So, I’m on the new PDA. I feel like I’ve finally got the damn thing dialed in and hopefully will find a nice level of productivity enhancement from it. I mean really, when it comes to my productivity lately, I can only move up. ;) Are you a Palm user? Perhaps considering your first PDA? In either case, I thought I’d write a bit of a recap of my experiences here for you. :) Hopefully it helps someone out there.

Firstly, a bit of backstory. My first PDA was a nice Windows CE device called the Cassiopeia (the E-15 if I remember right). Anyway, I was SO ecstatic to get this device. I was a die hard Windows geek at this point, and hadn’t yet ventured off on alternative OS tangents yet. I was running up the Microsoft flag whenever I had the chance.

The device arrives and after I got over the inital novelty of having a bright color screen and a “Windows-like” interface all in the palm of my hand (actually more like a palm and a half — the thing was huge by PDA standards), the realities began to set in.

Syncing the thing with Outlook was a flipping joke. I had duplicate entries, missing entries, corrupted entries — everything except synced entires it seemed. Battery life was pathetic and it’s no wonder. I was surprised the thing didn’t have a case fan. Programs were shoddy at best. There were many different archs you had to choose from, and many different form factor so programs often were off just enough to annoy the shit out of you or didn’t work at all.

I soon discovered the wonderous joy that was a Palm Pilot. The thing was bad ass to say the least. Syncs worked, no duplicate entries, programs and form factors were standardized, and the thing had a great battery life! The screen wasn’t beautiful, but it did the trick. I read an article where the author compared the two quite well. He said the CE device was trying to be a laptop and failing, and the Pilot was trying to be a digital organizer and meeting the goals. I think that pretty well sums it up. CE was ahead of its time. One of those ‘Looks Good on Paper’ devices. :) I did miss syncing to my beloved (at the time) Outlook, however. I picked up Intellisync for my palm and was quickly plunged back into the hell that is a Microsoft run PIM system. Same problems as before with the CE.. I quickly uninstalled that software, and cursed aloud that I had paid for it… Thus began my craving for something new. There had to be a better way, right?

Fast forward years later. Past my adventures into a realm where I ‘Thought Different’ for a time. Past my evangelistic stage in the Open Source world… Here I sit. With a new PDA, because my Pilot died. They call it Windows Mobile 5.0, but it’s really just a hopped up Windows CE. Yep, full circle. I’m back to right where I started so many years ago. Every one of my workstations runs Windows something, and now my PDA does as well…

The new Axim X51v is SEXY, man! It’s a beautiful thing! Wonderfully bright color VGA (yep, VG-fucking-A) screen, the case is well thought out, and the interface looks tight! I was so excited to get this thing on July 5th, after waiting for around 3 weeks for the damn thing from Dell. I swear, mine must have been hand built one piece at a time by some kid named Xi Chong in some sweatshop overseas, then sent to me by row boat and snailback. Anyway, it arrived and I was SO happy! The feeling should have been quite familiar to me.

Guess what. Sync problems. Duplicates. Corruptions. Data loss. Fatal Crashes. You get the picture. My new $400 toy was looking more and more like a $400 paperweight by the second. I will admit that everything seems a bit tighter than back when I had my ‘Peia, but come on! That was like over 8 years ago!!! You’d think Microsoft would have improved things by leaps and bounds by now. But, it’s more like a skip and a hop. LAME! Damn you, Microsoft!

I’m trying to find a way to close this article positively, but can’t really. I didn’t return the Axim, because I’m going to stick with it and make it work. Tweakery is in my blood and I now have a mission to make this device submit to my will. I would NOT recommend this device, or any other Windows Mobile device for that matter, to anyone who is not comfortable tweaking with things. If you do get this device, I have two things for ya: (1) Update the firmware right away, and (2) PocketMirror. Good luck to ya, and don’t say I didn’t warn ya! ;)