Jørgen Sundgot has spent time with Dell's Axim X5 Advanced, and finds that despite its low price tag, this Pocket PC newcomer packs plenty of horsepower and a brilliant screen.
Ever since their first introduction, Pocket PCs have belonged to the 'fairly expensive' category when it comes to handhelds. This is so no longer, though, as several manufacturers have launched low-end Pocket PCs approaching price ranges around the $300 USD mark without exactly skimping on features. Dell is one of these companies, and its entrance into the Pocket PC market has created quite a stir since the two models initially introduced both offer impressive features at rock-bottom prices. In this review, we're putting the high-end model, the Dell Axim X5 Advanced, under the magnifying glass.
 | The X5's screen is one of the most comfortable we've ever seen
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Design
The first thing that strikes one upon picking up the X5 is its size - or more specifically, its width. Measuring 8.2 cm wide, it is still nevertheless comfortable to hold in the hand thanks to rubber grips stretching over both sides of the handheld. The X5 is also thicker than most handhelds in its price range at 1.78 cm, but few are likely to mind as the direct result of this trade-off is one more expansion slot. This enables the X5 to do just about anything with the right accessory.
Another eye-catching trait is the 3.5", 16-bit transflective display, which is exceptionally comfortable to view even at only medium brightness. Cranked up to full power, it comes close to laptop level quality of viewing in terms of clarity and brightness, and ClearType also performs well. To interact with the display, there's also of course a stylus - of which opinions are likely to vary based on a user's preference. Having opted for a flat form factor rather than a typical cylindrical one, Dell has created a stylus which is rugged and comfortable in its form factor, but has a tendency to slip due to its polished finish. Also, the design leads to some minor annoyances as it is possible to insert the stylus in a fashion 180 degrees opposite from the correct one, leading to it protruding from the silo when inserted.
Moving on to the buttons of the handheld, the X5 does an acceptable job of providing users with tactile feedback, but nothing more. Four application shortcut buttons below the display provide access to frequently used applications, two on each side of a 4-way directional pad with poor responsiveness. Surprisingly, this button does not offer an 'Action' function out of the box; a patch must be downloaded from Dell's website and installed as a remedy. Remaining buttons include the power on/off button, located centered above the display and doubling as an indicator LED signaling charge status and alarms, along with the voice recorder and reset buttons on the left side of the handheld. These offer surprisingly good tactile feedback despite their minute size. This is also the case for the handheld's jog wheel, situated just above a center position on the left side and below its SD/MMC Card expansion slot, which is a slightly uncomfortable position.
The speaker of the X5 is placed in the lower right corner on the front of the handheld. It provides high quality audio playback - albeit its bass could be better. The 3.5mm earphone jack placed on top of the device, however, provides excellent quality audio with both well balanced bass and treble levels. Next to the earphone jack we'll find the CompactFlash Type II slot, which is in turn placed next to its infrared transceiver.
Also included with the X5 is a flip-top leather holster, which, although it offers good protection for being a holster of this kind, adds even more bulk to the handheld's already considerable size.
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