INTRODUCTION
Many users have axed, I
mean "asked", Dell for an
upgrade to the Axim X50v. Well, now it's here!
While the most popular Pocket PCs these days include phone functionality,
Dell has decided to aim their PDAs more at business and media/gaming
markets with their powerful Axim line. You can't blame them though,
who would want to do business with a mobile phone
service provider anyway? At first glance, you
might think this is just an Axim
x50v with Windows
Mobile 5 installed. Well,
for the most part it is, but read on for some interesting improvements
to this award-winning Pocket PC.
WHAT'S HOT
The Axim X51v is Dell's
top-of-the-line Pocket PC. It
includes a 624MHz processor, an Intel 16MB
graphics
accelerator with OpenGL ES and JSR-184 support, and
a 3.7 inch VGA screen. It's also got integrated WiFi and
Bluetooth along with an SD card slot and a Compact
Flash card slot. The only thing missing is a GSM/GPRS
phone module. Oh, I almost forgot... the X51v
includes an unprecedented 256MB of ROM! Since
this uses Windows Mobile 5, all of the applications
and data are stored in ROM along with the operating
system. The 64MB of RAM is only needed for running
applications.
The size of the Axim X51v remains the same as the X50 which means it's still quite a nice form factor for something that packs in so much power.
|
Device (no cover)
|
Size (inches)
|
Weight (grams | ounces)
|
|
Dell Axim X51v
|
4.70" x 2.90" x 0.70"
|
175 | 6.20
|
|
4.70" x 2.90" x 0.70"
|
175 | 6.20
|
|
|
4.70" x
2.90" x 0.70" |
167
| 5.90 |
|
| Dell Axim X3i / X30 | 4.60" x 3.21" x 0.58" |
138 | 4.80 |
| i-mate JAM | 4.18" x 2.31" x 0.68" |
150 | 5.30 |
|
5.17" x
3.03" x 0.59" |
187
| 6.60 |
|
|
4.50" x
2.80" x 0.64" |
158
| 5.57 |
|
|
4.48" x
2.75" x 0.53" |
120
| 4.23 |
|
|
4.68" x
2.95" x 0.73" |
190
| 6.70 |
|
|
4.57" x
2.95" x 0.63" |
142
| 5.01 |
|
|
4.71" x
3.01 " x
0.65" |
164
| 5.80 |
|
|
5.43" x
3.30" x 0.63" |
206
| 7.26 |
Click on any of the above links to view our review of a handheld listed. The Axim X51v is FIPS-140-2-certified, which means it meets U.S. government security requirements for IT products. It's also the first lead-free product from Dell meaning it meets the EU Restriction on certain Hazardous Substances directive.
BOX CONTENTS
(all
images link to higher resolution)
The Axim X51v box comes
with the same components as the Axim
x50v. In
addition to the normal software CDs, documentation,
and packaging materials (not shown), here's what
you get:
The only way to tell the Axim X51v from the X50v, is the label printed just above the directional pad.
The cradle has a non-removable USB plug on the end that allows you to sync with a desktop computer. There's also an area for recharging a second battery just behind the docking area for the Axim x51v. In order for both to charge, you have to plug in the power cords though. It won't charge through the USB port. On the plus side the cradle has some significant heft to it, but you still can't remove the x51v without having to hold the cradle down with another hand.
You get an AC adapter that plugs into the cradle, plus an outlet plug that goes into the AC adapter. There's also a big proprietary power adapter that lets you charge the x51v without the cradle. You still have to carry around this huge amount of wires though if you're traveling.
The Axim x51v also comes with a nice little vinyl slip case.
THE DEVICE
Let's take a closer look at the Dell Axim
X51v...
The Axim x51v still looks great in it clean design. You can see a new Device locking Today screen item along with the big-icons in the new Pocket MSN Today screen item.
The Axim x51v maintains the traditional 4 buttons and directional pad hardware interface on the front of the device. There are no new hardware buttons assigned to the softkeys in Windows Mobile 5. I promptly reassigned these buttons to function as the Left and Right softkeys, Start menu, and Ok/Close items.
At the bottom, you'll see the proprietary sync/charging port for the Axim x51v.
There's also a sliding locking switch for removing the battery cover on the back.
While the right side is flush and smooth rubber, on the left side, you see a lanyard loop hole, a device locking switch, a wireless radio enable/disable toggling button, and a voice record button. The wireless and voice recorder button are re-assignable, however, it's nice to have a button to press in order to quickly turn on or shut off both the Bluetooth and WiFi radios. The locking switch is turned on by default, which means after you charge up and turn on your device, it won't respond to anything until you unlock it via this switch.
At the top of the device, you'll see an infrared port, SD card slot, and CF slot along with a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. On the other side is the stylus slot.
STACKING UP
In traditional pocketnow.com fashion, we like to stack
PDAs on top of each other so you can see how their sizes
compare. Here we go...
From bottom to top: Compaq iPAQ H3970, i-mate Pocket PC Phone (HTC Himalaya), Dell X51v, and i-mate JAM. The i-mate JAM is obviously still the smallest Pocket PC, but the Dell Axim X51v is still significantly smaller than the HTC Himalaya form factor.
Here's a top view.
And a bottom view.
