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

Bits and Pieces
There were a few other bits of information I gleaned from my discussion with Dell team members, so I'll summarize them here. The X51v is the first 100% lead free Pocket PC from Dell, designed as such to comply with European environmental standards that will be law in 2006. The X51 series will be shipping for the next 12-15 months, so it will overlap the next generation unit in the same way that Dell continued to ship the X30 when the X50 came out. The world-wide English launch happens today (the 20th of September), while European languages will launch on October 14th. Asia Pacific will come on November 23rd, which will include simplified Chinese and Japanese.

Conclusions
After spending some time with the Dell Axim X51v, I came to the same conclusion as I did with the X50v: it's a solid Pocket PC with great value for the money. The improvements are not enough to warrant purchasing it if you currently have an X50v, but if you have an older device and are looking to upgrade to the latest operating system, the X51v is a great choice. While I'd really like to see improvements in the 2D drawing speed to make the device feel more snappy, the X51v is no worse than the X50v in this regard. I also have to give Dell credit for being fairly consistent with its support of one generation back for operating system upgrades: this means that if you buy an X51v there's a good chance Dell will support it when the next version of Windows Mobile comes out. In the world of fickle Pocket PC OEMs that routinely abandon their users, Dell deserves a lot of credit for its approach. The X51v might not raise your pulse very much when you look at it (especially if you've an X50v owner), but it does what it does quite well.

Jason Dunn is an avid technology enthusiast who lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, Ashley and dog, Keiko. He's very tired at the moment, having started this review on the same night he finished it, at 2:09 AM. He wishes he would have started it sooner instead of procrastinating. Got a cure for that?