x50 vs x50v

[oilisab]

Is there a big difference betweeen this 2 handhelds??

can you tell the difference between them? physically, running apps, etc??
is it worth to pay an extra bucks for it??

I need to make up my mind before i buy it.
I will be running medicine programs mostly.

Any incomes will be appreciate it.

[Darius Wey]

The X50 has a 3.5" QVGA screen (240x320), whereas the X50v has a 3.7" VGA screen (480x640). With four times the amount of pixels, you can already tell which delivers more detail for a given screen space. The X50v also has a faster processor (624MHz) as opposed to the X50 (416MHz, 520MHz). Both the X50v (624MHz) and the X50 (520MHz) contains Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, whereas the X50 (416MHz) only contains Bluetooth. One other thing you'll notice is that the X50v has the Intel 2700G GPU which offers significant improvements in graphical performance. If you ever need to install medical programs which take advantage of the 2700G, you'll notice improvements in that arena over the X50. In addition, the X50v supports VGA-out, so if you ever need to present lectures/tutorials, etc., you can skip using your laptop and use your X50v instead.

For the record, I do a bit of radiology work on my X50v, and the extra resolution is a winning factor for me. That, and everything else just looks a lot nicer on a VGA screen. :P

Bottom line - the X50v is worth getting and is often discounted these days, so it won't be hard for you to snatch a great deal on this fantastic device. I'm not sure where you're located, but Dell USA is currently offering up to 35% off, a free Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade CD when it ships, as well as free shipping on your handheld.

[PetiteFlower]

Personally if VGA isn't important to you, I think the X30 is a better deal then either of the lower model X50s (416 or 520). It has the fastest processor and both wifi and bluetooth for less money then the 520 X50. It doesn't have a CF slot though so if you already have CF cards you'd want to use, then you should go with the X50 instead.

[G M Fude]

That's right about the X30, it's a blindingly fast PDA. The problem is it will probably be deleted from the range soon. In fact, it hasn't been available from Dell Australia since the start of the year.

The clincher is that Dell will be releasing the upgrade to the new OS, WM5, in a couple of months. Only for the X50 series. Some recent posts by Darius in other threads suggest WM5 will really be a big step forward.

[PetiteFlower]

The clincher is that Dell will be releasing the upgrade to the new OS, WM5, in a couple of months. Only for the X50 series.

Not true. I get the free upgrade CD in October with my soon-to-be-ordered X30 too.

[PetiteFlower]

Hm, actually now I'm not so sure. The offer comes up on the page with the x30, but when you look at the details it does specifically mention the x50/x50v.

If the x30 doesn't get the upgrade, it's probably because the 64 meg ROM doesn't provide enough storage space for the new "persistent storage" model in WM 5.

Even so I think I'd rather have the X30. Everything I need, nothing I don't, good value, and I can get a free Rhinoskin case with it :) I don't think not getting the OS upgrade is going to bother me much. I have a PPC 2002 X5 300mh 32 megs RAM/ROM X5 now, ANYTHING is an improvement!

[kaitanium]

thats a load of extra heft youre lugging around =P

[Darius Wey]

If the x30 doesn't get the upgrade, it's probably because the 64 meg ROM doesn't provide enough storage space for the new "persistent storage" model in WM 5.

The X30 won't be receiving the upgrade.

Theoretically, the 64MB ROM is enough. Note the low end iPAQ hx2000 series will be receiving the upgrade and they have 64MB ROM. It's just a matter of Dell not supporting the X30 series. When put head-to-head with the X50 series, it's easy to see which of the two they'd support with future upgrades. Don't get me wrong - the X30 is a solid device, but the X50 is an order of a degree better.

If there's one thing that's certain, it's Dell's fantastic support policy with regards to updates. While you may miss out on Windows Mobile 5.0, I'm pretty certain you'll still receive a constant stream of ROM updates to address bugs and to implement a few system tweaks here and there.

[PetiteFlower]

Well my thing is, the X50 with Wifi is $50 more then the X30 and has a slower processor. I don't know why they wouldn't want to continue to support/offer both lines.

Are you saying I won't even be able to BUY the upgrade for the X30?

[yankeejeep]

Dell has been pretty clear that there will be no WM5 upgrade prepared for the X30. This does not mean that there will not be any ROM fixes prepared for WM2003, but it does mean that you will not be able to reflash an X30 to the new WM5. It seems that the X30 will not get WM5 for either love or money.

[Mitch D]

Well my thing is, the X50 with Wifi is $50 more then the X30 and has a slower processor. I don't know why they wouldn't want to continue to support/offer both lines.

Are you saying I won't even be able to BUY the upgrade for the X30?

It's not a case of not supporting both lines, it's a case of programming resources. My first Axim was a X3i and it was great, not long after I got it Dell announced the release of the X30 series. Then came the announcement of the release of WM2003SE and all the "outrage" that followed when Dell indicated they would not be doing an upgrade to SE for the X3 series. If I remember it was because Dell does not have the resources to support the development of the SE upgrade for both platforms.

I think we will see this with the X30 verses the X50 series of PPCs when it comes to the WM5 upgrade.

[PetiteFlower]

Well, maybe I'll be able to find a good coupon so I can afford the X50....otherwise I'm just going to get the X30 and enjoy it :)

[kaitanium]

remember ebay has $35 off $300 coupons for dell that you can buy for about $2. they send you the codes right away.

[PetiteFlower]

I have one myself I got for free, it wasn't enough to make a dent in the X50 price. However I did buy a code for 25% off the X50v specifically, cost a little more but worth more in savings by a LOT.