Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2004/10/07/review_dell_x30/

Dell Axim X30 Wi-Fi PocketPC

Consumer IR and Bluetooth, too

By Trusted Reviews

Posted in Personal Tech, 7th October 2004 13:29 GMT

TrustedReviews.comReview This may be a somewhat negative way to start a review of a good product, but it seems to me that PDAs are a dying breed. It can't be a good sign that Toshiba has stopped selling its Pocket PCs in the US, while Sony has pulled its Clié everywhere but Japan. It seems that the flexibility of the PDA hasn't served it as well as the PC. Though it can act as an may things - an organiser, a GPS solution, a music player and even a universal remote - consumers seem to prefer to buy dedicated solutions such as a Tom Tom Go or an iPod, writes Benny Har-Even.

If you're a technology fan the decline of the PDA is a depressing thought. That said, after several years of almost buying one, I haven't actually got round to it. If, however, you are thinking of getting one, this Dell Axim X30 could be just what you're looking for. If it looks remarkably familiar it's because the X30 is physically identical to the X3i we looked at here. The design is smart and business-like, and has a rather angular look to it but at least it won't slip too easily out of the hand as was the case with the original iPaqs.

Dell X30 Wi-Fi PocketPC

To recap the basics, the X30 sports 64MB of RAM, 64MB of ROM and features built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A switch on the right hand side enables Wireless to be quickly toggled on and off. However, it will only activate or deactivate both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at the same time, which is frustrating if you're only using one and want to minimise power drain. We'd love a utility to customise the button so it worked with one or the other. The switch on the left-hand side activates the notes application, which can be created in textual or audio formats. Infra-red is also present, in both IrDA for data and Consumer IR version to enable the PDA to be used to control consumer electronics devices from a distance. However, unlike HP, Dell doesn't ship the X30 with any universal remote software, such as Nevo, no doubt to keep costs down.

The X30 also has an SD IO card slot, so with SD cards now available at up to 2GB you can begin to think about storing large files such as movies and not just audio on your PDA.

The key change made to the X30 over the X3i is that the processor has been upgraded from a 400MHz Intel PXA263, to the PXA270 running at 624MHz. It really is amazing to think that such a small device can pack this much power, and will be gratefully eaten up by games and movies. As an aside I found that I had to manually ensure that the processor was set to maximum speed as on the Auto movies would not play back smoothly due to the clock speed remaining at a power-saving 208MHz.

The next most significant change is that the operating system has been upgraded to Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, adding support for a landscape display mode. This can even be activated without having to reset the device. Landscape mode is a useful and long-awaited feature that should have been added to Pocket PC a while ago. It makes viewing web pages and Excel graphs far easier than in portrait mode and is great for movies too. In fact, once you've got used to landscape mode, you'll begin to wish it was the default mode with the four shortcut buttons and the navigatin control placed on the longer length of the device rather than the shorter.

However, while landscape mode enhances the likes of Excel, the screen resolution of 320 x 240 is still a limiting factor. Indeed, if VGA resolution was standard by now, I would image more people might be tempted to buy a Pocket PC over a smartphone.

Dell X30 Wi-Fi PocketPC

The X30 is powered by the same 950mAh Lithium-Ion battery as the X3i but the faster processor doesn't seem to have affected battery life too drastically - one of Intel's design goals. Enabling wireless will inevitably drain power more speedily but with sparing use, the device will definitely get you through a working day. With moderate use, on average I had to charge every three days. A plus is that the battery is swappable so you can carry a spare with you, and Dell offers a higher-rated 1800mAh battery for £45.

Verdict

If you're looking for a well-featured PDA, the Axim X30 has a lot going for it. The high clock speed is impressive and with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Consumer IR built in, the only cutting-edge feature absent is VGA resolution. The Dell is lacking on the bundled software front but this would add considerably to the cost. The iPaq hx4700 is better featured but costs a lot more at around £430. By contrast you can pick up the X30 at Expansys for as little as £250 - a bargain if ever there was one. At that price it won't be too painful to pick up a spare long-life battery and an SD card at the same time. And with a one-year warranty as standard, the Dell Axim X30 is highly recommendable. ®

Dell Axim X30
 
Rating 90%
 
Price £270 (inc. VAT)
 
More info The Dell site

Related Reviews

Dell Axim x3i Wi-Fi Pocket PC
HP iPaq rx3715
Medion MDPPC250 PocketPC GPS Bundle
Evesham integrated GPS PocketPC
Toshiba e800 Pocket PC
PalmOne Zire 31
PalmOne Zire 72

Visit The Reg's Review Channel for more hardware coverage.