Dell has announced a fix for its Axim X5 handhelds. The company said on Monday that it will offer a software update that improves the performance of Axim X5 models installed with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PC. Several Dell users had discovered a problem with the Axims and the new Windows Mobile 2003 OS. Units that had the new OS experienced major slow downs and lockups.

Dell expects to post the update on its web site by Wednesday. The company will also contact customers with affected Axim X5 models to inform them of the update, a company representative said. The download will be 28 megabytes.

Dell was unaware of the problem with the Axim X5 until complaints about its performance began popping up on web sites including Dell's own tech-support Web site. The fix should remedy the software glitch and boost performance of the Axim X5.