hp iPaq rx1950/1955 vs. Dell Axim X50/51 vs. Palm TX for PIM+MP3+Video

[tarheelsxl]

Hi,

I'm a college student who's looking for a PDA with basic PIM features (Calender, To Do, Notes, E-Mail) and solid to good multimedia performance. Good MP3 playback (on headphones) is important to me as well is video playback performance. I plan on watching music videos and 20 - 40 min. TV shows on my PDA

I'm leaning towards the iPaq 1950/1955 right now because of it's size/form factor but I'm afriad the processor isn't powerful enough to produce good video playback. Can anyone who has one or anyone who knows address this concern?

The Axim x50/51 appears to be good with media playback, but I can get the iPaq for cheaper and the axim is bulkier. Does the better media performance justify the increased price and size over the iPaq?

TX is my last choice atm, but that can easily change... it seems to be a decent performer all around. Can anyone compare video/mp3 playback between these three devices? Thanks!

[Menneisyys]

The rx1950's CPU isn't THAT bad. It's the RAM department that it severely sucks at - I certainly wouldn't get it.

Of the x50/x51, I'd go for the latter - seamless WM5 is a big advantage. Forget the x50.

TX: will test the video performance of my (comparable) T|3 soon. Compared to the low(ish)-end QVGA devices you're mentioned, it's a very nice device (especially the screen - you'll love it), but Palm OS has worse software support than Windows Mobile.

[tarheelsxl]

The rx1950's CPU isn't THAT bad. It's the RAM department that it severely sucks at - I certainly wouldn't get it.

Of the x50/x51, I'd go for the latter - seamless WM5 is a big advantage. Forget the x50.

TX: will test the video performance of my (comparable) T|3 soon. Compared to the low(ish)-end QVGA devices you're mentioned, it's a very nice device (especially the screen - you'll love it), but Palm OS has worse software support than Windows Mobile.

I would appreciate that, and thanks for the quick response.

3rd party software compatibility / software support isn't a big dealbreaker for me, I don't plan on installing too many (if at all). Does the onboard media player on the TX support mainstream formats (MP3, AVI, MPEG, MP4, WMV, WMA, etc.) ? Or will I be needing 3rd party apps?

The HP is basically out of the equation now; I just found out they only offer you 90 day limited warranty vs. a year from Dell / Palm.

[Menneisyys]

Made some thorough comparisons and even published an article on them. See http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/ind...&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

In a nutshell: it's OK but not as good as VGA (!) Pocket PC's.

[Menneisyys]

Does the onboard media player on the TX support mainstream formats (MP3, AVI, MPEG, MP4, WMV, WMA, etc.) ? Or will I be needing 3rd party apps?

Nope. TCPMP, on the other hand, supports all of them.

[tarheelsxl]

Thanks for the advice, I ended up getting a Dell Axim X51 416 Mhz... I plan on using multimedia heavily on my PDA and based on other people's comments and online reviews, it seems as if Pocket PC's , and in particular Dell Axim X50/51 series handles that better than Palms do...

Excited to receive my new PDA soon :)

[netsyd]

Thanks for the advice, I ended up getting a Dell Axim X51 416 Mhz... I plan on using multimedia heavily on my PDA and based on other people's comments and online reviews, it seems as if Pocket PC's , and in particular Dell Axim X50/51 series handles that better than Palms do...

Excited to receive my new PDA soon :)

Should have got an x51v .... you would have been much happier with the performance and the display :approve:

i would personally pick the axim, just because it has more expandability than the other two, and it has a faster processor.

[Menneisyys]

Yes, a VGA device is incomparably better than a QVGA one.

[tarheelsxl]

X51v was a bit out of my price range :)
I got the entry X51 for $239
the rx1955 was available to me for $204 shipped (new, not refurb.)
and the TX was avail. for $260

I heard the VGA screen kills the battery faster and the processor has to work alot harder to push 4x as many pixels around.

But anyway, thanks for all your help :)

[mannc7]

I know that you have already purchased, but...
Since you are made to buy a laptop, which you will probably end up carrying around everywhere, I would recommend the rx1955 for its small size. The ipaq was built for batter life. Have fun at UNC.

Ps cosmic cantina

[Menneisyys]

I heard the VGA screen kills the battery faster and the processor has to work alot harder to push 4x as many pixels around.

That's not true. Just have a look at the stellar battery life of the HP iPAQ hx4700 or the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 718/720.

I've also poublished a lot of battery consumption tests (see for example this one) and all show well-constructed VGA devices built of high-quality componens that consume little energy (unfortunately, the Dell Axim x50v/x51v is not of them) do NOT consume more power than QVGA ones.

hi guys

my brother sent a hp ipaq rx 1950 but when i power on the device its asking a 4 digit pass

would you please tell me how can i remove this password????

oh i have visited the support site of hp

now i have reseted my device

but my device starts with some chinese language

now i think i need english rom for this model

would you pleaes tell me from where can i have english rom for this model

thanking you in anticipation

best regards

Awasi Ghouri