Dell Finally Ships Axim ROM Update

After several glitches, updates on CD are en route to PDA customers, Dell says.

Dell is shipping a long-awaited ROM update to its Windows Mobile 2003 Axim handhelds on CDs, a company representative says.

The ROM update fixes performance problems related to the firmware needed to make the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system work with its Axim handhelds, says Jess Blackburn, a Dell spokesperson.

Glitch in the Fix

The company had intended to distribute a fix by posting it on the tech support section of the Dell Web site. Dell scrapped that plan after a few enterprising Pocket PC 2002 users discovered the patch on a Dell FTP site and hacked the patch to give themselves free upgrades to the new operating system.

The ROM update was supposed to be available only to Axim users who had purchased their handhelds after the June 23 launch of the new operating system. Several of those customers also obtained the patch from Dell's FTP site, but encountered problems when attempting to install the patch.

Dell needed to fix the installer problem and make the patch more secure before it could distribute the CDs. That led to frustrating delays for many Axim users who have been unable to productively use their new handhelds since June.

Customers who purchased an upgraded version of the operating system from Dell will also start to receive their CDs shortly, Blackburn says. The upgrade CDs will begin shipping to U.S. customers on September 17, and shipping to European customers began this week, he adds.