SofaTater
11-22-2002, 06:46 PM
I played around with an Axim today at the local Dell mall kiosk. My impressions (bear in mind that I have never owned a PPC and am currently deciding which PDA to buy):
* It's a substantial feeling unit -- which is a good thing in that it feels very solid and very well-made. It has a bit of a heft to it, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. It's noticeably heavier and bulkier than other PDAs I've played with, including the Toshiba e335 and the Sony Clie T665C. I think it's "pocketable," but not as comfortably so as other units.
* The screen was fine, but it didn't knock my socks off. The demo unit was pretty stripped down, so there were no photos I could use to judge colors, etc., but my overall impression was "satisfactory, but not excellent." Certainly comparable or superior to the Toshiba, but not quite as bright and nice as the high-end Sony Clies.
* I didn't think much of the rocker switch that serves as a job wheel. It seemed a little "twitchy" -- you would probably get used to it after some practice, but it didn't seem like a very well-thought out feature.
* The cradle is very substantial and quite heavy -- not something you'd want to pack along on a trip! But it would hold the unit very steady for desktop use. It's kind of a garish very shiny chrome silver with a neon-like blue glowing Dell logo when the unit is docked.
* The stylus is a bit odd -- flat with rounded edges. It was pretty stiff and felt pretty comfortable to hold. But you'd definitely want to order some extras, because nothing (yet) aftermarket would fit in the slot.
* The external speaker seemed a bit weak -- hard to tell for sure in a mall -- but it didn't have quite the sound quality of the Sony T series. Didn't have any headphones, so I can't judge overall sound quality.
* I liked the rubberized edges of the unit -- made it feel secure in my hand.
* Overall, it's more stylish than I thought it would look in person. There is a sense that it could have been pared down just a bit to make it a little less heavy and bulky, but I would say that the comments that it compares to the Ipaq 3900 series are accurate.
I didn't get a chance to talk to the Dell flunky at the kiosk -- he was on the phone the entire time I was there. But I am going to go back tomorrow when I have more time and see what he says about delivery and see if I can better judge the screen and sound quality.
* It's a substantial feeling unit -- which is a good thing in that it feels very solid and very well-made. It has a bit of a heft to it, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. It's noticeably heavier and bulkier than other PDAs I've played with, including the Toshiba e335 and the Sony Clie T665C. I think it's "pocketable," but not as comfortably so as other units.
* The screen was fine, but it didn't knock my socks off. The demo unit was pretty stripped down, so there were no photos I could use to judge colors, etc., but my overall impression was "satisfactory, but not excellent." Certainly comparable or superior to the Toshiba, but not quite as bright and nice as the high-end Sony Clies.
* I didn't think much of the rocker switch that serves as a job wheel. It seemed a little "twitchy" -- you would probably get used to it after some practice, but it didn't seem like a very well-thought out feature.
* The cradle is very substantial and quite heavy -- not something you'd want to pack along on a trip! But it would hold the unit very steady for desktop use. It's kind of a garish very shiny chrome silver with a neon-like blue glowing Dell logo when the unit is docked.
* The stylus is a bit odd -- flat with rounded edges. It was pretty stiff and felt pretty comfortable to hold. But you'd definitely want to order some extras, because nothing (yet) aftermarket would fit in the slot.
* The external speaker seemed a bit weak -- hard to tell for sure in a mall -- but it didn't have quite the sound quality of the Sony T series. Didn't have any headphones, so I can't judge overall sound quality.
* I liked the rubberized edges of the unit -- made it feel secure in my hand.
* Overall, it's more stylish than I thought it would look in person. There is a sense that it could have been pared down just a bit to make it a little less heavy and bulky, but I would say that the comments that it compares to the Ipaq 3900 series are accurate.
I didn't get a chance to talk to the Dell flunky at the kiosk -- he was on the phone the entire time I was there. But I am going to go back tomorrow when I have more time and see what he says about delivery and see if I can better judge the screen and sound quality.