For years, I've downloaded new drivers, utilities, and updates for my computers. I've even gotten used to my satellite receiver downloading updates. Yet, I'm still amazed by all the things which I used to think of as equipment having upgradable software too.I got an email because I registered my Olympus camera online after I bought it. The email indicated that new firmware was available for the SP-350. I could move to the 1.3 version which included some fixes for battery-use indication.
I had never even unsealed the manufacturer's CDROM as I am perfectly happy organizing my photos using the native options in Windows XP. If I wanted to upgrade my camera, however, it instructed I had to do so via the Olympus Master software. I loaded it and and found that even it had a newer version available. I got that up-to-date first.
Next, I followed the instructions and connected the camera to a USB port. It recognized that my current version was only 1.1 and offered to download 1.3 from the Internet. I let it. When it was actually transferring from my hard disk to the camera, there was a nice graphic which showed on the LCD. After two minutes, it simply read, OK. I unplugged everything and turned off the camera. Although I've been carrying it around for eight months now, it's basically brand-new now.
I wonder what version my toaster is running?