What use is it?

[brucemc777]

I received my X51v a few months ago and love using it to display GPS (It fits in front of the speedometer much better than a laptop did ...), but I really want to know what people have found these things useful for besides GPS display. I find using MS Word/Excel/PP/etc. on it so ridiculous that I have not even bothered to attempt using that group of "productivity programs" - like I am about to try to type a letter in using the on-screen keyboard, much less anything else of normal size, but I suspect you folks who have had these for a while have found actually useful and productive use for them. It seems to me the calendar and alarm functions might come in handy, so I am trying to get used to them.

Please just take a moment and note what you find useful!

[dahawthorne]

Dear boy,
I see that lots of people have looked at your amusing post and have passed by, but it's late in the evening and I'm bored, so let me be the first and perhaps only one to respond.
What exactly is the purpose of your message? If I buy a toy and don't use it much, I put it in a cupboard and forget it. Or I give it to my kids. I don't go looking for a public forum to say that I've bought a useless gadget.
Anyway, to your question. I don't use it a lot for productive purposes, though the many apps available make it a genuine productivity tool if you're that way inclined. Me, I use it for fun. I watch movies and TV programs, browse the web (mainly email), and walk around wifi hotspots chatting on Skype. It's a toy. Why be so serious about it?

[brucemc777]

I guess any written message is that much more subject to misinterpretation; perhaps that which I wrote was not properly phrased and was so taken, and thereby, I chose not to take offense to what you wrote back - a simple misunderstanding I would like to believe, for to think you would wish to simply provoke offense would be to deny the possibility that you are more than but a simple jackass, and I would rather think of you as a friend.

I highly value the GPS display capabilities; it was something I sought when I imported a Portege 3000 from Japan before the line was ever available in the states in the 1990's, coupling it with a bulky first generation computer GPS receiver from DeLorme. For the purpose of GPS display alone I am very happy with it, and I am grateful that Dell saw fit to provide me with the unit as a gift brought in from Europe when these were backordered here in the U.S. I love the thing, but I believe it is capable of much more, or suspect it might be. Given the hundreds, if not thousands, of programs that are available for it I believe that there are many fine purposes, but at this stage of my life I am at a total loss of time to be able to start digging in and research it independently. Fortunately there are many people out there that have these, or similar, units; I post to ask their gracious help in discovering the good programs and uses, for there was a time that I would purchase every new program out there for my PC, and found at the end of any given year I had a rather substantial investment in programs I did not use any more.

I have enjoyed working with computers from my first days of communicating at 300bps on teletype machines from Oklahoma to a mainfram in Southfield, MI., and seen so much evolution. Might there be some folks out there that have found good business application for this in addition to the very highly valued GPS display I currently use?

Also, you, Mr. Hawthorne, bring about the use of the unit with Skype; if cost of communication were equal, can you tell me if there is an advantage to this? Can you also tell me what you think of the audio quality of Skype?

I appreciate your kind consideration.

[Mahstah]

Sorry for the rude reply by our member dahawthorne, brucemc777. Your criticism of Pocket Office is not unique. WM6 promises a big improvement to the Office apps on the PPC, a testament from MS that admits it was lacking some functionality in previous versions.

Regarding your inquiry as to useful apps for the PDA, check out the video player TCPMP, third party browsers, add-on cards that allow FM, TV, CDMA/GPRS, and all the VGA games offered for the unit. You will find more uses than you can think of with the device.

[dahawthorne]

Bruce,
You're right, and so is Mahstah. I'd had a long day at work, was tired (no excuses, just background), and replied in a tongue-in-cheek way that was much more offensive than I intended. I apologise unreservedly. No excuses, I'm an ass.

So back to your questions. I rarely use the office applications, even the after-market ones which are supposed to make the machine more office-friendly. The screen simply doesn't have the real estate for practical Excel or Word use. However, it's pretty good for reading. I have a fair-sized library of books in various formats (txt, lit, pdb) and use MS Reader and Word to read them in quiet moments.

I also have a large library of films and TV programs. I bought a 4GB SD card & an 8GB CF card, which hold a surprising amount. PocketDivxEncoder is a superb tool for compressing video into tiny files and TCPMP is a superb video player. Both are free. There are also programs which compress straight from DVD - I use Slysoft CloneDVD Mobile (not free) and the files it produces are excellent.

For GPS I use Tomtom, which I still find an absolute hoot - the most amazing real-world application of technology I've seen in a long time, and I still am astonished to watch the road reel off on the screen exactly as it does on my windscreen. It occasionally directs me down a dead-end, but nothing's perfect.

Finally, Skype. I have a paid balance for phoning friends abroad, but I don't use it much. However the free computer-to-computer comms via my local wireless router, an 8Mb connection and stereo headphones is superb - as if the person is actually in the room.

I hope this message is more helpful than my last one. Once again, I'm moritfied and extremely sorry for last night's message. Apologies also to Mahstah for my bringing the group into disrepute. I'll keep my stupid gob shut in future...

[Pedah]

Of course you have all your normal PIM functions, games, limited office, you can scrawl hand written notes, browse the internet, connect to wifi networks, I am a chef and I use two programs to keep track of inventory and recipes. It will do so much for you If you can imagine it.

[brucemc777]

Thank-you!

Mahstah - Is it possible for a user to upgrade to WM6? I am presently under the impression it is not, but that was based on a chance reading of a post and certainly would not bet anything on my memory of what I read. If not, hopefully our friends at Dell will provide a means. Now I am going to have to go out and find out about these add-on cards...

dahawthorne - Been there so many times before myself I am ashamed to even think about it; working hard on trying to change my ways. If I judged you by the first comment, I would have to condemn myself. Much appreciated the follow-up - going to have to have a look at some of these! It is amazing to watch the correlation of road and screen, knowing that it is done with satellites thousands of miles away; my kids are probably tired of hearing me talk about that, but it is absolutely astounding.

Pedah - Inventory management - excellent use for a handheld!

So I thought I was doing well adding a 2Gb SD card, but from what I read, I suspect I best tag in either a 4 or 8 Gb CF now, for if I get a 2Gb CF I will just end up having to buy larger and shelfing the previous... THANK-YOU!

btw - a parting paraphrase of a quote that is keeping in my head like a tune you can't get rid of, from my childhood hero James T. Kirk, but in his reincarnation as Denny Crane - We all make mistakes. Too often we are judged by them. If I keep it in mind, I might even be able to cut myself a little slack from my own past deeds...

[dahawthorne]

Bruce,
Thank you for that generous response. I've been smarting all day from the well-deserved slaps which you and Mahstah delivered. Lesson learned. No more late-night posts from me.
Just for interest, I remembered on seeing the title of the thread again that it was that which set off my negative response - I thought "It's another person complaining about the Axim...". And it all went downhill from there...
I've had a lot of support in this group, and I'm sorry that my stupid post was your first reply.

[PPCApache]

Hey Bruce

Welcome, I am also new to this site but not to PPC's, I have also found the Office Suits of WM 5 to be lacking in any actual function other than a quick note.

If you really want to use your Ax for word or excel you will then want to have a look at www.softmaker.com they have Textmaker (Word) and Planmaker (Excel) versions that are just like your desktop version I use my Axim X51v with my Bluetooth keyboard to write up my clients wedding vows (Marriage Celebrant here in New Zealand) its awesome.

My X51v is my main Diary and Contacts, it is a lot better for this than my Apache (PPC-6700) which is now just my phone and back up diary.

Heres a quick list of apps that I think are just great, not free but well worth the $$...

• SPB Software House
• Lakeridge Software
• Softmaker

SPB Mobile Shell
What Microsoft left out when they made WM 5, also any SPB Products can be a tab in MS. Excellent Now screen gives you information - Time, Weather (integrates either SPB Weather or MS Weather Tab info) and next appointment, also shows emails received.



SPB Dairy
Great today plug-in that shows appointments, tasks, messages, contacts & Notes very easy to use and has a very good option interface.



SPB Pocket Plus
Excellent program launcher, has a battery indicator at the top of the screen (can be turned off) and can actually close programs.



SPB Weather
Yeah speaks for it self but it is a great program as you can customise the settings.



Wisbar Advance 2
This is an excellent skinning software, all pictures above show Wisbar with Xcilion's Windows Vista Portable Edition (this also comes in qVGA have it on my Apache).

If you want to use you Ax on you PC then have a look at Pocket Controller-Professional v5.07 that's how I got the pictures above.

Oh well thats my 10 cents (no longer have 2 cents or 5 cents in New Zealand lol)

Hope you enjoy you X51v, I sure am enjoying mine

Cheers

Jace

UPDATE: forgot to mention currently have 1 GB SD & 1 GB CF Cards, not much but does the job for now...

[brucemc777]

Ahhhh, New Zealand. If I could figure out how to move my family there and know I had work lined up that would pay the bills, I would love the opportunity. For now, I make Zeeland, MI, USA, my home, honestly right next to Holland, MI - might you guess Dutch settlers??? Just I think we are about the only people here whose surname does not start with either "Van" or "de".

Anyway, very nice, and thank-you for the screenshots; a picture, as they say...