Reviews
Dell
Axim X30
An extraordinary value in a fully buzzword-enabled Pocket
PC
Dell is always
crowing about how many millions they spend on research and development,
but until recently I didn't really believe it. It's not like they
have to create and maintain an entire 21st century operating system,
as do Apple and Microsoft. They don't design ever more powerful
microprocessors, as do Intel, IBM and AMD. They don't invent new
imaging technologies as do HP, Epson and Canon. Their vaunted
laptops all come from Taiwanese ODMs (original design manufacturers).
And a desktop PC is, well, a desktop PC. Dell is a marketing company,
and a damned good one. But innovative?
My
recent experience with the Dell DJ digital music player and the
Axim X30 Pocket PC belies my assumption that Dell merely rebadges
and markets the living hell out of everything they choose to sell.
These two products are clearly the result of Dell listening to
what customers want, then delivering it at very aggressive price
points.
The Axim X30
is an update to the popular X3i Pocket PC, with no external changes
visible. What is new is: Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition; an
Intel XScale PXA270 processors running up to a blistering 624MHz;
802.11b WiFi and Bluetooth built-in as standard equipment on all
but the entry-level model.
Doubtless
there are other minor internal tweaks, but these are the big news.
Oh, and the stunningly reasonable price of $314 ÷ much less than
a comparable HP iPAQ.
We looked
at two units, both the top-end 624MHz model and the midrange 312MHz
model, which sells for $279. For that small a difference in price,
we don't see any reason not to spring for the hot rod. For those
few users who have no need for wireless connectivity, there is
a base X30 for $199.
Compared
to Pocket PCs running at ãonlyä 400MHz, the X30 felt noticeably
speedier. Stepping down from the gorgeous 640x480 display and
generous 128MB of memory of my Toshiba e805 was a buzzkill at
first, but the compactness of the X30 quickly made up for it.
The feature that clinched the deal for me was Bluetooth, which
the big Toshiba sadly lacked. My Pocket PC was the last thing
I had to actually plug into my laptop every day in order to sync
up. Now my PowerBook (using Missing Sync For Pocket PC from MarkSpace.
com to enable ActiveSync under Mac OS X) wirelessly syncs, shares
net connectivity, and exchanges files with the X30, a Nokia 6600
smartphone, an HP TC1100 Tablet PC, and an Epson Stylus Photo
R300 printer ÷ all via Bluetooth. For the most part, it works
well. Considering that I am using Bluetooth to weave together
Mac OS X, Windows XP, Symbian/Series 60, Windows Mobile 2003 SE,
and whatever code Epson uses, it's remarkable that it works at
all.
In everyday
use, I find the X30 to be quite companionable. The slim profile
really makes a difference. The 3.5" transflective display, while
not the brightest or crispest I've used, is more than adequate
in any light. The sandwich-style design looks flimsy 
but
is actually quite rigid ÷ I could not flex it enough to cause
worry. The matte black plastic sides feel better and smear less
than the shiny trim on the Toshiba. Button placement is unconventional
but I adjusted quickly and grew to prefer it to side buttons:
the voice record button is on the left of the standard four functions
buttons and there is a dedicated wireless disable button on the
right. Though there is a regular jog dial on the left side, it's
placed low enough so that you don't' accidentally touch it when
pulling the X30 from it's attractive black leather case. Nice
touch.
The X30 is
for people who don't mind their personal tech to draw attention
to itself. In addition to a big orange/green power button in the
center of its forehead that blinks when you have a reminder due,
the combo wireless antenna blinks green when you have WiFi and
glows a steady blue when you have Bluetooth activated. Even the
swoopy charge cradle gets into Vegas mode, with a glowing blue
Dell logo behind smoked plastic and a green charge indicator for
your spare battery that's ensconced in back. That's a lot of blinky
lights compared to any handheld device I can think of, and I for
one, dig it immensely.
Serious users
will want to pick up either a spare 950mAh battery pack ($49)
or the optional 1800mAh fat battery ($90) for extended usage.
The standard battery will poop out after three hours or so of
continuous usage, after which it will enter a ãdeep sleepä mode
backed up for around thirty minutes from the internal coin cell.
It's a whole lot easier to carry a second battery than to carry
an adapter and then search for an AC outlet, so buy the spare
and proceed through your day without a care.
öDavid MacNeill
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