Axim PDA Line Discontinued by Dell

Dell Axim x51vMobilitySite confirms the news this morning that the final remaining Dell PDA model, the Axim x51, has been discontinued. Indeed, the x51 appears to be no longer available for ordering from Dell's web site or telephone sales department.

The Axim x51 line had been Dell's flagship handheld line as well as its most recently released model. The x51 was introduced in the fall fall 2005 (around the same time as Palm's TX) and is fully spec'd out with such high-end features as dual expansion slots, wi-fi & Bluetooth wireless, and accelerated ATI graphics.

If the report is indeed accurate, the this latest casualty would leave only Palm, HP, and a handful of smaller and/or lesser-known firms maintaining production of traditional PDA models.

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With Palm Following In Dell's Footsteps

Foo Fighter @ 4/9/2007 11:42:53 AM # Q
The age of the PDA is long gone. Palm will be following Dell out the back door within the next two years, perhaps even THIS year.

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http://www.pocketfactory.com
http://www.elitistsnob.com
RE: With Palm Following In Dell's Footsteps
PacManFoo @ 4/9/2007 6:32:15 PM # Q
So has the age of Radio, but you can still get 'em.

PDA's Past and Present:
Palm - IIIxe, Vx, M500, M505, Tungsten T, TX
Handspring - Edge, Platinum, Deluxe
Sony - SJ22
Apple - MP2000, MP2100
RE: With Palm Following In Dell's Footsteps
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 10:09:11 AM # Q
Foo, you will eat those words two years from now.

Sharp and Casio still put out organizers, don't they? (Well, at least one of them does...)

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Converged Devices

Khris @ 4/9/2007 12:16:38 PM # Q
After carrying around an individual cell phone and PDA for many years, I finally moved to a Treo. My only regret is not doing it sooner!

As Foo Fighter said, the age of the PDA is long gone. I can't agree more.

RE: Converged Devices
ginsberg @ 4/11/2007 7:24:16 PM # Q
I hate the term "converged device" because it conveys so little meaning. I had a SUV that was a converged device - it had a radio, GPS and TV. My Garmin 60CSx is also a converged device - it has an altimeter, compass as well as GPS functionality.

Dell discontinuing the Axim should not have surprised anyone. Axim shipments peaked in 1Q05 at about 6% market share and have steadily declined since then. While many people reading this forum bought Axims with their own funds, it is well known that Dell mostly used the Axim as a sweetener to help clinch large deals for PCs and servers with its enterprise customers. I know of a few companies where Dell offered the IT manager a hundred Axims to hand out in return for a signature on a contract that was being negotiated. With the perceived value of PDAs in decline, the Axim is no longer seen as much of a sweetener as it was a few years ago.

With the decline in Dell's fortunes over the last 2 years and HP recapturing the lead in the PC market, Dell is rationalizing some of its businesses that no longer contribute meaningfully to the bottom line.

The recent hire of Ron Garriques from Motorola makes it is a pretty safe bet that Dell will be entering the smartphone business within the next year.

RE: Converged Devices
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 10:10:11 AM # Q
I don't see how any of you can argue that the rest of us should settle for a 320x320 screen over a 320x480 one. And also the lack of a dedicated HWR/G area.

Enjoy your Treo, but I still want a PDA.

To go with my iPhone (maybe on the iPhone now...).

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PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead

hkklife @ 4/9/2007 12:58:14 PM # Q
If I were a WM fan, I might be able to concur. Since I'm still a POS fan (through this year at least), I still think 2 devices are the way to go.

To date, no Treo (certainly no POS Treo) can match the TX's combination of speed, multimedia prowess (320x480 + regular headphone jack), wi-fi, and affordability.

I still maintain there's a market for the "traditional" PDA in at least two segments:

1. The sub-$150 retail market. Palm absolutely owns this sector and could theoretically continue to profitably churn out mildly revised Z22 & T|E2 spinoffs ad nauseum. There will ALWAYS be salesmen (plus students & soccer moms) who have, for example, company-issued dumb phones and need some kind of a PDA since they cannot carry a Treo, do not need a Treo and/or afford one on their own.

2. Vertical-oriented industrial uses. Janam, Symbol etc. continue to do well with dated hardware designed for RFiD, barcode scanning, data collection etc. Look at the recent "US Census PC" for a solid example of a PDA having everything but the kitchen sink and cellular voice capability for more proof of this.


Remember, the "Palm" name & brading are synonimous with PDAs & handhelds. Dell's name is not. Palm also is the only remaining PDA manufacturer with any sort of brick & mortar retail presence. I think the time of Palm updating the PDA line is long past but they'll continue to sell (at least) the E2 and TX for the forseeable future as long as sales remain decent.


Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
ChiA @ 4/13/2007 4:37:34 AM # Q
I still maintain there's a market for the "traditional" PDA in at least two segments:

1. The sub-$150 retail market.

No, budget phones have killed off this sector for PDAs too. Case in hand, the Sony Ericsson K310i. This is a budget dumbphone in the UK which you can get for £35-45 (about US$70-90) without any contract. It's a budget mobile and yet it offers:

- PIM (Calandar, tasks, notes and contacts)which can be synced with PC via USB
- same resolution VGA camera as the Treo 680
- media player (seems almost pointless with its meagre unexpandable 16MB memory)
- email
- Web browser

These are the phones most likely to be owned by the soccer mums and their kids.
It's as much the capabilities and market success of these budget phones which have killed the PDA stone cold dead. 1 billion mobiles sold globally last year, just how many PDAs in comparison?

Yes, there's a market for the PDA in enterprise but not for Palm; it's a much smaller market already dominated by the likes of Symbol et al. If Palm couldn't cut it in the wider consumer market they have no chance at all in the tighter enterprise market.

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
hkklife @ 4/13/2007 9:56:34 AM # Q
ChiA;

I can assure that in the good ol' US of A, there's simply NO WAY you can purchase such a phone without a contract. In fact, it's easily $150-$200 to purchase the lowest-end dumbphones (no PC sync, VGA camera, no Bluetooth etc, no memory card slot) at "full" retail prices.

While the US might lead in affordble, unlimited data packages, our wireless phone market is still quite a bit behind that of Europe & Asia....especially in the area of affordable yet slim & sleek handsets. In fact, I think I recently saw the original GSM RAZR (the '04 launch model) still selling for $250ish full retail here. The V3x or xx was at least $100 more than that.


So at least in the US, I think you'll still see another year or so of reasonable PDA sales at retail (assuming Palm doesn't pull the plug or anything). And keep in mind that on top of the $70-$90 price of that SE dumbphone you mention you have to factor in monthly voice charges plus whatever SMS/data packages you want with it.

With something like a Palm Z22 or E2, you pay your $100 or $150 and that's IT.


Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 10:06:43 AM # Q
WTF good is a phone that can't be used as a phone? Contractless phone? That's like... single-user sex!

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
ChiA @ 4/13/2007 10:34:00 AM # Q
^ ^ ^ ^ ^
You can use it as a PDA... ;-)

Hey don't get all irritable and excited by the idea of a phone without contract, maybe it's time you take a break and have a European vacation. Once here you'll find that it's easy to get a "pay as you go" phone or even just a pay as you go SIM card. You then buy vouchers for airtime as and when you need it. It's useful for those with poor credit rating, kids, foreigners, tourists or those who otherwise can't get a phone contract.

Incidentally the Treo 680 on sale in the UK are all sold at full price without contract, which is useful as none of the UK carriers offer the Treo 680. You can then get a SIM card only contract from your favourite carrier.

I thought the US and Canada offer pay as you go phones too?

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
ChiA @ 4/13/2007 10:56:42 AM # Q
Well, once you spend that $70-90 on a budget pay as you go budget phone you needn't spend money on it ever again; the networks will cut your number off after one year of non use. After that you can still access the non cellular aspects of the mobile eg PIM, camera etc.

From your comments it seems there's plenty of opportunity for developing the budget cellular market in North America! I also understand Palm's rationale for spending much less time over PDAs, what's the point of making PDAs when >95% of the world wants a mobile? Mobiles are being used in areas of the world where people have never seen a desktop or laptop, much less a PDA.

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
hkklife @ 4/13/2007 11:34:02 AM # Q
Usually the pay as you go phones are crippled or hobbled in some way (again, in the USA). For example, I once tried to pop a "regular" SIM card into a "pay as you go" phone someone had left over from a visiting relative and it was a no-go.

With CDMA phones it's even trickier (no SIM). The ESNs of most pre-paid phones are flagged and you cannot activate them on a normal line of service. There are some exceptions, like with the <$100 pre-paid RAZRs Wal-Mart was selling last year but for the most part the stores try to harass you into opening a new line before they will even let you pay for the phone.

I remember once trying to buy a VisorPhone Sprinbboard module that was marked waaaay down on clearnace (like $50-no mention of activation or contract required) as I figured it + my Prism + a prepaid SIM card would make for a good combo for an upcoming European trip. But the cashier wouldn't let me buy the Visorphone module without signing up for a 2-year AT&T contract! I said "he11 with this" and left it sitting there.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: PDAs are on the downturn but not TOTALLY dead
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 4:09:03 PM # Q
>>>maybe it's time you take a break and have a European vacation

You Europeans should be thoroughly condemned! You do too many *sensible* things. Learn from America -- where it's as the above poster said. I have a Tracfone (prepaid phone). If I dropped it and needed to get another, I couldn't just put the SIM card from the old one -- with my prepaid $$$ remaining -- into the new one. Noooo. I've got to buy *new* prepaid units. See, that's the American Way!

Although it didn't *used* to be...

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So where's Surur?

mikecane @ 4/9/2007 2:56:17 PM # Q
Hey you schmuck. Where are you to do your little obscene striptease about how great the Axim is? Come on, wiggle that butt of yours, fool.

RE: So where's Surur?
Khris @ 4/9/2007 4:42:36 PM # Q
You just thrive on being a First Class **** don't you Mike?

RE: So where's Surur?
Surur @ 4/10/2007 5:33:25 AM # Q
Hey, I was on holiday! Easter weekend was great in the UK.

The Axim was still a better device than the Tx, despite being discontinued. Such is life. What more is there to say about it?

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

RE: So where's Surur?
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 10:07:22 AM # Q
If I annoy you, Kris, I'm glad. Boil in your juices, kid. (But do it over there, willya? You do release an awful odor!)

RE: So where's Surur?
mikecane @ 4/13/2007 10:08:12 AM # Q
So, surur, what's next for you? Didn't you have an Axim?

RE: So where's Surur?
Surur @ 4/16/2007 9:46:58 AM # Q
Actually I had a Loox 720, a possibly even greater device. http://www.mobile-review.com/pda/review/fs-loox720-en.shtml About 13 months ago I got a HTC Universal, a brilliant WM5 device combining my 3G mobile phone and PDA in a smaller package. Still a pretty large device, but it featured 3G data (voice and data simultaneously), a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, VGA video conferencing camera, dual stereo speakers, a very very nice large keyboard with number row, VGA screen of course with swivel and flip, 520 MHz processor and WIFI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Universal
http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=257

Its still my main driver, and I recently added the leaked WM6 ROM, which added some niceties. However its getting a bit long in the tooth, and I am waiting for a valid upgrade. I want a VGA screen, keyboard, GPS and 3G at a minimum. There are many devices that will get me 3 out of 4 (VGA,3G, GPS and no keyboard, or VGA, GPS, keyboard and no 3G) but no such device has shown up yet, but I remain hopeful for the near future.

Anyway, you were probably not expecting such a long answer. Suffice to say, like most people I am waiting for the next big thing, but I am much more likely to get it on WM than PalmOS.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

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Typo

Frenchie @ 4/10/2007 12:23:18 PM # Q
The Dell Axim's don't have an ATI Graphics Core. It's powered by an Intel 2700g.

RE: Typo
hkklife @ 4/10/2007 1:44:15 PM # Q
Thanks for the catch, Frenchie. I was thinking of the ATI-accelerated iPaqs.


Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

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