CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» infoSync TV » Review Center
» CES 2009 » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / Review Center / Cell phones /
Review: Dell Axim X30 StandardBy Larry Garfield, Monday 16 August 2004
GALLERY
Dell Axim X30 Standard
Enlarge
 
 
Larry Garfield examines the Dell Axim X30 Standard, and finds Dell's entry-level model good, but with some rough edges.

Review summary of the Dell Axim X30 Standard:
Gallery »
Dell Axim X30 Standard Price: $200.
Pros:
Cons:
%
POOR
Mediocre
Good
Very good
Excellent
Full review of the Dell Axim X30 Standard:
Dell came late to the Windows Mobile party, but fashionably so. Its Axim line has had a respectable showing for its low price, Dell's standard modus operandi, and with its latest three-model X30 series pushes high-end specifications at reasonable prices. This review deals with the low-end X30, the Axim X30 Standard.

The X30 Standard is a decent handheld, but its case flaws are more of a issue without wireless
Design

At first glance, the X30 is almost identical to the Axim X3i, with silver plastic front and back faces and black sides in a somewhat box-shaped design. Measuring 116 x 14.9 x 77.2 mm weighing 135 grams, the size is fine but the edges of the case have slight lips that are uncomfortably sharp. The screen is a bright, 16-bit TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels that is crisp and clear except for an over-aggressive ClearType that created bit of fuzziness. We got used to it after a while, but a ClearType tuning tool would be welcome.

Buttons on the X30 abound. The 5-way D-pad is a bit small and has limited travel, but the other four round application buttons were fine. Flanking those on the left and right are two small buttons that are only labeled with etchings on the sides of the device for the voice recorder and media, respectively. The left side of the handheld includes a headphone jack and jog wheel, while the power button sits dead center above the screen. The top of the device includes an IR port and SDIO capable SD Card expansion slot, while the bottom of the handheld includes the usual serial port.

The X30 Standard's primary indicator lights are built into the power button, which glows orange when on AC power and green when fully charged, or flashes orange when the battery is low. Kudos to Dell for making a visually-useful but not visually-annoying device, something many companies need to learn.

The stylus is of Dell's usual flat aluminum variety. The X30 Standard does not include a cradle, only a charging/sync cable, although it is easy to leave the sync part home when traveling. Audio quality through the unit's headphone jack was fine, however the loudspeaker as expected provided signature tinny audio.

Connectivity

As mentioned the X30 sports the usual IR port, SDIO card slot, and serial port, all standard on even entry-level handhelds today. This Standard edition of the X30 does not include any wireless capabilities, however.
Best Phones
Name Score Price Carrier
C
Nokia N95 8GB NAM 85% $650Unlocked
Apple iPhone 3G 82% $200AT&T
Nokia N95 80% $530Unlocked
AT&T Tilt 77% $400AT&T
Nokia N78 76% $500Unlocked
RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Sprint) 74% $280Sprint
HTC Mogul 73% $400Sprint
RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130 (Verizon Wireless) 73% $170Verizon Wireless
Nokia E71 73% $500Unlocked
Helio Ocean 72% $200Helio
Click here to see full and advanced chart »
 
 
 
CES & MACWORLD 2009
Follow our exclusive in-depth coverage »
RECOMMENDED
Bold vs. E71 vs. Epix vs. Treo 800w
 
Storm vs. iPhone 3G vs. Omnia vs. Touch Diamond
 
T-Mobile G1 vs. Xperia X1 vs. Touch Pro vs. AT&T Fuze
 
TOP STORIES
Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot, W508 Walkman phones flirt with AT&T
 
LG Watch phone could be gesture controlled
 
Palm Pre and Palm WebOS in-depth look
Mobile Year In Review 2008
 
Best Smartphones of the Year
 
Best Cell Phones of the Year
Best Camera Phones
 
Best AT&T Phones of the Year
 
Best Verizon Wireless Phones
Best Sprint Phones of the Year
 
Best T-Mobile Phones of the Year
 
Best All-Touch Phones of the Year
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
» Top 15
QWERTY phones
 
All-touch phones
 
Touchscreen phones
Business phones
 
Multimedia phones
 
Concept phones
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
More...
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
» By release
October 2008, November 2008, December 2008
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
NOW IN PHONES
Sony Ericsson C510 Cyber-shot, W508 Walkman phones flirt with AT&T
 
LG Watch phone could be gesture controlled
 
Palm Pre and Palm WebOS in-depth look
 
Nokia E63 QWERTY smartphone gets official U.S. price tag
 
BlackBerry Curve 8900 for T-Mobile is thinnest BlackBerry to date
iPhone 3G gets OTA music downloads
Motorola MotoSurf A3100 social smartphone begs to be touched
Motorola Renew recyclable phone coming to T-Mobile
Next 25 stories
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
HDTVs
CAMCORDERS
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2008 © infoSync World