Travel Technology - Dell PDA - buy now, or is something new and better coming down the pike?

The topic says it all. I'm thinking of buying the Axim X50V to use instead of a laptop when I travel (e-mail, good Web access, etc.). Is this the best I'm going to see for a while, or is there something fantastic that's going to come out in the next couple months and knock my socks off?

I don't know if anything big is coming but I hear from a friend at Dell that the Axims *may* be dropping in price in another month or so.

Rule #1: There's always something new and better coming down the pike. ;)

Rule #2: Once you buy any piece of tech, stop shopping for it and you won't be disappointed.

Rule #1: There's always something new and better coming down the pike. ;)

Rule #2: Once you buy any piece of tech, stop shopping for it and you won't be disappointed.

Soooo true on both points. I love my iPAQ 4155 that I purchased 1.5 years ago but realized full well that better things would be released in the future. I guess that is all part of loving tech toys!

Wife just got herself an Axim x50v, best PDA ever. There is ALWAYS something new on the way, but in the Axims case I'd say it'll take at least 5 more months.

I have an Axim X3i and I like it very much. Of course this is a very old obsolete PDA.

The X30 line is getting discontinued. So you may see a drop in pricing of that specific line. The X30 is a great PDA and I'm sad to see it get discontinued - thin, BT & Wifi enabled, and capable with the 624MHz XScale processor.

Sigh -- I JUST got an X30. Oh well, I love it, and when it comes to technology if you don't just bite the bullet sometimes, you'll ALWAYS be playing the waiting game.

I looked at the X50v, but it seemed so much heavier and thicker. As it is the X30 is bigger than the Toshiba e355 it replaced, but the WiFi and Bluetooth more than make up for it (it pairs quite happily with my Motorola MPx220 for net access just about anywhere).

No camera? No phone? I'll keep my O2 XDAII for a few more months, thank you. :)

Of course there's always something new coming, but I don't want to buy a week before the new one comes out that's twice as fast and half the weight.

4-6 months before? That's OK.

I have a 4 year old Handspring Visor Deluxe that works just fine. I would love to have wi-fi and email access but I see no need to upgrade until equipment and service prices drop.

My advice: If you like Dell, buy the cheapest Aximl that meets your needs and then relax and enjoy it. :cool:

Dell is releasing an Axim with WiFi and cellular in H1 2006. I have the Axim X50v, I love it.

Dell is releasing an Axim with WiFi and cellular in H1 2006.

IOW, 4Q '07

IOW, 4Q '07

My Dell sales rep is supposed to have something for me this week on this. If it's not covered under the NDA I will post what I know and find out.

check out this site,

http://www.aximsite.com/

they usually know something, personally, I think a new AXIM is on the way, and will be here before end of Summer,

But, for the 375$ that the top model can be had for, with an extra battery (battery life seems to be an issue) why not just get one now.

I would say in answer to your questions, yes and yes.

There is always something great coming out next. But the Axim X50V is great now. If you are wanting/needing a new PDA, pull the trigger on it. You will love it.

if you still consider Palm...then

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000000042450/

amazon has preorder for may 18th

hmm.. I hadn't considered Palm, but that looks pretty cool.

hmm.. I hadn't considered Palm, but that looks pretty cool.

I use both a Palm T5 and a Dell Axim. The reason is that there are some functions that one does better than the other in my opinion and there is some software that I love that the Dell wont run. That new Palm does look very nice, especially if it has built in WiFi and Bluetooth.

hmm.. I hadn't considered Palm, but that looks pretty cool.

Nothing cool about it. Low-res display. Plus, any Dell Axim can also take a 4Gb or even 6Gb microdrive and do exactly the same AND MORE. I am so not impressed with Palm this time.

XdaII by O2 a pocket pc with camera, note pad with hand reco sw, world phone and small to carry. Also you can have wifi.....the best i have seen

I don't know what's coming next (something's always coming next), but like some others I'd say the Dell Axim x50v is by far the best PDA I've ever had. I haven't found a single thing about it to complain about. Recently started using it with a GPS receiver and it is such a delight to have on trips.

I used to have a combo PDA/phone (T-Mobile phone edition -- anyone want to buy a used one, by the way?), but got sick and tired of sacrificing so much in memory and processing speed. The pda/phone combination seemed like a good way to carry one less device, but when I found myself borrowing my boyfriend's cell phone just so I'd have a decent signal while travelling, I realized it was time to let go of the idea that one device can do everything well. Bought a Motorola mpx220 and a Dell Axim x50v and haven't looked back.

xdaII is a nice phone. would like to skype on it, but how did you get wifi?

One real limitation to the Axim, to the best of my knowledge, is the lack of a decent VPN client that will work with the common Cisco servers. The Mergic VPN on the Palm works well with Cisco. As far as I know the Axim VPN only works with Microsoft VPN servers which makes it more or less a joke in my opinion. If someone could point me to a robust VPN client for the Axim I would be more than delighted to acknowledge I am wrong on this. I really want a damn VPN for the thing. It would be pretty near perfect with that. The one other weakness I noted is that it is harder (a lot) to switch wireless networks on the Axim than on a Palm in my opinion. But that is minor compared to the VPN issue.

And ScottC, while you can put a 4Gb drive in the Axim, my impression was that the Palm drive will be internal. If so, it is a bit unfair in my opinion to say that the has that since it is an add on that takes up a slot.

OK, well, still haven't bought one :)

Anything new coming down the pike in the next 2-3 months?

Does the Axim allow both portrait and landscape display? It seems like landscape would be a lot better for web browsing, document/spreadsheet work, etc.

As long as the device has Pocket PC 2003 SE (I think) or Windows Mobile 2005 (definitely), then it will do both protrait and landscape. Any new Axim you buy should have the better equiped Windows Mobile.

Landscape mode isn't native to WM2003.

Depends which version. If you have the Second Edition (SE) then this does support landscape without additional software.

OK, well, still haven't bought one :)

Anything new coming down the pike in the next 2-3 months?

Does the Axim allow both portrait and landscape display? It seems like landscape would be a lot better for web browsing, document/spreadsheet work, etc.

Even without native landscape support you can get third party apps that will do that for you. But like said; the Axims all have WM2003SE or WM5 on them, so this won't be an issue.