Written by Brandon on Monday, April 9, 2007

Dell Says "Farewell" to the Axim


I’m linking this to Chris Leckness who I think Dell owes a lot of the success of the Axim line to, even though I saw this at multiple places. It’s the end of an era folks. Chris has been saying for quite some time that this day was coming and while I think nobody really wanted to believe it… deep down we all knew it was a possibility.

I can only hope that Dell isn’t getting out of the game completely. The Axim was a very solid PDA and I’d love to see Dell come out with another killer device that can span a few years without any major alterations (preferably with EDGE/UTMS/HSDPA). The reality is I can’t think of a single other product in the mobile segment that had the staying power of the x50v. Many people are using the x50v and with full knowledge that it is STILL one of the most powerful PDAs out there, despite running a (slightly) outdated OS.

Link to Mobility Site: RIP – Dell Axim

[tags] Dell Axim RIP [/tags]

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PocketBrain
Apr 9, 2007

With sadness and a sense of foreboding, I note the news story immediately preceding this one. Style and advertising always sell, excellence doesn’t always.


John Barton
Apr 10, 2007

I’m with PocketBrain on this…I had an Axim when I abandoned my iPAQ. Though I’ve turned to Palm now, Axim was of the top quality PPCs I ever used.


Brandon Steili
Apr 10, 2007

I’ve owned a couple iPods now and to be honest I loved them. I loved my Axims too, but sadly Dell just didn’t choose to carry them on and continually improve them to the extent that Apple did the iPods.

The Axim line is dead because Dell chose to kill them off, not because nobody wanted it anymore. A few minor improvements, adding WM6 and they could’ve continued to seel them for a couple more years easy.

Biggest problem I see for all the non-phone PDA devices is just that. They don’t have a phone functionality, so the major cellular carriers won’t subsidize the price… and without that the mainstream buyer won’t pony up the cash when they can get a slightly less functional device for a buttload less cash. Besides… the average (first-time) pda/smartphone buy doesn’t know what they want the first time around so $99+ contract is a lot easier to stomach than a $450-600 PDA.


dgoldring
Apr 10, 2007

Good points, Brandon. I really think the whole line of non-phone PDA’s is going to be a thing of the past soon. Connectivity is becoming increasingly important. The only problem is committing to a carrier for those long term contracts.

DOug


PocketBrain
Apr 10, 2007

To get a truly functional PDA phone, you’re still shelling out $300 or so, after rebates and 2-year service agreements. The Cingular 8525 is still $399.99. Although… hmmm…. the 8125 is $99.99 after MIR and 2-year contract…. hmmmmmmmmm…. Still, a leap backward as far as PDA functionality when compared with the X5xV series from Dell.


Brandon Steili
Apr 11, 2007

Agreed the 8125 is quite a step backward… but I think Patrick would agree the 8525 could give it a decent run for its money (if you don’t include the VGA). Overall it’s still sad to see it go, but I’m sure someone will step up to fill the void left behind.

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