If you never switched it on, there would be little to make Dell's latest pocket pal stand out from the crowd of Windows Mobile-powered PDAs.

It's slim and stylish enough, and has all the buttons in the right places. However, turning on the power is expected of the conscientious reviewer, so juice was duly supplied. And goodness, what a show!

Actually, not much happens other than the routine Windows Mobile setup wizard, but even this is something to behold: the unit's 480 x 640 pixel display is a proper eye-catcher. As well as being bright and evenly lit, the screen's portrait-VGA resolution sets the X50v apart from many of its contemporaries.

Supporting this fine screen is Intel's 2700G 'multimedia accelerator' chipset, designed to boost the 3D-graphics capabilities of Windows palmtops. On the evidence of two supplied 3D games - Enigmo and Stunt Car Extreme - we're prepared to believe that the 2700G has potential. The latter title, in particular, was graphically very impressive.

The rest of the X50v's specifications follow an undulating curve. The Ram complement is 64MB, but the flash Rom ups the ante by 128MB. If you need more storage, the option to slot in both Compact Flash and Secure Digital cards is commendable.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11b) connectivity are all but standard issue on PDAs these days, but Dell perhaps missed a trick by not including a rear-side lens and digital camera.

Finally, battery life averaged around five hours, with variable use of the wireless functions. The supplied USB cradle doubles up as a charger, although an adapter is provided to charge the X50v directly through its base if required.

Contact:
Dell 0870 907 5818
www.dell.co.uk

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