Review of the new Dell Axim X50s

bargainPDA writes "We have posted an in depth review of the new Dell Axim X50 line which includes three PDAs. The high end X50v features a 3.7" VGA display, CF and SD slots and dual wireless. Dell has done well to beat HP at almost every level and looks good considering palmOne's Tungsten T5 snafus. "

Comments

I'm still using my Visor Deluxe

[Jason1729]

It's still seems better than any PDA on the market. The most important feature to me is that it take standard batteries (it takes AAA's). I have 2 sets of NiMH ones and a set of alkalines as spares. One set of rechargables is always charging, the other is in the PDA. When the set in the PDA dies, I use the alkalines as a backup until I get home and swap the ones from the charge into the PDA. I'm still getting 3-4 weeks on a charge.

I had a Treo 90 for the colour screen but the internal Li-Ion battery wouldn't last through a 4-hour flight as an ebook. If I forget to charge it one night, it's useless the next day.

Jason
ProfQuotes

Re:nothing about microphone quality

[Anonymous Coward]

Because few people care about a tiny buzz like this?

With a saturated market

[aussie_a]

reviewers should really mention one thing "why should/shouldn't I go out and buy this to replace my current PDA." Now I'm not the type of person that will do that even if they do tell me. I'll replace my PDA when it stops working, until then I've got a great PDA. But let's say someone did destroy it tomorrow, I'd be looking at this review and go "nice price tag, what's so good about it that I'd want this one as opposed to another version of my recently-destroyed model? I see no extra features at all, let alone a killer feature. I do see a decrease in battery life, yet this is a good buy? Is this reviewer on crack or on the take?"

[/rant]

With so many positive PDA reviews being posted here I'd like, just once, to see a review that says why it's so much better. All I see "this is as good as all the current PDAs, but it's new so therefore it must be a good buy."

Good for a couple of hundred days...

[hughk]

Another problem is that most Li-Ion cells are only good for a couple of hundred recharge cycles. Unless you are into MP3 from your PDA, you may not need to charge everyday.

The problem is that a device that fails after just two-hundred working days isn't very useful, even if the battery is easily replaced.

All PDAs disappointing

[firefarter]

I've got a Sony TH55 myself, but I'm pretty unenthusiastic about it.

Can it be so hard to build a device that fully implements vCal? Stuff like tentative appointments, categories, etc. Why has syncing data hardly improved since the first Palm Pilot?

Seriously, the Psions were better at calendaring than most of the new PDAs!

Slashdot: news for consumers

[hopethishelps]

In all this, there's been just one post that asked "does it run Linux" and it seemed to be intended as a joke.

I'm not just a drooling consumer, I expect to be able to write code for any computing device I buy. The question, "Does it run free software?" is not a joke, it's important to me. If it isn't important to Slashdot editors, I respectfully suggest that Slashdot's byline be changed. "News for Consumers. Stuff for yuppies." would seem to be more accurate than what it currently says.

It kills me, but Jobs is right.

[otis wildflower]

Steve Jobs really pissed me off when he canceled the Newton, to this day it has the best handheld UI bar none. I think it could have been huge (no pun intended) if it had survived long enough to add smaller and larger formfactors, color, wireless.

I seriously doubt he foresaw the whole pda/phone thing, like the P800, Treo, E680, etc. But, I think he has a point when he talks about how the stuff we need to do with an organizer (todos, events, calendaring, contacts) can be done in a phone.

I think the main problem with that though is changing wireless standards, frequencies, etc, which require software radios.