~Tech Angel~: A Review of the Dell Axim x50

I wonder who wrote this? :-)

I’ve upgraded my PDA for the second time in a year. I used to own a Sony Clie TJ37, but I decided to replace it with a Pocket PC once I realized that I would need something more powerful to help me with my ever-increasing work and personal activities. What I really wanted was a new laptop, but I didn’t want the cost of a new laptop (fortunately for me, my loving family was extremely generous this Christmas, so I am currently writing this review on my brand new laptop). After a couple of weeks of research, I decided that I would need to switch from the Palm devices to a Pocket PC in order to get the laptop functionality that I desired.

Initially, I was going to buy an IPAQ, but was persuaded to get a Dell once I saw that they offered just as many features, if not more, for at least $100 less. After looking at the Dell Axims, I decided on the Dell Axim x50 with the QVGA screen.

Appearance

One of the main selling points for me was the appearance. I know it’s not really that important, but if I’m going to be carrying something with me everywhere I go, it needs to be pleasing to the eye and not look like a big hunk of metal. The silver and black theme on the X50 makes it one of the more attractive PDAs on the market, in my opinion. It is heavier than my Clie(5.9 oz vs. 5.0oz.), but it also packs a lot more as far as performance so the extra weight doesn’t bother me.

On the front of the Axim x50, there are the four customizable buttons at the bottom. They come linked to your contacts, calendar, email, and home screen, but you can customize them to link to any program of your choice. There is also the directional pad in the center. At the top, there is the power button that lights up green (when fully charged) or orange (when charging). There’s also a LED next to the power button that blinks green (if wi-fi is activated) or blue (if Bluetooth is activated). This is very convenient because you can tell with a glance if it’s connected or not. On the side, you will find three buttons. The top button is to “lock” the device. This comes in handy if you have one of the lower buttons mapped to the wi-fi feature. It is very easy to press these lower buttons when removing it from the slip case that is included, so the lock button is great to have. The two lower buttons are also customizable, but come linked to the wi-fi and recording function (the microphone is located on the front of the unit).

Also on the device is the headphone jacks, plus slots for a compactflash card and a secure digital card. These can be used at the same time, which essentially allows you to have several gigabytes of memory at your disposal, depending on what cards you buy. On the back of the device is the battery cover and the reset button.

The screen on this device is beautiful. Even though I opted for the QVGA vs. the VGA I am not disappointed. The screen looks better than my old devices and I have no problem reading or surfing the web with it. The picture quality when watching movies is more than satisfactory. One of the great things with this device is the ability to move from portrait to landscape. Landscape is a great feature to surf the web because it allows for a wider screen and thus a more “natural” surfing experience. It’s also good when you’re watching movies/video or working in spreadsheets as well.

Click below to continue reading review.....

Specs
Taken from Dell

Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® Mobile 2003 Second Edition with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile
Height and Width
4.7 inches x 2.9 inches
Thickness
0.7 inches
Weight
5.9 oz
Processor
Intel® XScaleTM Processor at 520MHz
RAM Memory
64MB SDRAM
ROM Memory
128MB Intel StrataFlash® ROM
Slots
Integrated CompactFlash® ROM and Secure Digital / SDIO Now! / MMC Memory Card Slots (3.3v)
Battery
Removable / Rechargeable Battery
Wireless
Integrated Bluetooth Wireless Technology, Integrated 802.11b Wireless Technology

Pros

1. Speed – With 524 Mhz , it should be speedy enough for most users. I often have several windows of Microsoft Explorer, GSPlayer (a mp3 player), and my email software open and running and it operates without a problem. Even when watching a movie, it never seems to have a problem handling it.

2. Built-in Storage – this is another great feature. It allows for additional room on the device to store and install applications. Having sufficient room on a device that has these capabilities is a must.

3. Multimedia capabilities – The ability to listen to Mp3s, watch DVDs, and surf the Internet on a device this small is amazing. Within minutes of me setting it up, I was watching a video of Usher performing on the MTV awards. It handles all of these functions without hardly a hiccup. Since getting the Axim x50, I haven’t picked up my mp3 player and have transferred a number of my favorite songs to a compactflash card in the PDA. My husband and I often drive to New York and Virginia to visit family and being able to carry a small device that takes the place of a portable dvd player and a laptop is great.

4. Wi-fi - We have a wireless network set up in our home and I also had wi-fi on my old Clie and used it quite often. It is extremely easy for me to connect to the Internet or download my email. I just press one button and I’m connected. This Christmas, we stayed at my parent’s home in Virginia. They don’t have a wireless network yet, but the Axim found several of their neighbor’s networks and connected to the Internet. Of course, I turned it off (well, I did after I checked the weather). I also have connected at my local mall (to price-check with Amazon) since they have a free local wireless zone.

5. Bluetooth – Since I now have a Bluetooth-enabled phone, I can connect to the Internet that way as well. I can also have my Axim communicate with my phone to dial numbers from my contact list. I use this function a lot since I don’t want all my business contacts in my cell phone.

6. Sound quality – I was really amazed at how good the Axim sounds with and without headphones. It is much louder than my Clie and I’ve even listened to it on several occasions without headphones. With headphones, it sounds almost as good as my mp3 player. At night, I often listen to music while I catch up on the news online and it’s great to be able to do this on one device.

7. Flash memory – For people who are power users and have a ton of music, movies, documents, e-books or applications that they want to carry around, the flash memory option is essential. There are many compactflash cards and secure digital cards that are over a gig now. This means that you can carry a very large amount of information with you in whatever memory you like. It also allows you to install after-market cards that give you camera functionality, GPS, and a number of other things.

Cons

1. Numerous resets – I’ve only used Palm PDAs until now. With the Palm OS, I occasionally had to do a soft reset. With the Windows Mobile Edition, I find myself resetting almost after every application install and occasionally three or four times a week. I’m assuming that it’s equivalent to restarting your desktop system, but my experience with Palm has spoiled me.

2. Software bundle – I felt that for the price, the software bundle could have been a little more generous, with more owned programs and less trial programs. I would liked to have seen a more advanced PIM included or a better version of Explorer. You get the basics, such as Pocket Outlook, Excel, and Word. You also get MSN Messenger, ActiveSync, Windows Media Player, two games,etc., plus trial versions of other programs.

3. Lack of camera – This is the one thing I was giving up with my Clie. I didn’t use the camera a lot, but it was nice having that option to take pictures at any time. Since two slots were included, you can always buy a camera to install or use your cell phone as I do if you need to take a quick pic.

4. Complexity of OS – There is a definite learning curve when moving from Palm to a Pocket PC. Even though you would think it would be simple since you may already own a PC with Windows loaded, it still isn’t as easy. The Palm OS is a lot simpler. As usual, you will find yourself wondering why in the world Microsoft has left out certain things that should be basic (like tabbed browsing!). For instance, you can’t automatically close out applications. The close button actually minimizes it. You either have to go in and go through the memory to close it or use the switcher bar. These are all extra steps that one shouldn’t have to take. I’ve downloaded other applications that assist with these and numerous other things, but some of them really should have been included with the OS. I’ve downloaded double the programs for my Pocket PC than I ever did for my Palms. Some of these programs are NOT free, so if you are a power user, be prepared to spend additional money on buying software.

5. Battery life – This may be a concern for some people. From my research, I’ve learned that the IPAQs tend to have a much better battery life. With heavy use, I’ve found that battery can wear down in a couple of hours. With moderate use, it can last much longer. But if you are the type of heavy user who doesn’t have the ability to have it in the cradle or connected to a charging cable for an hour or so during the day, you might want to consider an extended battery or maybe another Pocket PC. I have a charging cable by my bedside, a cradle (which is included) at my desk at home, plus a charger at work. I make sure it’s fully charged before taking long a trip, so the battery life isn't much of a concern to me, but could be a problem for someone else who is always away from their chargers.

Conclusion

Am I glad that I made the switch from my Sony Clie TJ37 to the Dell Axim x50? Even with the learning curve and frustration with the OS at times (not the fault of the PDA), I am very happy with my decision. The Dell Axim x50 is definitely worth every penny. I call it my mini-laptop and it’s with me at all times. I keep track of all my contacts, my many tasks, read the news, surf the Internet, watch movies, listen to music, log transactions in my Microsoft Money file, read e-books, and numerous other things. I seriously don’t see myself upgrading this for a long while. But if you see another review from me on a new PDA in about six months, please forget I said that.

Tags: dell, dell axim, axim x50, pdas, reviews

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Friday, April 29, 2005

A Review of the Dell Axim x50

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