Are forced Firmware updates over the air illegal? - Page 3

**MoonZ*BabysH** · #21 (**permalink**) 06-19-2009, 10:21 PM

i also only have a cell along with everyone else in my house hold. i just find a phone in the house hold so obsolite in my home since were either never there or i have my cell on me.

and in this economy i bet alot of people looking to save a few bucks and have one less bill dont have land lines either. even if it is only maybe $30 a month or so. My 2 cent.

GREY.FOXX · #22 (**permalink**) 06-19-2009, 10:29 PM

Learn something new everyday I guess. Still is slightly weird.

defamed01 · #23 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 12:08 AM

I used to have a landline until about 3 weeks ago. My job requires me to travel every so often, and I didn't feel having a landline that I hardly use was worth it. But now I'm thinking of getting it again. It feels so weird not having a landline, including no longer having the peace of mind that if something is wrong with my cellphone, I have the landline to fall back on. That being said, the author did raise good points, but I still think he's making a big deal over nothing. What if Sprint's network was down in the area you live in, or the network was clogged and you couldn't get a call through? What if there was a power outage, and the cellphone you had on the charger while you were asleep didn't get charged, and you couldn't dial 911 because of a dead battery? What if you had a landline, and you couldn't dial 911 because the lines in your area were being serviced for repairs? There are a lot of factors that can prevent someone from dialing 911 besides a forced update and potentially bricked phone. That doesn't make what Palm is doing any less legal than network or landline maintenance.

Now don't get me wrong; I'm not a fan of forced updates. I love the fact that I don't have to update my PSP or PS3 everytime a firmware update is released. I think it would be a better idea to have the update download in the background, and the user can install it when he/she is good and ready. Forced OTA updates can mar the user experience a bit, and can potentially cause a serious issue in a worst case scenario, but I don't think it would result in legal ramifications.

**Drybonz** · #24 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 12:10 AM

I haven't had a land line since about '05.

caleb02 · #25 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GREY.FOXX

Not to be funny, but if thats so, that person is a complete idiot. You own a $199+ phone and pay monthly, but don't get a home number first...huh?

I would think that person has his/her priorities all messed up. You rely on something that has a bigger chance of no signal for your main phone? What about Jobs calling you and other important things, I just think a Home phone is more important. I don't think you should own a Cell Phone without having a home number.

my 2 cents.

why am i an idiot for not having a land line? many more people are cutting the cord and many cellphone companies such as cricket even market to people saying to replace your home phone with the cellphone.... Many people only give out their cellphone numbers even for jobs calling them. When I had an home phone for dsl i never gave the number out. When Qwest offered naked dsl I dropped the home phone and only kept the dsl.... I have no need for a home phone it so 19th century.... I think one in 5 years maybe 10 that att, verizon, and qwest will sell and or shut down their homephone service as cellphones will become even more of a staple. We have seen Verizon even today shift its coporate stragerty toward cellphones and away from homephones as cellphones offer more profit for them then homephones.

**nxtech3** · #26 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb02

that is not the issue the issue is should the phone fail in the forced update and the user goes to use the phone to call 911 but the phone is bricked or dead because the forced update failed and that persons dies or is hurt in someway because they could not call 911 could palm be liable also the FCC has clear regulations on the ability to call 911.... please read the article in the link in the first post....

It would be the same as YOU bricking your WM phone by flashing a custom ROM. Will the FCC hold you resposible? I've had every firmware forced or not on my pre, right now I'm runnin 1.0.3,the newest firmware and I am posting this from the device. Obviously palm and sprint would make sure its a good install before releasing to the mass public, I don't need to read the link.

caleb02 · #27 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nxtech3

It would be the same as YOU bricking your WM phone by flashing a custom ROM. Will the FCC hold you resposible? I've had every firmware forced or not on my pre, right now I'm runnin 1.0.3,the newest firmware and I am posting this from the device. Obviously palm and sprint would make sure its a good install before releasing to the mass public, I don't need to read the link.

You know you bring up another interesting point, if someone cooks up a custom rom and it is used and sprint see that you have a custom rom could sprint say that by using a custom rom you are in violation of the terms and conditions of your contract? Also if a hacker creats a rom to bring down or slow down a network thru a custom rom could the users of that custom rom be liable also for damages even if they did not know about the hidden payload? I think myself that it is our phone especially if you did not get a discount on it and paid full price and we thus should be able to place a custom rom on the phone. The only issue i could think of with custom roms are with Microsoft, but M$ might live with us since i think they use us here as unoffical beta testers... I would hate to see ms go the way of apple and make it harder to modify our phones....

ajk511 · #28 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb02

so lets say you are at home updating your palm pre and you dont have a land line. I dont have one I am wireless only. Then you have a hart attack (hat attack in boston) and because your palm pre is "Bricked" how can you call 911?

What if you're at home flashing the new mystery rom and you have a heart attack while the rom install is at 46% completion, then how do you call 911?

**Drybonz** · #29 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 03:32 PM

What if your heart gets replaced by a baboon heart and you have a heart attack while flashing your phone? Is it the baboon's fault?

Insoc · #30 (**permalink**) 06-20-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caleb02

You know you bring up another interesting point, if someone cooks up a custom rom and it is used and sprint see that you have a custom rom could sprint say that by using a custom rom you are in violation of the terms and conditions of your contract? Also if a hacker creats a rom to bring down or slow down a network thru a custom rom could the users of that custom rom be liable also for damages even if they did not know about the hidden payload? I think myself that it is our phone especially if you did not get a discount on it and paid full price and we thus should be able to place a custom rom on the phone. The only issue i could think of with custom roms are with Microsoft, but M$ might live with us since i think they use us here as unoffical beta testers... I would hate to see ms go the way of apple and make it harder to modify our phones....

This is too much. How about personal repsonsibility, why does everything have to be someone else's fault? I feel like this thread is getting silly with paranoia and what if thoughts. The original question was answered already so why are we still digging?