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Dell launches Axim X50 wireless media PDAs
X30s to get Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition upgrade
Dell debuted the latest additions to its Axim PDA line-up: three new models based on Intel's newest processor and mobile graphics technology, and ready to accept tracks downloaded from Windows Media-based online music stores.
The X50 family will ship with the mobile version of Windows Media Player 10, which allows songs downloaded through a subscription service to be transferred to a portable player. Napster, MSN, MusicMatch and others are now offering compatible services, under the Plays for Sure logo.
And Dell said it will offer system software update for its Axim X30 PocketPCs in two months' time.
The X50s are based on Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. The OS' support for VGA displays is utilised on the top-end X50v, which incorporates a 3.7in, 480 x 640 display driven by Intel's 2700G graphics chip, itself based on Imagination Technologies PowerVR core, better known in an earlier form as the basis for the Sega Dreamcast console's graphics.
The X50v also incorporates Bluetooth 1.2 and 802.11b wireless connectivity, potentially making it possible to download songs without the need for a PC.
The X50v, like the other members of the series, provides an SD slot and a CompactFlash slot, and are powered by an Intel XScale PXA270 processor, in this case running at 624MHz. The X50v has 64MB of RAM (62MB available to the user) and 128MB of Flash (91MB configured for user storage).
The other models, both shipping as the X50, contain 520MHz and 416MHz PXA270s, respectively. Both have 64MB of RAM, one with an extra 128MB of Flash, the low-end model with 64MB of non-volatile storage. Both sport a 3.5in 240 x 320 display. The 416MHz X50 supports Bluetooth, while the 520MHz unit offers Bluetooth 1.2 and Wi-Fi.
All three PDAs ship with 1100mAh batteries. They measure 11.8 x 7.2 x 1.5cm and weigh 167g (the X50v weighs 175g).
The X50v will cost $499 in the US, with the two X50s coming in at $399 and $299, respectively. While Dell is taking orders now, the products will not ship until 19 November, Dell said. ®
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