Treo 700p MR Upgrade Notes

Earlier today Palm released the long awaited Treo 700p maintenance release (MR) for Sprint edition Treo 700p devices.

I wanted to share my upgrade experiences to help fellow Sprint Treo 700p customers apply the MR.

The Treo 700p MR is a ROM upgrade, which means that the software being loaded on your Treo can't be unloaded when the device is hard reset. Anyone who is using a Treo 700p one the Sprint network should apply this update.

Downloading and Installing

You can download the 700p MR update here. Before attempting to install this update, read the directions! Since this is a ROM upgrade, the contents of the Treo (your data and third-party installed applications) will be erased. Palm recommends that you HotSync your Treo before attempting to start the upgrade. This will ensure that you will be able to restore you settings, data, and applications. (See Minor Issues below.)

The Treo 700p MR installer, like the recently released Treo 680 AT&T MR installer, can be transferred to the Treo either by a HotSync or by copying the files to a Secure Digital (SD) card. Having previously performed ROM upgrades on older Palm devices using the HotSync method, I chose to try the SD card upgrade option since this technique is new. Refer to Palm's website for directions on installing the 700p MR update.

Windows Vista and Mac OS X users will need a blank SD card to install the update. IT customers who need to patch up fleets of devices can also use the SD card upgrade method. Windows 2000 and XP customers can chose to install the update installer via HotSync or the SD card. (I had a 128MB card hanging around so I used that since I need to update a customer who uses a Mac tomorrow.)

To kick off the installer either insert the SD card or, if you plan on using the HotSync method, simply double-click the "SprintTreo700pDesktopUpdate.exe" application and follow the on-screen prompts on your PC.

The update takes a good 20 - 30 minutes to complete the install. You should only perform the update when you have the full amount of time to devote to the upgrade. You will also need to keep the Treo connected to the power adapter during the entire install.

Minor Issues

For the most part, my upgrade to ROM version 1.10 when smoothly. There where only a few minor issues during and post upgrade.

When reading the upgrade directions on the Palm website, Step 6 of the SD card install directions makes reference to the Treo 680 update. Clearly this is a typo as Palm is trying to re-use the documentation from the Treo 680 MR update. Other folks have reporting seeing a reference to "Lowrider" on at least one upgrade screen. (I didn't see this screen myself, but I was watching my Jr. Podcasters so I could have easily missed it.) In either case, you can safely ignore these textual only errors. They do not appear to cause any trouble with the actually installation of the upgrade.

The next error I encountered was LudusP getting stuck in an error code loop. After restoring my data and applications by performing a HotSync operation once the Treo 700p MR had been successfully applied I started getting a "Error 43: Database not found" error on restart of the Treo. I warm reset my Treo, deleted LudusP, soft reset, performed a HotSync operation, and then reinstalled LudusP. (Make sure that you have your registration code handy.)

Email account passwords that had been previously stored in VersaMail were no longer there. I re-entered the password for the two accounts that I access from my Treo and was then able to check email again. I also needed to re-pair my trusted Bluetooth devices again.

The Enhancements

Since I'm writing this article after having just applied the 700p MR, I haven't done much testing yet. That will happen throughout the week. I would like to share a few observations. Blazer (the application titled "Web" on the Treo) is now launching in about 3-4 seconds. This is a huge improvement over how things were just working the other day.

I also noticed that using the Dial By Name feature is working faster than it had been previously.

Palm has also officially added support for 4GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) cards. This is welcomed upgrade for any customers who would like to load large documents, gobs of music, and video on their Treo.

In Conclusion

Over the coming days, I plan on performing some additional testing of the Treo 700p MR. I'm looking forward to seeing a new level of compatibility with my ThinkOutside Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth keyboard, which unfortunately, hasn't worked well with my Treo up to this point.

The Treo 700p MR update for Sprint customers looks like it will be solid update. Verizon customers will be in for an extended wait as Palm and Verizon are undoubtedly working to get a patch out to their customers.