Customer Reviews
Great PDA 
2006-01-11
I have carried this PDA nearly every day for approximately six months. I listen to audio books on it from audible.com, use for keeping lists, and most importantly I used the interface with MS Outlook for emails and schedules. To keep it safe I use the magnesium shell case from innopocket.com and can carry it without concern in my cargo pocket or backpack without fear of damage.
The latest ROM version for PPC2003SE seems to have resolved all of the issues that is struggled with immediately after its release. The latest Dell PDA version of this line, the x51v, used WM5. At the time of this writing, WM5 ROM A6 for the x50v is available, however, detailed postings on aximsite.com show that there are still too many issues with this ROM update for the x50v to make it worthwhile.
PRO: Excellent connectivity, to wit; Bluetooth, WiFi, and USB. VGA adapter is available too. Great memory expansion with both CF and SD card options. Screen is excellent- I watch movies that I have converted with pocketDVD and betaplayer.
CON: Battery life is okay. By adjusting the settings you can squeak out a fair amount of time on the unit. It does ship with two batteries and you can charge both the unit and the extra battery in the base charger. If you are looking for a good DC adapter for the car check out boxwave.com with their adapter that can charge the power hunger unit in the car.
Well Designed Product 2005-12-06
I am one of the lucky few to have got the Dell Axim A50v as a gift. This PDA looks very strong and elegant and I just love the feel of it. It is easy to download music and listen to it later whenever I want to. The buttons are well spaced and easy to use. The video with its VGS screen is classy and the display is very bright and clear. The connectivity options are very good. The consumer IR port was a surprise, as most of the manufacturers do not include this on their devices.
The battery life is ok, but I feel it should have been of a higher capacity. The new Media Player is not up to the mark, few of its features being useful only if the user ties himself/herself to Windows Media format and applications. These are the reasons that I gave the product four stars.
Being Blue tooth and Wi-Fi enabled this is a great product. Its slim and light form along with the excellent features have won me over. I feel that the X50v is an attractive high-end Windows Mobile handheld to own.
Dell is a great device if it works! 
2007-11-24
I have had my dell axim for several years now, this is a great product for multimedia purposes. You can download many programs and have music,movies,GPS navigation(need reciever), and much much more with this device. I need to mention that dell pda's has several problems with the software and hardware. There are web sites out there to help buyers with various problems from this device. I had to replace my initial Dell axim x50v because of a digitizer problem. My screen would not align and my stylus was never acurate, but after getting a replacment, I have yet to run into any major problems. I recommend having some type of warranty with this product since it has a reputation of so many problems if you are going to purchase this.
The Dell Axim is not reliable! 
2007-08-22
I've had two Dells Axim x50v. I bought the first in August 2005, the second one in July 2006 after the first one didn't work any more. They are very elegant, well designed but they are weakened by their specific graphics processor which is not reliable at all! Both Axims have broken down because of their graphics processor. Now I am using an HP iPaq!
It works, but go for x51v 2006-08-11
I won't repeat what others have said, so I will be short and brief.
If you're going to use this for typing notes and playing music, GET A SECURE DIGITAL CARD. I am serious when I say this. It's not just that this pocket pc doesn't have a lot of memory, but if you're saving notes onto it, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR STUFF ONCE IN A WHILE.
I have noticed occasionally that my pocket pc will reset itself (full reset, mind you) and I lose everything. The best course of action is to make sure that you backup all your files into the card (CF OR SD) and and make a "backup/restoration" file that can be saved onto that SD card, that way when you're in class, you won't find that your keyboard software just disappeared during the random reset and that you're having to fumble with paper and pen to write your notes down as the professor is talking. Of course, I don't give this pocket pc 4 stars instead of 5 just because of an OS bug. We all know we can blame this on Microsoft as usual. =-)
Also, the joystick is a bit small. When I'm playing music and trying to switch from track to track, I often find myself instead raising the volume, or the other way around. It's so small that the pocket pc confuses your trying to click right or left with up and down. This is one of few small quarks I had.
Overall, I think this was a better buy than Dell's pocket pc counterpart made by HP, which was about $100 more than the Axim when it first came out. You don't need a touchpad (sorry guys, but this isn't a laptop replacement except for its ability to allow you to take notes via keyboard). Also, the HP is a bit larger, looks less sportier and too boxlike. I don't know about the rest of you, but as a young college student, I'm into aesthetics when it comes to choosing a several hundred dollar investment that is going to last me 3-4 years.
Anyhow, the prices are dropping. The x50 is just like the x51 except for a few minor software upgrades and buttload of memory (compare 64mb vs 4-5gb).
By far the best PDA out there rite now 
2006-04-08
I did a whole lot of research before I bought one of these badboys.
My first choice was a Palm LifeDrive, however I did a ton of reading and there are a slew of problems with there built in 4gb CF drive. There is also NO way to switch batterys on the go, which is a HUGE downside. Overall the LifeDrive really isn't any better than the x50v, I feel it is much worse.
1) You can't switch batterys on the LD
2) You can't repair the CF drive yourself without killing the warranty
3) Doesn't compare to the dedicated intel 2700g 16mb gfx card
Now to the Axim.
1) Sound quality is superb. I bought this to replace my ipod, and I must say, this puppy puts the ipods quality to shame. You can get a software equalizer and tweak your sound.
2) Battery Life is good to me, you can buy a portable charger that takes double aa's, ideally you want 4 nimh batterys, 2500MAs are best. It will charge it 3 or more times on the go.
3) Graphics are amazing.
4) Productivity is amazing.
Overall I would highly suggest this PDA.
Best PDA I've owned thus far. 2006-02-07
I started with a Tangerine Handspring Visor Deluxe, with a whopping 8Mb of RAM. I followed up with a Sony Clie SJ-33, then a TJ-35, and started to become a little annoyed with the low RAM and lack of WiFi or Bluetooth offerings, so I "cashed out" and just used my Nokia 3650 for a year. When I saw a deal on a Dell Axim 50v, I jumped on it and never looked back. Here's why it made sense for me.
1) I was looking for a replacement for a PDA, but I wanted Bluetooth (for my cellphone and desktop) and WiFi (for remote PC management). High-end Palms met this, and so did some PocketPC devices;
2) I was looking for a bigger MP3 player. The LifeDrive fit this but the 4Gb storage wasn't removable. The Dells have a CF card slot and a 6Gb microDrive stores 50% more than the LifeDrive, and is removable. The SD slot is a nice bonus with the Dells as well.
3) I was looking for some Office application compatibility, and Dell Axims with Windows Mobile 2003SE ship with Pocket Word and Pocket Excel. Outlook syncs with the device natively. I'd lose my existing library of Palm apps but the core utilities were easily replaced by ouf-of-box functionality.
4) Price: I wasn't going to pony up $800 on a PDA because at that level, I might as well get a cheap laptop. I managed to do quite well with a Dell Axim 50v and a Hitachi 6Gb Microdrive.
Of course, hitting features on a map and actually using them are two different things. The Axim 50v surprised me a lot and let me down a little...
1) Battery life is good, and I can swap out the battery with a larger one and get some serious runtime. I can play MP3s for three hours and not need to charge it, and still work with apps on it while music plays.
2) WiFi is pretty good, and being able to control my server PCs through a Desktop Connection is nice, real nice.
3) Pocket Word and Pocket Excel are pretty good; QuickOffice for Palm is actually superior, but I'm happy with the switch nevertheless.
4) The backlight is bright, almost too bright. Colors are beautiful. And storage is plentiful.
Downsides include:
1) Block Recognizer does not remember your input, so unlike true T9 input, it doesn't ever get smarter, and that disappoints me greatly.
2) Microsoft has shut off WiFi syncing for ActiveSync, so if you're stuck with a USB 1.1 connection for your cradle/ cable, that's the top speed you can expect. WiFi syncing is much faster.
3) Windows Mobile 5 is an utter disaster for Axim 50vs; this is largely mitigated by how good WM2003SE is. I don't feel the need to use the buggy ActiveSync 4.1 (which can easily drain your battery), or to hack the registry to have the Axim find my CF card when starting.
This is the PDA I recommend to people now. Its storage flexibility, two radios, bright screen, and swappable battery solution makes it a winner. WM2003SE is a stable operating system and the bundled apps make this an excellent tool from day one. The Windows Media Player is good enough for MP3 playback, although a 3rd party app like Conduits PocketPlayer is a good buy. There is some excellent freeware as well, to my surprise, and I'm not missing Palm any longer.
Fred
