Dell Axim X30 A06 ROM Update Now Available

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&SystemID=PDA_AXIM_X30&os=PPCA&osl=en&deviceid=6672&devlib=7&category=0&releaseid=R101483' target='_blank'>http://support.dell.com/support/dow...leaseid=R101483</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20050620-X30.jpg" /><br /><br />Axim X30 owners can now upgrade to the latest ROM (A06), which offers the following fixes and enhancements:<br /><br />• Added feature that allows the WLAN auto power-off feature to be enabled and/or disabled in the Power applet<br />• Updated the Funk Odyssey client to version 2.00.00.1681<br />• Updated the Bluetooth stack to version 1.5.0.4300<br />• Added support for Go Daddy SSL certificate<br /><br />Current A02/A03 users will not be able to natively migrate data to the new ROM using the bundled backup utility or ActiveSync backup. If you decide to upgrade your device to A06, be prepared to reinstall all your programs. Additional details on the 31MB update can be found at <a href="http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/format.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&SystemID=PDA_AXIM_X30&os=PPCA&osl=en&deviceid=6672&devlib=7&category=0&releaseid=R101483">Dell Support</a>.

[delfuhd]

I like how Dell is still continuing to support these devices even though they are older. Unlike HP, who seems to decide to discontinue support after about a week of a product being out, and instead of offering support they just offer a half dozen brand new devices.

Good for dell

[Jordan Rosenwald]

I'm really happy to hear that Dell is continuing to support this great PDA. Has anyone installed the update? Does it happen to fix the button mapping issue in MP10? The site doesn't mention it, but I can still hope, can't I?

[whydidnt]

I like how Dell is still continuing to support these devices even though they are older. Unlike HP, who seems to decide to discontinue support after about a week of a product being out, and instead of offering support they just offer a half dozen brand new devices.

Good for dell

I agree 100%. Is this the 5th update Dell has released for these devices? Even if it's only 4, they are at least showing an interest in supporting their customers after the sale.

It will certainly make me pause to think about purchasing an HP device in the future, if there is a comparable Dell device available.

[stevelam]

I like how Dell is still continuing to support these devices even though they are older. Unlike HP, who seems to decide to discontinue support after about a week of a product being out, and instead of offering support they just offer a half dozen brand new devices.

Good for dell

I agree 100%. Is this the 5th update Dell has released for these devices? Even if it's only 4, they are at least showing an interest in supporting their customers after the sale.

It will certainly make me pause to think about purchasing an HP device in the future, if there is a comparable Dell device available.

Ditto

[Sven Johannsen]

I like how Dell is still continuing to support these devices even though they are older. Unlike HP, who seems to decide to discontinue support after about a week of a product being out, and instead of offering support they just offer a half dozen brand new devices.

Good for dell
Don't want to start an OEM war and not really out to get people to love HP, but I don't think the characterization is entirely accurate. The 4100 and 2200 series came out in the fall of 03, while the X30 came out in the spring of 04, about 7 mos later. Both the Hp devices show driver updates as late as Dec of last year, over a year into the product. Yea, wholesale ROM updates aren't as frequent, but there are still updates being made as late as April of this year for the 4155 (that's 18mo after release). Those two HP devices are often brought up as the pinnicle of PPC design, and many folks are hanging on to them because they can't find anything better. Maybe they just got them right in the first place as opposed to releasing patches every two months.

No you didn't get a WM2003SE upgrade on your 2215 or 4155. The X30 shipped with WM2003SE. Are you getting a WM2005 upgrade? No. Talk to Dell X3 owners and see how supported they feel. That was released the same time as the 4155.

All I'm saying is one company isn't all that much different in product support as the other. You get what you get with your year warranty either way. Remember the technological half life of these things is way less than how long you would like to keep it or have it supported. Any PPC company would get killed if they waited two years, or even 18 mo between new products, and they can't support the older ones indefinately. Remember what support means too. It doesn't guarantee supplying you with the latest wizz bang feature that is available on the newest items, it is keeping what you bought running. That includes maintenance updates, which both companies are doing. HP may actually be doing it longer. We have some time to go before we know if Dell will be pushing X30 updates 18 months after release.

As far as actual customer support, I think the reports here are fairly evenly split for both vendors, or actually all vendors. The horror stories exist on both sides as do the great experiences. The horror stories do tend to be the ones shared more freely. Personnally when I sak someone about customer support I'd rather hear, "Don't know, never had to use it", rather than "Had my PPC replaced 3 times and customer support was just wonderful about it."

For reference I use a Dell X50 as my main machine. I might actually like not having a maintenance release every couple of months, that I feel needs to be installed to fix niggling issues. Would have been nice if the BT and WiFi worked right when I first got it it, not after two ROM updates. I also have an HP3715, good machine. It got a MP10 update. I had an X30 but sold it. I have a 2215 and a 4155 and am having a hard time parting with them. They are still darn good PPCs. even though they are ancient in PPC terms. Before that HP 540s and 568s and a Dell X5. Still have that museum piece, ca. Dec 02. BTW, had to send back an X30 and an X50 for replacement and they were great about it. Never have sent an HP PPC back.

So there's my 2 cents and change.

[Newsboy]

I can't concur.

The HP 1910 was released in November 2002. In June 2003, exactly 7 months after the release of the 1910, Microsoft released Windows Mobile 2003. HP almost immediately announced that it would not be providing an upgrade to 1910 users, not for technical reasons, but because they were not considered to be "enterprise users". The 1940 model was based on the same hardware architecture as the 1910, and included Windows Mobile 2003, so an upgrade would not have been difficult to author and provide to end users. HP completely ignored the consumer market, and burned thousands of customers.

Dell has made no such distinction between supporting "enterprise" and "consumers".

HP won't be getting my business again.

[Sven Johannsen]

Dell has made no such distinction between supporting "enterprise" and "consumers".

Dell most certainly does make a distinction between supporting enterprise and consumers. If you've ever had the opportunity to call Dell support as an enterprise customer you would be very aware of the difference between that and calling as a consumer. What they don't do is make a distinction between enterprise and consumer PPC devices. They only have 1.5 models.

While I don't expect you to change your mind, as you likely were on the wrong side of the statistics. It makes sense to me for HP to draw that line. I would bet that the majority of typical consumers wouldn't buy an upgrade to a PDA OS. Heck the majority wouldn't even know it existed. On the Enterprise side, an IT department would likely keep up and potentially invest in the upgrade to extend the investment. From the OEM point of view, if you have a half dozen models, you invest in the ones with the greatest potential of return.

If you are avoiding HP because of what they did to you, so be it. If you are doing it on principle because they 'screwed' consumers, you might as well avoid all the manufacturers. They have all 'screwed' their customers at one time or other. The simple reality is consumers should expect maintenance updates, but certainly not OS upgrades on PPCs. An OS upgrade is a bonus, not an entitlement.

[whydidnt]

It makes sense to me for HP to draw that line. I would bet that the majority of typical consumers wouldn't buy an upgrade to a PDA OS. Heck the majority wouldn't even know it existed.

I've heard statements like this several times before. Are there any facts to back this up? My thought is that the average consumer DOESN'T even buy these devices in the first place, so we shouldn't concern ourselves with them. My better guess is the people buying these devices are more technically inclined and therefore would upgrade if given the opportunity. HP might like to split between enterprise and consumer, but the end user is really the same person on either side.

I don't have huge issue with HP making these sort of decisions, after all they have to decide what they think is best for their business. However, that doesn't mean as a consumer I can't look at their track record vs. Dell's and decide I like Dell's record of support via upgrades better than HP's. Neither is perfect, but my opinion is that Dell has done a better job recently in supporting upgrades than HP does.

[Sven Johannsen]

I've heard statements like this several times before. Are there any facts to back this up? No more than an assertion that everyone with one is actively participating in forums and constantly checking Dell, or HP or whatever for updates. I don't see any notification on either site that even maintenance updates are available. HP does let you sign up for e-mail notifications.

My thought is that the average consumer DOESN'T even buy these devices in the first place, so we shouldn't concern ourselves with them. My better guess is the people buying these devices are more technically inclined and therefore would upgrade if given the opportunity.
We aren't talking about people that don't have one. Of the dozen or so folks I know personally that have a PPC 50% of them are using them the way they came out of the box in the case they came with. They aren't looking for upgrades. Half of those left have add-on programs only because I helped them find something they needed. The majority of the folks I chat with at CompUSA, etc. in front of the PDAs are going to buy one but don't know the difference between Palm and PPC. They are looking for an electronic date planner. They aren't looking for upgrades after the sale. The thing does what they want or they never buy another one. I would think the really tech savvy folks are a significant minority. Just a gut feel.

HP might like to split between enterprise and consumer, but the end user is really the same person on either side.[quote] But you aren't marketing to, or pleasing, the end user on the corporate side. Fortune 500 companies don't poll their users to see what server, mail system or PDA they would like. Those decisions are left to the IT dept or driven by the exec whose golf buddy has a Blackberry.

[quote]Neither is perfect, but my opinion is that Dell has done a better job recently in supporting upgrades than HP does.And I think the key word there is recently. If you owned a 2700 or 4700, you'd think HP is doing a bang up job. If you owned a 3700, you'd be able to say you are one of the few that got an MP10 Upgrade. If you own an X3 you didn't even get an SE upgrade. X30 owners aren't getting WM2005. Seems like a wash to me.