HANDHELD REVIEW

Dell Axim X3i review

7.7

Editors' Rating

Design		8.0
Features		8.0
Performance		7.0

Brian Nadel CNET

Published: 14 Nov 2003

Last year, Dell shook up the handheld market by introducing its Axim line of full-featured Pocket PC handhelds at extremely competitive price points. Although the X5 offered a fast processor, dual expansion slots and great battery life, it suffered from a bulky design and lack of extras. Dell's new Axim X3i addresses those shortcomings with a slimmed-down profile, a fast 400MHz processor and built-in wireless networking for an affordable £269 (inc. VAT). Once again, the PC giant is presenting a fully loaded handheld for a good price, but those who need Bluetooth connectivity, a more robust software bundle and a sexier design may wish to shell out for HP’s £449 (inc. VAT) iPAQ H4150.

Design

At 140g, Dell's Axim X3i squeezes a full-featured handheld into a package that's 56g lighter than the company's popular predecessor, the Axim X5. Its measurements (7.7cm by 12.2cm by 1.5cm) and weight are slightly more than those of HP's iPAQ H4150. At worst, the squarish design is boring, but those who thought the X5 was too bulky will appreciate the slimmer profile. It not only fits comfortably in the hand but slips easily into and out of a shirt pocket with hardly a bulge. Add in the X3's travel cables and AC adapter, and it hits the road at a reasonable 368g travel weight.

The 3.5in. (diagonal), 320 by 240-pixel, 65,536-colour transflective screen matches that of most other current Pocket PC devices. Along the top of the unit are a Wi-Fi antenna nub, an infrared window and an SDIO expansion slot. The last item allows for the use of Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCards (MMC) media, as well as a growing list of compatible peripherals such as cameras. But you might need strong fingernails; it's a bit harder to seat or release cards in the X3's SD slot than it should be. Those who still need to use the larger CompactFlash cards will want to opt for the older Axim X5 or the HP iPAQ H2210. Another gripe: the flat, aluminium stylus that’s stored on the top-right side is slightly uncomfortable to use.

Underneath the screen are the standard five-way navigation key and shortcut buttons for your calendar, contacts, in-box and home. Two extra keys -- one on each edge -- can be programmed for virtually any task from the Settings menu (the voice recorder and Windows Media Player are the default). The jog dial on the left side is great for scrolling through Web pages or interminably long contact lists.

In addition to the cables, the package includes an attractive mirrored USB synchronisation cradle, which houses a separate slot for charging a second battery. That's because the X3's included 950mAh battery is removable, and a beefier 1,800mAh battery is available separately.

Features

As the flagship of the new Axim line, this model (and its wireless-deprived twin, the X3) features a 400MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor, 64MB of SDRAM (55MB of which are user-accessible) and 64MB of Intel StrataFlash ROM -- similar power and memory specifications to those of top models from competing manufacturers. The 33.5MB of ROM not dedicated to storing the operating system can be used to back up vital data with an included utility. Because the X3i uses non-volatile flash memory, the data remains intact even if the battery dies.

Thanks to Dell's included wireless LAN setup utility, using the X3i's integrated Wi-Fi is simple. Not only does the utility show the quality of the wireless link and the signal strength, it allows you to ping the connection to make sure you're still online. Once online, the X3i can connect to MSN Instant Messenger, access multiple POP3 or IMAP4 email servers, and work with Microsoft-centric corporate virtual private networks. Even the most technically inclined are likely to need help -- and access permissions -- from their corporate IT department to set up some of those higher-level functions, however.

Other than that, the X3i's software is standard issue: Windows Mobile 2003; ActiveSync 3.7; Pocket versions of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger and Windows Media Player; and several other application demos on the CD. Dell provides a padded slipcase with a belt clip for those who like to wear their technology on the hip. In addition to an extended battery, a fold-up keyboard is available as an after-market upgrade.

Like all Pocket PCs, the X3i can double as a voice recorder and a portable media player. The standard 1/8in. headphone jack will work with any Walkman-style headphones, and the small rear-mounted speaker can be used for low-fi audio playback. You'll want to supply your own SD or MMC memory to store songs or videos, however.

Performance

With a top-speed 400MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor and 128MB of combined memory, the Axim X3i opens programs quickly and always responds instantly to commands, and it didn't freeze during a week of intense use in our tests. It never lags when displaying the slick graphics of Hexacto's Bounty Hunter 2099 pinball or balks at loading a large Adobe Acrobat document. The bright, transflective colour screen compares favourably to that of competing Pocket PCs on the market. It works well, indoors or out, and is so bright that we didn't need to set the backlight to more than 70 percent. On the audio side, digital music files sound great.

Battery life was acceptable but not great. Video playback was smooth but ran on the system's 950mAh battery for only 2 hours and 45 minutes with the screen dimmed to 50 percent -- about an hour shorter than Toshiba's e355 and HP's iPAQ H4150. Without the Wi-Fi radio engaged, the unit can pump out MP3 tunes for 4 hours and 10 minutes. That's about 2 hours short of the 6 hours and 22 minutes managed by the X5's heavier, larger-capacity battery. Oddly, the system stops charging at 99 percent; the Wi-Fi radio shuts itself down with less than 25 percent of life on the fuel gauge; and -- like Windows Mobile 2003 devices from other manufacturers -- when the system hits 14 percent, the video player stops working. The Wi-Fi data radio reduces runtime by about 30 minutes.

Using its USB cradle, the X3i moved data at 293Kbps and synchronised two months of appointments and a contact list containing more than 700 entries with a 2.2GHz Pentium 4 system in 27.6 seconds. That's a fraction of a second faster than with a Sharp Zaurus SL-5600, which uses a same-speed CPU, and 30 percent faster than the Toshiba e740.