The latest upgrade to the i-mate Pocket PC is now available for download. The upgrade is only for owners of the i-mate (not the XDA II or other versions) - it's necessary to register, and you need a valid IMEI from an i-mate phone. The upgrade will erase all existing information on your device, so make sure you synchronise your Contacts, Calendar, Mail and Tasks to your PC before upgrading your device. Also, bear in mind that a full backup will not be of use - you should not restore any backups to the device after upgrade, as the backup may restore incorrect settings and file versions to your device, which could cause problems.

The upgrade itself is approximately 40Mb, and can be downloaded from here once you have registered.

[Matt's Note: This apparently rectifies the Bluetooth issues with COM ports. Presumably an update from O2 for the XDA II will arrive soon.]

[UPDATE: We forgot to include the URL. It's http://www.clubimate.com ]

VODAFONE, the world's biggest mobile telephone operator, is to delay the introduction of a new operating system developed by US software titan Microsoft. In an interview with The Financial Times , Vodafone Group chief executive Arun Sarin said of the system: "In our view, it's not quite ready for prime time."

Vodafone Group - the parent company of Vodafone Australia - and Microsoft already co-operate on mobile standards but have not signed a deal on operating systems, the paper said.

The newspaper described the comments as a setback to Microsoft's ambitions in the telecommunications industry.

In September US group Motorola became the first operator to announce plans to use the Windows operating system in its "Smartphone," which will be marketed by France's Orange in Europe.

But Mr Sarin hinted that Vodafone wanted to see further improvements to the system before it would consider using it in its handsets, the FT said.

[Matt's Note: Vodafone has long been quick to state that the handset's aren't approved for use on their network, and the network does not appear to support PXT (MMS) from these devices. Pretty poor show when the other 2 major Australian carriers appear to fully support them.]