If a beta firmware ended up bricking cams or causing other serious malfunctions, it's simply smarter to have only a few people affected than thousands which might need to be warrantied- can you imagine the ruckus if that happened? Generally, dashcam beta testers are given the cams at no cost so if something kills it the user hasn't lost any money in the process. And doing private beta allows the manufacturer to use only persons whose knowledge and experience mean their reports on functioning won't be influenced by other non-related issues such as cards, PS's, dirty windshields etc.
I won't mention names but one currently popular cam has had semi-public beta firmware made available for it, and some of those who used some of it wound up with bricked cams. Fortunately they were firmware-recoverable so no need to warranty bunches of cams, but it shows the potential pitfalls and risks of wide-spread beta firmware use. Some manufacturers will give you beta firmware if you ask but most (maybe all) who do will make it clear that you're using it at your own risk and your warranty won't cover problems caused by running that firmware.
So I can't fault restricted beta-testing of dashcams, and I know that often one change will cause something else to go haywire so it isn't always a straightforward thing to fix glitches and bugs related to firmware or hardware. One of the most highly developed cams ever (probably THE most highly developed one) is the original Mobius. If you look back through it's forum and read about it from the beginning you'll see how things didn't always go smoothly or fast, but in the end it became one of the very best dashcams of it's time (and it's still probably the best in certain specific applications). That took years, not months- just saying.
Phil
Phil,
Thanks for all the information about beta firmware testing. That all makes perfect sense!
As consumers/users of the A129, we can only set our "expectations" based on what Viofo communicates to us. To do otherwise would be foolish. - - There are many knowledgeable people on this forum who at times speculate about Viofo and what they can and cannot do for us, but ultimately, it's Viofo who sets-up what we consumers expect.
If an "uninformed user" (no one on this thread, that's for sure) looked at the change-log printed out by Viofo on the most recent firmware update, 1.9 (attached), they would draw a conclusion that "the g-sensor sensitivity problem in parking mode works just fine with the A129". - - The fact is, it DOES NOT. Why does Viofo tell us consumers something that isn't true? - - Good question!
Viofo via Bill Zhou a month-and-a-half ago told me that they would have the g-sensor problems corrected within a month. I'm assuming he's the "most qualified person" at Viofo to tell us consumers what to expect. After all, he knows the problem facing the A129; . he knows the solution that needs to occur; and most importantly, he knows his Company's capabilities.
So Viofo, via Bill Zhou, puts out an "expectation" to us that the problem we were all facing for months would be resolved by the end of August. Not only is that NOT happening, but Bill Zhou/Viofo now tells Sdeel7491 that Viofo just "might have the problem fixed by the end of October". (Of course Jokiin just pointed out to us that companies in China don't really work during October due to Holidays, etc....) - - How could Bill Zhou's earlier estimate of time to correct the g-sensor sensitivity problem have been so far off? Are we wrong to trust what Viofo/Bill Zhou tells us? - - Why would Viofo again tell us something that is not true. Another good question!
So, in a sense, we users of the A129 have been misled by Viofo. Their updated firware, 1.9, has not fixed our problem has they claimed, and they continue to make-up new time frames for when our problem with the g-sensor in parking mode might get fixed. It's no wonder so many A129 users are disappointed with Vofo as Viofo has set-up consumer expectations that have been pretty much worthless. - - At this point it may be best if we just expect that the problem won't ever get fixed, and if it does we can all be surprised!
A month and a half ago Viofo/Bill Zhou said the problem with the A129 g-sensor sensitivity would be fixed within a month...Fact Check: NOT!
