What is the consensus about the Dell 51V?

[Wasp]

During the 9 day sale, I purchased the Dell 51V. It won't ship until March 13th, so I thought I would ask around for an opinion of the device. My current PDA is the IPAQ 4350. Due to HP pissing me off on their upgrade policy, I refuse to consider any of their machines. Of the remainder, the Dell 51V appealed to me the most. Any major issues with the 51V? I know that it won't be as fast because of the MS operating system, but are there any other major concerns? Inquiring minds want to know.

[ADBrown]

You do know that the iPaq 4350 is powered by an older version of that same MS operating system, right?

In any event, I've found the X51v to be by far one of the best devices available. There's a few minor bugs, but nothing that can't be corrected. Otherwise, it's great.

[duraace]

During the 9 day sale, I purchased the Dell 51V. It won't ship until March 13th, so I thought I would ask around for an opinion of the device. My current PDA is the IPAQ 4350. Due to HP pissing me off on their upgrade policy, I refuse to consider any of their machines. Of the remainder, the Dell 51V appealed to me the most. Any major issues with the 51V? I know that it won't be as fast because of the MS operating system, but are there any other major concerns? Inquiring minds want to know.

March 13th!? That's ridiculous. I ordered mine just over a week ago, and it's arrived in Canada today. Gets delivered tomorrow.

[Wasp]

By operating system, I meant the latest MS Dos operating system (Windows Mobilel 5.0). I heard that it is slower than the earlier operating systems, possibly due to programs in ROM. In regards to the ship date, I am not thrilled with it either, but at least I got a massive discount.

[Guest979]

I'm pretty sure WM5 is NOT DOS-based, and if it were, I would be quite disappointed. I don't think Microsoft still makes anything that is DOS-based.

(Yes, XP has a command line, but that does not mean it is DOS-based.)

[Wasp]

I grant your point that WM5 is not DOS-based. However, the purpose for this posting has nothing to do with the operating system; it was a request to hear from Dell Axim 51V users about their experiences with the 51V. The reason for this request is that when one reads a Forum, one gets the impression that they are all a piece of junk. No one posts good things, just problems.

[jaarso]

Due to HP pissing me off on their upgrade policy, I refuse to consider any of their machines. Dell had the same upgrade policy if you are referring to not getting an upgrade to either WM 2003 SE or WM 5.0. I've seen Dell PPC customers posting messages similar to yours but going the opposite way. Hillarious!

[tregnier]

I just bought a Dell X51v and I love it. The screen is great. The connectivity works fine. If you are running the latest ActiveSync and software (A06), you shouldn't have any problems. It replaced my h3955.

[Wasp]

Jaarso, I have been using PDA's for a long time (HP 95LX). My anger with HP started with the Jornada 560, which HP would not upgrade. In comparison, Dell did upgrade their equivalent model. From that time on, Dell has always been more pro-user than HP in both upgrades and patches. Dell may not have agreed to upgrade their models to Mobile 5, but you must admit that it has totally different memory requirements than the earlier versions of PocketPC operating systems. Anyway, my decision to buy Dell is water over the dam.

Treignier, thanks for your input. I must confess to some cold feet and called Dell up to check out their return policy. As I told their representative, I don't care if the hardware is fine and the software has issues. I am using the unit so both have to work. Based on your input, Treignier, maybe I won't feel the need to return it.

[Rider]

I've had mine since Dec/23/2006. Funny thing I got it in 2 days (here in Hungary). ... Xmas present from the company 8)

It replaced my personal HP 2210 which was aging especially the outside due to to day-to-day use ...
I am extremely satisfied with it. Like others have mentionde the screen is superb. I love the VGA resolution ... I could change the font sizes to much smaller (the smallest the OS permits) and now I am able to see much more content (such as emails, word documents with picture attachments)) in cristal crisp resolution. Very-very (!!!!) practical in addition to being impressive.
The 3D engine is also very neat... reminds me of the old days when 3d cards appeared on PCs.
Looks is also very professional. Large memory:neat.
I also like the fact that powerpoint is integrated (though this is a feature of the OS) but here also ppt slides in VGA are adorable !!

Battery is definetley not the strength, but never had any issue. During my routine day, it spends just about enough time in its cradle to charge up.

I also like the quick WIFI/BT enable disable button and the Voice recorder button. I was missing this REC button so much on my previous HP. (there is also a neat HOLD slider to disable accidental pressing of these)

I bought my version with DELL BT GPS. This works perfect, though I was dissatisfied, that european 3CD map did not contain Hungary. Hence I had to go and buy a local software and map. (Landed up with iGo, with which again I am very pleased.)

To sum it up: I can only recommend it. Only pluses and no negative observations yet. I was looking for a non-telephone device (like HW6515, Treo), since I wanted to keep my small phone and PDA (stored/used in a Franklin Covey paper-based binder) seperate.

Cheers,
Rider

[Wasp]

Rider, thanks for your input. As part of my order, I also ordered the extra-strength battery. I hope by doing so that most of the battery life issues will be put to rest.

[jordanpw]

Another BUG vote in favor of the Axim X51V here. I was an X50V user for over a year, loved it, and about 5 weeks ago got a new X51V. It works superbly - it's fast, very steady (as in, very, very few soft resets), gets great battery life and is generally a joy to work with.

[axjax]

I've kinda'been using "PDAs" of one sort or another for maybe 15 years and that started with the most primitive of devices, a Casio Digital Diary :)! But I had the Casio E100, E105, then a iPaq 3970, and a week ago I got my Axim X51v. Technology has come a long, long way and you _know_ that if you dropped this thing on somebody's desk just 40 years ago they'd probably swear it came from outer space.

The ride is not over, and when you're on the bleeding edge like you are with the X51v... the ride can be a little bumpy. But I fully expect everything to get settled down eventually and really use the power of this PDA. I just got my 2 Gig Lexar high-speed CF card which will probably have programs, movies(?), maps, and data stored on it, and my Globalsat SD-GPS should be here sometime next week. Hardare wise... that's about it for a while, but as the price of memory keeps dropping, I could possibly envision a 4 Gig card or maybe one of those CF Microdrives if they get to the point where they are fast enough and don't draw too much current.

The X51v seems to be a little quirky (right now), but an excellent overall product with plenty of room to grow. When you get yours WaSp... make sure you religiously visit this forum as well as the Aximsite forum. That way you'll get all the latest and greatest from real-world users.

AxJax

[johnmcd348]

OK, I'm about to become a new x51v owner and was curious to hear from those of you who've had both iPAQs and Axims. I ordered the high end x51v to replace my hx2415 iPAQ. The wife needed one to keep up with hers and my schedule so I fugured I'd order the newer model and let her have my iPAQ. Other than the screen difference and other minor"more or less" hardware differences, what improvements can I look forward to seeing with my new Dell.
I had upgraded my hx2415 to WM5 but plan to downgrade it back to WM2003SE. With the lower ROM size of the older model, I wasn't really impressed with the performance on the 2415. Also, I had to reinstall Outlook every so often to be able to get the calender to sync. At present, I still haven't gotten the unit to download my appointments into Outlook.
As for the Axim, I have read alot of reports about the WM5 units having really bad battery life, but I think it was mainly the x50v units that were upgraded. I bought the extra 2000-2400mAh battery(whatever size to go with it).

JTMcD

[W.I.P.]

It's a great little machine if you're ready to invest a little time and effort in tweaking it... lots of great support sites (including this PPC Thoughts natch) to help those who want to help themselves... fantastic screen! BTW, I do not incluse Dell among the great support sites... depending on the day, they rate somewhere between passable and poor...

I do not regret the purchase though.. I love my X51v!

[Brad Adrian]

One more supporting vote for the X51v here. The only problem I've had was the famed "disappearing memory card," but that's very easily fixed with the phatom server trick. In fact, I think it's the beautiful screen, speed and internal memory size that have kept me from going back to an integrated phone/Pocket PC device, especially since the Dell quickly connects via Bluetooth link with my SmartPhone.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Axim. And, if you need any support, check here first; enthusiast sites are filled with people who know a LOT more about the devices than the manufacturers' people, IMNSHO.

[Pocketjumper]

I personally never had an issue with the dissapearing memory card issue with my Axim X51 (it never happens, even though I have a CF and a SD card in it at all times), so I am guessing it was fixed in a firmware revision.

[Joelacrane]

I just bought an Axim x51v for $344.99 (Free shipping) at saveateagle.com, which is the same place that i bought my iPAQ rx3115. It should take about a week to get here, i can hardly wait.

I am pissed at HP for not providing a WM5 update for my unit, so i decided not to get one of their Pocket PC's. I've heard that Dell is very good about providing updates, and i decided to go ahead and get a high end Pocket PC instead of a lower end one like last time.

Anything i need to know about my new PPC? Any tips, tricks, and problem solvers you can give me?

Also, have any of you had problems running WM2003se programs on it? I intend to run Hitchhiker Beta 0.4, Worms World Party, PocketSNES, Pocket Nester, Pocket Player, and vBar. Of course, that list is not complete. I am mostly worried about the emulators, as they were designed for ye olde versions of Windows Mobile, like WM2002.

[Brad Adrian]

...Also, have any of you had problems running WM2003se programs on it?...
I don't use emulators much, so I can't speak much to your specific apps. However, I've had really good success using many of my older apps on my X51v. In fact, one of my favorites, Pocket TV Listings, hasn't been updated for years and it still works very well.

The only problem you might have is the screen rendering. If you're running non-VGA apps on a VGA device, it'll try to apply pixel-doubling to make it look right. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Good luck!

[Joelacrane]

Hmm. That kinda scares me. I sure hope everything works! Pocket Player and Hitchhiker i am not worried about, but everything else... I dont think Worms has been updated in a couple of years.

[Menneisyys]

I have three VGA devices so I have something to compare it to.

In general, I recommend the x51v. It's stable and well worth its price (particularly if you aren't in Europe - here in Europe it's not really competitively priced, unlike in the States). The only real problem with it are the landscape polarization issues (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=578&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1), the (comparatively) washed-out screen and the (compared to Fuitsu-Siemens devices or the hx4700) bad battery life. If you can live with them, however, (I can - much as I only use the x51v for gaming), you'll like it.