Axim X50v - the New King in the World of PDA

[a_skeptic]

Well, Axim X50v had some issues with screen sensitivity and software compatibility. But after the ROM update and as developers are updating their programs those issues are gone (at least in my current configuration)and I think I'm damn happy . To me the Axim X50v is a clear winner in all aspect (price, performance and form).

But what other people are thinking about the Axim and what is it's place in the world of PDA? So I wanted to see the popularity of the Axim X50v accross the board, especially when compared to the iPAQ hx4705.

When I searched google I found a statistics at Bargain PDA and that surprised me. Click Here to see the result! :approve:. The statistics (market share and gain) represents before the availabilty of the X50v. But one can see the future projection by looking at the position of the X50v and the numbers at the upper left corner!

Note: Bargain PDA is probably biased towards the Palm OS. What do you think?

I like my X50v much better after the update, the screen response is much better and the device feels quicker navigating from screen to screen. I like the X50v fot its small size but overall I like my 4705 more than the X50v. The device I actually use the most is my 4350 because of the awesome thumboard.

Your right about BargainPDA they are very pro POS, I think their reviews are a joke and I don't go there to much anymore. I used to go their quite abit when I had nothing but POS.

the x50v is undoubtedly the best value. i briefly considered the hp 4705, but i read a lot of negative comments about the touchpad. i figured i would probably get tired of the touchpad in the long run. plus, i already had a dell account, so it didn't take me long to figure out which dell to buy :approve:

[Daunted]

Agree. I've had a string of handhelds all the way back to the original Newton and this is the biggest jump in usability I've seen. I thought I was pretty happy with an iPAQ 2215, but the x50v has me thinking that I will not need to upgrade for some time. Very few gotchas, not of any significance. It simply works like it's supposed to.

[AdamaDBrown]

I'm not sure why you say that we're biased in favor of Palm. Half our regular contibuters use PocketPC, the other half use Palm, and we try very hard to be objective and measure devices on their merits.

As you can probably tell, the statistics in the upper left hand corner of the site are meant to represent what site users are looking at. This tends towards the high-end units--obviously the X50v isn't outselling the Zire 21, but low-end and midrange models don't generate as much interest. If you're really interested, IDC has just come out with fresh quarterly numbers for the handheld market.

Position: 1
Name: palmOne
3Q 04 Sales: 736,481
4Q 04 Sales: 1,174,371
Marketshare: 42.0%

Position: 2
Name: Hewlett-Packard
3Q 04 Sales: 615,515
4Q 04 Sales: 769,170
Marketshare: 27.5%

Position: 3
Name: Dell
3Q 04 Sales: 188,200
4Q 04 Sales: 196,572
Marketshare: 7.0%

X50v=

:approve:

[AdamaDBrown]

Not entirely sure what you mean. There aren't seperate sales numbers on a per-model basis, but one can not unreasonably assume that the X50v is probably a quarter of Dell's sales, so call it a very rough 50,000 units a month.

[zen_master]

damn ups delayed my shipping.

[robrecht]

To me the Axim X50v is a clear winner in all aspect (price, performance and form). ... So I wanted to see the popularity of the Axim X50v accross the board, especially when compared to the iPAQ hx4705. [/I][/COLOR]

I agree completely, especially when you factor in price. There's a few things that could be added to the v to make it truly king from a technical standpoint, eg, more RAM, USB hosting, some want a camera but I would rather limit the size, etc. WRT to the HP, form factor favors the v and personally I hate touchpads even on laptops--can't imagine using one on a PDA.

[Martin]

I'm not sure why you say that we're biased in favor of Palm. Half our regular contibuters use PocketPC, the other half use Palm...SNIP

I think it's because most sites that discuss PDAs seem considerably in favour of either PocketPC or Palm. Consequently, when a site tries to objectively weigh both platforms evenly, it appears to the average PocketPC user that you're biased in favour of Palm, because you're not saying the PocketPC is better (i.e. the norm among the websites they frequent). I'd imagine the same goes for die-hard Palm fans; you give too much credit to those ghastly PocketPCs!

All that being said, I think perhaps Brian at Bargainpda favours Palm...goodness knows why!

[a_skeptic]

I'm not sure why you say that we're biased in favor of Palm. Half our regular contibuters use PocketPC, the other half use Palm, and we try very hard to be objective and measure devices on their merits.

From BargainPDA

...........Now when you look at the chart above, notice the caption. palmOne will surely be up in arms that the h6315 gets to be included because it has WiFi, but the Treo 600 does not. Notice palmOne still maintains the total shipments lead in the next chart.

.....The departure of Sony surely hurts PalmSource and the Palm OS. With the emphasis PalmSource is placing on Smartphones and the fact they're not counted here, I'm sure PalmSource will take a shoulder shrugging attitude toward these numbers. They can't be totally discounted though.

I was simply reading the mind set behind these sentences. I could be wrong

[Frenchy]

If you really think about it the X5, X3i, and X30H were king before too offering a lot for a lot less. It is just natural to see the X50 taking over :approve:

Position: 1
Name: palmOne
3Q 04 Sales: 736,481
4Q 04 Sales: 1,174,371
Marketshare: 42.0%

Position: 2
Name: Hewlett-Packard
3Q 04 Sales: 615,515
4Q 04 Sales: 769,170
Marketshare: 27.5%

Position: 3
Name: Dell
3Q 04 Sales: 188,200
4Q 04 Sales: 196,572
Marketshare: 7.0%

I wonder if those PalmOne and Hewlett-Packard numbers are the number of units shipped to retailers worldwide or the actual number of units sold gathered from retailers worldwide. Because as we all know, Dell's numbers are all direct retail-->consumer/business sales. ;)

[a_skeptic]

The success of the X50 will be reflected in 2005. I'm expecting a huge increase in Dell market share in the first quarter of 2005.
Just remember the number from here for future reference