No more cellphone recalls for software bugs

We've written before about DoCoMo's system for updating phone firmware via the network rather than forcing people to come to its shops or recalling handsets; seems it's being used for the first time.

The first of DoCoMo's new FOMA series, the F900i, has a minor bug that prevents email being downloaded automatically if the handset is turned on and then closed before the signal strength "antenna mark" displays on the screen. Fixing this involves going to Settings --> Text Input/Other --> Software Update and inputting the phone PIN, which starts an update wizard and then reboots the phone.

It wasn't certain when DoCoMo first announced this whether it would be manual or automatic, so this answers that question. Anyway, sounds like a great alternative to recalls or going to a DoCoMo shop, both for them and for us.

[Via K-Tai Watch (Japanese)]