Customer Reviews
very upset 
2008-04-08
I purchased a psion organiser which i thought was new.What turned up must be 15years old , in fact it is an older version than the one i already have.I was away on business so didnt get to open it till i returned.Guess what to LATE. The only place for this psion is in the trash!
tools 
2006-09-28
I have come into a Psion 5mx as a freebie. I am trying to set it up and am having a problem finding out how to set the communication link. The manual says to go to "Tools". Try as I may I cannot find this section to access the remote link. Any Help out there
Psion Rules 
2005-12-16
The only thing that Psion did wrong was to start selling there new system with Windows CE. I have worked in the PDA industry have road tested every PDA there is to have and I still say that nothing touches or comes close to the Psion. Buy one you won't regret it. I have owned a Psion 3a 3c 5 and 5mx and there still far superior to anything else.
excellent ! 2005-07-28
I have to say, this is the most practical and user friendly PDA i've ever had ! My first PDA was Palm based Handspring Visor, which i used extensively, but could never get the hang of grafitti or on-screen keyboard. I even bought a keyboard for it, but after a while it became a nuisance to lug it around. I upgraded to colour Sony Clie PEG-TG50, with built-in keyboard, at the expense of the screen size. It worked fine, until i upgraded to Win XP and then i couldn't sync it anymore.
I had a look around for something new from HP or Toshiba, but today's PDAs all have the same 'problem' - no keyboard. Then i came across Psion 5mx and researched more into it. It has a decent keyboard and monochrome screen. The battery life is great, i got it 10 days ago and it is still working on 2 original AA batteries. Built in applications are great, especially Word and Sheet and i can sync it with Win XP ! Another great feature is that accepts Compact Flash cards, which expand the available storage. Just like the reviewer deployed in Iraq, i have found that the best to input data is by holding it in your hands and using your thumbs on the keyboard.
There is a lot of software on the net for Psion and they have achieved a cult status among their users. I am certainly another dedicated owner !
The 5mx excelled in a war zone 2004-11-16
In the Spring of 2003, I deployed to Iraq. At night, when I slept, whether it was in the dirt or on the tiled roof of an abandoned school, two things were always hugged close to my body: my M16-A2 series rifle, and my Psion.
In my capacity with the United States Army, I work as a print journalist. During my time in Iraq, I took photos, wrote stories, and escorted international media. During one month alone, my story output was more than double that of all but one other person in my unit, and I honestly believe I could not have accomplished that without my Psion.
I carried it always in my cargo pocket, and it held-up well. It was dropped from HMMWV's on multiple occasions, and was constantly subjected to sand and dust and heat well-above the operating temperatures of 99.9% of electronic equipment in use in the world today. I went through four PCMCIA storage cards for my digital camera, and was locked in a constant battle to keep my Dell laptop functioning so I could send my stories back to headquarters over the secure LAN lines, but never once did my 5mx fail me. It went everywhere I went, and was repeatedly the envy of many civilian reporters I came into contact with.
I read many reviews here, and I can see that perhaps part of Psion's downfall was the ineptitude of average users. To properly type on a Psion--in the case of everything except the Netbook--one should hold it in both hands and type with the thumbs. With very little practice--whether you are an adept touch-typist or a dedicated hunt-and-pecker--you will find yourself typing at incredible speed with only your thumbs on this keyboard so perfectly suited to that form of data entry.
In the Army field of journalism, there is no acceptable substitute for a direct quote. With the 5mx, I never had to offer a substitute. I could type with my thumbs as fast as anyone I met could talk. The voice recorder was also useful in such cases, but as fast as I could type when using both thumbs, it was hardly ever necessary.
The monochrome screen is ideal for those who need a tool instead of a toy. It eats less battery life than a silly screen that can show as many colors as some desktop monitors. The AA battery powere supply was especually convenient for me. I had to have a baggy of AAs for my camera flash anyway, as well as for my Maglite, and I was often in a situation where recharging batteries was not an option.
I took notes on my 5mx, wrote entire articles on it, was able to use it to make notations unobtrusively during briefings, and even kept a journal on it at the insistence of my Mother.
Also, as a college student, I have used my series 5, 5mx, and even my Revo (the last Psion I was ever able to purchase *sigh*) to take notes and write term papers.
There is no substitute for the Psion on the market today--either in price or functionality--and I wonder if there ever will be again.
Complain about the Psion if you like, but my extensive experience with the company tells me the fault was never in the product.
I Love It - And It loves Me! 2002-06-20
The Psion Series 5mx is the out-of-the-box mobile computing solution for busy executives and professionals like you. Delivering remarkable speed, connectivity and functionality, the Psion Series 5mx is a leader in palm computing. While the Psion Series 5mx is independently powerful, it also connects seamlessly to your desktop PC creating expansive opportunities for PC synchronization and file sharing. From top to bottom, inside and out, the Psion Series 5mx is your powerhouse to working freely on the go. The fast processor delivers speedy communications so you stay on top of business even when you are traveling. High screen resolution allows you to view full-page width documents, e-mails, and Web pages without horizontal scrolling! All of these features and more in a tiny easy-to-carry device! Infrared technology incorporated into the device lets you send files wirelessly to an infrared printer, or to other 5mx device. High-specification infrared software even allows the beaming of business cards and agenda entries. There is even a digital voice recorder offering 60 minutes of voice recording time so you can record reminders and notes to yourself. The recorder even works when the unit is closed!
I'm never without my Psion. 2002-04-26
The design of the Psion is superior to other designs. The built-in keyboard is a bit small, but compared with other alternatives are to have no keyboard or carry a big keyboard with you to plug in. The 5 MX has been the palm-top of choice for me. I wish there was an updated model.
Awesome 2002-03-13
If you already own a desktop system and are looking for a portable computer this is a SERIOUS alternative to a laptop computer. Small exceptionally neat package, instant on, multitasking, complete office functionality (word, sheet, web brower, + MUCH more freeware from the net). The keyboard is small but I honestly find I can achieve two handed touch typing on it. Battery life is completely satisfactory (about a month). I've seen my friend's Palm - it's small but it is no contest to the 5mx. I am a computer systems engineering student and this is no personal organizer - This is a real computer system: The 5mx comes with a Java virtual machine! You can compile and run Java applications and applets on the 5mx! Because of so many massive fans of Psion, and backward compatibility with the inclusion of it's own programing language in every Psion there is so much free software out there. Also, amazing amounts of shareware (eg Gameboy emulator!). I have an encyclopedia and 120000 entry dictionary on mine :-). This is a serious bit of kit. I love mine.
Great! Much better than a silly palm pilot. 2001-12-18
Why don't the British make computers? Cos they couldn't find a way to make them leak oil. This is supposed to be a joke, as the British do actually make computers, like the Psion 5MX for example. This is a serious computer, it has fully functional Word and Excel programs and it will synchronize with a PC using Outlook, meaning you can keep appointments, phone numbers, in fact anything at all on both computers. It has a lot of neat little programs built in, so you can tell it your home city and it will tell you the time there, including when to expect sunrise and sunset, and you can then use the pen thing to select any other city in the world. The Psion will tell you how far away that city is in miles, kilometers and nautical miles, what time it is there, what the local sunset and sunrise times are and what area codes you should use should you want to call someone in that city. You can also program the Psion using the EPOC language, a variant on Basic, you can store drawings which you can then put onto your PC, in fact it can do pretty much anything a normal portable can do. You can also record conversations and music, print stuff out directly or through your PC and cruise the internet and do email if you buy the nice little travel modem. I also bought a DOS emulator so that I could run some of the old DOS programs I had lying around, and they all worked fine. All this in a package about the size of a check book, so I carry mine with me everywhere. It's revolutionized my life and I'm constantly surprising people with my ability to show up for meetings on time and quickly find information which previously I wrote on little yellow pieces of paper and subsequently lost. So now I always know what my computer passwords are, what sort of brake shoes I need to buy for my motorcycle, all that kind of stuff. Finally there is a ton of useful software which you can download from the internet, and I have all kinds of dictionaries, language courses, games, solar system simulators, star maps, travel maps etc etc. all for free. Among the free software are some pretty serious programs allowing you to read *.pdf and powerpoint file, pretty astonishing in my opinion. I've had my machine for a year without any problems and can't understand why everyone doesn't have one of these obviously superior products.
Excellent Functionality 
2001-12-07
I have used Palm Pilots for over 5 years. I really wanted something with a keyboard (without lugging around extra pieces).
The 5x is excellent. It has all the functionality of a Palm + more! I am converted.
This is a great PDA. The only draw back is that the screen is sometimes difficult to see (to dark).
Overall, it is one of a kind. I would recommend it to anyone that uses their PDA for a calendar, email, notes, address book and multifunction with Word/Excell applications.
