Specs: Windows Mobile 5.0 Intel Processor at 520MHz 3.5" colour TFT display Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 64MB SDRAM Integrated Compact Flash and Secure Digital expansion slots USB cradle
Software Included: Media Player 10 Mobile Office (Word, Excel & Powerpoint) Calendar, tasks and contact management Internet Explorer Basic games Several demo games
My Palm Tungsten E was beginning to show its age after a couple of years and I started looking at a
replacement. I am not confident about the future for Palm units so thought I'd look at Pocket PC models. After initially looking at HP iPaq models I felt that the Dell range offered better value for money. My criteria included straightforward compatibility with MS Outlook and other MS Office applications, a large bright screen and the option to include a sat nav package. After reading some very positive reviews in the computer press I decided on the Axim.
The Dell website were offering the 520 for the same price as the 416 so I went for this option. I also purchased the Dell Navigator sat nav, carry case and screen protectors. Unit £225 Sat Nav £183
Overview I am mostly very pleased with this unit, it is noticeably more powerful and better quality than my old Palm. The display will be familiar to most PC users as it mirrors the Win XP desktop very well. All applications and functions are easily accessible from the Start menu which can be customised to provide shortcuts if required. The screen is very clear and bright and doesn't have any dead space. It can become hard to view in brighter light but this is common for most PDAs. The bundled software all work well, the Outlook functions are easy to use and sync well with your main PC. The Office applications are fairly comprehensive in terms of functionality. MS Word is very good and virtually fully formatted documents can be produced. MS Excel and Powerpoint are equally good but the screen size makes them hard to use effectively, they are usable at a pinch but no replacement for a full size machine. The on-screen keyboard is good for entering text and is accessible from most applications, but it's not a patch on the Palm Graffiti tool.
Pocket PC units tend to be bigger than their Palm equivalents and this is no exception. With the carry case the Axim becomes quite bulky and you're not going to forget it's in your pocket. It's also noticeably heavier, but we're only talking grams here. The battery life is quite disappointing and depending on what applications are running can be down to a couple of hours. If you are a heavy user you might want to consider getting the bigger battery.
The selection of software and games for Pocket PCs is huge and you should find something to meet your needs without too many problems.
The Dell Navigator sat nav add on was one of the main reasons for choosing this machine. It really is very good once you get it set up. The instructions were for a different version of Windows and consequently I had to spend some time with the help files to get the connection working. The map files included cover much of the UK and Europe and can be selected by country. This is important as the map files are very large and even just using the UK map virtually filled my 512MB expansion card. The maps are pretty up to date and after a lot of use I've only found one new road not covered (A21 sth of Tonbridge). Setting up a route is quick and easy, the list of possible destinations is very comprehensive and I haven't defeated it yet. On the move the directions are very clear on screen and the vocal instructions are pleasant and well timed. If you go off course or think you know better the unit will recalculate within seconds and revise its directions.
USB cable and cradle connections are included and the Auto Sync function works well. My machine has a tendency to freeze on occasion and this requires a 'soft' reboot but this is frustrating more than a real problem.
Summary: This is a good quality, powerful unit that should meet most of your PDA needs. The bundled software will cover 90% of the things that you want to do and everything else is easily found. The sat nav package is very good and I would certainly recommend it as an alternative to a dedicated unit. In one sense you are buying an excellent sat nav and getting a top of the range PDA thrown in.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Handheld - 64 MB, 32 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA263 - Infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003, Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium
Handheld - 32 MB, 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA270 - Infrared, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Ed.
Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 4 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
Welcome to Ciao! (if I have not welcomed you before?) This certainly is a well-read review (by non-members) ~ I think I still prefer my Garmin Street Pilot i3 (which was £144.99) and includes UK and Ireland maps. I like watching the map change when we are simply driving, even when it is not giving directions, as I do not have to strain to try to find street names (they show on the screen) ~ I'm not sure you have really described what you can do with this machine ~ is it difficult to use for word-processing or internet browsing? How about telling it where to take you? does it identify tower blocks on roads or do you have to guess approximate addresses by number? ~ ~ .................................................................................................... ~ ♥ ~ jes ~ ♥♥
mariegall 15.05.2006 18:24
good review
firbti 15.05.2006 17:54
great review well done welcome to ciao have fun and carry on doing reviews your good, well done if you ever need any help please leave a message in my guest book firibtixxxx
Advantages: Unlimited storage with removable SD memory cards. Small and powerful Disadvantages: Manual not very informative. Small (64MB) Onboard memory
1Tank1 03.05.2007 (28.02.2007)
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Review of Dell Axim X51
Advantages: Unlimited storage with removable SD memory cards. Small and powerful Disadvantages: Manual not very informative. Small (64MB) Onboard memory
1Tank1 03.05.2007 (28.02.2007)
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Review of Dell Axim X51
Advantages: Fast, big and bright screen, battery life good enough for daily use, build quality Disadvantages: Spartan extras, expensive to add addisional hardware
Babrevian 25.04.2007 ·
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Review of DellAximX51v
May 15th, 2006
very helpful by (100%):
