Thanks to forum user pamer, we know that the long awaited update to the Windows Mobile 2003 based O2 Xphone has been released. Owners of the other rebadged HTC Voyager available to Australia - the i-mate Smartphone2 - have had an update for some time that improved significantly over the initial shipping ROM, but which seemingly was not without issues (and couldn't be applied to the Xphone without warranty concerns).

Given the time O2 took with this update - not to mention the great update XDA II owners had with the 1.60 ROM, which showed that O2 had learnt quite some lessons from their initial foray into the market, it's reasonable to expect that this will be a stable update which hopefully won't introduce any issues.

The update is available from the MyXphone site, and is downloadable only by registered Xphone owners (based upon IMEI).

As always, you should ensure your phone is synchronised prior to running this update, and be aware that all applications will need to be reinstalled after the update. Owners of third party backup utilities would be well advised not to restore their backups, but instead to take the time to install their applications, themes, and ringtones from scratch (might be an opportunity to tidy up!). Less issues are likely to arise from doing this.

Courtesy of forum user RexONE, here's the list of updates in this ROM.

Hong Kong (Chinese/English Version) ROM Update

From 1.9.11.4 to 1.10.11.2

* Updated Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone operating system build (AKU3).
* New MMS composer: 1.5.0.16
o Enhanced user interface and integrated file browser to attach files.
o Able to receive, playback and forward video MMS but cannot capture video and send directly as the camcorder cannot support .3gp video encoding.
o Solved MMS issue sent from SingTel network.
o Solved MMS issue sent from Nokia 6230 phone.
o Launch camera function added.
o GPRS will automatically disconnect after sending and receiving MMS.
* Improved standby time. The amount of improvement is dependant on network conditions, SIM card and usage pattern. Talk time and Bluetooth are not affected.
* Updated a number of network operator names.
* Added Bluetooth serial port support.
* Improved T9 text input performance (Pinyin).
* Improved USSD and Cell Broadcast performance.
* Added Chinese USSD support.
* Clearer audio quality.
* Modified camera AP to adapt to slow SD cards brands.
* Improved SD card writing issue due to slow clock speed of some SD card manufacturers.
* Updated T9 text input application.
* Updated some network operator names.

Known limitations:

When performing video capture, do not use the joystick action button to start the recording. The resulting video will only show the first frame. To capture video properly, press the "Capture" softkey instead.

English ROM Update

From 1.7.10.2 to 1.10.18.6

* Updated Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone operating system build (AKU3).
* New MMS composer: 1.5.0.16
o Enhanced user interface and integrated file browser to attach files.
o Able to receive, playback and forward video MMS but cannot capture video and send directly as the camcorder cannot support .3gp video encoding.
o Solved MMS issue sent from SingTel network.
o Solved MMS issue sent from Nokia 6230 phone.
o Launch camera function added.
o GPRS will automatically disconnect after sending and receiving MMS.
* Improved standby time. The amount of improvement is dependant on network conditions, SIM card and usage pattern. Talk time and Bluetooth are not affected.
* Updated a number of network operator names.
* Added Bluetooth serial port support.
* Added ClearType? font enhancement.
* Improved T9 text input performance.
* Improved USSD and Cell Broadcast performance.
* Clearer audio quality.

From 1.10.18.3 to 1.10.18.6

* Modified camera AP to adapt to slow SD cards brands.
* Improved SD card writing issue due to slow clock speed of some SD card manufacturers.
* Updated T9 text input application.
* Improved MP3 playback from SD card.
* Updated some network operator names.