There's A Rocket In My Pocket

During the past six months, I've looked at a lot of PDAs, from Palm's i704 to pocket PCs from T-Mobile (Pocket PC Phone Edition), Toshiba (e740) and Compaq (iPAQ 3955 and 5450). All of them had one flaw or another. I was ready to give up and wait for the next generation of PDAs.

Then along came the Axim X5. It's a PDA powerhouse designed with almost everything you'd want in a portable device without the hardware and software flaws that seem to plague every other device I've seen. The downside, however, is that while the product has huge potential, Dell's channel program is miniscule compared with the other vendors'.

The X5 has a 65-K transreflective color display like the latest iPAQs. The screen is not as bright as the iPAQ's, but is adequate and works in sunlight. The battery lasts a bit longer than the iPAQ's, due to the slightly lower power consumption of the X5's screen.

The X5 has a 400-MHz Intel PXA250 processor. None of the Pocket PCs I've used let you know the speed of the CPU. The X5 does. By default, the CPU runs at 200 MHz. But you can set it to change automatically with current system status or just set it to run at 200 MHz or 400 MHz. At 400 MHz, the X5 runs circles around the other 400-MHz PXA250 pocket PCs.

The Axim X5's battery is removable, so you can carry extra charged lithium ion batteries. Standard and double-capacity batteries are available. The unit's cradle includes a place to charge an extra battery. It's a minor but thoughtful feature. That way, you don't have to attach a battery to the X5 to charge it, and there's no need to buy a separate battery-only charger for another $50 to $75. The unit comes with built-in CompactFlash and SD slots. Adding CompactFlash to an iPAQ costs a minimum of $40; the additional sleeve adds bulk and weight to the device.

The Axim has worked with everything I've thrown at it. The Symbol Spectrum 24 Wireless Networker CompactFlash wireless LAN Ethernet card works perfectly and, unlike the iPAQ 5450, I can wirelessly ActiveSync the unit with my PC running Windows 2000 Advance Server.

E-mail and Internet access with the Symbol wireless card are very fast, and so far they have been flawless. The Pharos CompactFlash GPS card and software work just fine. And I don't have to take the precautions I did with other pocket PCs regarding where to load software, built-in memory or the SD memory card.

The Axim X5 has far better software for switching tasks and removing applications from memory than other PDAs. It also has a navigation button on the side. Just by pressing it, you can open selected e-mail by moving the button up or down.

The X5's case isn't metal, as are the cases of pricey pocket PCs, but it's designed well, and both sides are covered with rubber, so you can get a tight grip on it. The reset button is hidden under the rubber covering, but it's easy to access using the stylus.

The iPAQ 3955, which is closest feature-wise to the X5, now sells for $499. Add a CompactFlash sleeve and case, and you're up to $560. The X5, with case and built-in CompactFlash slot, is $349; a relatively powerful basic version of the X5 is $249.

Barry Gerber ([email protected]) is a product reviews veteran based in Los Angeles.