The layout of the X50v is industry standard with controls oriented around the display. The Axim’s trademark glowing power button is nested above the screen while four hardware shortcut buttons and a four-way navpad are situated beneath. The left side of the unit is home to two additional shortcut buttons, one toggling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off, the second set to activate the voice recording feature; these functions can be changed, however. An unusual and welcomed control is also on the left side of the X50v, a lock switch, which disables the screen’s touch-sensitive feature and the functions of all exterior buttons.
The top of the X50 has both CompactFlash and Secure Digital slots, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an infrared port.
The back of the unit is also well designed. Solid black, the back of the X50v is a blend of hard plastic and a softer, rubber-feeling material. The back is also free of the uncomfortable protrusions found on the Axim X30 Pocket PCs. A flush, smooth backpiece makes a Pocket PC much more comfortable to hold for extended periods.
The battery compartment is one of the best we've seen. Rather than using a replaceable battery with a section that, when in place, forms a section of the back of the Pocket PC, the X50 has a section of plastic that covers the battery compartment with or without a battery installed. The section is held is place very securely by a lock switch, keeping it free of movement.
Overall, the feel of the X50v is one of solidity. The unit is well constructed and evn manages a degree of ruggedness. Through all of our testing, the back of the unit was unblemished, and the glossy front sections stood up well, too, resistant to the scratching and scuffing than can come all too quickly with frequent use.
The Screen: Out With the Old, In With the View
All Pocket PCs have had QVGA screens for years. However, in 2004, two major US Pocket PC makers, HP and Dell, released the first Pocket PCs with VGA displays. The HP hx4705 was the first VGA Pocket PC available in the US, with the Dell X50v following shortly thereafter.
The Dell Axim X50v’s display has a resolution of 640X480, which defines it as “VGA;” VGA displays have four times the pixels found in a QVGA screen. Because the actual size of the screen is only slightly larger than QVGA screens, the increased number of pixels, or dots of color, results in sharper, less pixilated images and text. The result is images that look as good as they do on most laptops and text that's incredibly smooth and easy to read. VGA changes much of the experience of using a Pocket PC.
The X50v has an onboard Intel 2700G graphics processor which, in combination with the quality LCD, gives the unit an excellent refresh rate. Both games and videos look amazing on the X50v, the best we've seen.
If you plan to play any of the more advanced Pocket PC games that have become available in recent months, the X50v’s advanced GPU and CPU provide excellent performance. Watching DVD-to-Pocket PC movies is also a treat with the X50v's setup.
Because this Axim runs Windows Mobile 2003 SE, the display can be set to portrait (default) or landscape with a tap of the stylus. Preferences vary, but landscape viewing on a VGA display makes browsing the web and working on text files or Excel spreadsheets much easier on the eyes.
The backlight of the X50v is excellent; we found using the unit with the backlight set to 50% more than adequate for comfortable viewing. In all the backlight has nine settings from off to high.
Performance
The Axim X50v is powered by the fastest mobile processor available today, the 624MHx Intel PXA270 XScale. This processor provides quick response time for both casual and advanced use.
Stability seemed a non-issue with the Axim X50v. Throughout our testing, the X50v never locked-up or spontaneously rebooted. This is the first Pocket PC we've tested about which we can make such a claim.
Like most Pocket PCs, the X50v ships with a utility built into the Power Management software that allows you to manually select the speed of the processor or to set the speed to auto. If you're running processor-intensive programs, you'll get better performance with the CPU set to the full 624MHz, but this will drain the battery at a faster rate. If, on the other hand, you're checking your e-mail or reviewing a Word document, a slower processor speed will not hinder your work, but will extend your battery life.
Wireless
Like its immediate predecessor, the Axim X30 Advanced, the Axim X50v has both Bluetooth and 802.11b Wi-Fi onboard. Unlike the X30, however, the X50v manages wireless a bit better.
A hardware button on the left side of the X50v toggles the unit's wireless features on and off. Rather than powering up or down with a single press of the button, which can occur accidentally, you must press and hold the button a second time to confirm the request.
On the Axim X30, one of our primary complaints centered around the problems we encountered when both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi were activated. The X50v seemed to be free of such interference in our testing, likely due to the fact that the X50v has Bluetooth 1.2, which was designed, primarily, for happy coexistence with Wi-Fi.
Having both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi makes the Axim X50v ready to connect to home and office networks as well as other wireless devices. New Bluetooth products like GPS receivers, headphones and keyboards are extending the usable features of Pocket PCs every day, and Wi-Fi is now the standard for home and office networks, and public Internet HotSpots. If you can't find a Wi-Fi HotSpot, partnering your X50v with a Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone provides wireless Internet anywhere on your wireless carrier's network.
Listen, But Don't Touch
A feature that many Pocket PC users have been clamoring for is the ability to turn off the touch screen function when needed. Many Pocket PCs moonlight as MP3 Players, but putting a Pocket PC in your pocket while listening to music would often result in inadvertent screen contact that could open programs, adjust volume, or skip tracks.
The Axim X50v has a switch on its left-hand side that shuts off the touchscreen – and every hardware button - while the Pocket PC is still on. The display's backlight shuts off after a time of your choosing, but the Pocket PC stays on, saving battery power while locking out input from the screen or hardware buttons.
Battery Life
The X50v ships with a 1100mAh Lithium-Ion battery. In our testing we got about 3 hours use on a single charge with both wireless radios on, the backlight at 50%, and the processor set to “Auto.” This is less than advertised by Dell, but most Pocket PC manufacturers promote battery life in terms of a best case scenario since there are so many settings than affect battery life.
We found three hours of use per charge to be lacking, and it's our chief complaint about the X50v. Dell does sell a double-capacity 2200mAh battery if you want more hours of use per charge.
Expansion
Both Secure Digital and CompactFlash slots are part of the X50v, and each are compatible with both memory cards and peripherals. This allows you to use an SDIO GPS receiver with detailed maps stored on a CompactFlash memory card, or to dial out to your ISP with a CompactFlash modem and download files to an SD memory card. The inclusion of both slots gives great flexibility in file storage and peripheral choices, which is always welcome.
Bluetooth, which for a long time was practically useless, has finally caught on in the past year and there are now a wide range of Bluetooth devices available, ranging from cellular phones to keyboards to mice to wireless stereo headphones. Bluetooth provides a world of expansion possibilities that goes as far as third-party manufacturers are willing to take it.
Software
The X50v runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 SE operating system. The WM2003SE OS offers standard applications like Pocket Word, Excel, Outlook and Internet Explorer as well as a picture viewer, calculator, and file explorer. The classic PIM functions like calendar, contacts, tasks, etc., are also there.
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile supports not only Windows-format audio and video, but for the first time the ability to play protected content, like audio files downloaded from online music services such as Napster 2.0.
Two graphics-intensive games are included with the X50v on a CD-ROM, Stuntcar Extreme and Enigmo. These games are, more than anything else, included to highlight the video capabilities of the X50v. While visually impressive, neither of these games seem to lend themselves well to the controls provided on a Pocket PC. Stuntcar Extreme, for example, is a beautiful game with graphics and motion rivaling Sony's PSP, but there's no comfortable way to control the car you're driving.
A backup utility is also part of the software package, which allows you to backup parts or all of your device to a CompactFlash or SD card when you're away from your PC.
It's worth mentioning here that the X50v is one of the current Pocket PCs that is compatible with the upcoming Windows Mobile 5.0 OS from Microsoft. Because of the large ROM, the X50v is well suited for the Persistent Memory Storage, a new memory-management scheme that will be introduced with WM5. The upgrade is expected to be made available by Dell sometime in October of 2005.
Conclusion
The Dell Axim X50v is, quite possibly, our favorite Pocket PC to date. Although its battery life leaves something to be desired, the rest of the package is top-notch. The X50v is a Pocket PC with a 624MHz processor, a VGA display, more than 100MB of free storage space, Bluetooth 1.2 and Wi-Fi onboard, both CompactFlash and Secure Digital expansion slots and an attractive, comfortable design, all for around $400.
Unless you want to pay extra for the iPAQ hx4705's slightly better VGA display and first-of-its-kind touchpad, the Dell Axim X50v is right for anyone interested in a full-featured Pocket PC. Visit Dell.com for purchasing information. |
