TechAgility

***UPDATE***
If you would like to follow this – check the discussion at XDA Developers

I recently purchased an LG GM730f as a new mobile – specifically because I thought the form factor was quite good, it also used a microUSB as a connector AND it was being advertised as being able to be updated to WM 6.5 in the New Year. So I sent an email to LG Australia in the first week of Jan asking when they might be releasing it and I got a reply back at the start of the week saying it was ready.

So this is my experience and hopefully it will save you from wasting some time? And if someone from LG would like to contact me I’d be glad to get things resolved?

But it appears that in some cases that the Web Site doesn’t work accurately?

This was sent from LG after I discussed with them that the web page they first sent me to failed to work correctly:

Dear David Caddick,

Thank you for emailing LG Electronics Australia.

We apologise for the problem you have experience with trying to access our website, please try the following website address:

http://au.lgmobile.com/web/web.support.laf?q=201011412401

I hope this has been of some assistance.

So this should bring you to this location at http://au.lgmobile.com/web/web.support.retrieveSoftwareDownload.laf:

So by clicking on Download you should get this tool:

If you have already installed this it will be shown as a desktop Icon like this:

And when up and running it looks like this:

So I started clicking on the “Start Updating for Smartphone (Windows Mobile)” as this seemed to be the most appropriate place to start? J This then pops up with:

Click on Next get you a reminder to save your data:

So at this point the phone changes to a black screen with:

                   !

Emergency Download

And on the computer you see:

So clearly at this point – even though ActiveSync was working fine before this there is some need/requirement for LG’s “process” to use a specific driver to communicate with the Phone when it is placed in “bootloader” mode? So at this point I clicked on OK, and then tried to install the USB Driver

So then at this stage you’d think you should be able to go back and check that the Modem Driver is installed:

And then I should now be able to Start the Update?

But as you can see by the screenshot above this first checks comms with the mobile – and as a consequence it initiates another install sequence of the USB Modem Driver:

So now we are completely in a loop – I could remove the USB Modem Driver, but then regardless of whether it’s installed or not – the process ALLWAYS tries to install the Driver before starting the update.

I can cancel, but this doesn’t help in trying to get anywhere.

Why can’t LG just do this like all other WM Vendors?

• Download a ROM update
• Plug phone into PC
• Start ActiveSync
• Run ROM update executable

I have been using Windows Mobile devices since 2003 and this would have to be one of the *worst* Update mechanisms I have ever experienced

Anyway, if you keep at it long enough and manage to get it in to the “Bootloader” mode then you can try using “Start Updating” without the Smartphone side of things (I know, but by this stage I was willing to try anything?) and it does appear to get going

It also looks like It does download a 107Mb ROM image and that would be about consistent with my experience?

And then goes ahead and flashed the phone

So eventually this gets to 91% or better and the phone starts booting to WM 6.1….. <sigh>

So I have now tried this 6 times or so, from Windows 7 and XP Pro and even though the Web Site clearly indicates that there is a new Update available, and that’s what I was told from LG, it’s clear that they still need to do some work to get this out? I for one am sick and tired of reflashing my Mobile Phone only to find it *STILL* on WM 6.1…………..

If I hear any news I’ll update at the top of this post

written by dcaddick