Windows Phone 7 “NoDo” push is phased, carrier devices face an uncertain wait

By Tom Warren, on 22nd Mar 11 9:14 pm with 48 Comments

Windows Phone 7 March 2011 update

Microsoft’s first Windows Phone 7 update, codenamed “NoDo” started shipping on Tuesday but carrier branded devices may face a long delay before it’s available fully.

The software giant started pushing Windows Phone 7 build 7390 to sim-free, carrier unbranded devices on Tuesday. The update, codenamed “NoDo”, brings a number of bug fixes and features, including copy and paste. However, those with carrier branded devices from cell phone providers such as AT&T may have to wait weeks until “NoDo” is available for their device.

Canadian carrier Telus has gone public, spotted by WPCentral, and confirmed that Telus branded LG Optimus 7 devices will have to wait until March 29 until the update is available:

“The earliest date that a TELUS customer can receive the Windows Phone 7 software update is Tuesday March 29th, 2011. Microsoft is releasing the software update in a phased approach and it may take up to four weeks for all TELUS customers to have the option to receive the update and upgrade their device software.”

The acknowledgement of the March 29 date confirms various suspicions that carriers are at the heart of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 update delays. WinRumors understands UK provider O2 is set to kick-off the update on March 24 in early April but this date is subject to change. The extra wait will be disappointing for Windows Phone 7 owners wishing to get their hands on “NoDo.”

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the phased roll-out in a statement to WinRumors on Tuesday:

“We’ve begun to gradually roll out the Copy & Paste update, starting small with open market phone customers in parts of Europe this week. More to come.”

  • http://twitter.com/topleya Andy Topley

    Is bonkers that they are going via the carrier, they always abuse the position or take ages testing

    • Guest

      Not really. They weren’t in a position to make demands and clearly carriers wanted control.

  • Anonymous

    No update here yet, Samsung Omnia 7(Orange UK).

    • captain_caveman2k

      Same here – nothing for my LG Optimus 7 (Orange UK) – not even any signs of the pre-nodo update.

      I even put a support email into Orange customer service a few weeks ago. They then left me a voicemail stating that the update should be available and implied it was my fault for not following the update process correctly. I’m not exactly sure what you can get wrong, you plug the phone into the PC, launch Zune and hit the Check Update but button ;-)

      …and regarding nodo, what happened to the carriers can only block one update rule / how are O2 able to delay the update to the 24th and Telus to the 29th ?

    • http://twitter.com/funkyaardvark Graham O’Mara

      Strangely, after de-branding my Samsung Omnia 7 (Yeah, warranty be dammed) a few weeks back, I got offered the .7008 update straight away.

      Now, I sit and wait, and look, and wait, and think “Why!” as Zune states my phone has the latest software installed.

      I mean, if MS offers an update to Win 7 OS, they do not say “But only those of you running Win 7 on Dell PC’s”

      I can understand them wanting to stagger the process, a) for server “hits” and b) for quality control… but they could come out and say “Here is the road map, when you will get updated” and “If you are on this device/carrier you will have to wait till xxx” – At least then we shall know what is going on.

      They have kinda treated us like mushrooms on this – kept in the dark and fed…. something

      What happens when there is the inevitable security scare, and they need to patch urgently – will some phones be liable to problems, and some will be updated to secure the “holes”?

      Anyway.. I shall now return you to the thread

  • http://twitter.com/leonzandman Leon Zandman

    I have an open-market, carrier-free Windows Phone device (HTC 7 Trophy) and still no sign of NoDo. So the ‘wave’ hits everyone…

  • http://twitter.com/MikeByke Michael Bykhovsky

    So whatever happened to Microsoft releasing the update themselves and not the Carrier? I feel as though I’ve been lied to many a times here…

    • Anonymous

      Microsoft released it and the carriers have X days to distribute. Who knows what x is. It’s probably different per carrier.

    • Aethec

      Carriers can block one update, but not the next one, AFAIK.
      So, if carriers block update N, then when update N+1 gets out both will be pushed by MS, without carrier approval.

  • GP007

    No update here in Greece, LG Optimus 7. I think MS might just be taking it slow this time to make sure they can catch any problems (if any) like with the first update before it hits lots of people. There’s really no need to delay things unless those carriers just aren’t done testing or w/e, which is pretty lame.

  • Guest

    “The acknowledgement of the March 29 date confirms various suspicions that carriers are at the heart of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 update delays.”

    That’s true of the first one. But in this case MS pulled Nodo and clearly made some changes (checking for sufficient available disk space before attempting the update, for example). So obviously carriers would have to retest. If MS released it this week and carriers get it out starting the 29th, that’s really not terrible. They’re turning it around within a week.

    • http://www.withinwindows.com Rafael R.

      Clearly? Where do you clearly see any changes to NoDo?

    • Guest

      “checking for sufficient available disk space before attempting the update, for example”

  • pipolas

    I got the update for my HTC mozart unbranded 1 hour ago!

  • Anonymous

    One of the reasons I was so excited about switching to WP7 from Android was the promise of universal updates. Hah, I am such a sucker. Still love Windows Phone 7 but this whole update process and lack of information is not something I like

    • knowitall

      Still far better than the android “buy a new phone” upgrade model :-)

    • Architect0

      Are you kidding me?

      It took Google 191 days to go from release day (2008-10-21) to v1.5 “Cupcake” (2010-04-30) which was the first generally available update for Android. (v1.1 was _exclusively_ for the T-Mobile G1, and that still took them 111 days.)

      It took Microsoft 153 days to go from release date (2010-10-21) to v1.1 “NoDo” (2010-03-23) which was the first generally available update for WP7.

      Microsoft launched WP7 with 10 devices on 60 carriers in 30 countries. Google launched with 3 devices, and had a trickle of new new devices between launch and “Cupcake”; in fact, the ball didn’t really start rolling for Android until cupcake was released.

      And so 3 carriers out of 60 are stalling, and MS is taking a cautious approach by trickling its first update, thus we nerd rage?

      That’s just anti-MS FUD.

      MS will get it together with WP7. In fact, out of the gate, they’ve done better than Google did.

  • http://twitter.com/MikeInBA mike g

    I am so tired of wating for this. God somebody please tell me they save the settings for the camera and corrected the audio skipping at the end of songs.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeByke Michael Bykhovsky

      oh.. umm.. well, no… but it’s on the table for the 20XX release of the “NoShow” update!

  • StevenS

    Knowing AT&T I’ll probably be waiting a while

  • Anonymous

    This is such crap. The ONE thing that was awesome about the iOS platform is that you didn’t have to wait for the carriers. It came straigh from Apple.

    • knowitall

      Don’t be naive. All ios updates also have to wait for the carriers. They just make them all wait until theyve all okayed it and then release it. Remember when apple first started pushing out ios updates they had a lot fewer iphones and carriers sold so it was much easier process. Im sure once MS has gotten 1 or 2 updates out to test adn tweak the upgrade process they’ll start reducing the rolling window time too…

  • http://twitter.com/Cyruss1989 Cyruss89

    “In parts of Europe…” Has anyone in Germany received NoDo?

    I haven’t and I have an open market LG Optimus 7.

  • Anonymous

    Can someone explain what an unbranded phone is? I didn’t know you could buy a cell phone now like that. Do people have their own home made cell networks or something?

    • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

      I had the same question this morning … from what I learnt; unbranded phones are those with no cellular data plan in other words, SIM free.

    • Anonymous

      Well unbranded phone means phone that doesn’t made specific for carrier sometimes only software inside or sometimes the whole hardware and software.

      You can buy phone like that in some countries for example in Thailand all phone there is unbranded and also unlocked you can pick any phone you want and then go register with the carrier. But in some countries like US or UK phone has to be branded like Blackberry that has Verizon logo and also custom software for it or some other Android and Windows Phone from AT&T and Sprint but honestly I have no idea if the software inside really different from unbranded phone in general.

      For give me if I’m wrong.

  • trashoner

    One word – Frustration –

    What the hell, I would be a lot happier knowing that I would get my update straight from MS even if it was delayed and all.

  • 10_26

    I am pretty upset the way this update process is going but I love my HD7 and will patiently wait.

  • jyo

    I don’t understand why Microsoft can’t just push these software updates through Zune software without waiting for the carriers? Apple just pushes updates for the iPhone through iTunes and doesn’t seem to have to wait. How is this THAT different?

    • knowitall

      No they dont. They also wait for the carriers to test it and say its okay before they do that. They just dont tell you that…

  • http://josedmorales.net Josè Daniel

    “…. in parts of Europe this week …”

    That explains why I didn’t get [U.S.] the update today even though I own an unbranded HTC HD7.

  • Longkheang

    I am unbranded from Cambodia and no sign update to my HTC HD7 too, kind leak ability from M$ again. :(

  • Jason

    So not only is this extremely minor update months late, but we now have to wait even longer for incompetent carriers to get around to distributing it?

    Why is Microsoft even giving carriers any say over updates?

  • Anonymous

    So does this mean my unlocked AT&T LG Quantum won’t receive the update because i’m on Rogers in Canada? I’d be pretty pissed off if that’s the case, kinda defeats the purpose of an unlocked phone

  • Chaotick

    Unbranded HTC Trophy in Poland ….per NoDo update on 21 feb almost instantly…..No sign of NoDo yet…Wierd update procedure…

  • Raj

    No love here in India either. :’( Still my HD7 is on v 07.00.07008.03

    MS pushing out only to EU open-market devices for now :(

  • Knox

    No update here in Italy,unbranded HD7

  • Raj

    Hey MICROSOFT*

    Hey MS, I’m just a little man got a HD7
    But I almost lost the patience
    Yeah, I bought into the dream
    We’re barely holdin’ on, when I’m in way to deep
    We’re two updates away from living another dream

    Hey MS – Tell me what the hell is going on
    Seems like all the good shits not here (Marketplace here in IN included)
    It keeps on getting harder hanging on
    Hey MS, there’s nights you know I want to scream
    These days you’ve even harder to believe
    I know how busy you must be, but Hey MS…
    Do you ever think about me.

    *Adapted from Hey God – BonJovi

  • Fuckedup

    i think nodo is the wrong name, noup is better…
    no update germany hd7 unbranded

  • Fuckedup

    i think nodo is the wrong name, noup is better…
    no update germany hd7 unbranded

  • Frustrated WP7 user

    I am still waiting for the pre-update!!!

  • http://twitter.com/thevnotes V

    we are such an impatient bunch…

  • ISaidIt

    I’m also a WP user, but Im not getting a bug up my ass because I dont have an update. Is your phone non-functional right now, probably not, Everyone here just crying up a storm for no reason. Get over it people, you’ll get the update when you get it. Be happy that your phone works at all.

  • ISaidIt

    I guess someone didnt like my previous post. Well I’ll say it again. I’m a WP user as well and I dont have a bug up my butt like the rest of you. be happy that your phone works at all. you’ll get the update when you get it. People act like you cant function without the update. Get over it!

  • Gertjan

    No update in Belgium also… Also unbranded.

  • Jows

    Microsoft and HTC really needs to do something about this problem hthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUDIB9x1Dt4 i fucking hate it when this happends to my HTC HD7…

  • Elmjeckelmjeck
  • D4rkr4ge

    I have nodoubt they are rolling it out in parts of europe …. 1 device at a time