Sony Ericsson has recently released a new ROM upgrade for the Xperia X1i and X1a. The upgrade process is a little tricky though. Last night I tried to upgrade my X1a’s ROM using Sony Ericsson’s Update Service software which is available from the support section on Sony Ericsson’s website. The only problem that I had when I connected my device was that it stated that my device was currently up to date. This is an error on their part and if you “continue anyway” the new ROM will be downloaded and installed. If you can’t get past that area, they’ve been put on XDA.

The new ROM is an upgrade which will hopefully fix issues that people have been having with Bluetooth disconnecting. The previous ROM 1.02.931.3 which was released with the device on 28AUG08 has been upgraded to 1.03.161.7 with a release date of 21DEC08.

There have been a couple improvements that I have noticed already. When you first load the new ROM you have the ability to select which carrier you would like (ex. At&t, Vodaphone…). In the today screen there is a Google search bar that ties directly into Opera Mobile. The device seems to load a little bit better, perhaps they updated the 3D graphics drivers. Unfortunately the X1a still doesn’t allow for more than 10fps in VGA mode while recording videos. Thanks Msalmank for the tip (from our Sony Ericsson forum).