Initial Impressions of X51v and WM5 vs. iPAQ 5455 and WM2003

My husband gave me an X51v for Christmas. For the past three years I have been using an iPAQ 5455 running Windows Mobile 2003 and sporting a 128MB RAM upgrade from Pocket PC Techs. What follows are my Day 3 impressions of the X51v versus the 5455.

During its lifetime, the 5455 was my constant companion. It went everwhere with me and did just about everything well. It was generally a trustworthy device, although it had undergone two repairs in the three years I owned it--a broken sync port and a broken button board. Using Bluetooth on the device was an exercise in frustration. Using the WLAN, however, was easy and it freed me from being tethered to my desktop down in the basement. Occasionally, the WLAN wouldn't pick up the signal from the wireless system in the house. However, taking the battery out of the 5455, counting to 5, then replacing the battery always solved that problem.

I have drooled over the X51v for a long time, with its VGA screen, faster processor, graphics chip and increased storage capacity, so I was elated to find one under the Christmas tree. After three days with the device, I am generally pleased with my X51v, although getting ActiveSync 4.1 to sync to Outlook was the most excruciating ordeal of my lifetime--8-1/2 hours on the phone with Dell then Microsoft. That's not a shortcoming of the device; just another example of how much ActiveSync SUCKS!!!!!

Back to the X51v. The clarity of the screen is amazing and it's nice not having to shell out $$ to upgrade the storage capacity or buy a high capacity SD card. There is plenty of room for all of my applications. Some of my favorite applications, however, are not compatible with WM5--specifically, Pocket TV Browser. Lygea HP 12C financial calculator emulator and Astraware Cubis. I quickly went out and purchased Quake Mobile to test out the graphics capability of the X51v and was very, very impressed. I have yet to test out the Bluetooth capabilities of the device, but plan to hook up my GPS system today and give it a whirl.

One huge problem that I've noticed so far is the WLAN performance of the X51v. It takes FOREVER to load a web page that, on the 5455, takes only a few seconds. I haven't seen other complaints about this here, but it's a serious enough problem for me that I am going to keep my 5455 (instead of selling it on ebay) and use it for web browsing. Also, when I access my work e-mail from the device over the Web via Exchange, I can see the mail items but I can't open them.

The only other nit I have with the X51v so far is that I tend to hit the WLAN button or the record button on the side of the device when I grab it. On the iPAQ, the record button was on the upper left side of the device. Resolving this problem is only a matter of retraining myself to grab it in a different spot.

Overall, however, I am more than happy with my new little friend, and I'm sure it will be my constant companion at least for a couple of years. :approve:

Some of my favorite applications, however, are not compatible with WM5--specifically, Pocket TV Browser. Lygea HP 12C financial calculator emulator and Astraware Cubis.

Lygea has created new versions of their software which work fine with the x51v, look for Pocket 12C SE.

[stevenator65]

Well written impression Paperpilot. I look forward to hearing more from you, especially considering you bring a different point of view.

Lygea has created new versions of their software which work fine with the x51v, look for Pocket 12C SE.

That's great news. I will check that out. Thanks!