Android anger: Toshiba gets taste of frustration

by Rosalyn Page  |  Monday 5 September 2011
Android anger: Toshiba gets taste of frustration

Tablet owners take to Facebook asking for an update to fix problems they say they're having with Toshiba's new tablet.

[Update: Since we posted this story, Toshiba Australia has released a statement acknowledging that "some customers have been experiencing sleep/resume issues with their AT100 Toshiba Tablet V3.0. This has been caused by an industry-wide software issue and Toshiba has been working closely with its software partner to develop a solution."

The company has said that an upgrade to Android V3.1 for the AT100  is immediately available either in person or via delivery via Toshiba Mobilecare. Go to www.toshibamobilecare.com.au to book. Note that Toshiba has said that customers have to pay the delivery cost and the company will cover the return freight cost. However, owners wanting for the over the air (OTA) update will have to wait a little longer. The company has said that an OTA upgrade will not be available for several weeks until 6 October.]

Ian from Western Australia contacted us in desperation recently because his AT100, which he has only owned for about six weeks, won't resume from ‘sleep’ mode or, if it does, the wireless won’t work and a hard reset is required.

He said he’s been in touch with Toshiba Australia but he didn’t get any advice on how and when it will be fixed. Ian has done a bit of research and found that the problem has been identified in the US and a fix made available.

Ian, like many other AT100 owners, is waiting for an Android upgrade to fix the issue. The local Australian Toshiba website says that Android 3.0 is “upgradable to 3.1” but it gives no further details about exactly when the update will be made available.

Numerous other unhappy Toshiba customers have taken to the company’s local Facebook page to post their complaints and questions about the lack of an update. Until late last week, their comments had largely gone unnoticed, except by other AT100 owners, with virtually no public information from the company.

By late last week the company had responded, to say that “significant progress” has been made and it would post a “status update next week” on the upgrade.

We contacted Toshiba Australia’s representative last week and are waiting for a reply to shed some light on the “sleep death” problem and the 3.1 upgrade.

Have you experienced problems with Tablets and software updates? If so let us know in the comments below.

 

 

 

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See more about:  toshiba  |  at100  |  tablet  |  android  |  update  |  31  |  investigator
 
 

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Comments: 10
kevin_watters
5 September 2011
 Bet they would start moving on getting those updates out if people started returning the devices as defective.


Comment made about the PC & Tech Authority article:
Android anger: Toshiba gets taste of frustration?
Tablet owners take to Facebook asking for an update to fix problems they say they're having with Toshiba's new tablet.

What do you think? Join the discussion.
j876
5 September 2011
 It might be worth making a warranty claim/refund claim and if that doesn't work call up consumer affairs for further advice.
photohounds
5 September 2011
 This article would more correctly be entitled "Toshiba anger" - wouldn't it?

KW's right, return it as defective - if your device does not work - a few duds is not uncommon at all, regardless of what PR people tell us.

A mate has a very nice NEC screen - a colour correction issue developed (driver fault). They did a cross-border 'firmware upgrade' after quite a bit of arguing and him initially being told that no US customer would be supported. Works just fine, now.

Most head offices do not like to hear about this kind of thing, especially if you do not take 'no' for an answer. He didn't have to hold it in the other hand or buy a cover to make it work, however.
amcmo
6 September 2011
 This is a more basic and poorly managed failure than 'antennagate'- where's the hordes screaming about how lousy Toshiba are???

Probably because there's only a handful out there and not everyone's favourite target (Apple):d
photohounds
6 September 2011
Hopefully the affected few will scream in the right ears and get it to work as it should.
One would expect it worked on the pre production units? A very annoying lack of testing, though.

"managing it poorly" - Well so far ...
"A fix has been made available" in US (above), so Toshiba don't seem to blame the customer - that's different from your case.
A little patience to get that fix from the US up and down the chain of command is reasonable.

Antennagate? That's the new word term for poor engineering and a lack of ergonomic testing?

I doubt another class action will be required, because a vendor arrogantly says "just don't use it that way".

Was that thing designed to look better than it worked (as a phone)? Best get better humans, ones hat 'understand', eh?
maxlv
21 September 2011
 Toshiba have REALLY stuffed up badly here. I called the Toshiba Contact centre in NZ, was given a 'fault number' and told to take my AT100 to the nearest service centre, where the update would be done in 30 - 60 minutes. When I got to the service centre I was told the update would be added to the 'job queue' with an expected timeframe of 5 - 7 business DAYS!!!!

PC Tech & Authority should REALLY be making this a front page full on investigation of Toshiba and it's crap customer service dealing with a faulty product they are selling.
amcmo
22 September 2011
 Good reason to take Toshiba off the list of approved vendors.

This continues to be handled in a very ordinary manner and hardly generates any confidence in Toshiba.

And Photo, just for the record, checked with our one iPhone 4 user and couple of family/friends, none of whom have the so-called antenna 'problem' and none resorted to bumpers etc in the early days, though all but one now have fancy cosmetic covers just for show. Just to prove the point, had a play with the company one and, yes, if you hold it just so you can get it to drop a bar in reception, but then so does my N95.
maxlv
6 October 2011
 Today is the 6th of October:

I called the contact centre at 05:45pm and asked why is the Honeycomb 3.1 update for the Toshiba AT100 Tablet NOT AVAILABLE to Australian and New Zealand customers to download through the TSS on their Tablets as advised on the website?
The first person I spoke to (Glen) flat out lied to me, and tried to tell me it would be available today 6th October, as the website says, but said nowhere in the world could it be downloaded and installed by customers! When I asked to speak to a team leader, he hung up on me.

I called back and got Suresh, who told me the update would NOT be available to download and that I needed to take the tablet to a service centre to get the update. When I told him the web site said it would be available TODAY 6th October for customers to download and install he said it was not available no matter what the website said.

I then asked to speak to a team leader, he said his team leader would tell me the same but enventually said he would try to get a team leader on the phone to talk to me.

After a while Suresh came back on the phone and said his team leader would NOT TALK TO ME, and refused to give me his team leaders name.

I said I wanted to lodge a complaint about his and Glen's appalling customer service, and he said he could only take my name and request Customer Relations will call me, but said the current 'wait time' for a telephone call from customer relations was ONE WEEK!!!! He refused to give me his team leaders name, and refused to transfer me through, and did not seem to know anything about the update.

So Australian and New Zealand AT100 owners, it looks like Toshiba have been lying to us. (again) And if you dont want to ROOT your AT100, and dont want to take it to a service centre and wait for days to get it upgraded to 3.1, we're stuck with 3.0!
maxlv
7 October 2011
 Latest Update: The Toshiba Contact Centre in Australia is TODAY saying that they do NOT no WHEN or IF the 3.1 update will EVER be available OTA for owners of the Toshiba AT100 Tablet.
rubaiyat
8 October 2011
 That is what really gets my back up with Android.

Vollare, Oh, Oh, Oh!

Will she, won't she?

Who the f*** knows?
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