Motorola ZN5
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- fmoto
- tDS
- 16 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 16 Apr 2010'0ER' is the latest firmware version available for ZN5.
... moreVery nice writing, RishiGuru. I found zn5 is the best solution for music and image enthusiast. Its audio quality is much better than Nokia 5800 xpress music. I have both of them, only zn5 that produces more detils and balanced sound.
Btw, did u ever uses modded firmware like Symbiosis? Please i wanna know ur opinion compare to stocked firmware. Thanks and have a great day.
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- RishiGuru
- t@J
- 16 Apr 2010
Anonymous, 16 Apr 2010Hi RishiGuru, Thanks for writing the fantastic artic... moreI never user 05R
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- Anonymous
- kf2
- 16 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 16 Apr 2010'0ER' is the latest firmware version available for ZN5.
... moreHi RishiGuru,
Thanks for writing the fantastic article. The analogy u have mentioned will give clear picture why Motozine is best compared to Nokia and SE.
Coming to firmwares, I am assuming you have tried every firmware from '05R' to '0FR.
Could you please give some data in terms of percentage How good is '0ER' compared to 05R' in the category of music and photography.
For example :
Is music quality of '0ER' is 50% more good than '05R'.
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- RishiGuru
- t@J
- 16 Apr 2010
Anonymous, 16 Apr 2010Hi RishiGuru,
Thanks for your detail response on Ho... more'0ER' is the latest firmware version available for ZN5.
Versions in descending order:
0FR > 0ER > 0DR > 0CR > 0BR > 0AR > ..... 07R > 05R
0ER is the latest 'officially released' firmware and have the best camera libraries except 0FR according to my personal opinion. After all you buy ZN5 because of its camera. 0FR was never officially released.
I personally believe that ZN5 is the best 5MP camera phone for taking still images & the ease of using the camera. I take a picture, and it takes ZN5 1 sec to save it and immediately can take the next picture. It is so DAMN fast!!! Instead Nokia N82 takes 5-6 sec to save and I have to wait for ages to take a second shot. Nokia N82 has much better video recording capability than ZN5, but I don't record video clips a lot, I love to take still images in which ZN5 is the king.
I am also a music aficionado & give a lot of stress to the music quality. With every firmware release the sound quality have improved due to the application of better audio codec’s & is getting nearer and nearer to the ROKR E8 which is the benchmark. The numbers of equalizers presets have also increased giving us more options. My second reason for buying ZN5 is for the PURE AUDIO SOUND QUALITY of the music player.
I will try to give an example:
Think you are the boss in an office where three women are working under you.
1) Extremely beautiful lady who cannot do her work properly: Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson renowned Walkman series phones have an exceptionally beautiful music player interface with so many controls, snazzy feel, ease of use, ability to use different skins in music player, MEGABASS etc. You think you have the best music phone but actually the case is just the opposite.
But nevertheless, it is to be noted that the sound quality depends on a number of factors, but the only factor that is to be taken into consideration in the case of Sony Ericsson is it's default equalizer adjustments since they figuratively resembles the letter "V" but it doesn't stands for "Victory", alas. You can only dream of the range of 20-20000 HZ, the sound ranges from 0-80 Hz to somewhere behind 12000 Hz, and there's no middle at all. This kind of sound can be easily referred to "squeak & bass" genre, and if it may seem acceptable for those accustomed to boom boxes, a refined music connoisseur is going to be terrified. That's how the legends turn to dust - smooth and easy.
2) Beautiful woman who can work properly: Nokia
Nokia renowned XpressMusic series phones have a very good music player interface with many controls, may be not as many as Sony Ericsson but still we can use different skins in music player, download online songs, etc.
As for the Nokia music solutions, one must say that they always were in a sharp animosity with those of the Ericsson camp. The strategy of building music phones in Nokia differs just as drastically as the sound in their headphones. Just be pleased to meet all of your best friends: the low, the middle and the high frequencies and they're all balanced and there's not a ghost of a chance to see the familiar "V" letter on your equalizer. I should probably run across this "well-balanced lady" than the one before.
3) Simple looking lady who can work extremely well: Motorola
ZN5 is not a music oriented phone but still inherited all the good qualities from the ROKR series. This is because both ROKR & MotoZine series to which ZN5 belongs runs on the same software & hardware platform.
The music player interface is good & simple, does not have the snazzy feel and looks pale in comparison to SE & Nokia. It is a bit slower than both Nokia & Sony Ericsson, and does not provide different skins for the music player. So you come to the conclusion that ZN5 is not good for listening music. Believe me this is where you make the biggest mistake.
It's not much of a secret that every music phone manufacturer does everything to outreach its competitors in the sound quality. Motorola tends to put more emphasis in the idea that quality should prevail over volume & puts all its effort in high quality hardware rather than making snazzy interface. The utilization of dedicated DSP in Motorola offers an unmatched quality of sound since DSP puts into action sophisticated algorithms & advanced audio codec’s to improve the audio signal rather than making the sound louder. The DSP separates unwanted noise from the audio signal, and only then is passed to the amplifier.
ZN5 utilizes a dedicated 208 MHZ StarCore SC140e DSP and a selection of advanced audio codec’s. The Spatial Audio technology polishes the resulting audio signal to a state of perfection rarely seen on a mobile phone these days. I also looked in the RMAA sound test graphs as published by different websites, the sound characteristic needs no explanation, because we face one of the best decisions at the personal audio market, ZN5 is not ashamed to compare itself with players from Creative ZEN, Sony, Cowon or even Apple iPod.
I am dealing with one of the best solutions for pure listening pleasure, with a clean sound devoid of any colorings, embellishment or ornamentation in the sound, commonly found in Sony Ericsson phones. Now I can easily hear many of the previously obscure details in the compositions of a complicated music composition, and if desired, with a quality headset, can clearly set apart all the instruments used in the music composition, thus I am able to focus not only on the primary instrument, which is audible, but also on the fact that what instrument I want to hear.
So, you see at the end of the day when you are forced by your superiors to fire two of the three lady employees & keep only one, you as their boss will ultimately choose the one who happens to be the best worker THE SIMPLE LOOKING LADY WHO CAN WORK EXTREMELY WELL!!!
- ?
- Anonymous
- kf2
- 16 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 15 Apr 2010The Motorola Software Update will at the first phase will d... moreHi RishiGuru,
Thanks for your detail response on How to upgrade firmware using phone tools.
I have updated my mobile firmware version from '05R" to '0ER' successfully. I have followed every instructions you have given in your response.
The process of firmware update was interesting and I enjoyed that one.
I think '0ER' is latest version Motorola officially provided. As you said before, Motorola has stopped working on this firmware.
Could please share your observation on this firmware compared to '05'
Thanks
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- RishiGuru
- PA@
- 15 Apr 2010
Anonymous, 15 Apr 2010Hi RishiGuru,
Recently, I have brought Motozine ZN5.... moreThe Motorola Software Update will at the first phase will download the firmware through Internet, the downloading time is completely dependent on your internet speed. The phone needs to be constantly connected via USB in the modem mode when downloading and a bar will show the percentage of download.
At the time when the firmware is downloaded in your PC, and had yet to reach 100%, if your PC shuts down or internet connection breaks, their will be no damage to your phone. You just need to start the updating procedure once again.
When the bar reaches 100%, the second phase will start and the updating software will reboot your phone automatically, you will be able to see the bootloader version in you phone screen & the new firware will be installed in your phone. This second phase last for a maximum of 3 minutes and is the most critical phase.
During this second phase if your PC bogs down, the USB cable is detached or your phone battery being not fully charged shuts the phone down, YOUR PHONE WILL BE BRICKED!!!
Remember that internet connectivity is not important in second phase.
In the third & final phase the phone will again reboot and the update software will say that your phone have been updated to the newest available firmware.
During the whole update process, i recommend not to run any memory hungry software in your PC. Let only the update program run with all other softwares closed down.
BEST OF LUCK!!!
- r
- rem
- 3de
- 15 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 15 Apr 2010rem, i replied to your post before, but gsmarena did not pu... moreProbably this is the reason I have this issue. I`ve also sent an e-mail to Motorola support to make sure this is my problem. Thank you very much for your help.
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- Anonymous
- kf2
- 15 Apr 2010
Hi RishiGuru,
Recently, I have brought Motozine ZN5. I have "05R" version now. I would like to update to the latest version using Motorola phone tools. Could you please tell me How much time it will take for update? In between update process, If computer resets then what will happen? If ask Motorola Service center, will they do software update?
Thanks in advance
- R
- RishiGuru
- t@J
- 15 Apr 2010
rem, 14 Apr 2010Maybe you need to know these things too in order to help me... morerem, i replied to your post before, but gsmarena did not publish it, it said while submitting that a DB moderator will check my post first and then only will it be published.
Anyway, i think these conflicting countries is the cause of your problem. Motorola does not sell ZN5 in your country, so they may not be providing firmware updates of this particular phone in your country.
You see we both have same phones, same hardware, same bootloader version but in our country ZN5 is available so i can update. You have to update the firmware manually. Look at www.modmymoto.com for detailed instuctions.
- r
- rem
- 3de
- 14 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 14 Apr 2010When you install the software CD provided with the phone, y... moreMaybe you need to know these things too in order to help me. I`m using this phone on Vodafone RO (Romania) and because was not officially released in this country I can`t take advantage of newer updates. I downloaded Motorola Software Update by selecting Germany because my country was not in the list. Maybe this is the problem and the only way to update is by downloading and installing the new firmware manually although the phone is in warranty. Please confirm
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- RishiGuru
- PA@
- 14 Apr 2010
rem, 14 Apr 2010I don`t have any CD in the phone box but when entered here:... moreIt is quite strange, since software you downloaded is ok, your device is registered, 06.2A bootloader version is same as mine, we have the same hardware.
While updating, on the left of the screen look for 'the phone is connected' & it will also display the IMEI number & phone model number.
Now, I do not know that whether Motorola had stopped proving firmware updates for Linux-Java platform based phones since i last updated on October 2009 or what their strategy is that some countries will get updates will others wont.
In any case, try to install the same software in another PC try from their, if not read the instructions from modding websites and try updating your phone.
- r
- rem
- 3de
- 14 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 14 Apr 2010When you install the software CD provided with the phone, y... moreI don`t have any CD in the phone box but when entered here: http://www.motorola.com/consumers/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=69fd5fc943dc0210VgnVCM1000008806b00aRCRD (Via your computer) I downloaded MotoTools and now I have Motorola Software Update, Motorola Update Manager, MotoConnect, Motorola Software and Diagnostics, Motorola Driver Installation 4.5.0, Moto Helper Service on my computer.
I registered my device successfully using Motorola Update Manager, is says "In warranty". For updating I used both Motorola Software Update and the wizard from link above and the same message: "No new software available" and "Your phone is up to date". My bootloader is 06.2A and I use Windows 7 Ultimate on my laptop.
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- RishiGuru
- PA@
- 14 Apr 2010
rem, 13 Apr 2010I followed the steps from opensource.motorola.com, installe... moreWhen you install the software CD provided with the phone, you will get two types of update from your start menu,
1) Motorola Live Update
2) Motorola Software Update
Which of this two have you used for update? The former is for updating the phone drivers in your computer where as the later is for firmware update of your phone.
Also, with this software you can only update devices that are within the warranty period.
Register Your Device
You can manually register your device as follows:
Launch the Motorola Update Manager program by selecting
Start > Programs > Motorola > Motorola Update Manager.
From the main menu, select Register a Device for Updates.
The Device Registration Wizard starts.
Connect your device to the PC using a USB cable.
If your phone is out of warranty, then the only way to upgarde your software is to to download the firmware and update the firmware by yourself. There are various modding websites in internet like www.modmymoto.com where you will get the firmwares & detailed instuctions of how to update your phone.
What is your bootloader version?
turn off the phone. press * # and power(red) key to see bootloader.
- r
- rem
- 3de
- 13 Apr 2010
RishiGuru, 13 Apr 2010rem, i would recommend you to update the current firmware w... moreI followed the steps from opensource.motorola.com, installed MotoTools, the phone was successfully detected and conected (USB connection set as Modem) but I got this message "Your device's software is up to date" although my current firmware in Phone Settings-Properties is R6637_G_81.03.05R The same message "Your phone is up to date) I got when trying to update using Motorola Software Update. Why is that if a newer version is available?
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- RishiGuru
- PA@
- 13 Apr 2010
rem, 13 Apr 2010To RishiGuru: I have been using this phone for a few days,... morerem, i would recommend you to update the current firmware with the help of Motorola Software Update. With every release of a phone firmware, the software developers solves some the the problems the mobile phone may be having, introduce some new features & make the firmware more stable. When i updated to OER, i found my ZN5 become very stable, the phone did not hang so much any more, though there was no improvement in interface speed. 0DR the previous version of 0ER was fast but offered less stability. I also used many different modded versions of the ZN5 firmwares like hevily modded unrealesd 0FR version which offered QVGA recording, but found the 0ER camera libraries to be the best, the mobile takes best pictures with 0ER firmware.
- r
- rem
- 3de
- 13 Apr 2010
To RishiGuru:
I have been using this phone for a few days, design is fantastic, features are great so I am happy with it for the moment. Sometimes it`s a bit slow but this is the way it works, I`m not bothered by this. One single problem I had with it, the phone froze and I had to power off and restart. Currently I am running 05R firmware and saw in your post that 0ER is the latest firmware. Should I upgrade to the latest firmware, is it much better, faster...which are the differences? Thanks
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- PRINCE
- uCb
- 10 Apr 2010
I wish they make it the black one
- c
- cuong nguyen
- trA
- 08 Apr 2010
Anonymous, 07 Apr 2010you guy are crazy this phone is not that coolIt's cool because it meets our needs! tha's all!
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- Anonymous
- wr2
- 07 Apr 2010
Sometimes i get unable to open message inbox through message icon (unable to open sms inbox-jammed), thus i have to restart the phone to get it works back properly. Has anyone here ever experienced the same issue. ?
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- Anonymous
- fX1
- 07 Apr 2010
you guy are crazy this phone is not that cool