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General discussion

A couple real-world questions on the Dell Axim X50 vs. X50v

Mar 23, 2005 7:25PM PST

Ok, first question:
Under NORMAL REAL-WORLD USE (not playing movies/mp3's/mega-tasking all at full volume all the time) such as sometimes being wireless, sometimes playing mp3's but mostly using Outlook/Excel/Word, what kind of difference will I see in the battery life between the two units with both the standard battery and/or the big battery?
Next Questions:
Considering there are 2 different types of expansion cards that can be used, can
1) both slots be used simultaneously? and
2) Which slot should I use for memory vs/ expansion? I guess what i want to know here is if one type of media is faster for file accessing and which slot will be more useful to keep open for games/gps/other expandability options?

Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Time.
Mar 23, 2005 8:45PM PST

The units do not get 8 hours on time even with the big battery on Wifi. As to Word, etc. I ran into someone who thought they would use that instead of a laptop. I warned them off, but 700 bucks later it sits on their desk as an ornament. I hope you are not thinking of using it to craft documents.

Bob

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Just looking for answers....
Mar 23, 2005 9:39PM PST

not trying to replace a laptop... just need answers on x50 vs. x50v not "handheld vs. laptop" arguments/opinions... this isn't the topic.
Thanks

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Your questions..
Mar 23, 2005 10:17PM PST

Are still subject to interpetations.

In short, you don't get a lot of hours on either model. The bigger battery can get you close to 4 hours with the Wifi on, but that's it.

And here's a thought. If Dell won't talk to you about your concerns, why are you considering them as your supplier?

Bob

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Haven't asked because....
Mar 23, 2005 11:05PM PST

i want real-world experince, not internal tests....

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That's bad.
Mar 23, 2005 11:13PM PST

It's my outlook that such a conversation can reveal if you want to invest in this new relationship. Here's my real world outlook on this.

I program software that runs on PDAs so I'm a little "in deep" with many makes and models. The model you noted is nice, but expectations are outstripping the PDA and the units are ending up as desk toys or ornaments. Your comment about Word, Excel are danger signals and I'll flag it as such.

But hey, it's your money!

Bob

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Short direct answers.
Mar 23, 2005 10:22PM PST

Remember that I do not own this model, but a co-worker has this ornament on their desk.

"what kind of difference will I see in the battery life between the two units with both the standard battery and/or the big battery?"

The bigger battery time can be easily calculated. Example. If the stock is some 2000 mAH and the bigger is 3000 mAH, then you can expect to get about 50% more time on the 3000 mAH battery. This is not constrained to just this PDA but how batteries in general work for capacity and minute calculations. I hope this clarifies how you can see what time you'll get.

Furthermore there is another BIG benefit to the bigger battery. Since most batteries have some 500 charge limit, you'll get more years out of the bigger battery and won't have to replace it as soon since the number of charges per year goes down. The bigger battery is cheaper per year.

Next Questions:
Considering there are 2 different types of expansion cards that can be used, can
1) both slots be used simultaneously? and

Yes.

2) Which slot should I use for memory vs/ expansion? I guess what i want to know here is if one type of media is faster for file accessing and which slot will be more useful to keep open for games/gps/other expandability options?

The one you want to use. With the exception of GPS, what you listed is available for either slot.

Bob