The Dell is gone

TLC · 01-29-04, 08:50 PM

I recently sold my Dell X3i and purchased an ipaq 4155. I have been using a Dell handheld for over a year and I had had enough. Prior to my first Dell handheld I was using an ipaq 3765 with an expansion pack. I purchased a Dell X5 because I wanted a handheld that had an integrated cf slot. However, when the X3's came out I converted because of integrated wi-fi. The X5 I still use mounted in my car. The X3i, while it has a fantastic screen and fast performance, it slowly fell apart as I used it. I had three replacements in the first 30 days and recently the terminal connector fell apart which was the last straw. I decided to go back to an ipaq and when I received my 4155 I remembered why I purchased an ipaq in the first place. QUALITY! GRADE A MACHINE! I mean the 4155 is not perfect but it is very close. Yes it has the yellow thing - a non issue for me, and it does not have the latest processor like the X3i and in my opinion the X3i has a great screen, but it is a solid device and the wi-fi performance is A quality. I have been using the 4155 for a few days now and I do not think I can part with it. I do not want to knock down the X3 but the ipaq 4155 in comparison is like the difference between owning something great and looking good doing it.

Howard2k · 01-29-04, 09:07 PM

I just converted from an X5 to a 4150 too... FANTASTIC unit. Love it. And I just had to deal with Dell support too and I'm feeling even MORE vindicated with my purchase due to their crappy support.

tccox · 01-30-04, 06:01 AM

Just went from Axim X5 to a 2215. Best move I ever made.

whitelyt · 01-30-04, 09:02 AM

It is important that when buying a device that is an investment, you have to look at more than just the price. I have have a AX X5 which I still use and I like it. When I got my 2215 the X5 quickly took a back seat.

Yeah, the 2215 and the 4155 are more expensive units than the Axim line. But cheaper is not always better. I would rather pay good money for a quality product and quality service than paying good money for a good product and crappy service because it is cheaper.

I feel that if you are spending your hard earned money for a PDA, then it is an investment. So to me it doesn't matter if it cost $100 or more. I am expecting to use the unit for as long as I can because it is an investment. And certainly a quality product and quality service can help in that regard. It doesn't make sense to spend good money on a product that you use for a period of time to all of a sudden sit on the shelf because the vendor support can't fix your problem.

Just my $.02.

whitelyt · 01-30-04, 09:07 AM

This is not a total putdown on Dell. Certainly everyone has different circumstances and experiences. Mine just happens to be quality service for a quality product. I guess that is in me from my manufacturing days of support.

xboxlord · 01-30-04, 09:09 AM

I haven't used Dell's handhelds much, aside from checking out a friend's. I do have three Dell computers though, one laptop and two desktops. One desktop is 6 years old, the other is only a few months old, and the laptop is about 2.5 years old now. They put together a great product quality-wise, but I guess that isn't the case for handhelds. I have stuck with iPAQ since I first saw the 3600 series because I love their quality, design, performance, and the HP / Compaq names and what they stand for.

whitelyt · 01-30-04, 09:21 AM

I agree. I use Dell computers all the time and don't have a problem out of them for the most part. As far as the handhelds Dell is trying to nitch a place in the market for themselves. Honestly, Dell has done a good job being that they have not been in the handheld business that long. Because of their aggressive pricing that they are having success in the PDA market for a newcomer. They certainly shine when it comes to pricing but after the product is sold you have to support it. That is where they can do a better job and I believe they will given time.

However they have not been in the handheld business as long as HP. Compaq was the pioneers of the PPC as far as I am concerned and they have been in that business for a long time. HP was not too far behind with the Jornada line. The merger of HP and Compaq strengthened their product lines by combining the best from the iPaq with the best from the Jornada line.

xboxlord · 01-30-04, 09:28 AM

You're right. Time will build experience and Dell has simply not been in the market long enough. HP has been in the market for about 8 or 10 years now, and they have had great success with their products. I hope Dell picks up their act fast though, because Dell is known for good service, or at least they were.

tsax95 · 01-30-04, 09:59 AM

TLC,

How is the performance of the 4155 compared your X3i? Do you miss the additional ROM that the X3i had? Thanks.

Howard2k · 01-30-04, 10:26 AM

I don't have first hand experience but I did dig up some benchmarks on both the 4155 and the X3i. X3i is one of the fastest PPCs. The 4150 is faster. Not sure how much "real world" difference there is.

I miss the ROM from the X5 Advanced (48MB ROM) but hey, it's all about trade off. I was decided on the X3i or the 4150 and the ROM was the big selling point for the X3i. The final was that the 4105 had BT built in, was faster in benchmarks and was a smaller and nicer looking unit. To me that was more important than some storage space in ROM.

In addition I've had horror stories with Dell Canada.

JmE · 01-30-04, 11:05 AM

In our real world tests here (two X3i devices and one 4155), the X3i comes out on top in speed. The 4155 comes out on top everywhere else. I would not trade my 4155 for anything though. I love this thing.

-JmE-

xboxlord · 01-30-04, 12:32 PM

I am going to scrape up some more money and either get a 4300 or 4100 for my arsenal of iPAQs (actually, I only have one right now, but it could become an arsenal).

Howard2k · 01-30-04, 12:34 PM

Your "pending" arsenal then.

I waved goodbye to my X5 an hour ago. Deliverd it to the new buyer. Still have a Casio EM-500 in working order though. Wonder how much I could get for that??

xboxlord · 01-30-04, 12:42 PM

I want something like the 6000 series so I can get rid of my crappy old StarTac! The only issue is that I don't know if Fido / Rogers / Bell Mobility will carry it. Theres also the issue of if HP will ever release anything to put the SIM slot in my 5455 to use!

TLC · 01-30-04, 06:45 PM

I will say that I did like the built in storage the X3i had. I used the X3i for approx 67 days and I realy did not have any complaints except for the fact that it was falling apart on me. I said it before and I will say it again the X3i has a GREAT screen. But the unit fell short in quality. The 4155 is a quality unit all around. It is not perfect, but for me it now feels like I am carrying around a $400 machine. And I enjoy it a lot more even with out the the +'s of the X3i

User Name		Remember Me?
Password

iPAQ 4xxx series - Talk about the HP iPAQ 4xxx Series (43xx/41xx)