Dell Computer Corporation entered the handheld market recently with its Axim X5 Pocket PC series in the trademark Dell fashion: The Axim's technology is sound, but no breakthrough. Its design is relatively slick, but not necessarily lust-inspiring. Where the Axim rules is in offering an impressive amount of technology at an affordable price.

This, of course, is the formula that allowed Austin, TX-based Dell to march its way to the top of the computer sales race, and the company has every intention of doing the same with handhelds. Ironically enough, handhelds were not a market Dell had at the top of its priority list. A year of so ago, the company happily was selling Palm and HP Jornada handhelds, and Dell spokespeople said their intention was to stay neutral on the Palm OS v. Pocket PC question.

Then HP merged with Dell's archrival, Compaq, in a move intended to eat into Dell's market share. Austin did not much care for that, and within weeks of the merger HP printers and handhelds disappeared from Dell's offerings. Besides, even if Dell wanted to keep selling the HPs, the Jornada was discontinued in favor of Compaq better-selling iPaq. The Jornada 560 series -- recommended in this space and still one of the best PDA designs ever -- is gone.

An Axim makes a credible successor to the 560, though. It has a similar look and feel, a similar color screen. It is a little bulkier in size but has a more powerful processor.

Axims weigh a little under 7 oz., and have the usual Pocket PC navigation buttons. It passes one of my key Pocket PC use tests: the button to activate the built-in voice recorder is positioned so that users won't inadvertently hit it every time they reach for their PDA. One nice touch is that the reset button is incorporated into the rubberized side grips in a way that it can be pressed by poking it with the stylus (the usual PDA technique) or simply by squeezing down on the rubber.

Axims come with Intel XScale processors -- 300MHz for the base model, which I tested, or 400MHz on an upgraded unit. The base unit has 32 MB of RAM with 32 MB of ROM vs. 64/48 on the upgrade. Dell utilities allow you to use some of the ROM (which primarily are the home for operating system files) to backup data.

A big plus is that the unit has slots for both CompactFlash Type II and Secure Digital/MMC cards. This dual capacity allows you to insert a CF peripheral such as a modem or network card while still having add-on memory via a SD card.

400MHz units such as most iPaqs usually cost $500 or more. Lower-priced PDAs from HP, ViewSonic, Toshiba and others typically have 200MHz processors, and only one card slot. However, such units tend to be much smaller, lighter, and thinner. The tradeoff with an Axim is accepting more bulk to get more features.

The Axim has a really cool charge/sync cradle in black/silver translucent plastic with a hidden "DELL" logo that lights up in blue when a connection is made. However in a fit of cost-cutting, it is only standard with the upgraded model; the base comes with a USB sync cable and the cradle is $30 extra.

Axims have backup batteries to protect your data when if the main, rechargeable cell has lost its charge, and the batteries are replaceable. The plastic cover for the backup battery was a little flimsy, though, and I had to fight with it to snap it back in place. A couple of other minor gripes: Dell went with a flat stylus that isn't the easiest thing in the world to use, and the LED that tells you when the unit has been recharged is nearly invisible.

But you can't gripe about the price. Well, actually you can -- simply because you can't pin down the price. The "official" price is $250 for the base model; $350 for the upgraded one, which is a reasonably decent deal. But Dell at times has knocked $50 off both prices, making the Axim a genuine steal. If you are thinking of one, you are best advised to stop in at the Dell web site a few times to look for the best Axim prices -- and be sure to look at both the "home" and "business" Dell sites as pricing can be different on the various sites.

As this is being written, "Home & Home Office" sales are offering 10% off list on Axims while the "Small Business" unit is not. Such pricing vagaries are one of the few sour notes in an otherwise very sweet PDA.

(c) 2004 Al Gordon.

In addition to his computer interests, Al Gordon is a principal in the Boston-area strategic consulting firm, Mary Fifield Associates, www.maryfifieldassociates.com

Axim Accessories

Admittedly, this newsletter is The Naked PC, but we really don't believe you ought to let your PCs or PDAs run around naked. A few well-chosen accessories can help. For the Axim, three come immediately to mind.

PDAs beg for wireless connections to a network or the Internet, and SanDisk, the flash memory specialists, have unveiled its Connect WiFi CF card. As a SanDisk spokesman put it, the company helped invent the CF format and reckons that it ought to be a leader in offering products in that size, including wireless cards. Nicely priced at $78, Connect comes with a PC card adapter so you can use it with a laptop as well.

Installation and usage was simple. In testing on my home WiFi network, I saw no sign that the smaller size format had compromised performance -- I got signal strength that matched larger PC cards. SanDisk's Connect is just the thing to let you take out your PDA at your friendly neighborhood wireless network-equipped coffeehouse or fast food joint and impress the crowds by surfing the net in one hand and sipping coffee with the other.

Second, software: Microsoft's Pocket Office applications suite does not include a PowerPoint counterpart, so Dell includes a copy of IA Style's IA Presenter v.2.15. It does a good job of translating PowerPoint presentation to your handheld, and will let you give a presentation using an Axim and a CF VGA card. However, it is a generation behind the IA's retail v.2.30, which has better conversion and presentation capabilities. IA offers Axim owners a $9.95 upgrade price, which is a pretty good deal.

However, if you are going to shell out money, I recommend you opt instead for the IA "Style Super Pack" at $35.95. It includes the latest version of Presenter, plus IA Zip (what it sounds like: software to create and uncompress Zip archives on a Pocket PC) and IA Album, a neat photo viewing software program. Album allows for annotation and editing your graphics, and it is a useful tool to make your Pocket PC into a picture viewer for your digital camera. Pop the memory card out of the camera and into the Axim, and see your photos in better detail than on the camera's screen.

Finally, Dell itself offers a 33-key foldable keyboard, $79 if you buy it with an Axim; $99 if you buy it separately. It is a flat black-and-silver box style to look like a miniature version of a Dell laptop. When you pop open the cover, it folds back to provide a cradle for the Axim. You then unfold the keys, which are stored as two pieces layered on top of a third. The resulting keyboard is smaller than standard size -- good for use in tight spaces but touch typing can be difficult.

However, for the usual purposes for which you want a PDA keyboard -- taking notes in the field, working with emails, etc. -- the Dell unit is a major productivity plus.

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You can reach Al Gordon at:

al@tnpcnewsletter.com

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