Larry Garfield looks at Dell's new mid-level professional handheld, the confusingly named X50 Advanced, and finds a travel-friendly handheld.
In usual Dell style, the company has launched a series of similar devices sporting nearly identical names. These new Windows Mobile handhelds, the X50 series, are targeted at high-end users and businesses. This review covers the mid-range version, the Axim X50 Advanced.
 | The X50 Advanced offers dual cards and dual wireless
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Design
The Axim X50 Advanced is a bit slender at 119 x 73 x 16 mm, although at 167 grams it is somewhat hefty. The case is nonetheless attractively designed with black plastic with silver plastic trimming. The bottom is slightly rounded, giving the whole device a good feel in the hand.
The screen is a 16-bit color QVGA 240 x 320 pixel display measuring 3.5 inches, fairly standard for a modern Windows Mobile handheld. There is no trouble with viewability, even with ClearType enabled. Below the screen are the usual application buttons and the small but usable 5-way directional pad.
The left side of the device offers a lanyard loop, voice recorder button, wireless activate/deactivate button, and a hold switch. The hold switch simply disables input, allowing the screen to shut off on its own, while all of the buttons are placed such that they are annoyingly easy to hit by accident. The power button is top center front and glows green or orange, depending on charging status. However, there is also a blue Bluetooth indicator light that flashes annoyingly whenever the Bluetooth radio is active. After getting indicator lights so right on the X30, it's disappointing that Dell would make that mistake.
The top of the device includes a high-powered IR port, headphone jack, and silo for the too-thin metal barrel stylus. It also includes both Compact Flash and SDIO-capable Secure Digital card slots, which to save space are so close together that there is no barrier between them nor a hinge cover. Still, the Axim can support both simultaneously.
Connectivity
The X50 Advanced shines in connectivity. It starts with the aforementioned CF and SD card slots, then adds both Bluetooth 1.2 and Wi-Fi with WPA support making it about as connected as a handheld can get without crossing over into a communicator. It also includes yet another serial connector at the base for a charging cradle or cable.
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