The Dell Axim X50v Wins a Product Design Award

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/pressoffice/en/2004/2005_07_05_ess_000?c=us&l=en&s=corp' target='_blank'>http://www1.us.dell.com/content/top...=us&l=en&s=corp</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Dell's Axim X50v handheld, Photo Printer 540 and new Dell USB Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard were recognized here today with Red Dot Product Design Excellence Awards. The Red Dot design awards are announced annually by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany. The competition is divided into three sections - product design, communication design and concept design and receives more than 4,000 entries from 40 countries... Dell consulted M3 Design to help develop a handheld with the latest PDA technology in a slim, dual-slot design. The Axim X50v features a 3.7-inch VGA screen with up to four times the resolution of a standard QVGA handheld and delivers excellent productivity, web surfing, gaming, photo viewing and video playback."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050706-X50v.jpg" /><br /><br />I'm not the least bit surprised that Dell's Axim X50v won a product design award. In my opinion, it's one of the best all-rounders out there - and all at a suitable price too. The <a href="http://en.red-dot.org/317+M5eb694af2e2.html">Red Dot Product Design Award</a> recognises the X50v for its great design, media capabilities and wireless functionality. If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P<br /><br /><a href="http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/pda?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs">Dell USA</a> is currently having a sale on the X50 handheld range. For a limited time, there's 20% off on all X50s (or 30% off the X50v Deal of the Week), free shipping, plus the free Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade CD when it is released.

[Rod3]

I'm definitely a happy X50V user. I have a lot of handhelds (too many), and the Dell is the best. I resisted getting it, because I do have the Loox and the Asus, but got a deal I couldn't pass up, and am surprised and happy with it.

[miterb]

After living with my Toshiba e740 for 3 years I jumped on the offer at the end of June to buy the Dell X50V for $418. What a great device the Dell is in comparison. Wi-Fi range seems about 50% greater than the 740. It initializes and gets connected effortlessly. I am really delighted.

I had been reading that the battery life was not great. Well, I can tell you that it is better than the Tosh was. Part of the deal was an extra battery, which is now charged and sitting in my desk drawer. I have not had to use it yet.

Brad

[Duncan]

If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P

Can I hiss and boo from the corner...? :wink:

[Darius Wey]

If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P

Can I hiss and boo from the corner...? :wink:

Permission granted. Though there's no guarantee that you won't get "loox" from the Dell users. :P

[Duncan]

If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P

Can I hiss and boo from the corner...? :wink:

Permission granted. Though there's no guarantee that you won't get "loox" from the Dell users. :P

I'm sure I can 'dell' with that.... (*ahem*)

[ventivent]

I've always been a fan of the Dell PPCs...in fact, it was the original X5 advanced that got me to switch from Palm, and I haven't looked back. Despite my transition to the all-in-one i-mate JAM, it's the x50v still gives me second thoughts about whether or not to go back to a dedicated PDA instead of a PPC phone.

[Craig Horlacher]

It's not the one for me but it is worthy of this award. If it had 128MB of RAM, it would work for me.

I've heard of it after deals for under $300 and with both card slots, the 600MHz cpu, and that sick graphics subsystem, wow! I really wish they would have given it more ram...yeah, I know about pocketpctechs and have nothing against them - I'm just a wimp and it is an expensive deal plus I think I'd go nuts waiting for it to come back:) Of course, I paid more for me e830 - which I am happy with but someone please make a bluetooth keyboard stack for it!

[lapchinj]

:multi: YEAH I finally picked a winner :multi:

I couldn't be happier the x50v is really great and I owe a special thanks to this forum for helping me make my choice. There really isn't anything else to add in this post since most of you have read all about all the cool features. All I can say is that it works like you want a PDA to work. And when the new MS OS comes out for the x50v I'll upgrade - sort of looking forward to that.

I do have one complaint though with the x50v. PocketSlay does not display well and is extremly slow and jerkey. Aside from a half dozen chess programs PockeSlay is the only game I play and it helps me unwind during a commute on the bus. This is the main reason for carrying 2 PPC's - my 4150 to play PocketSlay and the x50v for everything else :mrgreen: .

Jeff-

[lapchinj]

...Permission granted. Though there's no guarantee that you won't get "loox" from the Dell users. :P
No flamin' looxs though only funny loox :wink:

Jeff

[bbarker]

I'm another very satisfied owner. I'd prefer an even smaller and lighter unit with only an SD slot, but this was the best thing out there when I bought is last fall. The only thing it lacks is a flip cover for the screen.

[Lday]

Upgraded from a Toshiba E755 and couldn't be happier! If you want a flip lid, go for the JavoEdge clear case. I bought one right after the X50v, and aside from the tendency to scratch a bit more easily than I'd like, it's great!

[wocket]

Hurrah!! for Dell

I've got a few pda's kicking around and the x50v is deffo a beautiful device.

If only I could get a decient case :?:

[Rod3]

If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P

Can I hiss and boo from the corner...? :wink:

Go on! Hiss! Boo! But my Dell is miles ahead of my Loox! The Loox needs additional software to connect to WiFi, and to have to unscrew the stylus to reset is so retro! :wink:

[Rod3]

:multi: YEAH I finally picked a winner :multi:

I couldn't be happier the x50v is really great and I owe a special thanks to this forum for helping me make my choice. There really isn't anything else to add in this post since most of you have read all about all the cool features. All I can say is that it works like you want a PDA to work. And when the new MS OS comes out for the x50v I'll upgrade - sort of looking forward to that.

I do have one complaint though with the x50v. PocketSlay does not display well and is extremly slow and jerkey. Aside from a half dozen chess programs PockeSlay is the only game I play and it helps me unwind during a commute on the bus. This is the main reason for carrying 2 PPC's - my 4150 to play PocketSlay and the x50v for everything else :mrgreen: .

I use PocketSlay all the time on mine. You need the latest version, I think. It's different in that the entire area you tap lights up. If yours doesn't do that, you have the old version. Mine is version 2.0

[Duncan]

If you're a happy X50v user, then let it be known in this thread. :P

Can I hiss and boo from the corner...? :wink:

Go on! Hiss! Boo! But my Dell is miles ahead of my Loox! The Loox needs additional software to connect to WiFi :wink:

Eh? I don't. I've been happily using the built-in Windows WiFi set up since day 1...! Of course I can use my Loox for more than 30 minutes before the battery gives up... hah...! :wink:

Joking aside, of course, the Dell is a perfectly fine machine - it lacks some things my Loox has - but also has some things my Loox doesn't. I'd really like to have the graphics card and VGA out - but I'd be loathe to give up my excellent battery life and USB host. Now if only someone would step up and combine the best elements of each of the top rank PPCs...

[Rod3]

Go on! Hiss! Boo! But my Dell is miles ahead of my Loox! The Loox needs additional software to connect to WiFi :wink:

Eh? I don't. I've been happily using the built-in Windows WiFi set up since day 1...! Of course I can use my Loox for more than 30 minutes before the battery gives up... hah...! :wink:

Then your Loox is better than my Loox. I had to add three WiFi programs to even connect to my router at home, and have to this day never connected at a hotspot away. You got me on the battery; I've got you on the reset, though! I can just poke my stylus in the reset hole on my Dell to reset. (not that I have to do it very often....) :wink:

[Rudism]

I do have one complaint though with the x50v. PocketSlay does not display well and is extremly slow and jerkey.

I'm not sure if PocketSlay uses GAPI or not, but if it does you may wish to peruse this thread (http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=57128) over at Aximsite to see if the tweaked driver for the X50v will solve the speed issue for you.

[Duncan]

Then your Loox is better than my Loox. I had to add three WiFi programs to even connect to my router at home, and have to this day never connected at a hotspot away.

How odd. Not something I can recall coming across before (WiFi issues yes but usually with an explanation). Then again - odd faults that some people experience and others don't are part and parcel of the PDA experience - for instance this WiFi issue on the Axim - http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=56634&amp;highlight=wifi

My money is on the engineers at HTC adding random bugs to alleviate the boredom...!

I actually had a Dell X50v briefly (and before that an iPAQ hx4700 - which I hated ith a vengeance). It is a very nice machine. There were many things to like - but the battery life, lack of USB host and (I'm afraid) a very much poorer screen were showstoppers. I was tempted to keep it for games and high-bitrate films - but decided against it and sold it on.

But yes - I did find myself wishing I could have mated the two PDAs to have the perfect offspring...

[Rod3]

That Axim WiFi issue is a new one to me! Actually, that's the thing I like best about my Axim. Never a problem connecting. All these things are so individual. My Loox sucks with WiFi, my Asus is great with it, and my Dell is perfect. Also, my Dell screen looks better than my Loox, as the Loox is definitely yellow. I hope they will continue to make all these different ones with different issues as we each have individual likes. Yes, I'd love to be able to breed a few of these to get the perfect offspring. How great that would be! :lol:

[silver99]

I absolutely thrilled with my Axim X50v and I've had it since November. No complaints here. The absolute best PPC I've ever had and am not even looking elsewhere (that's a little strange for me).

-Silver

[Tanker Bob]

A well-deserved award! The X50v was good enough to lure me over to the dark side. The WiFi, networking, and VGA display easily won me over. The small size and well-thought-out design will be hard to beat in future models. Bravo!

[sundown]

Another satisfied x50v customer here. Had mine since May and it's outstanding. I just ripped some of my DVDs so their playable fullscreen and the quality (largely a byproduct of the ripping/re-encoding process of course) looks dvd quality on that awesome screen. Wifi works great for long distances and around many obstacles, though it's a little slow to connect sometimes. Extra ram would be nice, too. I am often bumping up against the edge of what's available, though I sometimes install things on an sd card. The wireless enabling button on the side - sometimes...well often...I pick up the x50v and accidentally enable wireless because that's just where my hand is. I might disable that button.

The positives FAR outweigh any negatives and I'm very happy to have it!

[larrywms45]

:devilboy:

I'm sitting here holding the e805 and the X50v side by side. The only thing I like about the e805 is the slightly larger screen; 4" vs 3.7". Still, I like the 50v better and will sell the Toshiba or even worse, give it to my wife to use and sell her e740.

[CESkins]

Then your Loox is better than my Loox. I had to add three WiFi programs to even connect to my router at home, and have to this day never connected at a hotspot away. You got me on the battery; I've got you on the reset, though! I can just poke my stylus in the reset hole on my Dell to reset. (not that I have to do it very often....) :wink:
Hmmm...Rod3 I would definitely say something is wrong with your Loox. I have a Linksys Wireless G Router and have had no problems with my Loox connecting to it. Only thing I needed to do was specify that the router allow the Loox to be automatically issued an address. Now I surf the web, connect to ActiveSync, and stream audio/video using WiFi (problem free). As for soft resets, the only time I ever need to use the reset hole is when the device locks up (very rare)...all other times, a simple tap on the reset icon in PocketPlus does the trick. Getting back on topic, the Dell x50v is a very good machine. It was the 1st VGA PDA I purchased until I found out that the Loox could be obtained from a US distributor. After buying a Loox, I have not loox-ed back and recently sold my x50v. Although I admit, I will miss the graphics processor (Aliens vs Predator looks awesome on the x50v...looks like the video processor smooths out artifacts on the fly and generates a crisp and fluid DVD-like video experience). Like others have said, if we could marry the best features of the x50v and the Loox, we would have the ultimate killer PDA (Loox50v). My guess is that we will be seeing more PDAs in the future sporting graphics processors (assuming it doesn't make the cost prohibitive which Dell has shown it doesn't have to). :) Congrats to Dell and all x50v owners. :D

[bvkeen]

Without setting down and counting through all the PDAs I've owned, most of them top or near top of the line at the time, I'm guesstimating 15 to 20 of them, with the x50v being the one that has pleased me the most. Dell's support for it has also impressed me: I've had the x50v since 2/05, and Dell has issued three ROM updates since then (A02, A03, A04), with each one making a great device a little better!

Well-deserved award in my view!

[Mona13]

I've had quite a few iPAQS. My first was the 36xx and my last was the 5555. The Dell that I have had since February is the most stable unit I've ever had.

I enjoy it tremendously. I never thought I would switch from HP, but when my the wireless on my 5555 died, that was enough. The warranty replacement sent 3 or 4 replacements and each had something else wrong with them. Not a good sign! I finally made the switch to Dell.

(I disabled the button on the side that activates wireless right after I got it, that's the only thing I didn't like, and it was fixable!)

Mona13

[bbarker]

Upgraded from a Toshiba E755 and couldn't be happier! If you want a flip lid, go for the JavoEdge clear case. I bought one right after the X50v, and aside from the tendency to scratch a bit more easily than I'd like, it's great!
Yes, but a case that goes all the way around the device adds more bulk than a built-in flip cover like the iPaq 2700 has. If both the Dell and the 2700 had been available at the same time I'd have bought the latter. It has more memory and a flip lid, and at the time I hadn't yet tasted the joys of VGA. :)

[Dalantech]

I "gravity checked" my HP hx2410 on a hard tile floor the day before I went on vacation, so while I was in the States I ordered an Axim x50v and I have to say it is the best PDA I've ever owned! I connect to my WiFi router in seconds and as for the speed, well...

I can stream a 100Kb/s video from the web and listen to the audio via a pair of HP BlueTooth stereo headphones without dropping any frames on my x50v. On my hx2410 the same torture test looked like a slide show! Having a GPU to process video (leaving the CPU to process the WiFi and BlueTooth stack) makes all the difference in the world! I really think that Dell designed the x50v for WM5 and that the Axim will run even faster once the new OS is released.

The only improvements I would make is to give it a flip cover like the hx2000 series iPaqs and a bigger standard battery. I miss the 4 hours of heavy use that I could get out of the HP hx2410 -I can only get about 2 hours of heavy use out of the x50v :(

[bbarker]

The only improvements I would make is to give it a flip cover like the hx2000 series iPaqs and a bigger standard battery. I miss the 4 hours of heavy use that I could get out of the HP hx2410 -I can only get about 2 hours of heavy use out of the x50v :(
I agree 100 percent. I'd trade the CF slot for a slightly larger battery.

[imacamper]

My Dell x50v is the 5th PDA I have owned and the first one that is actually useful for more than just keeping contacts. It actually works! :clap:

I wish I could say the same for the 3 iPAQs I have. The 3700/3800 series wasn't too bad but the processor just wasn't enough. The 5455 iPAQ absolutely SUCKED!!! :bad-words:

I am very happy with my Dell and have owned it since December. :ppclove: The only thing I wish it had but doesn't is an "eject" button for the CF slot. I have to "pick" at my microdrive with my fingernail to remove it.

[k1darkknight]

... Yes, I'd love to be able to breed a few of these to get the perfect offspring.
Next on the Discovery Channel: Pocket PC breeding, or get a room...with Windows! (mobile) Tonight on National Enquirer TV: Palm mates with someone named "Rosie" (sorry...I had to...)

Seriously, though...my X50v makes my old iPAQ h2215 look like an old 486 with an EGA monitor! Oh, and as for Pocket Slay...I have the same problem, and I AM using version 2.0 . About to look up that tweaked GAPI link, though...(shrug)

k1darkknight, aka...eh, nothing witty, this time...

[Steven Cedrone]

The only thing I wish it had but doesn't is an "eject" button for the CF slot. I have to "pick" at my microdrive with my fingernail to remove it.

Take a quick look at this thread! (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40285&amp;)

[imacamper]

The only thing I wish it had but doesn't is an "eject" button for the CF slot. I have to "pick" at my microdrive with my fingernail to remove it.

Take a quick look at this thread! (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40285&amp;)

A very non-technical solution but I'll give it a try. :)

Thanks!

[Steven Cedrone]

A very non-technical solution but I'll give it a try. :)

Thanks!

Of course an eject mechanism would be great, but at least we have the tape right here, right now! :wink: :lol: