Incident: Nokia Lumia 800 Battery Woes Due to Software Bug

Published Date: 2011-12-20

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issue happened in early 2012 as mentioned in Article [54655].
System 1. Nokia Lumia 800's battery system [54655]
Responsible Organization 1. Nokia - Nokia was responsible for causing the software failure incident in the Nokia Lumia 800 due to a software bug [54655].
Impacted Organization 1. Owners of the Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone [54655]
Software Causes 1. The software bug in the Nokia Lumia 800 caused problems with the battery and charging the phone, leading to the phone not charging fully and not lasting a day without dying [54655].
Non-software Causes 1. Overcharging issue leading to reduced battery capacity [54655] 2. Inability to recognize the charger after the battery runs out completely [54655]
Impacts 1. Owners of the Nokia Lumia 800 experienced assorted problems with the battery and charging the phone, leading to inconvenience and potential usability issues [54655]. 2. Some users found that their Lumia 800 wasn't charging fully, causing the phone to not last a day without dying, impacting the device's reliability and functionality [54655]. 3. Users who encountered the battery bug had to either wait for a software update in early 2012 or charge their phones more often, affecting their overall user experience and satisfaction with the device [54655].
Preventions 1. Thorough testing and quality assurance processes during the development of the software update could have potentially prevented the software failure incident. This includes comprehensive testing scenarios to identify and address any battery-related issues before the update is released [54655].
Fixes 1. A software update planned by Nokia in early 2012 is expected to resolve the battery issue in the Nokia Lumia 800 [54655]. 2. Running the battery status test from the diagnostics app installed on the phone can help identify if the phone is affected by the battery bug, with a full charge capacity reading of less than 1,000mAh indicating the problem [54655].
References 1. Nokia support forums 2. Diagnostics app installed on the phone 3. Users who reported the issue 4. Nokia spokesperson mentioned in the article 5. Personal experience of the correspondent who wrote the article [54655]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to battery issues in Nokia Lumia 800 is specific to Nokia as mentioned in Article 54655. There is no mention of a similar incident happening before within the same organization. (b) The software failure incident related to battery issues in smartphones is not unique to Nokia. Other smartphone manufacturers have also faced similar problems in the past.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article as Nokia officially admitted that the battery issues in the Nokia Lumia 800 were due to a software bug introduced during the development phase. The article mentions that the problem with the battery and charging was a result of a software problem that could be easily resolved through a software update planned for early 2012 [54655]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted in the article as some users reported issues with the battery not charging fully, leading to the phone not lasting a day without dying. This operational failure was attributed to the software bug that affected the charging capacity of the phone. Users were advised to run a battery status test to check if their phone was affected by the problem, indicating an operational impact of the software bug [54655].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issue is within_system. Nokia officially admitted that the battery problems were down to a software bug within the phone's system. They assured users that the issue could be easily resolved through a software update planned for early 2012 [54655].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident with the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issues was attributed to a software bug [54655]. - Nokia acknowledged that the problem was due to a software problem that could be easily resolved through a software update [54655]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - There is no mention in the article of the software failure incident being caused by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article mentions that Nokia Lumia 800's battery issues were attributed to a software bug, indicating that the problem originated in the software rather than the hardware [54655]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The article clearly states that the battery problems with the Nokia Lumia 800 were caused by a software bug, emphasizing that it was a software-related issue that could be easily resolved with a software update [54655].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issues is categorized as non-malicious. The article mentions that the problem with the battery and charging was attributed to a software bug, which Nokia officially admitted to. Nokia promised a solution in the form of a software update to address the issue, indicating that the problem was not caused by any malicious intent but rather by a software flaw [54655].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions The software failure incident related to the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issue was primarily due to accidental_decisions. Nokia officially admitted that the battery problems were caused by a software bug, which was an unintended issue that led to assorted problems with the battery and charging of the phone [54655]. The company promised a solution through a software update, indicating that the failure was not a result of poor decisions but rather a mistake or unintended consequence of the software implementation.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, unknown (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as Nokia officially admitted that the battery issues in the Nokia Lumia 800 were due to a software bug. The article mentions that owners of the Lumia 800 reported problems with the battery and charging, indicating that the software bug was a result of development incompetence [54655]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the article.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the Nokia Lumia 800's battery issue can be categorized as a temporary failure. The article mentions that the battery problem was attributed to a software bug, which Nokia acknowledged and promised to resolve through a software update in early 2012 [54655]. This indicates that the issue was not permanent but rather a temporary glitch caused by specific circumstances related to the software bug.
Behaviour value (a) crash: The software failure incident in Article 54655 is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue with the Nokia Lumia 800's battery was not causing the phone to completely stop functioning. (b) omission: The software failure incident in Article 54655 is not related to an omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The problem with the Lumia 800's battery was more about charging issues rather than the system omitting functions. (c) timing: The software failure incident in Article 54655 is not related to a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The problem with the Lumia 800's battery was not about timing of functions. (d) value: The software failure incident in Article 54655 is related to a value issue where the system was performing its intended functions incorrectly. The battery problem was caused by a software bug that was preventing the phone from accessing the full capacity of the battery, leading to charging issues and the phone not lasting a day without dying. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident in Article 54655 is not related to a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with the Lumia 800's battery was more straightforward, identified as a software bug affecting the battery performance. (f) other: The software failure incident in Article 54655 does not exhibit any other specific behavior outside of the options provided.

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence delay (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The consequence of the software failure incident in the provided article is related to option (e) delay. The software bug in the Nokia Lumia 800 resulted in the phone not charging fully, causing it to die quickly and requiring more frequent charging. This issue led to a delay in the normal usage of the phone as users had to deal with the inconvenience of the battery problem [54655].
Domain unknown [a] The software failure incident reported in Article 54655 is related to the smartphone industry, specifically affecting Nokia Lumia 800 users. The incident involves a software bug causing battery issues in the Nokia Lumia 800, which is a product in the smartphone industry. The article mentions that Nokia is working on a software update to resolve the battery problem experienced by users of this smartphone model.

Sources

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