Tom's Hardware Reviews the Dell Axim X50v

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041231/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/...1231/index.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"So just who is the Axim X50v aimed at? Well, just about everyone - consumers and businesspeople alike - who want to buy a fully loaded, relatively reasonably priced PDA with VGA display right now."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20041231-AximX50v.jpg" /><br /><br />Have an X50v and want to marvel at its beauty? Or are you in search of a new Pocket PC? Whatever situation you're in at the moment, it's worth heading over to Tom's Hardware and checking out their latest review on the Dell Axim X50v. They usually offer a different perspective when analysing PDAs, but I'd have to agree with a couple of the points they make. It's a recognised fact that the graphics accelerator still has to show its full potential - that's something I'm hoping will be unveiled in months to come. Anyway, what are your thoughts? For those of you who own an X50v, are you happy with your device?

[Menneisyys]

"Compared with the competition, however, the Axim X50v is nonetheless a good choice, as Asus' VGA PDA with integrated Bluetooth and WLAN functionality, the Mypal A730W, currently sells for $600. Sure, that device also features an integrated 1.2 megapixel digital camera, but it also has far worse battery life."

Is that true? Tom's hasn't reviewed the final A730 / A730w at all, and, much as the A730(w) indeed has subpar battery life, I wouldn't think it's THAT bad. Actually, people over pocketmatrix.com ( http://pocketmatrix.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11 ) have reported that a half-hour Wi-Fi session "only" reduced their battery life with 30%. (That's still very high, compared to hx4700 / PL720, but not worse than x50v's result.)

After all, the 95 minutes ( http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041231/images/image007.gif ) of the x50v aviability isn't very good either.

BTW, it's interesting to see how much power consumption the BT unit has. Switching the BT on on the iPAQ 2210 (in discoverable mode!) doesn't decrease its battery life much (let's say with 15-20% at most). The x50v seems to have a much more power-hungry BT unit.

[PPCRules]

... For those of you who own an X50v, are you happy with your device?

Exactly the question I had wanted to pose. I had been planning to get the non-VGA X50, but with the recent deep discounts available I was thinking of treating myself the the "v". I had read all the reviews when it first came out, but was thinking reports from real people with real life uses over the past several months would be very helpful. So weigh in, please!

[fgarcia10]

Hi, I'm a happy owner of a X50v, and the device is great, I love it. It is my best pocket pc yet. HP525, hp540, hp565, Hitachi G1000, X30h.

[24va]

I have owned a lot of PPC's (HP320; HP360; HP660; HP548; Toshiba e310; HP3975; HP2215; Axim x30H; HP1910) and I think that my x50v is the BEST one I have owned to date.

This may be a mistake though:

'USB yes (Host/Client) '

I don't think it can host

[Kurt Hunciker]

I am delighted with my X50v. Once you begin using a VGA screen, you will never go back to a QVGA screen. The difference in quality of the text in ebooks and of photographs is amazing.

Now if only Microsoft would have let me activate MS Reader for this device, rather than having decided, "No more activations for you!":evil:

Oops. I wrote the second paragraph prematurely. I tried to activate my device this afternoon again after having being denied activation for several weeks, and it activated! I guess Microsoft is responsive to requests for more activations -- it just takes time.

[Menneisyys]

This may be a mistake though:

'USB yes (Host/Client) '

I don't think it can host

Yeah, it doesn't have USB host.

[silver99]

I too can vouch for the X50v. I've had several PPCs and this is by far the best. The screen is incredible.

I use mine for:
- GPS (Dell Bluetooth)
- watching movies (off SD/CF cards and streaming over wireless network)
- Music
- e-books
- and much, much more

I'm not a big gamer although there's been reports of good gaming on this machine. I usually save the gaming to XBOX or Gameboy DS.

[Don't Panic!]

I like my X50v. If Dell could have somehow fianagled NEVO away from HP it would be perfect. So yeah, I'm happy! :mrgreen:

[tourdewolf]

I too have owned many PPC (1910, Maestro, 4150, 4355, E70, X5, X3) as well as many palms, (original, 5000, m100, v, vx, m500, m505, t2, t3, zire 71, zire 72).

Currently own an x50v for about 1 month. IMO: Screen is beautiful, however response is incredibly slow. Movies look great but standard battery barely last to finish one. Streams video (avis compressed w/ pocketdivixencoder) over the wifi well enough but again battery drains twice as fast so can only get about 45 mins.
The battery really needs help, I have 2 regular batteries and it is still a pain. Fortunately the cradle allows on to be charged separate from the unit.
Processor is really fast when max is enabled, really sluggish when on auto.
Wifi interface is much smoother however range is much less than the 4350 I had, often when switching to another network (different location) it requires a soft reset to connect.

Ergonomically the unit is great except for every time I lift it out of the cradle I press the record button. Button lock is a great feature however. Although when the unit wakes for an alarm it stays on until I attend to it. Many times I have had the battery drain because an alarm went off in my briefcase and wifi was on from a previous session, so the unit just sat there w/ wifi enabled and the screen on (even after the alarm had cycled). Need a way to have the unit go back to sleep after an alarm (I have the screen set to turn off in 1 min when on batt power)

Overall,

Pros:

Screen
Form factor
Dual slots
Appearance
Button lock

Cons

BATTERY - warning purchase the extended battery
WiFi range
Alarm quirks - this could be an OS issue not specific to axim?
Sluggish response - Most programs can't use the graphics horsepower - yet.

.02

[carphead]

Got x50v today. Mainly because of a excellent deal. :)

Screen is excellent. Compared to the 2215 I have.

In terms of first impressions. I think I found the 2215 more exciting at the time.

BUT my gosh VGA is beautiful.

[dmy]

Has anyone (Innopocket, are you listening??) Made a Titanium case for the X50v yet???

I know.... a stupid reason to wait to get one, but with what my 2210 went through in my constant travels, I'd really prefer to wrap it in Ti off the top.

D.

[Abras]

Got x50v today. Mainly because of a excellent deal. :)

Screen is excellent. Compared to the 2215 I have.

In terms of first impressions. I think I found the 2215 more exciting at the time.

BUT my gosh VGA is beautiful.

And about the size? It's bigger and heavier than 2215?

It comes with a case?

Thanks.

[KevinK]

have an x50v as well as a treo 650 and I love them both. If the x50v was a phone I wouldn't need the treo, but the dell is just beautiful to behold. I could not go back to qvga. There are a few small issues but it's a steal compared to the hp 4700. BTW, posting from my treo, which is an amazing experience.

[ricksfiona]

The review is very good. I always trust those guys to do a good job.

The Dell X50v is a sweet unit! If I weren't totally turned on by the new iMate PDA2k and the JAM, and the JAM's HOPEFULL upgrade, I would get the Dell in a second. You certainly can't beat the price.

[Alpha2004]

This is the worst review to date of the x50v

He keeps comparing the x50v to the x3i, which is an outdated pocket pc. He also makes many mistakes in the review,along with the less is better graph for the 2d gaming performance.

the only thing the x50v can be compared to in dells lineup is the x30h, period!

[Darius Wey]

And about the size? It's bigger and heavier than 2215?

It comes with a case?

Thanks.

The included case isn't great, so I've heard. There are Rhinoskin metal cases (http://www.saunders-usa.com/rhinoskin/prod.cfm?cat_id=5083&amp;prod_id=9054) available for the X50 but they are aluminium.

[KidKomputer]

I've had an x50v for about two months now and have to agree it's the best PocketPc I've owned yet (Ipaq 3800, 2210, Hp 568).
Using se-vga reading books is excellent.
In regards to the review. If you watch movies on your PPC betaplayer IS optomized for the 2700 graphics chip and runs like a dream. (See the x50 forums @ aximsite for more info)

[Sven Johannsen]

There are a couple of features of the X50v that I rarely see in reviews, and are barely mentioned in the specs. The unit does support VGA out at the sync connector. So if using your PPC to present Powerpoint slides via a full sized monitor or projector interests you, it's built in...courtesy of the graphics subsystem. You do have to buy a special cable, but it comes with display software, and is still cheaper than any VGA out sleeve, SD or CF solution.

The second is that the headphone jack is a headphone/mic jack. Again you have to really dig to find something that claims to work in it, but it can be done. I have a headphone mic cord that works great for things like Skype. I also have a headphone/mic socket splitter thing that lets me use any of those PC headsets with the seperate headphone and mic plugs. You can also just plug a mono mic into the splitter if you just want to record.

It does, BTW, have the headset profile supported in the BT manager so you can use a BT headset, like the Jabra.

There are some little stability glitches and bugs, like BT claiming it doesn't have enough room to start (I have the PPCTechs 128M RAM Upgrade, so I normally have as much RAM available as most of you start with), and the screwed up Media player button assignment thing, but these may not really be X50v specific. Dell has been forthcoming with patches to their other models in the past, so I expect these things will get fixed if they are Dell problems.

I think it is a heck of a device for the price. I'm not entirely sure it's worth dumping a fairly recently purchased PPC for it though. I think my iPAQ 4155 still has a lot going for it. The X30 lacks only VGA and the SE part of WM2003. SE just doesn't do all that much for me. If you ae in need of a PPC though, the X50v deserves some serious consideration.

[Jeff00000168]

I couldn't have said it better! :)

[Fishie]

"Compared with the competition, however, the Axim X50v is nonetheless a good choice, as Asus' VGA PDA with integrated Bluetooth and WLAN functionality, the Mypal A730W, currently sells for $600. Sure, that device also features an integrated 1.2 megapixel digital camera, but it also has far worse battery life."

Is that true? Tom's hasn't reviewed the final A730 / A730w at all, and, much as the A730(w) indeed has subpar battery life, I wouldn't think it's THAT bad. Actually, people over pocketmatrix.com ( http://pocketmatrix.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11 ) have reported that a half-hour Wi-Fi session "only" reduced their battery life with 30%. (That's still very high, compared to hx4700 / PL720, but not worse than x50v's result.)

After all, the 95 minutes ( http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041231/images/image007.gif ) of the x50v aviability isn't very good either.

BTW, it's interesting to see how much power consumption the BT unit has. Switching the BT on on the iPAQ 2210 (in discoverable mode!) doesn't decrease its battery life much (let's say with 15-20% at most). The x50v seems to have a much more power-hungry BT unit.

You should try the torture test.
Get a MicroDrive, turn on the wireless radios and have the x50v write falls back and forth over wifi on the MD while also streaming movies from your PC using WiFi.

The x50v gets insanely hot and if it doesnt outright crash requiring a hard reset it croaks in less then half an hour.

[wshwe]

I'm not entirely sure it's worth dumping a fairly recently purchased PPC for it though. Probably not worth upgrading from a Tosh e800. I must say VGA rocks.

[Mona13]

Will the e-reader Pro work on it? My 5555 802.11b has quit working and I am looking for a new PPC. I am seriously considering the X50v, but I read a lot of books using the Palm reader.

Thanks,

Mona13

[Menneisyys]

Will the e-reader Pro work on it? My 5555 802.11b has quit working and I am looking for a new PPC. I am seriously considering the X50v, but I read a lot of books using the Palm reader.

Thanks,

Mona13

I think it'll work (haven't tested it though). If doesn't, Mobipocket Reader 4.8 (which is also Palm DOC-compatible) works great in forced VGA mode. Much better than even the latest version of MS Reader.

[Menneisyys]

I'm not entirely sure it's worth dumping a fairly recently purchased PPC for it though.
Probably not worth upgrading from a Tosh e800. I must say VGA rocks.

Though question - the e800 is a very good PPC. However, if you can sell the e800 at a good price and don't need the 4" screen / the USB host, I would certainly swap it for the x50v.

[Menneisyys]

Got x50v today. Mainly because of a excellent deal. :)

Screen is excellent. Compared to the 2215 I have.


Few QVGA transflective screens are worse than that of the iPAQ 2210 :) Maybe the Dell Axim x5's. But it, at least, doesn't flicker, unlike the 2210...

[Menneisyys]

And about the size? It's bigger and heavier than 2215?


Yes, except for the depth:

From http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm :

x50v:
Length - mm. (in.) 119.0 (4.69)
Width - mm. (in.) 73.0 (2.87)
Depth - mm. (in.) 16.9 (0.67)
Weight - g. (oz.) 175.0 (6.17)

2210 ( http://computing.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/ps_4328097/114501.html )
Width 7.6 cm
Height 11.5 cm
Depth 1.5 cm
Weight 144 g

[Menneisyys]

I have owned a lot of PPC's (HP320; HP360; HP660; HP548; Toshiba e310; HP3975; HP2215; Axim x30H; HP1910)

(OFFTOPIC: The HP320; HP360 and HP660 models were Handheld PC's, not PPC's.)

[Gus]

Hello guys,

I've reads hours and hours of reviews of the 3 main VGA PDA's (Dell, iPAQ 4700, ASUS). I want to buy one very soon, once I decide which to get. VGA screen is required for me.

I'm confused about battery life reviews. I had an iPAQ 2215 and I used it sparingly (to look up occasional medical information throughout the day, and to look at tasks, calendars a few times a day). My battery lasted until I got home to recharge it at night (usually with a "large" amount of charge left, sometimes up to 60%). I don't mind recharging every night. And I always put the backlight down to about 4 "notches" from the bottom. I don't play games, and don't really play music or videos. I also used the PDA for email &amp; occasional internet access, via DUN on my BT phone. I have the same results with my iPAQ 6315, though the battery life is more impressive than my 2215.

Based on what I'm hearing from the reviews for the Dell Axim X50v (about 3 - 4 hours for standard use), I'm not sure if I'll be able to last the whole day. I don't know how to translate these studies to human terms, without actually testing the device myself. My gut feeling is that I'll be fine and last the whole day without problems.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

And I've read that the battery will drain while it is off??? How is this possible? If I keep it off in my pocket all day, the battery power will be significantly affected? Someone said it drained down to 30% without use.

I was thinking of getting the iPAQ 4700 solely based on some reviewers saying that the battery life is much better. If the x50v can't get through a day worth of sparing use, but the 4700 could, I would purchase the iPAQ (it's down to $549 on certain sites).

Thanks for the help.

[Robrecht]

Hello guys,

I've reads hours and hours of reviews of the 3 main VGA PDA's (Dell, iPAQ 4700, ASUS). For your uses, I think the smaller DELL &amp; ASUS batteries would be sufficient, but you can always get a 2nd regular or larger battery if you need more power. A swappable battery is on of the features that brought me over to PPC from Palm. Personally, I didn't like the larger size of the HP or its touchpad. The DELL cradle will charge a 2nd battery. Do you need/want a built-in camera?

[tourdewolf]

Hello guys,



Based on what I'm hearing from the reviews for the Dell Axim X50v (about 3 - 4 hours for standard use), I'm not sure if I'll be able to last the whole day. I don't know how to translate these studies to human terms, without actually testing the device myself. My gut feeling is that I'll be fine and last the whole day without problems.



If you plan to use wifi or bluetooth more than occasionally then I would stay away from the x50v, unless you go with the extended battery. Sure the cradle charges a spare battery but who wants to carry a spare around all day.
I rarely make it through the day without a recharge or battery swap and my activities are fairly normal I would assume. Multiple contact lookups per day, couple dozen calender/task checks, 20-30 min total internet wifi, sometimes a few pages in an ebook.
Since I started using the x50v I find myself guaging my activities according to how much battery I have left, something I never considered with my previous PPC (4355)

[Adrian Knack]

Hi everyone,

I have an X50v and it is great. I can watch more than 3hrs of DivX video off a standard battery using BetaPlayer and the Intel 2700g Plug-in (this gives you better frame rates than the iPAQ hx4705). Wifi and Bluetooth do chew the battery a bit though. However you can get a spare battery in Australia for $14.30, which is like $10US so you can't complain.

I have also got the X50 Mixer program which is a free download you can find at Axim Site on a Stuck thread. This gives you a equaliser for the 3D sound chip in this device. Must have this!!

There is also a GAPI tweak on AximSite on a Stuck thread which will allow you to run all the QVGA games (which use GAPI) much faster. Also a must have if you are a gamer.

Hope this helps :)

Cheers
Adrian

[tourdewolf]

Hi everyone,

I have an X50v and it is great. I can watch more than 3hrs of DivX video off a standard battery using BetaPlayer and the Intel 2700g Plug-in (this gives you better frame rates than the iPAQ hx4705). Wifi and Bluetooth do chew the battery a bit though. However you can get a spare battery in Australia for $14.30, which is like $10US so you can't complain.



Just curious, what bitrate are you encoding your videos in order to get 3hrs of battery life?

[Menneisyys]

Hi everyone,

I have an X50v and it is great. I can watch more than 3hrs of DivX video off a standard battery using BetaPlayer and the Intel 2700g Plug-in (this gives you better frame rates than the iPAQ hx4705). Wifi and Bluetooth do chew the battery a bit though. However you can get a spare battery in Australia for $14.30, which is like $10US so you can't complain.



Just curious, what bitrate are you encoding your videos in order to get 3hrs of battery life?

IMHO, it doesn't really depend on the bit rate (BetaPlayer uses the CPU as much as possible even with lower-bitrate videos AFAIK), but the CPU, memory etc. speed you set at playback. Try using the 206 MHz mode.

[Menneisyys]

"Compared with the competition, however, the Axim X50v is nonetheless a good choice, as Asus' VGA PDA with integrated Bluetooth and WLAN functionality, the Mypal A730W, currently sells for $600. Sure, that device also features an integrated 1.2 megapixel digital camera, but it also has far worse battery life."

Is that true? Tom's hasn't reviewed the final A730 / A730w at all, and, much as the A730(w) indeed has subpar battery life, I wouldn't think it's THAT bad. Actually, people over pocketmatrix.com ( http://pocketmatrix.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11 ) have reported that a half-hour Wi-Fi session "only" reduced their battery life with 30%. (That's still very high, compared to hx4700 / PL720, but not worse than x50v's result.)

After all, the 95 minutes ( http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20041231/images/image007.gif ) of the x50v aviability isn't very good either.

BTW, it's interesting to see how much power consumption the BT unit has. Switching the BT on on the iPAQ 2210 (in discoverable mode!) doesn't decrease its battery life much (let's say with 15-20% at most). The x50v seems to have a much more power-hungry BT unit.

As it turns out, Tom's didn't really dive into the problem (I was right, then): PDA Buyer's Guide has just published its A730w test. A quote from it:

"Using Turbo mode with Automatic power savings checked, we surfed the web using Pocket IE for 85 minutes before hitting the 30% power remaining warning."

[Jonathon Watkins]

... For those of you who own an X50v, are you happy with your device?

Exactly the question I had wanted to pose. . . . So weigh in, please!

Yup, happy with it. It's just fine for what I'm doing at the moment. I really like the screen and the look of the unit. I'll be happier with it when my Sena case arrives, but the supplied case is proving just fine for the time being.

[Kati Compton]

I am happy as well... when I've got the extended battery in. With the extended battery, I feel like I have the "up-time" that *should* have been standard with the device.

My problem is that I ordered a Sena case (I'm impatient and really really wanted a case that I could keep on while charging - I keep losing the slipcover in another room), and afaik it doesn't accomodate the extended battery. Which is upsetting. I contacted both Sena and Vaja when I ordered my device to tell them that it was pretty likely a lot of people would want to have a case that would fit the extended battery... But apparently they didn't listen.

[Adrian Knack]

I typically used bit rates between 400kbps and 600kbps 2 pass encoded. The audio is usually about 128kbps. I don't know that it makes a huge difference to the battery life though. Also I don't run the screen at 100% brightness all the time.

Cheers
Adrian