The New N95 Classic Firmware Release and User Data Preservation

When Nokia released firmware V11.0.117 for the N82 back in January, everyone was happy to see the debut of User Data Preservation (UDP) which meant it was no longer necessary to reinstall everything into the phone memory after updating the firmware. At that time many people, myself included, thought it would become a standard feature of all future firmware releases on FP1 Nseries handsets. Now it’s interesting to find out that the latest N95 Classic firmware release, V21.0.016, doesn’t come with UDP. A friend of mine who just finished updating his N95 also told me that he had to reinstall his applications altogether into the phone memory.

The obvious question is why Nokia hasn’t made UDP a part of this firmware release. Are there any software limitations at work? I don’t think so because the N95 has a lot in common with the N82 as both are FP1 handsets with analogous features. Is a lack of ample time to be blamed for the absence of UDP? Again I don’t think that’s the case because Nokia could have managed this over the 2-month span after the release of the N82 firmware update.

If software technicalities and timing issues are ruled out, we should pinpoint the cause somewhere else. In my opinion, Nokia purposefully distributes new features when it releases firmware updates so as to avoid making a certain handset stand out in the crowd. So, for instance, when it releases a new firmware update for the N95 8GB and enables Flash Lite 3 for that handset, the software engineers do their best to keep it away from the N82’s firmware release. Yes, the N82 will most likely get Flash Lite 3 support soon, but it could have gained the title of a Flash Lite 3-enabled handset back in January. And, clearly enough, the same strategy can be observed when Nokia manufactures new handsets. The N95 8GB has a better battery compared with the N95 Classic but doesn’t come with a physical camera shutter, the upcoming N96 has a 950 BL5 battery with its array of features, and the N82 offers a better battery compared with the N95 Classic but doesn’t offer music-dedicated keys.

At the end of the day, will User Data Preservation be bestowed on the N95 Classic? There exists no technical obstacle to prevent it, but that will take some time.