I’ve been looking for a PDA for personal use and finally narrowed down my choice to Palm TX and Dell Axim x51v. Since I’ve never had a PDA, I just wanted some opinion of users who used them. I’ve done some research online and have outlined some points for consideration:

Palm TX - $260 approx
- cheaper
- more user friendly

Dell Axim x51v - $350 approx
- more expensive
- multitasking

Neither of them!!!
I own one of these babys!! kicks both of thier asses and is a phone too...

Google up Qtek 9090
Best PDA and Phone and wireless net...

QUOTE(Mark420 @ Oct 11 2006, 04:46 PM) [snapback]89106[/snapback]

Neither of them!!!
I own one of these babys!! kicks both of thier asses and is a phone too...

Google up Qtek 9090
Best PDA and Phone and wireless net...

Well, first I really only need a pda, not a phone combo. Second, my company's policy is only to support Dell, HP and Palm. And is there any for sale in the US anyways? I didn't see any online. The RAM might be a little low also.

I have a Dell Axim x50 and was previously a Palm user, so I can hopefully shed some light. When I was looking to upgrade my PDA, I carefully looked into the Palm Tungsten V and my current Axim model. I personally preferred the Palm OS and the design of the Palm models. The reviews, unfortunately, were not favorable for Palm at the time. There were users who claimed the Tungsten V would frequently crash and the Palm company was experiencing an uncertain future at the time. The Tungsten V also had only 1 memory expansion slot and did not have built in wireless connectivity. I eventually decided to go for an Axim. The Axim was also a cheaper option for me, because Dell had a good sale.

The Axim x50v would have been more expensive, but I did not necessarily need a VGA screen. The disadvantage of the screen would be increased battery consumption. This problem can be remedied by purchasing an extra battery. The PDA dock for the Axim has a slot for charging an extra battery. There are also third-party sellers for larger batteries, but they are large, bulky, and unsightly.

As I look back, I am satisfied with the Axim. There are only a few disadvantages I see at this point. There are fewer software options with Windows Mobile, compared to the Palm OS, although this is changing overall. In addition, the user-interface with Windows Mobile generally requires more taps and is less elegant than that of the Palm OS. Moreover, since the Windows Mobile operating system is bulkier, it consumes more processing power and memory. It is not as responsive as the Palm programs either. Finally, the battery life is shorter.

Although I mentioned a few disadvantages about the Axim, they are not dealbreakers. The availability of software was not a big deal, because I did not plan on purchasing much software and there was adequate freeware for my modest needs. The bulk of the operating system was compensated by a more powerful CPU and two slots for expansion cards. And the battery issue was resolved with the presence of an extra battery as a back-up.

I am not completely sold out to Windows Mobile though. When I make my next purchase, I do not know whether I will stick with Windows Mobile or switch back to the Palm OS. I am nevertheless considering the PDA phones, such as the Treo, as my replacement PDA. Carrying multiple devices (PDA, phone, pager) is a pain in the neck as it is.

Thanks webintern, your input is very helpful. Although the price difference is around $80, I am not sure I will be willing to purchase a second battery for the Dell Axim. Is the 312 MHz processing power enough for Palm? The screen on the Palm TX is also smaller than on Dell Axim. It’s a harder decision than I thought.

I forgot to mention that the Dell sale included a free battery. This, plus the fact that I really wanted built-in wireless, tipped the balance for me in favor of Dell.

Unfortunately, I cannot estimate how powerful a 312 MHz processor would be on the Palm OS. I do know, however, that Windows Mobile consumes both CPU and memory like its Windows XP big brother. I currently set my Axim on automatic CPU speed adjustment to conserve power. It rarely ramps up and maintains full speed unless I am using programs like Windows Media Player. In short, I guess the answer to your question depends on your particular needs (I know, I am not much help there. Sorry).

I've finally decided on the Palm TX over the Dell Axim X51V. There are several factors that I considered. First is the price difference. There is at least $100 price difference, which would be money well spend if Dell offered a lot more feature. The main difference here is really the processer, but with the window softwares, it will need more processing power and will use up battery faster. Also Dell seems to support Compact Flash expansion slot, which Palm only have SD and MMF. Everything else is pretty much equal. Palm also have bluetooth and wifi. My Palm is suppose to shipped today. I'll have a reveiw update once I receive it.

I'm glad to hear you finally settled on a desirable PDA. I may be in the market for a PDA upgrade in 2007, so I will be interested in hearing how your experience with the Palm TX goes.

I find it interesting that the Dell Axim was significantly more expensive for you, since it was the other way around for me when I made my decision to get an Axim (there were special deals though). I guess this illustrates how the market can frequently shift. It also shows how competition can be good for the consumer. We get good choices and good prices.

Have fun with your new toy!

I’ve been having a lot of fun with my Palm TX. The processor is fast, battery life very good (I’ve used it for more than four hours before I needed to recharge). So far I’ve synced my outlook with it and installed a bunch of free games. The amount of freeware available for Palm is amazing. There are softwares for just about everything. So far I use it for reading ebooks, shopping list, playing games and studying for exams. I can also create and edit Microsoft word and excel files on the palm with no problems.

It’s very easy to navigate, even though I am primarily a PC user myself. You can change the background and color theme like you can on window software. However it doesn’t support multitasking, although I don’t miss it. You can jump out of an application and use another. When you come back, you can pickup where you left off. Although it doesn’t have much memory (128MB), I bought a 2G SD expansion card for under $20. It’s great, I am no where near filling it up.

The screen is very good and the PAD itself is light, no bigger than my financial calculator. I am very happy with it.