anyone have a Dell Axim x30 or older model?

I've been trying to get over wanting to buy one of the new Dell pda's like the X30, but I'm not doing to well, so I thought I would ask if anyone has had experiences with them and if you like the windows mobile 2003 second edition software? Are add on programs easy to install?

Landscape mode rocks. I think it is a wm2003 feature.

Scott

PDAs are kind of dead, but the Dell (Because it's fairly cheap) isn't a bad one to find this out with.

Ok that's not true, PDAs are great for a lot of people but what I found was that, as a student, the PDA was just the ultimate compromise.

-Too large to easily carry (Not pocketable, screen damage results from pocket carry anyway)
-Too small to comfortable use for a long time. I did have a keyboard and used the thing exclusively for History notes, but a Laptop would have been better.
This lead to 2 problems:
Not convienet to carry, not convienent to use. MUCH faster to jot down a note on a 3x5 and enter it into my comptuer later or something.

The thoughts of using it as a universal remote or for surfing the web wirelessly sound great, but after about the third time you'll realize you like a real remote better, and surfing the web on a 3x5" screen just isn't the way it was intended to be.


With that in mind I have found the ultimate PDA--My Sony Ericsson T610 cell phone.

Bluetooth means it syncs with my computer without cables. If my computer and cell phone are within 6ft' I can sync. When I dock my iPod it syncs all my info to that, as well as the phone. I don't have to worry about another cable, it can just be charging and it will still sync.

T9 text entry with hardware keys is MUCH faster for creating appointments, etc. than the PocketPC methoods ever were.

Because it's small, my phone is always with me. My PDA sits at some 95% of the time.


If your primary objective is to take notes, well, I have a laptop for that now. It's not bad to take notes on a PocketPC, just make sure you get a Stowaway *full size* keyboard. The third time you have to hit a modifier key to enter a number is 2 time too many.





Sooo in short: Stop and evaluate what you want a PDA for. If possible, you might consider a high end phone instead (Or even a phone-PDA like a Treo). The phone is likely to get a lot more use than a PDA, which will has a big chance of being a big paperweight in a few years.


Last thought -- if you want to modify every little thing on your PDA, at the expense of having it run slugish and, well, like Windows, than a PocketPC is the way to go. If you just want a dang good electronic address book and calendar, Palm is the way to go.

As Saaby said - they are impractical in many ways.

I have a Dell X30 - lots of info about the Axim series at axim site.

Transcriber works amazingly well for text entry. Syncing with the built in WIFI is a breeze - I can be anywhere around the house and still connect easily with my laptop or access point.

Installing software (there isn't too much that is free) is easy.

I use my Axim primarily with my Garmin GPS and a 3rd party software package. It ran pretty well every day I was in oz on my camping/4wding trip. With an aftermarket cable I had the GPS/Axim talking and GPS externally powered and Axim externally powered & charging.

I use to use a laptop for moving map with my Garmin - but the PDA solution is soooo much smaller and easier to see in daylight. With a decent sized SD card installed I can have all my maps loaded.

Summary, PDAs are great IF you have a specific need for them. If not, they just sit there - which is pretty well what my Axim does when not connected to my GPS.

hth,
george.

I second the comments listed here. I bought a stand alone pda (HP 1935) and ended up selling it here having only charged the battery twice. It was too big to carry with me like a phone but too small to do anything useful.

Saying that, my current lust object is the Treo 650. I always have my phone with me and the pda part would be used for checking email etc. You can see it here!

Treo650

I have an Axim and don't see what the issue is with the size and usability. Maybe it's the fact that mine goes in my briefcase and I use it constantly. I would be lost without it. I carry documents, spreadsheets, and of course my contacts and schedule on it. There's plenty of productivity software out there that help you use your PDA the way you need to. And contrary to what was said above a fair amount of it is free. (check tucows). Installing is a breeze as ActiveSync does it for you.

I check in with the office with it by checking email and whatnot. I can find a hotspot almost anywhere I am. A couple weeks ago I was in a cell phone dead spot (residential area) and I pulled out my Axim to see if anyone was running an unsecured WiFi network and I found three. Logged into my messages and then checked the scores I was lookign for.

RH if the 1935 was "too small to do anything usefull", how is making the thing 30% smaller doing you any good just because it's attached to your cell phone? I prefer my phone to be a phone and be nice and small. For the $600 the 650 is going for you can get yourself a good phone and an awesome PDA.

-F

Hi Samoan,

The 1935 had no connectivity (bluetooth or wifi) and no keyboard. My intended usage was to take notes in a meeting, to do light word or excel work, or read pdf's.

With the treo, my plan is to check email, limited website work (like checking scores), and viewing docs (320x320 instead of 320x240). Also, if I need to input I can use the keyboard as opposed to the stylus.

I think your idea of a small bluetooth phone and pda is a very good one, but not for me. Tha way, you can have a very small phone (on weekends) and more pda functionality when you need it. My problem is that I know I would only have the phone on me most of the time. I definitely wouldn't have the pda with me or even charged in most instances.

Thanks,
Robert

I own an original Axim X5. I bought it as a toy 'cause I love gadgets. Now I couldn't live without it. I love the fact that it has both CF and SD capabilities. I have a 1 gbyte sd card and a 2 gbyte CF card. I also have bluetooth and wifi cards that I use in the CF slot.

One of the things that makes it fantastic, is the package of 3rd party utility software that I have installed.

Due to recent, and more frequent, failures of my onboard (human) memory, I have off loaded the majority of the workload to my pocket PC. I couldn't be happier.