Which PDA is better Palm T/X, Palm LifeDrive Manager, or the Dell Axim X51v?

Answer 1

I'll answer your question based on this:
-I have a Palm TX
-My Dad has an Axim x50v

Both of us love our devices.

The Palms have a slightly bigger screen as well as slightly thinner.

Both devices are easy to use - once you learn how to use them. Also, both devices will crash and freeze from time to time.

The TX will give you the longest battery life (I charge mine weekly on average) but these things vary by usage. Wifi takes a lot.

All in all, I think the palm is easier to use as a PDA. That is if you need information at your finger tips immediately, and I mean within a couple of clicks.

If you want a mini laptop, then definitely the x51v. But expect the same level of complexity you would find in a laptop.

It'll probably be difficult for you to determine which device is better suited for you, at least in the beginning due to the excitement of a new toy, but notice the amount of effort it takes to use the device.

If you find using the device is more trouble than its worth, then its not the right one for you! Its that simple.

Regardless, with the options you are considering, you'll not be disappointed, they are all first-class devices.

Good luck,
Mike

Answer 2

Palm is notorious for producing easy-to-use, yet powerful Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). I would recommend either the Palm Tungsten T/X or the LifeDrive.

Tungsten T/X (retail: $299)
http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/

LifeDrive (retail: $399)
http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilemanagers/lifedrive/

The difference between the T/X and the LifeDrive is that the LifeDrive has a 4GB hard drive where you can store mp3 files, pictures, movies, and even your DVD library (with special software -- I have 13 DVD movies in my LifeDrive). The LifeDrive also has a built-in voice recorder which may come handy.

I would recommend going to a local Best Buy or another retailer, and try the PDAs at the store. Best Buy has a return policy that will allow you to try the handheld for a bit of time to decide. I use the LifeDrive every day, mostly for calendar, contacts, news, light Web surfing, some e-mail send/receive, mp3 player, and watch my DVDs as I work out.

The LifeDrive has a delay on some program that can get annoying. Otherwise, it is a great PDA. I love it.

Life Drive Score (1 out of 10): Solid 8.

Even though I chose the LifeDrive, you may opt for the Palm Tungsten T/X or maybe another handheld. It is up to you.

Answer 3

The question is 'Which is better for what you want or need?" Obviously, we cannot answer that.

These are all good PDAs, but they have slightly different primary purposes.

Palms are basically electronic versions of a day planner- store and retreive info quickly, keep reminders and alarms, etc.

Pocket PCs are basically stripped down mini-laptops. They can do a lot of the functions of a laptop and work with many Windows files natively.

Both can do games, photos, music, etc. although there are more pieces of software written for the Palms.

Personally, I own a Tx and have never owned the others, and chose the Tx after doing my own research. I love it and would not trade it for either of the others.

Answer 4

Madkins... you are to humble with your anaylsis of Palm PDAs.

Allow me to be somewhat forward... there is almost nothing that you can do on a Pocket PC that you cannot do on a recent Palm. Also, some people say that Palm software (e.g Docs-to-Go) handles Word, Excel and Powerpoint better than PPC apps. The common design did not translate to complete efficiency.

I use my T5 as a laptop replacement. Not completely, but most people would be surprised what I can do with the small device.

For me, I made the switch (twice) and resettled with Palm. The ease of use, the lack of relative "bloat" and the numerous third party applications does it for me. it hurt to find great software titles for Palm and not find a PPC version.

Having said all that, nothing wrong with PPCs. Obviously, YMMV. I would echo the sentiments of madkins (and others) who say "research, research some more". I know people who are quite happy with their PPCs.

Finally, if I had to pick, I'd go TX first, with the LD a close second.

Answer 5

Choosing between Windows Mobile and Palm is like choosing between Mac and PC. They are very different and don't run the same software, so you should try each out in person and consider what's best for your working style.

The LifeDrive has a huge storage capacity but is pretty hefty, thicker than other Palms and too heavy for a shirt pocket. It also uses the disk drive as a substitute for memory so it is a lot slower than a regular Palm. I was able to borrow one from a friend to try out and immediately went back to my Palm T5 in spite of the ability to do wireless. But you'll find people who swear by the thing as well.

Answer 6

I would personally go Palm TX, What possible use would a PDA do to you once you got it on hand? That determines which one you go.

For me, pricing is an issue OS 5 Palms (Intel XScale/ARM) are way to go. X51v is like $500+ while a TX halves that; in eBay pricing.

Answer 7

Stay away from Palm...You want anything with a Pocket PC Windows Mobile Platform..the Dell is the better pick...Or go with an HP...

Answer 8

I bought an Hp iPaq with Tomtom navigator kit, and it's very useful also for other applications. I would recommend an iPaq, or others with Windows Mobile.