Remember the good old days when the password of Micromax's FTP server was out in the open? Well, time has changed and so is the ftp's password. In this article, I shall try to point out why this might not be a wise move by Team Micromax, why i was forced to do this and what it can do to rectify the shortcomings thus caused.
Why Micromax shouldn't have changed its FTP's password:
- No running around for Stock ROMs of any Micromax Android mobile:
For any Android mobile, it takes some amount of development to extract out stock ROM of it. Micromax FTP provided stock ROMs for all of its Android mobile. So, anyone uing a Micromax Android mobile could play around without worrying about ending up with a bricked device, as flashing stock ROM would have allowed you to go back from where you had started. This was one reason I recommended even those Micromax phones which had next to no development, as I knew there is a way to get the device to its original state. Micromax looses out on this advantage now.
- Developers could get important files and other stuffs:
Developers are the people who play wit their device the most and would need some stock files. Micromax ftp did this job for quite a long time till the password was changed. Some more advanced tools like IMEI rewrite tool, opening the handset etc. were also available via the ftp, which made it the go to place whenever someone needed to press the panic button on his Micromax mobile.
- Updates from the comfort of one's home:
This should be the highlight of all the points listed down here. Micromax, as of now, doesn't seem capable enough to provide updates via OTA (Over The Air), and thus, this was a really nice alternative for people who wanted to get their hands on the latest Android update on their Micromax smartphone. At least advanced users were able to update their phones from their couch, sparing the Micromax service centres some time to concentrate on providing some real service, other than just updating customer's phones.
Why Micromax might have been forced to take this step:
The FTP server contained a lot of private information about the company's offerings. A few files contained the amount it costed Micromax in various spare parts of its different mobiles. The ftp website was meant only for its customer care staff, and often conatined information about the phones that the company was planning o launch in the near future, for instance, the Micromax A115 had been listed a long time back on their ftp site, and now it is rumored that he phone might be Canvas 3D with its launch planned to be in the month of April itself.
What Micromax should do now to rectify this
If this post somehow gets noticed by any Micromax employee, this is what Micromax should do to do themselves and us a favor.
Create a Micromax Developers website:
Micromax needs to do some work to concentrate all Indian developers working on Android phones to work in a way that will help them in their sales. First of all, Micromax should create a website for developers, like HTC, where it provides kernel source of all its phones, and if not that, at least provide tools to help people mess with their phones in a more pleasant way, by providing them with stock files and updates on that website.
A majority of the readers on this blog have a Micromax device, if you are one of them, and even if you are not, do let us know about what you think about his situation and if you can think about any other solution that I have provided.
