I have 2 Suunto Cobra 2's (one for me and one for my daughter). Mine has malfunctioned for the third time, so I had to borrow a computer for my last dive trip (Cobra 3). I have been running DM 2.x because 3.x versions would not run properly on my PCs (stack overflow errors, etc.). Anyway, I have been very happy with v2.x because it works well and keeps track of all the information that I am too lazy to write in a paper log. After returning from my trip, I found out that v2 does not recognize the Cobra 3 so I couldn't import my dives.
I found DM4 on the Suunto site and thought it would be a great time to upgrade the software. Seeing all the info that didn't get imported and all the lost functionality made me search the net to see what I was doing wrong. I found this thread and it confirmed my fears and frustrations.
I'm now using the buggy v3.1 version so I could import the dives from my friend's computer. I doubt Suunto will "fix" my broken Cobra2 out of warranty even though this is the 3rd time that it has malfunctioned in fewer than 200 dives. I have lost a couple dives, including a shark dive that had to be aborted because of this. Prior to the problems, I had been planning on getting a Cobra3 and handing down my Cobra2 to my son.
I honestly doubt that our diving family will own another Suunto computer. I'll look again at the software offering when I'm ready to purchase and that will be a major factor. If it is still DM4 of any flavor, we're definitely moving on to another brand.
A year later, with several apparent version updates, and DM4 STILL lacks the functionality of the previous versions. All the problems have been well documented here, but in case Suunto cares, for me the key missing features that will keep our family from using DM4 and future Suunto products are the lack of being able to separate my dives into categories, the lack of documenting all the items on the local version of the application (buddies, etc.), the inability to import ALL data from the previous versions, the inability to delete more than one dive at a time, the lack of having different diver profiles on the application (we are a FAMILY of divers), and the inability to specify only certain dives to download from a given computer. All these and more are features that have been on ALL the older versions going back YEARS. And yes Suunto, THIS IS THAT BIG OF A DEAL-BREAKER!
I havent found ONE diver review on ANY dive forum or website who likes the new version. The online community feature is a joke. Im not a runner or biker, Im a diver. The company is obviously losing customers, both new and formerly loyal ones like our family. They are also losing referal sales. Three of my friends have purchase Suunto computers based on my recommendations. Like others here, I certainly can't recommend them now.
Who's the marketing genius at Suunto? Gee... lets take away all the features that our customers love and give them ones that they dont want. And why hasnt this fiasco been fixed? This is a classic case of company mismanagement and I wouldnt be surprised if Suunto eventually exits the dive computer marketplace.
Cheers and happy diving,
Greg Smith