bluevolume
12-10-2002, 04:51 PM
I've seen some questions posted in this forum, and am not sure if they have been answered completely yet. So I figured I'd just write up a full review from my first week with my Axim (400 mhz version). I have had an iPaq 3670 and 3835, so at some points I will compare.
The first thing I noticed was the screen, yes it is slightly smaller than the iPaq screen, but not really a big deal. The Dell screen has a bluish tint to it, almost like a monitor set to 9300K, and the backlight is very uniform aside from some small dark circles at the bottom of the screen. The D-pad is OK, not fantastic, and the scroll wheel is a little flimsy yet functional. The flat stylus takes a bit to get used to but I'm starting to like it.
The first unit I had would not record, and I found it to have a dead mic. Dell overnighted me another one, and this one works. The microphone and speaker are satisfactory, but not as good as the iPaq. However, when connected to my Sennheiser earbuds the sound is great.
I am very impressed with the performance of the SD interface. When reading large files I'd say that it is at least 3x the speed of my 3835. I have my Mapopolis maps on the SD card, and loading an entire state (NY) takes around 8 seconds rather than 20-30 with the iPaq.
As far as WI-FI, I have had zero problems. To make use of my Linksys WCF12 card all I had to do was install the drivers. Automatic discovery of the router and setup was simple. Works flawlessly to surf with IE, manually sync AvantGo, and to connect via ActiveSync.
I have seen a lot of people having problems with activesync, and since I have had none I'll just explain what I did. On my home machine (XP Pro), I installed the ActiveSync provided by Dell (3.5). I had recently rebuilt the machine, so it had not had a previous version of AS on it. Worked with no problems.
On my work machine (XP Tablet), which already had AS 3.6 installed, the Dell was not recognized -- at the device level. I directed Windows to the Dell CD for the device drivers, yet when it asked for a USB driver file I pointed it to my system folder since that file was newer. Once again, it has worked with no problems.
I haven't had the Axim long enough to really comment on the processor speed, but it is somewhat faster than the iPaq's when running through the normal motions. Launching, switching between programs is faster, IE is significantly faster, and mp3 playback seems to be more reliable when running other apps. The video playback performance is not noticably better however.
Far and away the best feature of this PPC is the battery life. I'm honestly in disbelief how well the battery holds up under heavy use. Even when using my wireless connection, I have yet to be able to kill the battery completely. In addition, Dell's inclusion of a backup battery is reassuring in that I don't have to worry about it going into the toilet when the battery does go dead.
So I say that Dell has a winner. Hope this info is helpful.
Regards,
Blue
The first thing I noticed was the screen, yes it is slightly smaller than the iPaq screen, but not really a big deal. The Dell screen has a bluish tint to it, almost like a monitor set to 9300K, and the backlight is very uniform aside from some small dark circles at the bottom of the screen. The D-pad is OK, not fantastic, and the scroll wheel is a little flimsy yet functional. The flat stylus takes a bit to get used to but I'm starting to like it.
The first unit I had would not record, and I found it to have a dead mic. Dell overnighted me another one, and this one works. The microphone and speaker are satisfactory, but not as good as the iPaq. However, when connected to my Sennheiser earbuds the sound is great.
I am very impressed with the performance of the SD interface. When reading large files I'd say that it is at least 3x the speed of my 3835. I have my Mapopolis maps on the SD card, and loading an entire state (NY) takes around 8 seconds rather than 20-30 with the iPaq.
As far as WI-FI, I have had zero problems. To make use of my Linksys WCF12 card all I had to do was install the drivers. Automatic discovery of the router and setup was simple. Works flawlessly to surf with IE, manually sync AvantGo, and to connect via ActiveSync.
I have seen a lot of people having problems with activesync, and since I have had none I'll just explain what I did. On my home machine (XP Pro), I installed the ActiveSync provided by Dell (3.5). I had recently rebuilt the machine, so it had not had a previous version of AS on it. Worked with no problems.
On my work machine (XP Tablet), which already had AS 3.6 installed, the Dell was not recognized -- at the device level. I directed Windows to the Dell CD for the device drivers, yet when it asked for a USB driver file I pointed it to my system folder since that file was newer. Once again, it has worked with no problems.
I haven't had the Axim long enough to really comment on the processor speed, but it is somewhat faster than the iPaq's when running through the normal motions. Launching, switching between programs is faster, IE is significantly faster, and mp3 playback seems to be more reliable when running other apps. The video playback performance is not noticably better however.
Far and away the best feature of this PPC is the battery life. I'm honestly in disbelief how well the battery holds up under heavy use. Even when using my wireless connection, I have yet to be able to kill the battery completely. In addition, Dell's inclusion of a backup battery is reassuring in that I don't have to worry about it going into the toilet when the battery does go dead.
So I say that Dell has a winner. Hope this info is helpful.
Regards,
Blue