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EDIT-5: v51.2.007 is live for RM-428 NA Black product code 0574994
EDIT-4: v50.2.005 is now available for RM-428 "NAM" US product code 0592207
EDIT-3: Update, Nokia released the v40 firmware for 0577454 (XM) on Monday
EDIT-2: Nokia now has the v40.2.005 firmware available for the NAM/US 5800 Navigation edition, but not for the more popular XpressMusic edition. :( You can use the instructions below to get the v40 firmware for your XpressMusic by using the Navi product code (0591814).
EDIT-1: Nokia finally released the v31 firmware for NAM. There is a newer, official v31.2.101 NAM firmware available through NSU. So no need to do this altered product code stuff for now... (just run PC Suite and Software Update). This also includes the Flash Lite 3.1 update, so you can delete that and free up some memory after this update.
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Okay, those of you who have been on the 5800 scene for a little while know that Nokia seems to hate the USA and always delays firmware updates for North American Models (NAM) until we are 2 or 3 firmware revisions behind the rest of the world. :(
However, I was able to flash my phone to the latest v31.2.008 firmware this afternoon using a trick. The trick is to change your phone's "product code" to one the Nokia update server is not blocking. After some research it seems that 0574994 is a product code for the "NA" black phone, and it is not blocked by the update server. Note that this product code is for "NA" and not "NAM" but it did work for me.
Disclaimer: Obviously this is NOT a procedure recommended or approved by Nokia. Any attempt at flashing firmware, even with official & approved software can result in your phone being rendered useless (bricked). In general firmware flashing routines are very resilient and are usually able to recover from errors, so while the risk of bricking your phone is low, there is SOME risk, and YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY if you choose to attempt this!!
A few tips for minimizing potential issues. These may or may not be necessary on your particular system, but they are a good idea in general. Turn OFF any protection software for the flash procedure (Anti-Virus, Firewalls, etc.). Plug your USB cable directly into the computer (not a hub). And either make sure your phone battery is fully charged, or plug in the charger while updating (running out of power during a firmware flash is very bad for your phone, not to mention your sanity).
Still with me? Allrighty then...
What you will need is a program called NSS (
Nemesis Service Suite), and you will also need the Nokia PC Suite and the Nokia Software Updater (NSU).
If you haven't done so already, install Nokia's PC Suite and NSU. Connect your phone with the USB cable in "PC Suite" mode and make sure everything is working correctly. Search for software updates and it should tell you that the latest firmware for your phone is v21.2.025. At this point you might want to consider re-flashing the current firmware just to confirm that everything is working correctly (Internet, cable, drivers, etc.). Up to this point you have not done anything that would void your warranty, so if something's gonna go wrong, it's better if it goes wrong here.
Ready to continue? Okay, now quit PC Suite completely (even the tray application), disconnect your phone and install NSS. Then connect your phone again in "PC Suite" mode, run NSS and hit the little magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner. You should see a bunch of cryptic info fill a window on the left.
Don't worry about all the info, just click on the Phone Info icon on the left, and then click the Read button on the right. If all goes well you should see most of those fields above the Read button fill in (if you get an error then PC Suite is still running in the background - make sure you exit the system tray application too).
Still with me? Good, now write down the product code for your phone (for NAM it should be 0577454) because you will want to change it back after the update. Click the Enable box next to the product code. Now you can edit the product code field and change it to 0574994 (if your default code was not 0577454 then this code might not work). Once you have done that, hit the Write button (next to the read button) to save the new product code to your phone.
That's it. It will seem like nothing happened, but if you hit read again you should still see the altered product code (0574994).
Now shut down NSS and unplug your phone again (USB). Run Nokia's PC Suite, then connect your phone in PC Suite mode. Run the Software Update tool and search for updates. It should now show v31.2.008 as being available. :)
While the 5800 does have user data protection, meaning it should NOT erase any of your user data, you might want to run a backup, just in case, before you actually flash the new firmware.
When you are ready, go ahead and start the firmware flash. This will take a while, depending on your net speed, etc. The firmware update is 127.9MB, and during the actual programming your phone will repeatedly disconnect and re-connect, this is normal, DO NOT PANIC! And absolutely do not interrupt it. Your screen will blank out, then turn all white, and when the update is finished it will reboot.
If all goes well your phone will boot up with the new firmware. If it doesn't, oops, sorry. :( Try it again and cross your fingers.
All done? Good. Shut down PC Suite and unplug your phone, then bring up the dialpad and enter *#0000# and it should say, "Software version V 31.2.008" (edit: 50.2.005 now). As with previous firmwares, speed is a little better, a few more bugs have been fixed, and there is a new IM application which I haven't messed with yet.
Oh, and once you have completed the update, you can flash your product code back to the factory default (if you want to). To do that you will have to exit PC Suite (don't forget that tray application) and run NSS again.
