Dell Axim X50

14 Oct 2004 11:24

Solid performance and advanced multimedia capabilities make the Axim X50 a suitable handheld for both serious and more casual users.

Design

With the Axim X50, Dell introduces a kinder and gentler design to its handhelds. We weren't a big fan of the X30's squarish edges, which gave it a drab and utilitarian look, so we welcome the X50's smoother, rounded edges and attractive silver and black casing. At 7.3cm wide by 11.9cm deep by 1.69cm high and 167g, the Axim X50 is slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor, the X30. As a trade-off, the X50 is solidly built, and the rubberised sides make for a comfortable and solid grip.

Taking centre stage is the X50's 3.5in. QVGA screen that displays 65,536 colours and a 240-by-320-pixel resolution. The four shortcut keys (Calendar, Contacts, Inbox and Home) and the navigation toggle reside just below and, compared to the X30's, are quite diminutive. Although this isn't much of an issue with the shortcut keys, the smaller toggle are trickier to navigate, especially for those with bigger digits -- you can easily press the centre Select button by mistake.

The left side of the device provides access to a host of goodies. There's a lanyard hook, a lock switch, a wireless on/off button and a voice-record button. The one-touch access to wireless connectivity is a particularly nice convenience since you don't have to fish through the Settings menu to turn on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The top of the device houses a 3.5mm headphone/headset jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones and supports VoIP and voice-recognition programs. Also at the top is the stylus holder plus dual CompactFlash and SD expansion slots, while the bottom of the device is home to a standard sync/cradle connector. Give the X50 a twirl, and on the back you'll find a battery-lock switch that enables you to swap out the 1,100mAh battery, a Reset button and two rubber grips to prevent the device from slipping.

There aren't too many extras in the box, but you get a desktop sync cradle, a travel charger and a protective case. We were disappointed that a protective case isn't included. As mentioned earlier, the X50 has a user-replaceable battery; if you're a mobile professional, you might want to invest in Dell's 2,200mAh extended cell.

Features

Under the surface, the Axim X50 is a well-equipped handheld. There's an Intel 520MHz XScale PXA270 processor that, like any chip in this family, features SpeedStep and Wireless MMX technology to optimise battery life. There's plenty of memory, with 128MB of flash ROM and 64MB of SDRAM (145MB of which are user-accessible). If that's not enough, the dual CompactFlash and SD expansion slots should do the trick.

The expansion options are particularly attractive since the X50 is the first Pocket PC to offer Windows Media Player (WMP) 10 Mobile. What does this mean for you? In short, it's a better multimedia experience. Aside from being able to carry your favourite WMA, MP3 and WMV music files on your handheld, you now can get album art with the accompanying song. Also, Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 gives you access to audio and video content from subscription services such as Musicmatch and CinemaNow. Like to show off photos and videos? You can do that too with WMP 10. Although this is all very entertaining, proceed with caution, as playing music and watching video takes up a lot of battery power. Unlike the X50v, this model does not include the gaming bundle, although it has Solitaire and Jawbreaker.

Wireless connection comes in the form of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which can be used simultaneously. The X50 ships with a WLAN utility that shows signal strength, encryption options, certificate enrolment for advanced Wi-Fi authentication, and more. Bluetooth also opens the door to communication with other devices, allowing users to do even more with the X50. For instance, paired with Dell's GPS receiver, you can use the X50 as a navigation device or to connect to a Bluetooth keyboard, such as the Think Outside Stowaway, for extra productivity.

Like the latest crop of Pocket PCs, the X50 comes loaded with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which supports Landscape mode -- a boon if you're keen on flashing photos, surfing the Web or working on spreadsheets. There's also a companion CD with demo versions of programs such as Cash Organizer 2003, Full Hand Casino, and McAfee VirusScan PDA.

Performance

From a performance point of view, the Axim X50 fell short of the high-end X30, but bear in mind that it sports a 520MHz processor compared to the X30's 624MHz chip. That said, the X50 was about 15 percent slower than the X30 in our tests. Numbers don't tell the whole story, though, as the X50 is still a very fast Pocket PC, and the average user will be hard-pressed to discern any difference in performance between the two models.

Although the X50 offers great video performance, the magic was somewhat lost on the X50's QVGA screen. It's a fine screen that's readable in sunlight, but after using the VGA displays on the Asus MyPal A730 and the HP iPaq hx4700, we were left yearning for the new 3D graphical touches and crisper images. Then again, if you like what the X50 has to offer and desire a VGA screen, you can always go with the X50v.

On the other hand, the Axim X50's wireless connections are excellent. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth worked flawlessly in our tests. We were able to easily connect to our test access points and had excellent range. Again, you can use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi at the same time, but just be aware that this can quickly drain battery life.

Speaking of battery, the X50 comes with one main cell and one internal backup battery. In our rundown tests, where we looped a video clip with the backlight and volume set to high and all wireless connections turned off, the main battery lasted almost 5 hours, a very impressive score and a significant improvement from the X30 series. Still, it fell several hours short of some of the new iPaqs. As our drain test was designed to zap the battery as fast as possible, you will probably get more mileage in real-world usage.

The Axim X50 will be available for order from 9 November.

Story URL: http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/handhelds/0,1000000735,39170245,00.htm