The Axim X5 is a
Pocket PC, running
Windows CE 3.0 kernel and the
Pocket PC 2002 shell. It is sold by none other than
Dell, and it's their first Pocket PC. Just like all Dell computers, the Axim can only be ordered through their
website or by
phone. Unlike their other computers, Dell doesn't actually manufacture the Axim but only
imports the pre-built device. There are two models being sold, the Basic and Advanced. They only differ in the
CPU speed,
RAM/
ROM size and of course
price.
Specifications:
- Processor: 300 MHz Intel XScale (Basic), 400 MHz (Advanced)
- Screen: 3.5" transflective LCD; 240x240 pixels, 16-bit color
- Power: 1440 mAh removable Li-Ion battery, CR2032 backup battery
- Memory: 32 MB RAM/32 MB Flash ROM (Basic), 64 MB RAM/48 MB ROM (Advanced)
- I/O: USB/Serial port, IrDA port
- Expanison: CompactFlash Type II slot, non-SDIO SD slot
- Dimensions: 5.04" x 3.21" x .71"
- Weight: 6.9 oz
- Price: $250 (Basic), $350 (Advanced)
- Buttons: 4-way D-Pad, 4 hardware buttons on front, power button on front, jog dial on side
Although it's fairly big and heavy as far as current Pocket PCs go (compared to, for example, the 4 oz
hp iPAQ h1910), probably the biggest advantage of the Axim is its price; $250 for a Pocket PC is a new record, made even better by the fact that Dell used to have a $50
rebate. In addition, unlike many other
PDAs, the Axim has two slots, thus for example letting the SD slot be used for memory and the CF slot for an
802.11b card. The battery also lasts for quite a while, due to its size and the
XScale's low power draw.
From my own experience, I can say this is a fairly good Pocket PC. While mine only has the 300 MHz
XScale, it's powerful enough for listening to
MP3s,
Ogg Vorbis, watching
DivX, playing
Doom and emulating
NES. The D-Pad does suck pretty badly, though, which makes games a bit hard to play. The
screen is very, very nice, one of the best for a PDA, let alone one for this price.
Once a working
Linux distro gets made for this thing...