Windows Phone Thoughts: The Dell Axim X51v: If it Were Software, It Would Be a Dot Release

Product Category: Pocket PC
Manufacturer: Dell
Where to Buy: Dell
Price: $499 USD
System Requirements: n/a

Pros:

• Continues the tradition of the well-liked X50v;
  
• Roomy 256 MB of Flash ROM;
  
• Retains excellent screen from the X50v;
  
• Dell has a good track record for OS upgrades;
  
• Same or better features than X50v at no additional cost.

Cons:

• Battery life still lacking;
• Sluggish 2D screen drawing;
• Windows Mobile 5 buggy;
• No hardware enhancements for Windows Mobile 5 softkeys;
• Ghastly 3rd party software install.

Summary:
The Dell Axim X51v is an incremental upgrade from the X50v. While it retains all of the strong points of the X50v (price point, dual slots, screen), it does little to address the weak points such as lacking battery life, and sluggish 2D screen draws. The introduction of Windows Mobile 5 brings with it many advantages, but extra performance and polish are not neccesarily among them.