Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

We're hearing that a new ROM update for the Xperia X1 brings better performance, better signal, better touch response, heck - better everything it seems. If you're an Xperia owner, head over to Sony Ericssons Update Service to get the goods.

HTC has posted a ROM update for the Touch HD, which, alongside the usual batch of bug fixes, improves the performance of GPS and emergency call connections, and updates the connection setup database. It's a free download, although you will need to provide your serial number in order to gain access to it.

Both the Samsung SGH-i780 (European version) and Verizon Wireless' XV6900 (HTC Touch) have finally been blessed with Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades. Visit our Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade thread for links to these upgrades, as well as many more.

There's no shortage of Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades available for download, so we've compiled and linked to (hopefully) all of them to make searching for that device upgrade just a little bit easier. If you know of any we've missed, hit us with a link and we'll add it to the list.

• Alltel: HTC Touch, HTC PPC6800
• ASUS: P527, P750
• AT&T: Motorola Q9h, Pantech Duo, Tilt,
• Bell: HTC Touch, HTC PPC6800
• HTC: Touch Cruise, Touch Dual, HTC TyTN II,
• i-mate: Ultimate 6150, Ultimate 8150, Ultimate 8502, Ultimate 9502
• Intermec: CN3, CK3
• Motorola: MC7090 (requires a purchased license)
• O2: Xda Mantle, Xda Orbit 2, Xda Stellar
• Orange: HTC TyTN II
• Samsung: BlackJack II (XP, Vista), SCH-i760, SGH-i780 (Europe)
• Sprint: ACE (SPH-i325), Mogul, HTC Touch
• Telus: HTC Touch, HTC S720, HTC P4000
• US Cellular: HTC Touch
• Verizon Wireless: Motorola Q9c, XV6800, XV6900
• Vodafone: v1615

"The new ROM for the XV6800, Verizon's version of the HTC Titan, doesn't feature any surprises, but will hook your device up with the usual array of enhancements, including threaded SMS, improved battery life, and more. Sadly, Verizon has kept the GPS functionality locked down so anyone hoping to make use of VZNavigator, or any other 3rd party nav apps will find themselves SOL. Honestly, why Verizon? Why?"

Both the Tilt and the XV6800 recently received ROM update goodness. No GPS for the XV6800 though - VZW simply hasn't figured out a good way to make money off of opening it up, most likely.

There's a fresh breeze going through HTC HQ at the moment. The company has opened up ROM updates to almost everyone. I say "almost", because you still need your device's serial number to download the updates, but that's a heck of a lot better than the notoriously flaky process of registering your device in the e-Club.

With ROM updates available in the Support section, the e-Club now serves as a hub for mobile content. While only twenty ringtones are up for grabs at the moment, they're surprisingly decent. Four of them are the tunes featured in the Touch Diamond promo videos. The rest are a mix of electronic, folk, rock, hip-hop, and new age beats. You do need to be an e-Club member to download them, but it's free for anyone (even non-HTC customers) to register.

News today that should make any V1615 Power user a bit happy - the Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade for that unit is now available from Vodafone's Website. Having updated my TyTN II to the HTC ROM available a few weeks back, I've generally noticed some good and some bad. It looks like there may be a memory leak somewhere, and I'm not a big fan of Threaded SMS - but a few issues did go away. Anyone upgrading their unit's today?