Dell Axim X30 (64MB, 624MHz) Pocket PC

Author's Rating:

Pros: Very quick, its small, good operating system

Cons: expensive, possible low battery life

The Bottom Line: 
The Dell Axim X30 is a great little PDA that comes with lots of great features, and works at speeds unimaginable before from PDA's.

Author's Review
Purchasing this straight from the Dell Site, here is what I received:

Axim X30 with:
Intel 624MHz, 64MB ROM, 64MB SDRAM, 802.11b, Bluetooth
X30 USB Cradle
Leather Carrying Case with belt clip
AC Adapter, Power Cord
1Yr Ltd. Warranty, 1 yr Technical Support, 1 yr Advance Exchange
Manual
Companion CD (has some trial programs you can try out)

Listed at $349.00 on the site, the product came in at $319.20 after on-site discounts, shipping, and estimated taxes were taken into account. The order was very easy to make, and I actually wrote up my experience shopping for this item: Review of Ordering From Dell Online

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The Axim X30 is a high-end PDA that is produced by the Dell Company. It puts into play the new Intel 624MHz processor, Bluetooth, and the latest Windows Mobile Operating System. The obvious selling point of the Axim X30 is the speed with which it can work, and its price is very competitive with like models out on the market. This PDA purchase was made in order to be put to use in a business setting, used to track use of a center, and uplink that information on to a computer system. Not intended to take advantage of all of the special features that the PDA actually has though, I will make sure to provide all of the possible features and uses of the device to people potentially interested in purchasing one of the Axim X30's.


The Look and Feel of the Axim X30

The Axim is nothing flashy or fancy to look at when you consider it costs more than $300.00. It comes in a silver casing, and it is a perfect fit for your hand, as it is not too large in regards to size. It measures at about 4.5 inches by 3 inches, with a depth of 0.6 inches. Don't let its size fool you though, because this little guy packs a pretty big punch when it comes to programs. The screen is a 3.5-inch TFT display with 240x320-pixel resolution. On the front of the device, just below the screen, are the control buttons, which consist of a five-way navigational keypad and four shortcut keys to your calendar, your contacts, your in-box, and your home page, all of which are user programmable. On either side of the short-cut keys, there is an additional button; one controls the voice-record function, and the other enables and disables Wi-Fi. The back of the device is where the speaker is located, and you will also change that battery through there (a 950mAh battery). On the right side of the device, you have the flat sylus, and on the left side you have a headphone jack, and a wheel that allows you to scroll through menu items. The is useful, and can be accomplished using only one hand, so it doesn't complicate the use. Finally, on the top of the device is the IR port, an expansion slot, and the antenna nub for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. When Wi-Fi is on, the antenna glows green and it glows blue for Bluetooth. All in all, a pretty compact device, but some people may not like the way the jack and wheel on the left side stick out a little bit.


What does This Thing Have to Offer

Really the biggest thing that the Axim X30 has to offer with this model, is the 624MHz processor that it comes with. It is a main selling point of the PDA, and thus something I should keep mentioning. There is a bonus with the processor, in that the new chip also has a combination of SpeedStep technology, which dynamically adjusts power according to which application is being used. That with the Wireless MMX technology, and they both extend battery life of the PDA. This can be a big thing if you are constantly using it, or needing to keep it turned on for durations of time. The PDA also comes with the 64MB of RAM, which serves its purpose, but if you are working with sizeable audio or video files, its a good idea to also purchase a memory card. As I touched on a little bit earlier, the X30 also included Bluetooth which will let you connect to external devices such as your printer more easily. Some people will even use this in combination with their cell phones, but I haven't put that to the test. So, for some, there is a big benefit to have the X30, because it does allow you to use the Bluetooth at the same time you are using Wi-Fi. Coming with the X30 is also the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition* (SE)(The Operating System for this PDA). Some of the other Microsoft products included are Explorer, Word, Excel, and the new Media Player. There are also a handful of programs including games, organizers, and various others little things like that. That covers what the Axim X30 has to offer, but I think I need to get into exactly how well it does all of these things.


Exactly how well does the Dell Axim X30 work?

Well first off, I have to mention the speed of the Axim X30. The 624MHz processor does do everything that its supposed to do for this PDA. It speeds through applications a lot faster than any other PDA I have used to date. This is even the case if you are running more than one window at a time (which I do all the time, and I don't know how people get anything done if they don't), and it doesn't slow down the speed if you are toggling from one to the other and back. Everything responds quickly, loads quickly, and saves quickly, so to put it in specific terms, the Axim X30 is quick. Regarding the picture quality, the first thing that stood out to me was the brightness of the screen. I have used computer screens that were a little more "crisp" in their images, but this one is really good for being this small. This makes all applications easy to see no matter what the lighting is around you, and it also allows for the screen to be read/viewed in direct sunlight. Using the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi at the same time does not slow down the PDA either, and hasn't slowed down any of the applications being used. In regards to battery life, my experience is limited in that field, but I believe that it drains this one faster, simply because the computer is processing faster. Using it, I would have to estimate that with turning it on/off during a normal day, that you can get through the day. However if you keep it on at all times, I don't think you can get more than 4 or 5 hours of use out of the 950mah. So, you will either need to be careful with the use, and charge it every night, have a second 950 on hand, or upgrade to a more powerful battery. I guess it all comes down to how often you will use this during the day, and how much you want to pay.


My Recommendation

The Axim X30 is the best PDA that I have used in my short life, and I am very happy with how well it works. The 624MHz processor makes it seem like everything is working instantly, almost as if you think it, and an application just opens for you. It is sleek in design in my opinion, and it looks pretty cool too, which gives it a few more points in my opinion. The fact that you can run multiple applications without compromising the speed is a great asset, and being able to use Bluetooth while using Wi-Fi could be a huge advantage to some users. I think that this is a really great option if you are in the market for a Pocket PC, and I have no problems at all giving the Dell Axim X30 a high recommendation.


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Technical Specifications of the Dell Axim X30

Software included Inbox, Calendar, Contacts, Microsoft Pocket Word,
OS provided-- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition (This Includes; Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Voice Recorder, Notes, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player 9, Calculator, Pictures, Jawbreaker, Solitaire, Inbox, File Explorer, MSN Messenger, terminal Services Client, VPN Client, Infrared Beaming, Clock, Align Screen, memory, Volume control, Landscape mode, WPA)
Microsoft Pocket Excel, Microsoft ActiveSync 3.7.1
Weight-- 4.9 ounces
Battery installed -- 1 Lithium ion (comes with power adapter)
Built-in devices-- Antenna, Display
Installed RAM-- 64 MB SDRAM
Installed ROM 64 MB Flash
Processor-- Intel 624 MHz
Input device type-- Stylus, Jog wheel, Touch-screen, 5-way navigation button
Display type-- 3.5 inch TFT active matrix
Wireless connectivity-- IrDA, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b