First Thoughts on the Dell Axim X5

[Jason Dunn]

Thoughts reader Cary has received his Dell Axim X5 (the 300 mhz model) and he's put together some brief comments on what he thinks of it so far. <!>Some people on another forum were wondering why they weren't seeing any user reviews up on the Dell Axim, so I just posted some quick thoughts. Since I have benefited so much from your site, I thought I'd just forward them to you too. If it's all old news, then disregard it. <br /><br />What came in the box: <br /><br />• 300 mhz Axim <br />• USB Cradle, Sync cable, AC Adaptor <br />• Default case (not the leather one) <br />• Activesync 3.5, Outlook 2000 on CD <br />• Various manuals <br /><br />There is a note on the getting started guide that advises you to charge your Axim for 4 hours before you actually turn it on. <br /><br />I ordered screen protectors, but they are coming separately. Since Howard2k got his screen protectors with his Axim, I guess they ran out at the time and shipped them later (I should be getting them tomorrow). <br /><br />Taking the Axim out of the box, there is a plastic sheet covering the screen to protect it against scratches. I've left this on until my screen protectors arrive. <br /><br />The CF and SD slots are occupied with slot protectors. To remove the CF protector, pull it out. To remove the SD protector, push it in and it will pop out. <br /><br />The default case is rather cheesy, but then again, it came free (I did not order the leather case). The front and back is made out of a synthetic rubber-like material that sandwiches an elastic material that can stretch a bit. The case closes with a flap secured with velcro. There's no belt clip on the case but it wouldn't be hard to attach one yourself. In the case, it fits into my jeans pocket and it's about the thickness of my wallet, yet slightly longer. <br /><br />The screen is excellent. I haven't had any trouble reading it outside or indoors. I can't compare it to another PDA screen since I've never had one, but I am very satisfied with it. By default, when out of the cradle the unit's brightness is lowered, but you can turn it up at the expense of battery life. The processor can be clocked down to 200 mhz to conserve power, and the auto setting switches on the fly depending on what you are doing. <br /><br />The directional pad seems a bit loose, almost squishy. But I haven't had any trouble using it with the few games I've tried. However, I did notice that pushing into the d-pad does not execute an action like I was expecting it to. It's supposed to be a 5-way d-pad, but for now, it's more like 4-ways. I've been using the jog dial to execute an action. The jog dial isn't like a mouse wheel like I thought it would be. Instead, it's more like a joystick with only 1 axis of rotation, and pushing into the jog dial executes an action. The 4 buttons are responsive and I think I can press more than 1 at once. <br /><br />The recording button is well-recessed. You won't be pressing this by accident. The reset button must be pushed with the stylus or with your fingernail and is below the recording button on the left side. It's actually underneath the rubber, but there's an indent indicating where to press. The system boots very quickly - it takes me 10-15 seconds after a soft reset. <br /><br />The rubberized sides give a lot of grip on the unit - I won't be dropping it anytime soon. Overall, the Axim feels really solid in my hand. It's plastic but feels rugged. <br /><br />The stylus is a bit weird, but I'm used to it now. As reported, it's semi-flat, but I haven't found that to be a problem. I'd be interested to see if after market stylii become available for the Axim because the slot on the Axim for the stylus is elliptical. <br /><br />There's nothing on the right-side of the unit apart from the rubber grip. I don't think left or right-handed users will have any trouble with the device. <br /><br />The 300 mhz Axim has 32 ROM/32 RAM. 26 megs of rom are used by the OS, so 5.6 megs were available for me to load programs or files into ROM. Right now, I've got Acrobat Reader and Acdsee mobile loaded in rom with 0.51 megs to spare. This really surprised me, since I wasn't expecting to be able to load things into rom. The ROM is accessible as a folder called "Built-in Storage". Other users with the 400 mhz Axim that has 48 megs of ROM have reported that about 22 megs are usable. <br /><br />If you'd like to know anything else about the Axim, let me know!

[Abednego]

Thanx for the "early-bird" review. :)
One thing, I've found crucial for pocketpc usability (at least for my purposes): How long does the Dell's battery last? 8O

[twntaipan]

If you'd like to know anything else about the Axim, let me know!

For all the world this sounds like a faster version of the Casio E-200 which I bought a year ago---lots and lots of similarities.

Hope the Dell machines avoid all the backlight problems the E-200 had

[BigCanoe]

Other users with the 400 mhz Axim that has 48 megs of ROM have reported that about 22 megs are usable.

Another reason to have bought the more expensive version, I wish I had! Of course, I haven't received my cheaper version, I guess I could cancel :)

[Sven Johannsen]

Two questions. 1) Did you add the cradle or was that standard on the lower end unit? 2) Does the manual still indicate a serial sync capability? The on-line pdf shows it in a picture of connecting your Dell, and in the text, but no serial cable or cradle seems to be offerred yet.

[Xyress]

Other users with the 400 mhz Axim that has 48 megs of ROM have reported that about 22 megs are usable.

Another reason to have bought the more expensive version, I wish I had! Of course, I haven't received my cheaper version, I guess I could cancel :)

Wow - very cool. I had never considered that possibility. 22MB is a WORLD of space to put programs in (especially from my EM-500 16MB RAM perspective). I can't wait! Please come this week, Dell!!

[Venturello]

Wow that ROM store for programs sure looks like a nice thing to have!!
My iPaq has died (lost RAM) on me a few times, and I would have LOVED to have a backup of contacts, a few apps and documents at hand after that. Even so, its RAM saved for programs.

Seems like a good unit these Dell's, heard nothing but good comments. And with Dell's support to back them up, and such an attractive pricing... tempting!!

Thanks Jason for the information! I'll wait eagerly for a full review.

[mv]

So that´s the reason for a 48 mb rom (Other than future upgrades) Very cool!

[Foo Fighter]

What's the audio quality like, through the headphones? Is the Axim a good MP3 player?

[Cary]

Two questions. 1) Did you add the cradle or was that standard on the lower end unit? 2) Does the manual still indicate a serial sync capability? The on-line pdf shows it in a picture of connecting your Dell, and in the text, but no serial cable or cradle seems to be offerred yet.

1) I added the cradle at a cost of $30 cdn. It came with both the USB sync cable and USB cradle.

2) The manual does seem to indicate that a serial cradle and sync cable will be available.

Depending on the type of cradle that you have, connect the cradle cable to either the USB or serial connector on your computer.

A diagram also indicates that the cradle could be serial or USB.

What's the audio quality like, through the headphones? Is the Axim a good MP3 player?

I have found the headphone output to be excellent. The built-in speaker leaves much to be desired since it's rather quiet and lacks bass response. I've been quite happy with it, but if you're looking to load mp3's on this thing, you're definitely going to want a memory card to go with it!

By the way, some people have asked if a stylus came with the unit. Yes, it came with a stylus. It's a good friction-fit and I am not worried about the stylus dropping out or anything like that.

Haven't noticed the screen flicker that people were worried about either.

Cary

[Cary]

Thanx for the "early-bird" review. :)
One thing, I've found crucial for pocketpc usability (at least for my purposes): How long does the Dell's battery last? 8O

How exactly would one go about testing this objectively? Let me know what you want me to test it with.

By default, the brightness is lower when on battery operation and the screen dims after 30 seconds of inactivity. You can easily change this, and you can also clock the processor down to 200 mhz to save power. The auto setting on processor speed is rather seamless and throttles up and down depending on usage.

I've been trying NOT to use it too much because I have final exams in a week :(

[mike6024]

When I got back from lunch, my coworker and I saw the boxes on his desk. I'm trying to be a good boy and let it fully charge before using it (and doing the junk I have to get done in the mean time). My first impressions are pretty good. Only gripes I have are the stylus is pretty weird. Kinda hard to get in and out and is shaped, well, weird. The CF card is also recessed kinda deep inside the slot and I have no fingernails with which to get it out. Other than that, I like that. I'm really liking its form factor more and more. And then of course the dual expansion... [drool] Ok, back to work.

[Paragon]

Cary, nice review.

I noticed you said you only have 0.5mb left in ROM storage, Ipaqs, and Jornadas ran into problems with the built-in storage disappearing if it was over filled so you may want be careful.

I will add that I have seen no screen flicker. As well it is NOT a brick at all. To me it feels no different than an Ipaq in my hand

Dave

[heov]

If you'd like to know anything else about the Axim, let me know!

For all the world this sounds like a faster version of the Casio E-200 which I bought a year ago---lots and lots of similarities.

Hope the Dell machines avoid all the backlight problems the E-200 had

you mean slower, i'm sure most will agrea a 206 SA is faster than a 300MHz Xscale ;)

[Foo Fighter]

Thanks, Cary. What about volume depth (through the headphones)? Is the Axim loud enough for music playback, compared to say...the iPaq?

[toshtoshtosh]

For battery life test:

Charge to 100%.
Set backlight to not shut off after 30 seconds (always on).
Set backlight to one of the middle brightness notches (I don't know how many there are).
Start looping an mp3 in WMP.
Start stopwatch, remove from AC power.
Record time elapsed and battery % remaining when music stops/device dies.

[enemy2k2]

Thanks for the glimpse into the Axim. I hope I can look forward to more details from you soon :)