I’m starting to notice that mobile network carriers disable features in their handset on purpose (as shocking and cruel as that may sound.) That strikes up a great deal of irritability from me — I am a sound believer that if I paid for a product, I should be getting full access to what I paid for. Carriers disabling features on their products is an even greater incentive to not deal with the majority of large cell phone corporations in North America — their dodgy tactics of forcing their customers to pay more money for features they already possess is despicable. Some providers are starting to open this up, most notable Verizon unlocking the GPS for third-party program use (Google Maps for Mobile, for instance.) Source
Thankfully, the good guys over at xda-developers and ppcgeeks can help you unlock the disabled functionality of your handset, and use your phone like you paid for it. 
Google Maps for mobile — it’s one of the greatest offerings that Google’s made in my humble opinion. Armed with my handset (and data connection) and this software, I can never be lost again in the city. Hungry and need to find a local pizzeria in a hurry? No digging through Yellow Pages, viewing shady-looking ads for terrible shops. Why not use the search via Google Maps for mobile and you can find all sorts of pizza shops, and peer reviews for these shops is a touch away! No longer will you find a new pizza place, only to be disappointed with expensive cardboard-like slices.
Also, to make this service better, Google Maps for mobile integrated in with your mobile phone’s GPS receiver, so you can find the closet shop to you quickly, get blow-by-blow walking instructions to where you need to go, driving instructions, or even transit instructions if Google is connected with your local transit authority.
Other neat functionalities of Google Maps for mobile is favorite places, and looking up the addresses of my contacts. Now, I’ve set my home as a favorite, If I’m deep downtown and looking for the fastest route home, I can do that very quickly and easily by selecting my favorites. Similarly, if I’m out and looking to visit my friend, I can just look it up directly within Google Maps, and get instant directions to him — again, using the inbuilt GPS receiver in my phone. Convenient, and very relevant to my life when travelling by car, walking, or busing — you also get a reasonably accurate time estimate for travel.
For my life, Google Maps for mobile is a regular application that I run, I simply can’t live without it.
A few weeks ago I purchased a replacement handset to my HTC Touch, the HTC Touch Pro from my local CDMA provider, Telus. I’m very pleased to say that the upgrade was a complete success, and that the majority of my complaints with the Touch have been resolved.
My new HTC Touch Pro has improved call reception, better battery life, a delicious high-pixel density screen, faster processor, and built-in WiFi; the phone ships with Windows Mobile 6.1 as well. I’m very pleased with it.
What seems to be usual is a terrible OS or ROM is shipped with every Windows Mobile-based phone, giving them a terrible reputation. As soon as you flash a ROM from the guys at ppcgeeks, things will be better. I experienced less lockups, better battery life, and a more responsive phone by using a ROM from there.
