Dell Axim X50V PDA

Hey, just cos it's a PDA doesn't mean it's boring

This Dell PDA is a bit like those office jokers who wear Homer Simpson ties to show how "wacky" and un-corporate they are. On the surface, it looks very sober thanks to the silver-and-black colour scheme, but in the box you'll find a CD of 3D games that prove it's also a bit "kerraazzeeee".

In fact, this is the first Pocket PC that uses Intel's new 2700G Marathon mobile graphics chip. The processor is a proper graphics chip with 16MB of video memory and acceleration for both 2D and 3D graphics. The two supplied games, StuntCar Extreme (an arcade racer) and Enigmo (a puzzler), show off the 3D acceleration to good effect, with smooth graphics that would have looked good on a desktop machine a few years ago.

The screen on the X50v is excellent too. It's Dell's first attempt at a VGA display on a PDA and is mightily impressive - probably the best available on any Pocket PC at the moment.

Dell hasn't skimped on expansion potential either, with both SD and CompactFlash slots provided. Other goodies include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, but while there's an ample 128MB of flash ROM, Dell has cut corners a bit by only offering 64MB of RAM, which limits the number of additional applications you can install.

Overall, this model definitely impressed us. It offers an excellent screen, great graphics potential and good connectivity wrapped up in a professional-looking design. The lack of main system memory is a big disappointment, though, and could prove to be Dell's undoing with this potentially great PDA.