My 14 Day X50v Blog: Day 1

After finding a fantastic deal (and hours of research), I broke down and ordered the Dell X50v to replace my iPAQ 2215. So, for the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting a daily bit with my finds, issues, and frustrations. And, by some chance, you happen to have a question concerning the unit, drop me an email or post an item in the discussion section and I'll do my best to hit those hot spots.

That said, here's Day 1...

The extended battery actually arrived Monday. And, sadly, I had no way to start charging it. So it went right back into the box and under the desk.

12pm Tuesday. More presents arrive. This is my first PDA from Dell and I'm initially shocked by the complete lack of presentation in the packaging. But then again, I'm not going to complain for the price I paid.

Everything out of the box (for some strange reason, the power cord is seperated into different parts of the box...panic moment as the thought that I may be missing a part crosses my mind). All seems to be in order, I plug the base in and start charging - and head to lunch.

The unit really isn't that much bigger than my iPAQ and fits nicely in my hand. I already miss the grips though - just about dropped the unit once already.

4pm. Ugh. I had forgotten what a chore reloading a Pocket PC can be. Neglected to preorder any screen protection so I've been tapping through the "Load Activesync" plastic covering the display. Also forgot to order an extra CF card...so everything that is loaded either goes on the 1Gb SD or device memory.

The load out:
Pocket Informant
WisBar Advance2
Picard's Tweaked GAPI Driver
Pocket e-Sword
TodayPlus
-Configured Avantgo
-All my existing data

Did I mention I almost dropped this unit 3 times today? Gads, I need a better case. The Dell sleeve is a thousand times better than the one that came with my iPAQ, but I've been using a Piel Frama case the last couple of months and am just a tad spoiled.

On the way home, I think I've completely hosed the unit as it won't respond to any screen taps at all....turns out, the lock is on folks - it will keep you from doing ANYTHING except soft reset. And even when you reset the unit, it won't turn off via the power button because, yes, it's locked. Whew!

5:30pm. I configure Bluetooth to connect to my phone (Motorola v710) and attempt to configure wireless. I get an IP, but no traffic - probably a DNS issue that I'll have to hash out. Then off to our Young Married's group for the evening.

9:30pm. Writing this!

Check in tomorrow for more...