Entered CNET Catalog: 08/31/2005
SKU: 5141YR
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Dell Axim X51 is the ultimate handheld device that delivers style and outstanding features at an affordable price.Product summary
The good: The sleek Dell Axim X51 series boasts Windows Mobile 5, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, dual expansion slots, and a user-replaceable battery.
The bad: With its less-than-stellar battery life, the Dell Axim X51 didn't perform up to our expectations.
The bottom line: The Dell Axim X51 series offers a nice combination of features, but we were disappointed by the subpar battery life.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/16/2005
The star attraction on the Dell Axim X51 is undoubtedly its 3.7-inch VGA screen. Thanks to a 640x480-pixel resolution and a 16-bit-color output, you'll enjoy sharp text and images, and there's continued support for landscape and portrait modes. Below the display are your standard shortcut keys to Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, and Home, plus a four-way navigation toggle with a center Select button. Although we criticized the Axim X50 for its diminutive toggle, by now we're used to it, yet we still caution users with bigger fingers. A speaker, a power button, and a status LED line the top edge of the PDA's face.
It's easy to access many of the Dell X51v's features with a click of a button. Aside from the aforementioned shortcut keys on the front, there are two buttons on the left spine that activate the voice recorder and wireless connection. There's also a hold button, which is always appreciated, since it prevents any unnecessary battery drain if the device is accidentally turned on. On the top of the Axim X51v, you'll find a 3.5mm jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones, dual CompactFlash and SD expansion slots, and the stylus. The handheld's battery is user-replaceable, and you can swap out cells by unlocking the sliding battery-release lever on the back.
Dell provides all the basics to get you started. Accessories in the box include a soft protective case, a desktop-synchronization cradle, a power adapter, and a companion CD. The cradle has an extra slot for charging a second battery, which is nice. A high-capacity cell is available for $99 and promises to double battery life. Other optional accessories are available, such as a GPS navigation system (Bluetooth or wired), a Bluetooth keyboard ($99.95), and a presentation bundle ($49).
The Dell Axim X51v's biggest makeover is in the features department. Some elements remain the same, though, such as the 624MHz Intel XScale PXA270 processor and the Intel 2700G graphics engine. Also, there's still 16MB of dedicated video memory and 64MB of SDRAM, but the really good news is that Dell bumped up the flash ROM from 128MB to 256MB, 192MB of which is user-accessible. This, coupled with the dual expansion slots, amount to ample storage space. Another thing that helps is the addition of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system. The new OS has built-in support for persistent storage, so when the battery drains completely, your data remains intact.With Windows Mobile 5, Microsoft also swapped out Pocket Word and Pocket Excel in favor of a new Office Mobile Suite that includes Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile. Yes--PowerPoint. Although you can't edit slides, you now can view presentations right on your PDA. We gave it a whirl, and we were impressed not only with the ability to watch slide shows but also with the various options. You can skip directly to specific slides, change the orientation, and choose playback options, such as loop, turn off/on animation, and zoom in/out. The last option is particularly handy, since a thumbnail of the slide is presented in the lower-right corner of your screen. What's more, you can choose particular spots on the page to zoom or automatically go back to the full slide. Unfortunately, these tasks seemed to take a lot out of the Axim X51v, as there was a noticeable delay in response time (see Performance). As for the other applications, Word Mobile now supports documents with embedded images and tables, plus Excel Mobile handles charts. We put these applications to test, and while the experience was not ideal, given the size of a PDA's screen, we were able to open and view tables and charts in all our documents.
On hand to sync your PDA with your PC is the updated ActiveSync 4. It allows for easier and faster synchronization, but be sure to pay attention during the installation process. You first must install ActiveSync 4 from the companion CD before ever connecting the Dell Axim X51v to your PC; otherwise, the wrong driver will load, and your computer will not detect the PDA. Also, there have been a number of reported problems with ActiveSync 4, such as partial synchronization and dropped data transfers--Microsoft will issue an update in late November to resolve the problems. In the meantime, you can find troubleshooting tips and more information on Microsoft's Web site.
If you're wondering about the Dell Axim X51v's multimedia capabilities, here's the dish. The Pocket PC still features Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, so you can listen to your favorite WMA, MP3, and WMV music files and view album art. Plus, Windows Media Rights Management 10 gives you access to audio and video content from subscription services, such as MSN Music, Musicmatch, Napster, and Wal-Mart Music Downloads.
The Dell Axim X51v comes with built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which can run simultaneously. As mentioned before, you turn on the wireless radio with the shortcut key on the left spine, but you are now required to press the button twice--once to turn it on and once to confirm your selection. The status LED will blink blue and green to let you know wireless is on, as will two icons--signal bars and the Bluetooth logo--that appear in the lower-right corner. The Axim X51v comes with the Bluetooth 1.2 stack, so now there's support for more multimedia accessories, such as stereo Bluetooth headphones. You can check your Wi-Fi configuration, network strength, and more via Dell's WLAN Utility.
While the Dell Axim X50v didn't impress with its lackluster software bundle, the X51v is a completely different story. The companion CD comes with a plethora of useful and fun applications, including Battery Pack Lite, Calligrapher, Resco File Explorer and Picture Viewer, and eWallet. We particularly liked Battery Pack Lite, which installs a handy toolbar across the top of your PDA's screen and displays your battery life, memory status (internal and expansion card), and screen brightness. It's nice to have all this information immediately accessible, rather than having to go through various menus. The X51v also continues the tradition of being packaged with a gaming bundle; titles include Geo Rally EX and Toy Golf.
Overall, we were disappointed by the Dell Axim X51v's performance. It scored below our expectations in CNET Labs' tests, but that said, we're finding this to be a common problem with all the new Windows Mobile 5 PDAs. This may be in due part to the more demanding operating system and unchanged processor speeds from previous models. The PDA responded sluggishly to taps of the stylus and lagged when multiple applications were running in the background.Also, while the new and improved battery-management feature of Windows Mobile 5 supposedly lengthens the battery life, this wasn't the case for the Dell X51v. Playing a looped video clip with all wireless off and the backlight set to high, the X51v lasted only a little more than 4 hours, which isn't bad but is definitely not spectacular either. By comparison, the Dell Axim X50 and the HP iPaq hx4700 lasted an hour longer. However, since our tests are designed to drain the battery in the most intensive way, this score translates to about 7 or 8 hours of real-life usage.
The news isn't all bad. The Dell Axim X51v offers a great 3D look with beautiful icons, menus, and buttons. Plus, it offers great wireless performance. Its built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth worked flawlessly in our tests, and we were able to connect access points and Bluetooth-enabled devices with ease.
Performance analysis written by CNET Labs project leader Dong Van Ngo.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10out of 10 user reviews
My 3rd PDA, truly the best by far
Pros: Excellent, easy on the eyes screen
Cons: The occasional screen freeze, and no camera
out of 10 user reviews
Nice overall but typical Windows problems!
Pros: Easy learn interface, good screen resolution, good speaker for music and recording.
Cons: Windows bugs, often soft reset required,sync errors often, slow processor.
out of 10 user reviews
Awesome PDA except for that fact that acvice sync has issues syncing
Pros: Best PDA for the price especially if you're a cheap ass and get it for wholesale
Cons: Active sync has the possibility of driving you to the breaking point if you're not technically saavy.
out of 10 user reviews
DELL WILL SCREW YOU OVER
Pros: Looks nice WHEN it's working
Cons: Dies without warning, terrible support
out of 10 user reviews
Great Product......No Probs
Pros: Entry Level is Amazing
Cons: I hear the battery is sub-par but I haven't noticed
out of 10 user reviews
Loaded with features, but has its quirks
Pros: Windows Mobile 5 OS, Bright screen, CF & SD slots, Bluetooth, Integrated mic & speaker
Cons: New OS still being refined, Accessory availability
The new WM5OS is nice in that it supports many of the same file extentions of your computer based Windows programs. This allows better connectivity and portability of files without having to convert them.
WM5 provides you with PDA versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, Media Player and PowerPoint to name a few.
It impresses me that this device allosw you to give a PowerPoint presentation on your PDA! You can even purchase cables to hook it up to your LCD projector!
Using Bluetook or infrared you can beam/send files to other PCs that the receiver can utilize without conversion, etc. I have found this to be quite convenient.
The new operating system is not without its quirks though. Out of the box and after having installed a compact flash card I experienced problems with the unit refusing to turn out without performing a soft reset. However, a fix for this is now finally in place and I have not experienced the problem since.
I had heard of others users complaining of battery drain issues, I didn't find this to be a major issue, but now that I have implemented the fix for this I have noticed that my battery lasts much longer.
Another issue I encountered was that the device would sometimes shut down and upon start up it would report that the battery latch had been opened when it had not been. This was easy to fix by placing a small tab of paper in the battery latch sensor bracket; no problems sense.
When I purchase something brand new I always anticipate minor issues, this device isn't without them. However, the fixes that I have found have resolved the issues that I experienced. These issues may have now been resolved by included fixes in the device, but if not you may have to the get them and perform them on your own.
I wish that more accessories were available for this device in stores; I get jealous that other PDA users can walk into a local shop and buy things like screen protectors and a replacement stylus.
For me, despite the quirks, the conveience and functionality of this device is well worth having had to track down a few fixes. I wouldn't rule out buying another one, but I'd take a look at what the competition is offering as well.
out of 10 user reviews
Big time Sync Problem
Pros: It looks nice. The mobile games worked.
Cons: Axim did not sync with 2 computers. Three different people bombed this test of sanity.
Dell must have missed the boat on the USB side of this unit. I sent mine back and they kept $50 for a restocking fee, even thouth I called them from Day 1 and the Axim 51v NEVER worked.
Also, If you do read this and still buy the unit, do not get the flexible skin. It covers your sync port and you have to take it off completley to put it into the cradle. Did anyone at Dell ever use this thing????
I can't believe anyone got this to work.
out of 10 user reviews
GREAT HAND HELD
Pros: Great Device, kind of pricy
Cons: Browser update hard to get
Ive had mine for a few months, dont use it much but, when i do it works great.
Only thing is that i cant seem to upfate the browser..
so if anyone knows how, please email me and let me know at.
xjohnnyx@rgv.rr.com
thanks.
out of 10 user reviews
Great...If and when it works
Pros: Great screen
Cons: OS issues, ActiveSync issues, battery, customer support
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.
out of 10 user reviews
Don't let "entry level" shy you away from this PDA!
Pros: Design, Very comfortable in hands, Fast Intel processor, Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, Upgrade capacity with SD/CF slots, BlueTooth, 64MB more ROM than X50, Voice Recorder, Audio/Video playback
Cons: Lackluster carrying case provided by Dell, Could use at least one extra stylus, Lacks docking cradle (requires purchase).
Don't let the words "entry-level" fool you, this a very powerful PDA and definitely worth your consideration if you're looking for a great bang/buck ratio while also keeping an eye out for your device's upgrade potential in the future.
I just received mine yesterday and here's the skinny on the device.
First and foremost, the Dell Axim X51, as the X50 before it, is a great design. The Axim X51 feels great in your hands with its rounded edges and sleek, modern look. This is truly one of the most comfortable PDA's that I have ever held.
The entry-level X51 utilizes Intel's 416MHz processor, which is very fast I might add, and is also the same chip used by other high end Palm PDA's such as the LifeDrive, etc. that cost upwards of $500. I'm not sure why folks think they need anything faster such as the mid-level 520MHz and 624MHz models. Since the performance/battery life ratio is so critical for these units, you will seldom find yourself running on all cylinders anyway for long stretches of time, it's just not worth the battery consumption that it requires. I set my unit to auto adjust the processor speed as needed depending on the workload before it and I haven't a complaint yet. Even my buddies that on the mid-level 520MHz and 624MHz devices often reduce their processor speed to 416MHz or lower to get better battery longevity out of the units. So what's the point for paying for all the speed when you're going to be running it alot slower most of the time anyway? Do yourself a favor and save a few hundred bucks, and by a nice case or some SD/CF cards, it will be money better spent.
The Axim X51 is the first on the scene to utilize Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, and I'm digging it, it's very cool. The new OS definitely delivers more robust application features than that of Windows Mobile 2003 SE. The Axim 51 also sports 64MB more ROM than the previous X50 line-up, which capped at a total of 64MB ROM, compared to the X51's 128MB.
Now if you're like me and don't need to live out of your PDA, then this entry level model will do just about any power user just fine for quite a while. Granted this model does not incorporate 802.11b wireless capabilities, you do get BlueTooth. Depsite that, it's still not worth the extra hundred bucks for the mid-range X51 with 802.11b wireless and a slightly faster processor. Dell was very smart in including both SD and Compact Flash slots, so if your needs to change over time you can upgrade to suit your tastes. I managed to get this unit with an SD wireless 802.11b + 128MB card and still came out cheaper than what the mid-range along from Dell would have cost me. Do yourself a favor, save some money and still wind up with a fantastic PDA.
Now with the good comes the bad. In this case, the bad was rather miniscule. I definitely thought that Dell could have included a better case for the unit, considering the investment costs of these devices. Also, Dell could have thrown in an additional stylus, I don't think that is asking too much of them. Also, the unit comes with the travel sync cable, not the cradle, which is fine with me because I'm constanly on the go and the cable is much easier to manage than the cradle. So for you cradle fans out there, you have to buy the cradle as an addition for this model, but I actually liked it that way.
So if you don't need to live every waking computer moment out of one of these tiny units, get the entry-level X51. Though the wireless capability of the mid-level and up is nice as well as the VGA screen of the X51v, ease the swelling of your wallet and consider this model, you won't be disappointed. With the upgrade potential, you can't go wrong if you can't afford or don't need all the extra bells and whistles up front. Save some of that money for more immediate needs after your purchase such as a nice case, memory cards, screen protectors and such.
No matter how you add it up, you can't go wrong with this model. I gotta steel when it came out $285.25 out the door, free shipping from Dell. I bought this unit once, and will be buying another for wife for her birthday, I'm that happy with it.
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