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PRODUCT REVIEW
The Dell Axim X50v: an ideal laptop replacement for photographers
By David Gewirtz
Ever since the advent of the handheld PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), there's always been some level of discussion about using PDAs as laptop replacements. The idea was that, with a keyboard at least, the PDA can be used to do some limited writing, email management, information access and so forth. The benefit, especially for travelers, is obvious. You don't have to lug the laptop with you, and everything can fit neatly in your pocket. We've devoted many articles in our sister publication, Computing Unplugged Magazine, to just this very topic.
But we've never yet discussed using a PDA as a laptop replacement for digital photography. Frankly, until recently, we didn't consider PDAs up to the challenge. But with the release of Dell's Axim X50v Pocket PC and a piece of software called Photo Viewer, we think the PDA can finally become an indispensable asset for the digital photographer on the road.
Let's start with the screen
Back in the olden days before digital cameras, professional photographers would set up a scene in a studio and shoot test shots with a Polaroid camera. Polaroids, of course, were cameras with film that could be developed instantly -- there was no need to send the film off for processing. This nearly-instant review allowed the pro shooter to get a good feel for what his shoot would look like once he switched to his professional film camera.
"Definitely the PDA to get if you're a photographer."
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Today, of course, we can get a quick preview of our photographs by looking at the LCD displays of most digital cameras. There, you can quickly and easily see how your picture looks. Of course, there are some disadvantages to those LCD displays. First, and most important, they're small. You can get something of an impression of your picture, but you really can't judge the image accurately until you upload it to your PC or laptop.
Herein lies the primary benefit of the new Dell Axim X50v. While it's still small enough to fit in your hand, the Axim X50v has a VGA display (that's the "v" in the product name). In the handheld world, the term "VGA" is a shorthand way to say the display can show 640 pixels across by 480 pixels down. That's bigger than the original Macintosh could display, and is more than enough to get a clear view of your photograph. VGA stands for Video Graphics Array and for a long time, monitors on typical desktop computers were 640x480.
Figure A makes this very clear. In this image, you can see a Casio Exilim EX-Z40 digital camera next to the Axim.
FIGURE A
 
You can really see your picture clearly in the Axim's display. Roll over picture for a larger image.
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