 PM] -- Jake J
And what does any of this have to do with not having the GSM/GPRS Settings icon?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:08 PM] -- Jake J
hello?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:09 PM] -- Jake J
I am waiting for your response.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:12 PM] -- Jake J
hello?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:12 PM] -- George J
Well Jake, those are all the settings available on the iPAQ. For the GSM/GPRS settings, you will have to wait for the ROM update.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:14 PM] -- Jake J
Your documentation states that I should be able to access those settings now see http://h200001.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00218463/c00218463.pdf
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:17 PM] -- Jake J
page 4-24
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:19 PM] -- George J
I do understand Jake. Regarding this you need to contact T-Mobile.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:20 PM] -- George J
They should be able to let you know of a resolution to this, as they provide all the frontline support.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:21 PM] -- Jake J
Has HP received any other questions regarding this matter?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:22 PM] -- George J
Not any to my understanding yet.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:23 PM] -- Jake J
Do you know if the new ROM version due out next month will fix this problem?
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:24 PM] -- George J
It should.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:24 PM] -- Jake J
Could you please find out for certain.
[ Wed, Mar 23, 2005 5:32 PM] -- George J
I am sorry Jake. We do not have any information from the engineering department. I also suggest that you contact T-Mobile on this. They might have a patch already.

I congratulate the folks that hacked the update and made it available for the 6315. I'm on my 3rd 6315 - it's the best yet but still can't do bluetooth reliably, etc (all the other problems folks have mentioned.) T-Mobile has not been very helpful or responsive. I'm going to wait a little longer for the "official" update - but my patience is thin. A least there is now an alternative if TM drops the ball (again.) It is up to each owner to decide based on risk/reward.

I’m going to try and simplify some issues about the iPAQ h6315. First, the h6315 is manufactured by HP “solely” to T-Mobile. The h6365 was a worldwide device release that Rogers (a Canadian carrier) picked up on, yet seems to no longer be offered to their customers. The h6365 can be purchased unlocked from the Singapore market, but if warranty issues need to be corrected, you have to send the device to Singapore. Sort of like the “grey market cameras”. Nonetheless, HP is trying to put support of the device on the carriers who market them to their customers. The h6340 just lacks the camera option, but was not marketed in North America either.

Anyhow, I am amazed at the fact that the h6315 has been such a disappointment to those who purchased one, or many. Perhaps, those who bought the unit, are still at a loss to the devices’ downfall, or the problems that are inherent with the unit. Personally, I have only one issue, or complaint, with this device. T-Mobile level 2 tech support was able to replicate this issue. “When the h6315 goes into suspend mode, the GSM module (the built in cell phone) looses “network lock” to the GSM carrier. Now, I don’t know about anyone else having the same problem, but, it should not occur. On any unit! Nonetheless, HP said if I loaded the “hacked 6365 ROM on the h6315”, in doing so, voids any and all warranties. In the same breath, they say, “The warranty is holey supported by T-Mobile”. If that don’t beat all get out! T-Mobile has another way of looking at it. T-Mobile says, “If the unit was not damaged, it is covered under warranty”. Now, here is the trick question! Has anyone applied the “hacked” 6365 ROM and damaged a 6315 device? I bet not! How can one do so? Those who have done damage by such, we need to hear what went wrong. In my case, I was ready to pack the unit up and return it for a refund. Otherwise, the “hacked 6365 ROM” works so well now, I may never want to apply T-Mobile’s fix. Then again, own nothing, unless it’s insured by a 3rd party.

-Pace

Zanoryt,
Thanks for offering the comment about taking offense. I do appreciate that courtesy but trust me, in the position I am in, I can't take offense nor do I. So thanks for that comment, it is appreciated.

I do disagree with you however as to whether I know what I am talking about. In fact I do know what I am talking about. I had a 6315 for two months. I never experienced a good day with it and happily, it was returned. I think I had a bad device...and I mean BAD. I can relate very well with those that have units and are experiencing difficulty with it because that is all I had...difficulty!

Frankly, I really don't care if someone decides to use the unsupported ROM update that has been "adjusted" to work on the 6315. What I do care about is the unsuspecting user that might well believe that this is the "be all and end" of updates. What I am concerned about is the one or two or twenty that might use it and get blown out. What I am concerned about is not the folks that it works for but that poor unsuspecting person that finds out later that it was a huge mistake and has no recourse.

And that my friend is absolute fact...right from HP. It was a very specific statement sent to me indicating that "This ROM has not been released by HP, and will not be supported by HP’s service centers should issues arise".

What we provide at Dave's iPAQ is information that to the best of our knowledge is fact.

beaups indicated that my statement from HP "This ROM has not been released by HP..." is also untrue and said "This ROM was in fact released by HP".

I have scoured the HP site and I'll be darned if I can find a ROM update for the 6315. beaups, if you can point me directly to the ROM update for the 6315 I would be very grateful. But remember, I want the 6315 update, not another update that has been "adjusted" because that is NOT a 6315 update.

The sad thing is that this has gone well beyond its life and you know, when the horse is dead, and all four legs are up in the air...it is time to get off.

This is what I know to be be true:
Someone hacked a ROM update that somehow works or appears to work on a 6315.

HP does not sanction this "hacked" update.

That said...if one chooses to use it, that's the beauty of individual decisions. You made it you live with it.

I stand FIRMLY behind the comments made by the folks at Dave's iPAQ. In my opinion, a so called fix that has not been adequately tested and validated that it will not hurt your iPAQ is a potential disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't do it and I certainly wouldn't put myself at risk by recommending it .

I bought my 6315 the first week they were available at TMO. Suffered a lot of the same problems that everyone else has suffered. TMO sent me a new replacement phone last month and it has worked great so far with no problems, no soft reboots, and no hard reboots. I will wait for the new ROM upgrade to be released.

My review has never been deleted..

http://davesipaq.com/articles/iPAQ_h6300_reviews.html

David,

Great site. I agree with you in that HP clearly didn't abandon us, but we've waited a long time. It's obvious considering the 6340/65 fix is out there that they have spent some time trying to get all the kinks out. But given the fact that they have PULLED the 6315 file downloads page and PULLED the XIP update for the 6315 (not 6340 or 6365) I think it's safe to say that TMO wants to control all this (and possibly has this right contractually). So now the question is whether or not TMO will release the update or not. Time will tell...and if they do we'll work collectively to get it working for those who want to use it, and will likely only take a few minutes. In the meantime we have a device that actually works for the first time ever.

I think the concept of your warning is good, but question your statement that "you will do damage to your iPaq if you install this ROM". This is not true.


Jack - your statement from HP "This ROM has not been released by HP..." is also untrue. This ROM was in fact released by HP. The collective intelligence @ pdaphonehome.com and davesipaq.com combined could NOT write our own ROM. We just figured out how to make it work with the 6315.

One last question, I was searching through pdaphonehome.com to pull up some early reviews of the unit (to see if there were any issues or features early on that had been removed) and saw Dave had a review in that had over 60K views. But the post was since edited and Dave said the review had to be removed. Why is this? Is there somewhere I can find it still?

I have this device and have had it four weeks prior to announcement. I know what the issues are and have sent them up personally to HP. Also HP reads this site! Take my word for it. They hear the problems. Being that I know an upgrade is being worked on I am fine. HP will not just ditch us. And btw Jack probably knows more than you think he does ;) .. He's also under the HP program... So don't doubt his awareness. BTW, I see you joined the site today, I hope you stay and participate. You will notice this is a community in which we have some great people who help others. Welcome

No offence Jack, but you have no idea what you are talking about, specifically under the basis that you have not owned an iPaq h6315 at all, and certainly not for an extended period of time like most of us.

The few people I have seen who have expressed negativity about this ROM update, or have agreed with Dave, are those that have only owned the device for several weeks at most, and have not been bothered enough by the flaws yet. Generally, I would agree that unsupported firmware releases are only used by a small number of people, but in this particular case, there have been hundreds in less than a week. I expect to see thousands within the next week purely on the success of this update as reported by the hundreds of people thus far. If you don't believe me, look at the active thread on pdaphonehome.com forums. Never a bad unit as a result, and only successful upgrades.

Come on, stop giving T-Mobile the undeserved support. Really, T-Mobile is just mad that their software isn't in the "hacked" ROM update, and they've lost their ripoff income on IM-over-SMS. Sure, fair enough, but don't you think the time we have waited in rediculous? Most of us have been waiting since the device came out.

I think there is legitimate reason for concern if folks choose to upgrade a device that they paid so much money for and then find out later that they made a huge mistake.

I do not own a 6300 iPAQ hence the reason for my lack of participation in this forum but I felt compelled to say a few words.

I really believe that there will be a very small number of folks who will take the chance and will probably wait until an official upgrade is released from HP for the 6315. Personally, I think that is the smart move but that is just my typical cautious state.

I feel we have an obligation to make sure folks that visit this site and read the posts are aware of a potential problem if we are aware of it.

Earlier, I received an email from a contact at HP. In part, the email apprised me of the following:
"As you may be aware some enthusiast/evangelist sites are circulating a “bogus” ROM upgrade for the HP iPaq h6315 T-Mobile sku.

This ROM has not been released by HP, and will not be supported by HP’s service centers should issues arise. To protect your site readers from download issues, please inform them not to utilize this ROM".

The terminology used is from a trusted contact that I would stake my reputation on. If one decides to use the "bogus" ROM or any other word you choose to describe it, just be aware that there may well be a problem in the future.

I don't have the slightest clue what effect it might have on future ROM updates, but I just don't think it is worth the chance. After all the time that has gone by waiting for a ROM update, a little more time won't hurt.

If you can't wait, then you need to be fully aware that there might be a consequence that will prove to render your iPAQ into a brick.

Some folks would say that I am prejudiced toward Dave...well, I am and I am damn proud of it! He has proved to me over the years to be absolutely dedicated to the iPAQ user and is committed to the providing the best possible information available. Because of the information that was provided to us earlier, Dave was compelled to warn everyone of a potential disaster to your iPAQ.

David, I applaud your decision, it was the correct move to make to be sure that those who might choose to use that ROM update are making an absolutely informed decision.

So other than that...how was your day? Mine has been terrific, a little vacation in Pennsylvania to visit my son and to see a Villanova basketball game tonight. Go VILLANOVA!!

Everyone who has problem with the device--pick up the phone and call T-Mobile ask to talk to handheld tech support. Make some noise there. Company normally act fast when too much noise annoying them. T-mobile 1-800-937-8997

I have posted on another thread yesterday and would like to repeat it again: I talked to HP tech support yesterday. They told me that flash ROM back to the original state is free as long as it is under warranty. They told me that if I don't want to wait further and want to try the hack-6365 upgrade, I am still under warranty for flash ROM for free of charge. By the way, why don't they release the original for people to flash? Any logic for this decision from them--or T-Mobile?

I myself was the supporter for the wait of the official upgrade 2 days ago.the modafy rom works perfect on my 6315.t-mobile/hp riped us off on this device/teck support and the warrenty haha it was a lie from the start they knew the device did not work right when they took are money.can all of the fryed 6315 users with the hack rom please step up!!!!!

I must say I have not had any real issues with my iPAQ since I got it. Yeah I have to reset it once a day, but then again I have to reboot my pc at least once a day. And this is nothing more then a mini PC. So I figured that was going to happen. As for using an Un-official patch. I think Dave has done everything he can to cover his own azz. If you want to risk turning your iPAQ into a paperweight, go for it. Personally I am going to hold out for the official update. My iPAQ takes calles, holds all my e-mails, MP3s, Microsoft Docs, Outlook Calendar and even the DVDs I have ripped to storage cards. No my iPAQ is not a universal remote and I cannot contact the Enterprise to get Scotty to beam me up with it, but it does what I need it to do. Oh and I can even connect to my WiFi at home, alone with most other WiFi connections all over the place.

I don't use the bluetooth headset (even though I have one) because I want stereo headsets to listen to my music. I do print with bluetooth and I do use the bluetooth GPS. Oh I also use my iPAQ to send text messages (1000's of them a day).

I love my iPAQ!

It is better then the Sidekick I had before (I can surf almost every page on the internet and access them, too). And my phone lasts a solid 9 hour work day with enough battery life left to get home and put it in the cradle before the battery goes below 15%. I think HP did a great job of packing all the abilities of a laptop into a phone. It is not a great Pocket PC or a great phone, but it does a good job of doing them both. As for the upgade, if you cannot wait for the official version, then try the un-official one and if you end-up with a paperweight later, remember you were warned!

Thanks for everything Dave, keep up the good work!

Can we please get on with this. I will no longer comment on this subject.

Dave...you are shouting fire in a crowded elevator. The link on pdaforums clearly says "unofficial rom upgrade" and the links clearly state that the use of the upgrade is at your own risk and will void any official warranty from tmob and HP. The fact is there are a small number of users who will attempt this fix, and the majority of users will wait for the "official" TMO version. Look at the link with the number of users that have installed and do the math.

The upgrade is fine and as long as people observe caution *as they should with flashing upgrading any device* then it works fine and people have a usable phone/pda. It is responsible to alert people to the risks but as the people who have worked on this patch have done they have made it clear you do this at your own risk. People listen and act on what gets posted on these boards and making false claims about bogus patches makes what is a bad problem

i.e. a nonfunctional unit released from manufacturer

worse as it leads to confusion and bad feeling amongst people in the iPAQ community.

Applaud people for what has been achieved don't knock it or mis-report it BUT quite rightly emphasise as the 'developers' have done that this is an unsupported solution.

OMG! I thought it was my unit .. I installed this ROM and it went totally blank. I immediately pulled it out of the cradle and tried to reset it and I now cant even get it to startup! I followed the threads on PDAPhonehome and clicked on a direct link and downloaded it. I think this post was appropriate since I didnt see any disclaimer where I downloaded it from. Now I see one but when I downloaded the ROM there was no disclaimer.

Void your warranty? Gee, looking at the EULA that came with the H6315, all warranties, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, were specifically disclaimed.

HP and T-Mobile advertised the H6315 as a pda/phone with GSM/Bluetoos/GPRS/and 802.11b capability and touted how the T-Mobile relationship as the primary service and activation provided would add greated support for users on the device. I believe both companies violated consumer fraud and deception laws in releasing defective software that does not work, have lied to consumers about the 'pending rom updates to fix reported issues' that still have not come over 6 months after device was released.

Fact is this device as released is not reliable, among its problems are it locks up frequently, requires numerous resets to get it working, BT doesn't work with many headsets with the BT .1400 BT stack, sound is terrible, it drops calls, it fails to ring when incomming calls come in, it can't switch cell towers reliably, etc.

T-mobile is testing the patch? Why didn't they test the phone before they started selling it to consumers to make sure it worked reliably then?

Sad sad sad sad that extremely frustrated users that have gotten absolutely no support from HP and T-mobile have to resort to finding ways to fix the device themselves. Wait for the official release? We've been waiting for over six months!!!!

Void the warranty? please... HP and T-mobile should be extremely embarrased of how terrible this device is and just recall it.

Point taken and changed. Can we please get on with this.

I think the only thing Dave could have done better was not to add the final line, "DO NOT USE THIS BOGUS ROM!"

Everything else was perfectly acceptable, completely true, and good advice. It's nice that some of you out there are adventurous enough to apply an unsupported Rom to your $400+ phone, but as much as I'd like my 6315 to work as advertised, I'm not willing to write off a warranty just yet. Haven't even had the darned thing a week yet, but I'm willing to wait for the official HP 6315 ROM.

Dave, thanks for the notification. You're doing your job.

Ok.. Here is the facts. The ROM is in the testing stages as per TMobile. I can assure you ;) (Wink) it is being worked on. Lets say you do use the hacked ROM and the official HP ROM comes out and you apply the patch and all of a sudden POOF the unit is dead. Will HP fix your 600 iPAQ? No! Therefore I feel it is this site's responsibility to warn everyone. HP explicitly told me it will VOID your warranty. Thats all I am saying

I have no idea why you react so extreme and negativ. Show me all the people that have damaged their device. I can't see them. What I can see is lots of people who suddenly have a working device. Who cares about T-Mobile and HP support? I have had the h6315 for about 7 months. It has NEVER worked as advertised. I have NEVER gotten any support, help or fixes form either HP or T-Mobile. Given how long it took HP to put out any fix, do you really believe there will be a new patch anytime soon? I don't see that happening.

If you apply this fix, you will make your h6315 work. If you apply this fix, you get the same improvements you would get from the official patch (which might still take weeks till it comes out). All you give up is the *garuantee* you can upgrade. But given that it's very unlikely that another patch will ever come out, and the uselessness of existing support, I don't think that's an issue.

I think you did get this totally wrong. Instead of warning people about stuff tht doesn't matter, you'd help your reader more by telling them where to get this.

If you make such strong statements, better back them up with some fact.

I really tend to agree with everyone in saying that HP and T-Mobile have done an excellent job in conning everyone out of their $350-600 (and more in some cases). Over the years, I have become very disappointed with HP. First, I payed a fairly large sum for a wifi based all-in-one (PSC 2510) consumer printer, and the drivers almost never work. I can print, and that's about it. Scanning almost never works as advertises, as well as some of the other features. The drivers are incredibly huge as well, and bog down the system. Then HP releases the iPaq h6315. What a joke. I am a very technical person, and no matter what I try to do, none of these products work as advertised.

How do TWO partner companies, much less a single company, market a high-end business/prosumer device, charge top dollar, but provide almost no fixes, upgrades, or additional features in about a year and a half? The two companies believe they are bigger than their britches, that's how. I'm quite sure that they believe they can hide behind the layers of bureaucracy of ignorant customer support tiers and jaded support engineers and pretend to provide timely service. They tell us later "Our customer support teams were misinformed, we never said a release was coming soon" and things of that nature. What they fail to realize is by stating things like that (or saying nothing at all) shows their fault anyway, because what quality executive teams would ever allow misinformation to run rampant in their companies?

I bought three of these devices. I'm certain now it was a mistake, and I'll write all of them off on my taxes as "poor investments" (well not really obviously). Does HP/T-Mobile think the original early adopters and then general public will consume their nextgen device next time? If they do, then I'll sit back and happily watch them have nothing but losses on it, because we're not falling for it.

HP and T-Mobile had a simple solution that would have kept most of us happy from the get-go. Provide timely bug fixes to the device so it would function as advertised. The only thing I can see that would satisfy most of us now is either: 1) Offer a majority reimbursement on the device, 2) Offer a free upgrade to the nextgen device, or 3) Release quality and reoccuring firmware and software updates and NEW software functionality (like Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, and additional applications) in the future. Otherwise, I'm sure we're all jumping ship to Blackberry, Nokia, and Palm, who all have comparable devices now that offer most of the features.

This situation reminds me of my Sony Ericsson P800 purchase and it stinks. They never release any downloadable upgrades for it, and shortly after everyone paid $600-1000 for the phone, they released the P900 and stopped supporting the P800 completely, never to offer an upgrade.

How long is everyone going to sit around and complain? We need to make an active attempt to hold these companies responsible for their advertisement claims. This h6315 issue would do wonders in a class action lawsuit. Count me in.

I have not read a single post of a single fried rom on any upgraded h6315 device. Let's tell the truth, not propaganda. Please name a post on a pocket pc forum where someone claims that they fried ther rom using this upgrade. This charge reminds me of the weapons of mass distruction in Iraq. Please post the truth and not false rumors and inuendo.

The unofficial upgrade was created because HP and T-Mobile breached their contract with their customers which required them to provide us with a device which worked as described in their promotional material. They took our money but did not provide us with the working product we paid for. The upgrade works. The problem is with T-Mobile and HP, not the unofficial upgrade.

I can understand why you might want (or need?) to post a very strong disclaimer. I think the article came off a bit harsh. It seems some pretty heavy disrespect is now generated towards this site from several top pocket pc experts. Some people even posted up a rebuttal on their own web site.

Check out the growing flames here: http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43798

Hey Dave, you say a considerable number of people have fried their iPAQ with this rom? I wonder why not a single one of them has posted about it on PDAPhoneHome.com, the very forum where this ROM fix was revealed?

From what I have been reading on PDAPhoneHome forum - the home base of this update - I haven't heard of too many people frying their ROMs, but as you run this board, you would probably know more than I would about this. However, I suspect that the number of people frying their ROMS is no greater than what is the normal percentage of bad upgrades that occur, even from a "legitimate" update.

I can tell you a considerable amount of people fried their ipaq's with this rom. This ROM was a hacked Rom for the European iPAQ. Tmobile US upgrade will come out. Please dont take this post the wrong way but take it for what its worth.

I installed the modified ROM and it has made the device 100% better. Basically the unofficis ROM is the H6365 ROM update released by HP that has a few modifications to headers that enable you to install it on a H6315).

My H6315 now works reasonably well, with the modified ROM fixing major issues that made the device completely unreliable as a phone.

It is not a BOGUS ROM, it is a fix that HP and T-Mobile have not provided. And with the help of people on that forum, I have installed all the T-Mobile specific stuff (battry level, today plugin, email triggers, etc) back on the device (Everything except the washed out T-MO splash screen and the crappy IM apps that didn't work anyway).

I really don't care that I voided the warranty. A WORKING device without a warranty is better than a PIECE OF CRAP with a warranty.

I for one will not install the official T-MO patch if they ever release it, because I don't need to fix something that ain't broke anymore.

But your story is misleading. This is certainly not a "bogus" ROM. You make it sound like some hacker created a fake ROM in his basement to fool everyone and damage their device - like there was something malicious about it. This was a ROM officially released by HP. All that was hacked was the prevention of its installation on a device that wasn't a 6365. And that is simply a legal restriction, not a technical one since there is no technical difference between a 6315 and a 6365.

In fact, if any 6315 owner doesn't mind potentially voiding their warranty, doesn't particulary care about -Mobiel customizations (though I see there is a way to fix that too) and has a little bit of technical skill, just about everyone who has upgraded to this ROM is happy. In fact, I wish more PDA's had "bogus" ROMS that worked as well as this one did. As far as causiong problems with future updates is concerned, once T-Mobile releases their version of this new ROM, I doubt there will be any more updates to this series.

I understand I just want everyone to understand it was not official and that it voids your warranty.

I agree. I have used the patch since the day it was posted. It has made a defective device one that I know cherish. Every aspect of the device has improved.

First let me say that I had just about had it with my 6315 with its mryaid of issues. Bluetooth was horrible, sound quality was bad, using as a blue tooth modem for dial up would not work, along with other general flaky issues.

I was ready to throw in the towel and get something else when HP released the patch for the "other" 6315 devices (Non Tmobile). So I figured what the heck....worst case is that it accelerates my search for a new phone. I installed this patch from the above gentleman's site and I will tell you that it worked like a champ. All of my major gripes have been resolved.

I do not care if the phone does not work with the official "Tmobile" patch whenever it comes along. I am happy with it the way it is.

I and others have been using it for about a week now without issue.

Just my $.02. I do not endorse or condone its use. I am just stating my experience.