Dell Axim X5 300 MHz Pocket PC

There are some things that I like about it:
-Great colorful screen (looks good even in sunlight)
-CompactFlash, and Secure Digital slots, so you can get as much memory as you want on it.
-User friendly - worked the first time, didn't have to screw around with it to get it going
-Good looking - other than being a little bulky, it looks great!

I also bought a expandable keyboard from Dell for $90 which works great. You can use it for taking notes in school, or just keeping track of your schedule. I'm in school, and I use it as a homework organizer.

Over all, this is a great product that I highly recommend to anyone.


Excellent PPC for the Price Range   December 9, 2003
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I can only rave about the Dell Axim Pocket PC. It's aptly titled "Pocket PC," as it's almost as versatile as a PC; but about 12X smaller. With its sleek and quite attractive design, it's stylish and pleasing to the eye.

It basically runs on Microsoft Windows technology, just like a PC. You have a "start" icon in the corner that, once pressed, brings up all the programs and options such as: a highly detailed calendar with a ton of options for those who have a lot of information to include; ActiveSynch software is built in the the Pocket PC, which will allow you to synch it with your PC and vice-versa; a calculator; a highly detailed contact list for both personal and business contacts; a home page; the latest version of internet explorer for internet browsing; a "notes" icon to store, well, notes; a task list that includes a completion date and time, as well as a priority ranking system if needed; Windows Media Player for MPGs, etc.

Programs include: Games such as Solitaire and Jawbreaker; AvantGo (a website that stores your favorite links); data backup; file explorer; an e-mail inbox; Microsoft Reader; MSN Messenger; MS Pictures; MS Excel; Pocket MSN; MS Word and more.

You can set up the "home page" to show day, date and time; owner name and other info if needed; a list of your "Today" schedule with an alarm to remind you (reminder alarms can be set in 5 minute intervals for as far ahead as you need); if you have any messages in your inbox; your active tasks pending, etc.

Other options include voice recording and playback, a slot for memory card; a slot for headphones; shortcut icons to main features built into the hardware.

I work in a corporate environment, and the Dell Axim Pocket PC is a lifesaver. It's like having a personal assistant who has everything you need at the touch of a button. Several of my other peers have raved about it as well. Whether you need it for business or personal reasons, this one is well worth your purchase. It's much better/more sophisticated/better performing than a regular Palm Pilot.


I Do Not Recommend   November 28, 2003
 7 out of 15 found this review helpful

If you're looking for a PDA which will last for longer than 3months,you should not consider buying from Dell.If you expect reasonable customer care,should also consider buying from somewhere else.I purchased this item and it only worked for 3months.Customer care neither fixed it nor sent me a new replacement.In fact,they lied to me on 3 separate occasions,saying that they'd send me a new one.Instead,they continued to send broken refurbished units.This forced me to continue return they broken units over&over until my warranty expired!I'm posting this warning so that others don't throw away their hard earned money w/ no recourse like I did.


Great for the price   November 3, 2003
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I've had my Axim for a few months now and I still love it. No troubles at all except when I enable WEP on my wireless card; I have to restart after inserting the card to recognize the network. I suspect this is related ot my no-name wireless card and not Dell's fault.

Only disadvantages are the size (it is much larger than other handhelds). I knew this going into it and I find the size comfortable to hold, though it doesn't fit into all of my pockets. The other disadvantage is the Dell support. I haven't had to deal with them since I know a bit about computers, however I ordered my PDA from Dell and was going away in 2 weeks. Their estemated delivery time was one week so I thought I was good. Turns out their site doesn't update daily and the unit was on back order. I had to argue with supervisors for 4 days before I finally got someone who got the situation resolved. All the others would say they will make sure it will ship today, then they 'forget' about it.

As long as you order from Amazon that shouoldn't be an issue. The fact is that only 25% of the service reps at Dell speak english without a THICK accent, and only 25% of those people really care about their job enough to go out of their way to help customers.

What it comes down to is I love the PDA, but hate Dell and can't recomend this product to anyone who can't troubleshoot software issues with the device.

P.S. Dell shipping and handling is a KILLER! If you are planning on buying accesories make sure Amazon or another retailer has what you need or you will end up paying $7 shipping on screen protectors that weigh nearly nothing.


Palm to PPC owner   September 20, 2003
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I've been a happy Palm user for several years, but recently decided it was time for a good color screen. I was sold by the larger screen and disappearing grafitti area - not to mention the price of the Axim. Bought the Axim after much thought (and fear), but I'm pleased. I really like the full integration with Outlook including email all in the same program and the added flexibility of Tasks and Phonebook. The sync though seems to be a bit more confused and seems to need a small manual intervention every other day or so.

Now that I'm used to it (and there is a learning curve!), the slightly less intuitive dialogs on the calendar aren't an issue at all. And I like that it functions much like a PC. I can drag and drop files between my desktop and the pda at will. I now do most of my Word files in RTF and never need to convert anything. I can also easily transport files between home and work by just transferring them to the compact flash card.

My unit is running PPC 2003 and I have yet to have to reboot this unit in over six weeks of use. Be warned though Microsoft is still cheap. I could only use the included Outlook on one computer. Fortunately, I was able to get Outlook installed on the work computer through our IS group.

The Axim itself is a bit large but very comfortable in the hand. I also like the good size battery, and this is one of the very few that allows you to swap out batteries at will. The additional SD card slot on this machine is also a plus. This PDA is nearly a laptop. Good job!