- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 10 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
1.0 stars
"Great...If and when it works"
Pros: Great screen
Cons: OS issues, ActiveSync issues, battery, customer support
Summary: What a poor device from Dell. I purchased the Axim x51v based upon positive reviews. What I found was a pretty PDA that 1) uses an OS that Microsoft has yet to release bug free, 2) requires a version of ActiveSync that has dropped Microsoft Access synchronization, 3) frequently crashes and refuses to respond to any commands other than a soft reboot, and 4) experiences battery drain that averages 1% per minute with WiFi turned off.
To make matters worse, when I decided to return the Axim, customer service was horrible. The first attempt required 20 minutes to just reach a human, and then the person disconnected me as soon as I requested an RMA number. The second attempt required 40 minutes to reach a human, and then I spent 25 minutes on hold while the RMA number was "generated by the system".
Based upon my experience, I would strongly NOT recommend the Axim. I do not believe the problems were due to my errors as I am not a newbie to PCs or handhelds; I have two notebooks, four PDAs, three desktops and develop database applications. Maybe Dell just released this one too early.
- 3 replies to this review
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I am also not a novice to pc's or pda's and experienced the exact same frustrations as DrDoug. After 1-1/2 yrs ownership, I am finally giving this up and ordered another brand pda altogether. My Dell Axim -still- doesn't sync with ActiveSync. I noticed last week that Dell is no longer making the Axims? At least they no longer featured them on their www.dell.com website.
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this device dosn't have wifi!
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In contrast, I am not a tech expert, but relied on Dell's great reputation (I have an Inspiron 8500 which I like a lot) to enter the PDA world. First, the tech support. The first level of support deals with all problems by telling you (if you can get past the thick accents) to do a "Hard Reset," which takes you back totally to square one. After numerous identical directives, I finally decided to go to the second level of support, who, after listening to my problems, put me in contact with the third level. Although one guy was really sharp and helpful, the complications for getting e-mail and internet access proved too much. I couldn't believe all the complicated steps. So those features are a farce. Second, is battery performance. Battery goes down, you lose what you didn't save so you have to think "backup" constantly. Overall, this was Dell's "rush to the market" PDA product and was outdated within 90 days of purchase by Palm One Treos. In summary, this was a total waste of money for me for a product which has already been left in the dust by other PDA companies. I will stick to to Dell's computers products though (for now).
At the top of my "Don't Buy This Again List" is the Dell Axim, followed by Bonsai trees. Invest what you would have paid for this puppy in a hurricane ravaged caribbean vacation locale, you will be a lot happier.
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