Dell X30

My PDA upgrade journey has taken me from Palm to Sony clie', from Toshiba's, to Ipaq's, to the DELL AXIM X30. I've also just tried four smartphones over the last four months trying to replace my Cell & my Dell. I can't do it! SmartPhones can't compare because they usually expect you to accept some type of compromise. Loading multiple apps/multi-tasking slows them down to a crawl. Loading em up with software quickly fills their 32 to 64mb memory. So I tried 128mb phones! Again, large programs and/or multi-tasking slowed down their 196 - 300mhz processors to the point that you needed an appointment to see their next screen. Tradeoffs: No flash memory (Requires mini/micro SD memory vs reg. SD mem.). Can't edit in Word/excel. But you get a camera you can't use while running larger programs. I now use my Cingular Blackjack just for a 4000 contact cell phone, camera and voice recorder. Is my X30 Reliable??? Had it in my shirt pocket. Bad move! Suddenly, it dove into my pond while I was cleaning the filter. HEART ATTACK!!! SNATCHED IT OUT QUICKLY -but DEAD!!! Luckily my SmartPhone barely got me by. 2 days later the x30's screen came on looking real funky. 2 more days later - WORKING! 3 months later -still works FINE! You'd never know my X30 went for a swim! That experience reflects the quality, reliability and performance of my x30. PDA's are too flimsy to resist screen or internal circuit board torque (bending). The x30 has Heavy-Duty construction. Combined with a hard case, the x30 is UNSTOPPABLE!!! - well...unless you take it for a long swim :) With my 2 Gig SD card, I listen to dozens of mp3's, show off family and travel pic's I keep with me, I record/playback client testimonials. I have two bibles, 12 user manuals, numerous text articles, spreadsheets and databases loaded - and still have 1 Gig left!
The X30 has 64mb Main Memory and very GENEROUS 32mb built-in flash memory to protect apps and files if main memory fails! Its 624mhz processor makes the x30 more like a laptop - Fast and Portable. Adjustable backlight for day or night use. 3 Adjustable power modes for large applications or battery savings. Battery life is very good in energy saver mode. Spare x30 batteries are dirt cheap starting around $8.00 on ebay. You can't run out of power! The cradle recharges both the x30 and the spare battery at the same time. Plus, X30 batteries recharge extremely fast! approx. 1% every 10 secs! THAT'S 30% EVERY 5 MINUTES! THAT'S FULLY CHARGED IN 15 MIN.! All PDA's lock up sooner or later. My x30 hardly ever locks up and it recovers without problem. For a PDA, the x30 does a pretty good job of surfing the net. Worried about Wi-Fi battery drain? Buy an extra battery or two! Or use your A/C or car adaptor and surf forever. The X30 runs all apps except "Win 5.0 exclusive" apps. Not a real big deal.. Most of the latest apps work with 5.0 and earlier PDA's. I just purchased another Dell Axim X30 off ebay to replace my current one. I accidentally forced the recharge connector in backward and crushed the connector pins (I suggest CLEARLY marking the connector for use in the dark). Even though my x30 no longer SYNC's in the cradle, it still RECHARGES by cradle and connector. It also sync's wirelessly via infra-red. STURDY, RELIABLE, FAST & FEATURE PHAT! Why pay twice as much for a new Pocket PC or Palm with fewer features and less reliability?

I was a devout HP IPAQ user. My latest IPAQ was a 2215. So, most of my comparisons in this review are based on my knowledge of the 2215.

I did some research on the AXIM and zeroed in on the X30 High. The High version includes the cradle, Bluetooth and WiFi. I felt that this model would best suit my needs.

After my online order was placed, it was received about 3-4 day later (kudos to Dell for fast shipping). Upon first viewing of the X30 in person, I must say I was somewhat shocked. The unit is much thinner than my 2215 and this was a major plus. However, I didn’t care for the squared off edges. I was very comfortable with the rounded feeling of the 2215. But I quickly got past that when I powered up the unit and starting playing.

The 64mb and 624MHz is probably more than I need, but who cares! This makes life so much better. The clarity of the screen is great. In fact I think it may be a bit cleaner/sharper than my 2215. The stylus, at first glance, didn’t seem practical. This flat stylus appeared as though it would be difficult to use. Nope, I was wrong. Although flat, it is quite easy to hold and stores neatly in the side slot.

The quick access buttons are a bit on the small side for my fat fingers. But, none the less, are useful and serve a purpose. You are able to program the buttons to do what you’d like. I was able to program one of the buttons to change the screen between landscape and portrait mode. In addition to the standard buttons there are two additional buttons. One is for the voice recorder. The IPAQ 2215 did away with this. You had to program one of the other buttons for that purpose. Having a dedicated record button is so useful. The other button is to turn on/off the WiFi and Bluetooth. On the left side of the unit, there is a scroll button (similar to the Sony units). I don’t have too much use for this.

The WiFi was easy to setup. I have WiFi in my house. When I turned on the WiFi it recognized the connection and I entered my WEP and off I was, surfing away. I thought this may have just been easy because it was my own WiFi. So, while at a hotel in Manhattan, I connected to their system and it was just as easy.

The X30 has a slot for a SD card. Although my IPAQ 2215 had both the CF and SD, I don’t miss the CF slot. I purchased a 1GB SD card and I’m all set. I can download songs onto this card and use the built in phones jack. Just don't use the built in speaker. It’s terrible.

The case is a nice leather (leatherette) slip case. The IPAQ slip case was too tight and cause scuff marks on the side grips. This case is tight but does not damage the unit at all. As far as the battery life, I haven’t really noticed the time on it. Perhaps it’s because I place it in the cradle every day.

As with any Pocket PC, there are a ton of accessories for the Dell. From cases and screen protectors to additional stylus, it’s limitless. I love this unit. I would recommend it to anyone.

I went looking for a good Windows based PDA, and found it in the Dell Axim X30. When you get one, make sure of a few key, but optional features. One, check the CPU and RAM the particular model you're looking at has. The high end model is the one with a 624mhz ARM processor (scalable in the software for battery life savings... I always run mine at the full 624mhz, but that's me) and 64mb of RAM. Most of the cheaper models have a 312mhz CPU and only 32mb of RAM. Another feature to watch out for is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. My particular model has all of the above features, and is quite competent as a replacement for a laptop in a small package. It comes with Internet Explorer, Word, Excel, and with some checking around, you can get the older (2.0) version of Adobe Reader which will install nicely to read PDFs. Batteries run between a base 950mw battery, up to (yes, I have two of these) 1700mw batteries. On my 1700mw, I can get 3-4 hours of constant use, either reading, going online with the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, depending on your setup, etc. Cases are a bit more of a pain with the larger battery, as they are physically larger than the stock battery, which fits flush with the back.

The screen is bright, and fairly readable in full daylight, which is more than I can say about a lot of PDAs I've had and seen. Controls are good, with the ability of reassigning each to other functions. With the proper software, you can change the look, like a theme, of the screen, and with a little practice, Pocket PC works a lot like most Windows desktop operating systems.

All in all, a well performing PDA.

I've had one of these for over 2 years and it has never given me a problem. The wireless has always worked fine and if you want to shut it off to save battery life, there is a button on the side to do that. My only complaint (and it's minor) is that the wireless indicator light blinks when Wi-Fi is active and that can be irritating. I haven't figured out how to turn it off. It does not have a camera, but I believe there is a camera adapter you can buy for it.

In a hard case it is a bit too big to fit in a shirt pocket, but you don't want it there anyways -- when you bend over, it will fall out. I'd recommend getting some kind of holder to wear it on your belt.

I especially like the rotating screen - you can view everything in landscape or portrait mode with a software switch. This is especially good when editing a document or viewing web pages. Its browser has options that let you look at just about any website. Some advanced graphics don't always display properly, however.

Battery life is good. You should probably expect to charge it every night with the standard battery, especially if you use the Wi-Fi a lot. Dell does make an extended life battery that I didn't buy. The charger has an extra slot for an additional battery.

It has a slot for a standard SD card which is accessed through the top of the device. With a 1gb SD card, you can keep a lot of songs or pictures on the device. I have heard that with the right software you can also convert DVDs to play on the media player. It has reasonable sound output, but you can plug in standard headphones to use it as an MP3 player (just remember to get a good sized SD card to hold the songs).

It is fully interfaced with MS Outlook 2002 and the sync works easily using the included USB cable. You can also sync via a wireless network. This works very well and is easy to set up. If you use a Mac, I believe that there is software to allow you to sync with your data as well.

I absolutely LOVE my Axim X30! I got the 64mb unit with WiFi. My primary purpose was to use it as an ebook reader. I got mine used - and it did not include the CD - so I can't sync it to my computer - so I am limited to programs I can download onto it.

Thankfully I was able to download Mobipocket reader directly onto the unit via the WiFi (that I have in our home) I can now purchase ebooks and download them directly to my Dell over our wifi just like if I had a Kindle! Our library has ebooks now so I can also download those right to my Dell.

Love the touch screen, the controls, the fact that I can program the buttons to do whatever I want them to. Love the user replaceable battery. My cradle has a spot to recharge a spare battery. The SD cards (optional) are easy to find and reasonable in cost.

Although I use it mostly for reading ebooks (and I'm reading a LOT now - I can make the font larger than standard paper back font size!) I also use the calendar program, note pad program, voice recorder.

I downloaded a free photo album program that I liked better than the one included with the Axim. I love that I can carry my photos around with me.. a LOT of them!

I do check my email with it too. I use Yahoo as my home page and have my favorites created on that web page. I read that if you have a lot of favorites marked in Mobile IE, that the program slows down. I tried it and yep, it did slow down. I deleted most of the IE favorites and just moved them over to my mobile Yahoo home page - no problem!

One cool feature I found recently, it has letter recognition. I can "type" an email out on my Axim X30 by writing it with the stylus on the touch screen, and the letter recognition will change it into type.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that yes, it uses the older Windows Mobile 3 operating system. Most of the programs you can find now are for the WM 5 or newer.

I'll be getting 2 more soon... one for my daughter and one for my mom!