Dell Axim X50v Pocket PC

This review is of my experience purchasing my 6th PDA, but my first non-Palm PDA. Since the 1990s, I have owned six PDAs ranging from my original PalmPilot 5000 Professional to my most recent Sony Clie. And this is what my review will focus on – the comparisons I had to draw in making my decision to purchase my Dell X50v over other options that were out there, mainly any Palm-driven counterparts.

The approach I took with trying to decide on which PDA to purchase was the same that I take when purchasing a new notebook computer, or even a new vehicle. And this approach is to list all the needs I have in such a purchase and determine if the product will satisfy such needs. After understanding if certain products possess my minimum requirements, I will then compare by price; and in the end, the best price with the most extras – that is, after my minimums are met – is the product I will purchase.

Use of my PDAs is mostly professional, and on any given day, I will reference the information contained in my PDA several dozen times. Keeping this in mind, my minimum set of requirements for my new PDA were: Synchronize seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook, allow for quick reference of varied Microsoft Office Suite documents, color display with decent resolution, acceptable battery life, ability to play MP3s, compact size to fit in my shirt pocket. Here's what went through my mind when reading about and subsequently working with my Dell X50v in daily life:

Synchronization with Outlook
On any given day, I will host 5-12 appointments and thumb through the 4,000 contact entries, the 100-200 e-mail messages, and check through the 100-200 tasks in my Outlook entries. With most of my work on the road, synchronization with Outlook was paramount. The X50v performed like a charm; integration and synchronization with Outlook was seamless. After my full, initial charge and the 3-minute installation of the synchronization application, all the necessary Outlook entries migrated and then synchronized to the X50v with no hiccup. Most importantly, there were no complicated mapping details that I used to worry about with my Palm-driven PDAs; everything landed where I expected it.

Reference Microsoft Office Suite Documents
Much of my work on the road includes referencing tables of information in Excel and various documents in Word. Next to my needs with Outlook, this was most important. I read about all the dissatisfaction with translating much of the 'look' in desktop Word & Excel documents to the X50v. That was not a consideration for me. If I could get a reasonable facsimile of the layout of data from desktop to mobile Word & Excel documents, my needs were met. The reports were somewhat right, some of the graphics and formatting didn't translate well to the X50v, but I could get the data I needed. As for Palm-driven PDAs, I used 'Documents To Go' and that resulted in a similar ability. In this case, since there was no application to install, I'd go with the Dell.


Color Display with Decent Resolution
For the work I do, the color display is a luxury, but since my last two Sony Clies were equipped with color displays, I wouldn't have purchased without. Until just recently (during this search for a new PDA) I hadn't realized how great the new Hewlett Packard iPAQ displays are. But my experience until then dealt mostly with Sony Clies and by all means of comparison, the Sony was best. That is, until I saw the Dell. I haven't played movies on it yet, and I realize the HP iPAQ may be better at resolution, but the Dell serves my needs well –and then some!

Acceptable Battery Life
This point is probably the most difficult to compare across different users and their varying needs. With my mostly-work-based needs of my X50v, its battery life is more than acceptable. After several dozen taps throughout the day for varied information, my X50v survived well into late night while I killed time after dinner playing the already-installed game 'Jawbreaker.' I like the X50v's removable battery. And its cradle allows for a second battery to be charged.

Play MP3s
When I travel or commute, I like to keep gadgets to a minimum. And if my PDA can double as an MP3 player for short hauls, then great. And in this case, the Dell does it seamlessly. And because of the expansion slots, I can throw whatever MP3s I want to listen to onto a Compact Flash card without any specialized migration software and the X50v plays it without hesitation. Sound duplication is great –I can't notice any differentiation between my iPod or my bookshelf MP3 player.

Compact Size
My checkbook is longer by two inches and wider by a half-inch than my X50v. Knowing this, the X50v passed the "fits in my shirt pocket" test. That I use a checkbook attests to my lack of cutting edge savvy, but it's a good reference to which I think many folks can still relate. For a more contemporary reference, my X50v is about an inch longer than a debit card is wide, and about a half-inch wider than a debit card is high.

After all these considerations, there were a few special features I think deserve mentioning as they relate to the way I use my X50v:

WiFi – Because I use my X50v as a robust daily planner, the WiFi capability that it comes with is nothing special for me. It activates easily and I can hop on the internet if I'm in an airport lobby or at home, but other than that, I have no use for it.

Bluetooth – For the same reasons above, I don't have a big need for this capability.

Processor Speed – I haven't noticed any big problems with processor speed or dealing with the simple commands I tap into the X50v.

Handwriting Recognition – This is where the Dell is leaps and bounds over any Palm-driven PDA I've used since. The X50v's 'Transcriber' handwriting recognition interface recognizes my handwriting with some script and daily scribble intermixed and for the most part, everything is recognizable – including some Hawaiian words which I may use from day to day being based in Hawaii. The learning curve on this was almost non-existent; and for those who insist on Palm's 'Graffiti,' there's a setting to allow for it.
The best feature about the X50v's 'Transcriber' is that scribbling anywhere on the screen is acceptable.

Expansion Slots – This X50v comes with two expansion slots; one for a Compact Flash card and the other for an SD Card. I've used both, but not for anything but extra storage of music, other files like photos and certain Office documents. No problems here, and a few reports about the X50v not being able to read certain cards has not happened to me.

Cradle & Charging Apparatus – Shipped with the X50v is a cradle for synchronization and charging. The cradle is designed well since its AC adapter can detach from the unit, which allows the synchronizing function of the cradle to operate separately from the AC adapter and thus, its charging function can operate separately. This is especially useful for road warriors who do not visit the office daily for synchronization but have the need for charging the X50v, such as at home or while traveling. To allow for this non-cradle charging, the X50v also ships with an AC adapter coupler that attaches directly to the unit.

Design & Construction – My X50v looks good –and by the looks of its predecessors, is a huge leap forward. It's designed with beveled edges, curves, and rubberized surfaces in just the right areas. There are a few concerns I have with buttons, which I'll address in the "Things I Would Change" below. Overall, my X50v's design and construction are top notch – this includes my opinion about its weight and overall size. No complaints.

Voice Recorder -- The X50v is equipped with a built-in microphone. It'd be a great feature if I had a use for it. Many of my colleagues use voice recorders to note addresses or certain tidbits of information to remind themselves of certain tasks, but that's not how I organize my day, so this feature is lost with me. Though I realize it's useful for many.

Operating Software – The X50v comes with Windows' latest mobile edition, Mobile 2003 SE. Since this is my first Windows-based PDA, I have no real comparison with my previous PDAs. It seems much more stable than the Palm-driven Clies I've used the past three years, and if it's happened to anyone before, I have not had it crash. There was one occasion where it froze, but I waited 30-45 seconds and nothing seemed wrong so I attributed that to a processor slowdown.

Before I close this review, there are a few things about my X50v that I would change. Unless another unit can provide all the features with the same price and then solve all the following "Things I Would Change," I'd consider it; otherwise, here are things I would change, but can live with:

WiFi & Bluetooth Buttons – Placement of these buttons is fine; but they protrude too far proud of their recess and can become a nuisance. Because I do not use WiFi nor Bluetooth, it's maddening to activate them by accident when I grip the X50v firmly unless my "Lock" key is toggled on. I'd recess these buttons further.

Lock Key – This button could use an entire redesign. Not only is it difficult to switch on or off without using the corner of your thumbnail, it doesn't toggle with a reinforcing audible or tactile click. Though it was probably intended for those intermittent uses before throwing into a briefcase or shirt pocket, I use it to stop from activating the WiFi & Bluetooth buttons, so it's equally maddening with this button's less-than-ergonomic design.

Windows Mobile 2003 SE Quirks – This may be a result of my naivete with Windows-based PDAs, but I can't seem to adjust sizes of icons and their descriptors, nor can I seem to figure out how to customize the appearance of my menus, and display settings the way I'm used to doing with my desktop Windows unit.

Stylus Size – My final gripe is about the girth & heft of the X50v's stylus. But this is not a problem exclusive to the Dell; I have had this complaint with every PDA I've owned – from when my PalmPilot 5000's stylus was molded plastic to this metallic stylus with the X50v. I'd like to see a stylus with more heft, about the girth of a #2 pencil –and I think it can be done, but the proliferation of third-party stylus options lessens this need. Though I'd prefer to have a stylus with more reasonable heft that can be stowed within the PDA.

In the end . . .
My X50v was a great purchase and given the competition out there with their seemingly-inflated pricing compared to the X50v, the X50v was, hands-down the PDA of choice. It has not failed my decision and in fact seems to be the sleeper of the more well-known options out there. The Dell is definitely a better choice over any Palm-driven PDAs and in my opinion, more functional than a smart phone. For those reading this review who are in the market for a PDA but are noticing less emphasis on Palm-driven PDAs but who are reluctant to make the switch to a Windows-based PDA, Dell and more specifically this X50v might be the best way to go. All of the X50v's features outweigh any possible problem you may encounter –as others have reported, but I have not experienced to date – with Dell's customer service. Dude, get a Dell.