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View Full Version : Couple of X50/1 series questions

roboedar
10-17-2005, 05:53 AM
Hi guys, Im in the market for a pocket pc and im looking at the x51v. I'm going to be using it for school mostly. I do have a thin laptop that I take to school occasionally, but have noticed that I hardly ever take it because of the inconvenience of lugging around an extra bag.

Im going to be using this mainly for minor note taking and was wondering how the recording feature was on these guys. Do you think I would be able to record long lectures (1-2hr)? How do you think the playback quality would be on headphones? (I sit at the front of class, auditorium style college class)

I would imagine it would take quite a bit of storage space to even have a 1 hour lecture, so what is the common medium used for storage with these devices?

I was also wondering about multimedia capabilities. If it is at all possible, I think it would be nice to rip a few DVDs onto the thing. I have never had a PDA, but i'm assuming this is possible, right? If it is done, what would the quality be like compare to say... the PSP?

Thanks guys.
Patrick Y.
10-17-2005, 06:55 AM
You won't have any problems with memory. After all, x51v has both SD and CF expansion slot. Also, recordings don't take up as much space as you think depending on the quality. :wink: I have a x50v, which is almost the same as x51v, and it has great microphone and headphone quality. I have to say that the headphone quality of x50v is miles ahead of other mp3 players and iPOD.

As for the DVD, there are tons of programs that let you shrink the size of DVD with losing the qualities to fit on external memory cards. x50v/x51v, with VGA screen and 2700G, has FAR better screen quality and video than PSP.
roboedar
10-17-2005, 07:20 AM
awesome. that is just what i wanted to hear. By the way, are you really only 13 years old?? Jeez... kids these days!
Nurhisham Hussein
10-17-2005, 10:06 AM
The x50v/x51v is pretty awesome for movies, as far as video goes. If you have a standard DivX DVD rip (about 700MB) it'll run just fine without any transcoding, unlike other PPCs. I would recommend you don't use anything but TCPMP for video playback, as WMP10 is terrible with anything not in wmv or wma format.

The Dell IIRC also has a 4ring connector for a headphone socket, which means you can actually attach an external microphone if you wish - this really helps with audio quality, especially if your sound source is a bit dispersed like in a lecture hall.

You should run, not walk but run, and try and find NoteM - the absolute best audio recorder for PPCs. It's really hard to find these days, but you should be able to get it if you look hard enough. It's also freeware, which makes it an even better deal.
MitchellO
10-17-2005, 10:52 AM
awesome. that is just what i wanted to hear. By the way, are you really only 13 years old?? Jeez... kids these days!

I'm only 16.
roboedar
10-17-2005, 02:15 PM
awesome, you guys are blessed to have such nice parents. :lol:

I also had another question. I have noticed that some other PCCs, such as the loox720 can view the gui in a landscape mode. Is this a feature of the OS, or is it specific to that PCC? I think it would be nice to be able to use it sideways to watch movies and use certain programs.
MitchellO
10-17-2005, 02:34 PM
Nope, all my tech gear is paid for by me, with money I have saved and worked for.
Sven Johannsen
10-17-2005, 03:44 PM
awesome, you guys are blessed to have such nice parents. :lol:

I also had another question. I have noticed that some other PCCs, such as the loox720 can view the gui in a landscape mode. Is this a feature of the OS, or is it specific to that PCC? I think it would be nice to be able to use it sideways to watch movies and use certain programs.

The native ability to go portrait or landscape arrived with Windows Mobile 2003 SE (Second Edition). Most current PPCs use that or WM5, the latest OS release. The X50 line uses 2003SE and is upgradeable to WM5. The X51 comes with WM5 on it.
roboedar
10-17-2005, 06:14 PM
The native ability to go portrait or landscape arrived with Windows Mobile 2003 SE (Second Edition). Most current PPCs use that or WM5, the latest OS release. The X50 line uses 2003SE and is upgradeable to WM5. The X51 comes with WM5 on it.

Ahh, I see. Okay. Last question though. I remember seeing some PPC that had an OS that could not be changed/upgraded. Will the axim be able to upgrade down the line when a newer distro of WM comes out? I know that won't be for a while, but just out of curiosity.

Nope, all my tech gear is paid for by me, with money I have saved and worked for.

CroiKkyY Mate! (did i say that right?) That's awesome. I have trouble even paying for gas to get to school! lol.
Sven Johannsen
10-17-2005, 09:59 PM
Ahh, I see. Okay. Last question though. I remember seeing some PPC that had an OS that could not be changed/upgraded. Will the axim be able to upgrade down the line when a newer distro of WM comes out? I know that won't be for a while, but just out of curiosity.

Dell has announced that they are providing an upgrade from 2003SE to WM5 for the X50 line. Free for recent purchases, not so free for older devices ($40?). Each time MS releases a new OS upgrade, the OEMs determine if it is worth providing the upgrade for existing devices. They all technically could be. There is no guarantee that the X51 line will receive an upgrade when a new OS is released. I would feel safe in saying that the X50 line will not be provided with an upgrade to whatever is after WM5, though. There is no history on any OEM that says they always, or never, provide an upgrade.
PetiteFlower
10-18-2005, 09:18 PM
The thing is, the OS on the X51 is Windows Mobile 5 - and it is BRAND SPANKIN NEW. Another new OS won't be out for probably another 2 years at least. Who knows what the current Dell offerings will be in 2007? The X51 might be so far obsolete by that point that an upgrade wouldn't make sense - the hardware might not even support it. However, that said, Dell IS offering the WM5 upgrade (for purchase, not free) for the X30, which isn't even being sold anymore, and came out a couple of years ago. So that's a positive sign. BUT, since this OS is so new, I wouldn't worry too much about upgrade-ability, that's something you worry about right BEFORE a new OS comes out, not after :)

Dell is also pretty good about providing ROM updates with enhancements and bug fixes etc. I feel pretty confident that my product will be supported, when I buy a Dell :)
Sven Johannsen
10-18-2005, 09:55 PM
However, that said, Dell IS offering the WM5 upgrade (for purchase, not free) for the X30, which isn't even being sold anymore, and came out a couple of years ago.

Where'd you hear this?
Patrick Y.
10-19-2005, 01:07 AM
awesome. that is just what i wanted to hear. By the way, are you really only 13 years old?? Jeez... kids these days!

Yeah, I'm 13. :wink: One of the few kid around here. :cry:
PetiteFlower
10-19-2005, 02:42 AM
Saw it on the website for purchase. At least I thought I did, let me double check...

Hmm...looks like I was wrong. Sorry about that! I saw the X50 upgrade and my eyes must have crossed or something :)
Darius Wey
10-19-2005, 03:20 AM
Hmm...looks like I was wrong. Sorry about that! I saw the X50 upgrade and my eyes must have crossed or something :)

Yeah, Dell even stated in their press release that the upgrade would only be made available for the X50 series. The X30 went bye-bye a long time ago.