Motorola MPx220 – software update

As I have mentioned previously, I’m the owner of the Motorola MPX220 SmartPhone. Overall I’ve had generally mixed feelings about it, but two things which bugged me were:

  • the camera would take garbled pictures when Bluetooth was enabled
  • The volume wasn’t really very good: it was hard to listen to in even moderately noisy environments

Perusing various message boards before the end of the year said that ROM revision 1.3 might cure this problem, but that it required sending it back to Cingular/Motorola. Bah, it wasn’t bad. Well, Motorola decided to release the Flash Update via their website. This morning, while still blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I went ahead an did the update, and according to my lovely wife who I just called, the phone sounds better, the volume levels are definitely better if not booming, and the camera can take even 1280×1024 images with the Bluetooth on.

Word of warning: During installation they ask you to make sure that the Wireless USB Modem driver is installed. Make sure it is. Really. That means you have to disconnect the phone from the USB port, power it off, remove the battery and reconnect the USB cable. If it installs new software, then you didn’t have it. I thought I did, but in fact didn’t, and you get all the way to a point where its downloading flash, and then times out. If this happens to you, don’t panic, just perform a master reset (hold the center button down while powering it on) and retry again. I was able to recover from my groggy, sleep induced stupidity. That will teach me to reflash devices before breakfast and coffee.

17 thoughts on “Motorola MPx220 – software update”

  1. Pingback: B L N A S S A

  2. Jeff

    Hi,
    I read your post about the 1.3.0.0 ROM update for the MPX220. I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to get mine updated, but Cingular and Moto are no help. The link for the download on the Moto site at http://www.motorola.com/mdirect/hellomoto/experience/mpx220/flash/softupdate.shtml has been “temporarily unavailable” for a long time now.

    I called Moto and they said it would not be up again until the first week of April.

    Would you be kind enough to email the exe to me? Or post it somewhere that I could download it? I am desperate to get the phone updated as the volume is incredibly low.

    Editor’s note: For the time being, you can get this at this location.

    Sorry, the updater apparently isn’t working anymore. It requires synching to some server at motorola, which seems to be down. I’ve removed the updater from my download directories. No use complaining about it, it was placed here as a courtesy. Complain to your sell phone provider.

    Thanks!

  3. G A R

    Many thanks to you. I found this site thru a Google Search. I’ve been trying in vain to get this update. No help for Moto, Cing, or Best Buy where I bought this thing. Just as a side note the people at Best Buy were completely Worthless and somewhat rude. Again Thanks

  6. Jumpie

    Exactly what does this update do? Does the system reset restore to factory settings even wiping out the 5 times try in unlocking the phone?

  7. James

    Hi

    I just did the flash rom update to v1.3 myself. It did improve the earpiece issue, however, when a person speaks very loud, it distorts (hence you have to lower the speaker volume).

    I had the 0.347 before, but only for a day, so I can’t do any direct comparisons.

  8. Conor

    So, they (Motorola) appear to have taken down the Software Update page and the tool is no longer available from them… Anybody have a copy lying around they can post?

  9. Ric

    i have the 0.335 version (bought it unlocked from ebay) and i also got a copy of the updater but it keeps saying that i have the latest version of the firmware. i’m thinking motorola might be preventing any more updates on their site even if we have the software.

  10. s-dog

    I had the mpx220 for almost a year this phone had a very goog OS on it but thank you motorola for puting the left overs from bad cell phones in to this one. i hope the ROM update will make this bad stuff good.

  11. Alv

    Would you be kind enough to email the exe to me? Or post it somewhere that I could download it?

    thanks

    Editor’s note: There is a link to it at the bottom of the first comment in this thread.

  12. Carmine

    hello boys, mainly thanks to the editor for the rom update, but I would want one information in more: in the published file, is there also the Italian language version? And if something goes badly, is it possible to return behind?
    Thanks at all

    Editor’s note: I don’t think the italian version is contained within. As for what happens if you screw up, I make no guarantees. Heck, I make no guarantees if you don’t screw up.

  13. Dapo

    Will using this firmware upgrade cause the phone to return to a locked status? I bought mine via ebay and it works with my provider as it’s unlocked but I don’t want to upgrade and then have it lock my phone to its previous provider. Any thoughts? Pls ‘n thx!

    Editor’s note: Sorry, can’t provide any technical help on this. Don’t know, can’t advise you on anything.

  14. Brian Bark

    Could you send me the latest .exe file as well since the website for motorola and cingular for updates is still not available?

  16. rpet

    Just downloaded update from link provided above,however it wont let me update, giving me error saying cannot connect to update server, even though my internet connection is fine

  17. Byron

    When i run the updater, it says an error was returned from the System Pudate Server-please try again later. this happens during when it is doing the “data exchange”

  18. Travis

    i went to motorola and the link is down. Where can get the .exe file?

    Editor’s note: The one that I have no longer works, as it requires validation against some service at Motorola which has apparently been discontinued. Sorry, complain to your cellular provider.

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