[rgoeri]

OK...this is good in the sense that it confirms the problem with the older versions which appears to be fixed with 4.2.2.176. The thing that's so interesting is that it's not simply a CDMA issue since other Verizon phones (e.g., my wife's Treo and my previous BB 7130e) worked fine there.

[JRSCCivic98]

^^^ I don't think anyone said it was a CDMA issue.... in the general sense. However, it would have been nice to try and narrow things down a bit. Like manually set it to just CDMA and specific networks, but since you don't have a lot of time to mess with it before it locks I can understand where it might be a bit hard.

Does anyone know if Puerto Rico uses "non-US specific" GSM radio frequencies. It could very well be a bug with that, which falls under some of the indications of the bug fixes they applies in .176.

[ktlent]

The 4.2.2.66 is Verizon Wireless. I have a number of users running 4.2.2.66 & 4.2.2.123 so it looks like upgrades are in order. I am new to this and do not personally have a Blackberry so how do I go about upgrading them? Where can I/they get the upgrade and how do you install it? Is there a website that will give me this info? After the upgrade will they have to be re-activated on the BES server? Thanks in advance for all the help and posts.

[ktlent]

Oops...sorry the 4.2.2.123 was a Sprint PCS carrier not Verizon

[rgoeri]

The 4.2.2.66 is Verizon Wireless. I have a number of users running 4.2.2.66 & 4.2.2.123 so it looks like upgrades are in order. I am new to this and do not personally have a Blackberry so how do I go about upgrading them? Where can I/they get the upgrade and how do you install it? Is there a website that will give me this info? After the upgrade will they have to be re-activated on the BES server? Thanks in advance for all the help and posts.

You can find the upgrades at Updates and then, of course, there's always the option of talking with Verizon tech support if you need to. After the upgrade re-activation with the BES server is necesssary.

[the_elf]

Hey, guys...I'm running v4.2.2.148 from Verizon Wireless. I've seen posts here and there about this version being good, and that version being bad. I just went to Rgoeri's "updates" link, and couldn't find any version information about the software for the 8830WE.

I'd like to upgrade my firmware, but not if it's going to make my device worse than it already is. Right now I think I'm primarily suffering the memory leak issue (extra characters showing up in email messages).

What version should I upgrade to? Are their issues with the newer versions? Am I going to be able to digest those issues, or should I stay where I am?

[rgoeri]

^^^ I don't think anyone said it was a CDMA issue.... in the general sense. However, it would have been nice to try and narrow things down a bit. Like manually set it to just CDMA and specific networks, but since you don't have a lot of time to mess with it before it locks I can understand where it might be a bit hard.

It's more than a bit hard..it's impossible... you have 10 seconds or less before it's locked. Regarding manual network settings, I suppose one could do that prior to arrival but at least with my unit the network choices are very limited. My options are GSM, Global, and (at my current location) 1XEV aka Verizon. I have a Siemens GSM phone I've used for years overseas (prior to buying the 8830) and, since it's an open handset, there's the option to pick from a multitude of available networks (depending on the location) but unless I'm looking in the wrong place I don't see anything like that (other than the three I mentioned) with my 8830. My point about the "CDMA issue" wasn't necessarily in regard to anything someone might have said. I'm not even close to being an expert in BlackBerry technology. I just need the thing to work and was thinking out loud about an overall sense of what might be wrong. It clearly can't be the Verizon CDMA network itself since non BlackBerry's don't have the problem. So it seemed to me that it would either be (1) a glitch in how pre .176 units handle the network or, if I understand what you're suggesting, (2) perhaps the units are trying to switch to Global/GSM mode with some sort of error that causes the lockup which makes sense as well. I think the thing that was most distressing to me about all of this was the fact that during the multiple hours I spent with Verizon tech support during the height of this problem most of the people I talked to were clueless about this specific firmware/error code/lockup issue.

[JRSCCivic98]

^^^ I'll begin with saying that the majority of the knowledgable users on this forum and other Blackberry forums "Know more then Verizon phone support WILL EVER KNOW". It's simple truth. No matter how much training those level one techs get, they will always be useless.... that's what level one is.

Now, as to the other things you stated. Setting the phone to Global allows it to auto-switch between GSM and CDMA. Setting it to GSM makes it only go to GSM networks, and 1XEV obviously is CDMA only. It's possible the bug was in the Global auto-switch, but who knows. As for using the 8830 with other GSM networks/cards of your choosing, just call Verizon Global Support and ask to have them walk you though doing an unlock of your GSM slot. Then you can use whatever SIM card you want from any carrier any other part of the world other then US.

[the_elf]

*snicker*

Should I call Verizon phone support to ask them for the fixes in .176, and in all other prior versions?

C'mon! I've searched the forum. Can anyone summarize the different versions, their problems, and their fixes?

[JRSCCivic98]

Search another forum.... like BBF, people have posted the fix list before.

[highway61]

Go buy an iPhone that's been sitting on the shelf at AT&T for a while. Do you think it'll have the latest upgrade applied to it? I doubt that.

But you can upgrade it for free via iTunes on a Mac or PC.

[gtstang462002]

But you can upgrade it for free via iTunes on a Mac or PC.

That is because MAc knows that there would not have been a market for their Iphone had they not provided support for the windows users. And no I am not endorsing either OS. Think they are both overpriced.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[racker116]

Let me add my recent problem to the end of this thread. My lovely wife has an 8830WE VZW which we had recently upgraded to 4.5.0.101. Last week she and friends flew to Paris. Upon arrival, her phone had no service whatsoever. The Intl helpdesk suggested switching manually to GSM instead of auto-global, but that did nothing. Since we had been to Paris a year before with her phone working perfectly, we suspected the OS right away. She had her notepad computer with her and miraculously through email exchanges we managed to get her OS downgraded to the current official VZW OS from the smith micro VZW website. ( 4.2.xxx ) and immediately her phone had voice,data,email,sms,etc. both to and from me in the US courtesy of SFR France (gsm of course.)