I will list down the steps I followed to upgrade my device.
·
Ran the executable (85_9900_7.1_b1333_*.exe) on
my Windows 7 laptop. It installed the software and the update.
·
Connected my device to the Desktop manager and
tried upgrading the device, but the desktop manager couldn’t find any upgrade
for my device. This I assume was because the update was not for my carrier.
·
I deleted the “Vendor.xml” file in “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In
Motion\AppLoader” and then ran the Loader.exe file. It came up with the OS 7.1
upgrade options. Couple of clicks and the device upgrade started.
·
While on the “Load JVM and System State” phase
it seemed to take quite a while. It finally threw an error of not being able to
communicate with my device. When I checked the device it had and error message
507 displayed on it and suggested that I visit www.blackberry.com/507. The page doesn’t
exist on the RIM website when I checked.
·
There were few posts which suggested that I would
have to reload my OS to the last version I had using KB03621
·
Another KB
on the RIM site seemed to have an explanation for this error. It seemed
that the Power Management options on the Laptop turn off the USB Port when it
senses no activity on the Port. The post further suggested that one disables
the power management and reload the OS using the App loader. Details available
on KB11320.
·
Call me lucky, I just plugged out the USB cable
from my laptop and plugged it back in. It made that pleasant “dong” sound announcing
that it has found a device on the USB port. Then I clicked on retry on the App
loader and the upgrade continued like a charm. The device is running 7.1.0.402
(133) after the upgrade.
·
I think it would not be necessary to reload the
OS as the App Loader picks up the installation from that state.
·
It took another 15 minutes for the upgrade
process to complete and another 5 minutes for the device to restore the backup
it had taken before the upgrade. Then it proceeded to do the device activation
on my BES and popped the “Activation Complete” message.
The device certainly seems to be faster with the new OS. The
new features which come with this release include:-
Blackberry Tags using
NFC. You can invite a contact to BBM
using Blackberry Tags. The devices have to be aligned back to back for the
devices to communicate using NFC. Blackberry Tags can also be used to share contacts, media and files thru a
simple touch between the devices.
There is a new “Battery
Saving Mode” available which will reduce power usage when the battery power
drops below the specified threshold.
There is a new Media Server
option also available. Other uPNP devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network
can stream media content from the blackberry device. DLNA devices are currently
not supported.
I couldn’t find the Hotspot feature on my device. It might
not have been included in the build I have.
Wi-Fi Calls can
be made using the carrier’s Wi-Fi calling service (UMA-lite or GAN-lite), if
available. My carrier doesn’t provide this service and hence couldn’t try it.
To sum up the
7.1.xx release is not a major release and the features added are not very
impressive. Look forward to some remarkable features in the next release.
