Panasonic GD87 Taken off market!!

Villain

Vodafone have stopped selling the Panasonic GD87 (Camera Phone) due to "problems relating to downloading pictures". They are trying to rectify the problem but were not able to say when it will be available again.

They have stated that they will not be recalling the product as the problem does not affect the service or applications of the phone.

The salesperson in the shop said that they can sell the phone if someone "really wants one"

So if anyone gets any news on when its availble again I'd appreciate if they let me know.

Thanks

MiCr0

any mention of it is gone from the vodafone.ie site - bizarre alright

segadreamcast

Hardly the investigative lot, are you?

"Vodafone confirms Panasonic phone bug
09:08 Wednesday 4th December 2002
Reuters


The Panasonic GD87 mobile phone has a bug that can allow it to load Internet pages without the consent of the user, which could lead to fraud or unwanted charges
Top-line mobile phones supplied by Japan's Panasonic have a software bug that could make the phones access billable services without their users asking, according to mobile operator Vodafone.

A new technology that makes it possible to "push" messages to mobiles can cause the Panasonic GD87 mobile phone to load Internet pages using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) without a confirmation by the phone's owner, a spokeswoman for Vodafone Germany confirmed on Tuesday.

"Yes, this is possible," the spokeswoman said when asked about the bug. "The WAP technical standard is designed to do it like that."

Vodafone, which has deployed several thousand of the Panasonic phones under its own brand in Germany since October, was taking precautionary steps in its network to prevent misuse and was also discussing the issue with Panasonic, she said.

"We think the possibility for misuse is only theoretical," spokeswoman Amelie Doebele told Reuters.

Panasonic declined to comment on Tuesday and said it would issue a statement on Wednesday. Panasonic is a division of electronics giant Matsu****a.

The possible security bug in Panasonic's phone was noted by industry sources in Germany. Its main risk for users is to rack up unwanted connection fees or to be confronted with offensive and unsolicited Internet pages.

But a more sophisticated scenario could also lead to fraud, the sources noted.

"Pages designed with enough criminal energy could pretend to link to a software update, but then dial up to a premium-rate phone line if the user clicks on the message," one source said.

Mobile operators hope for data services such as Internet access or picture messaging to boost revenues and earnings as the mobile phone market nears saturation and voice revenue growth stalls.

Deutsche Telekom's mobile operator T-Mobile said it had also planned to distribute the Panasonic mobile phone but withdrew it because it found some 60 flaws, among them the security hole."

Yar... looks like I'll be getting the Sharp then...

Lex_Diamonds

Me own one. Should I bring it back or wha?

The Corinthian

Originally posted by NoelRock
"Yes, this is possible," the spokeswoman said when asked about the bug. "The WAP technical standard is designed to do it like that."

The WAP technical standard is not actually designed to do it like that. Those aforementioned standards are actually a bit thin on details with regard to implementation, hence all the differences between the devices and how they will render WML.

As for security holes, the implementation of the WTAI makeCall function on the Siemens M35i and S35i, almost three years ago, would allow for a WAP site to hijack a user's phone to make a phone call as it did not as for confirmation before dialing - This is exactly the same.

MiCr0

i don't know about the panasonic phones, but the ericsson ones all have push access set to prompt by default.
this way you have to chose to connect :-)

Villain

Vodafone Ireland's official word on the GD87 is that "the phone cannot download pictures from the photo album"

Now I'm confused

Caesar_Bojangle

phones, is there anything they can't do?

Chips Lovell

Handset's back on sale. Did a story on this in Silicon Republic www.siliconrepublic.com.

"Vodafone resumes sales of Panasonic handset


Vodafone confirmed today that it had resumed selling the Panasonic GD87 handset. Sales of the handset were suspended last week following the discovery of an issue between it and some of Vodafone’s upcoming online services.


The Panasonic GD87 is one of three multimedia handsets being sold by Vodafone in conjunction with the launch of its Vodafone Live! service. The phone features a built-in camera and can transmit pictures to other users via MMS (multimedia messaging service).

A spokesperson for Vodafone was keen to point out that there was no issue with the handset itself and the problem lay with the interaction between it and the Vodafone network. The particular service with which the problem was associated — an online multimedia album — has yet to be launched by Vodafone and as a result no users were affected by the issue.

Vodafone has confirmed that the problem has now been resolved and the handset is back on sale. The company stressed that any handsets bought before the suspension of sales are not affected in any way and users could continue using them as normal. "