Battleangel

I think that few people missed out on the surprise launch of the Dell Axim 5. The aggressive price probably shook quite a few players. While Dell stated that they didn’t expect to see a profit in this area for years, many competitors are bound to their commitment and probably saw this as a hostile move. HP for example almost immediately launched a budget series of handhelds to match the Axim 5.

Now, this was all last November and I still haven’t seen any low priced PDAs? Why? Maybe because I’m in the backwater called Sweden and Dell doesn’t seem to be able to fill its order quota. According to this article at news.com Dell in some cases hasn’t been able to fill orders placed as far back as December. Ouch!

Still, I’m surprised that when I used Buggy (price watch) I couldn’t find a reseller for any of the low priced Dell or HP models. I take it that HP wont be introducing their budget model to the Swedish market before Dell does. I mean, that would hurt their own sales. And since Dell obviously has a big problem here, there is no telling when it’s going to happen.

Still, I think that the Axim 5 will be the first widely available PDA. Up until now, PDAs have been inaccessible due to the price setting. Brat toys if you will. In a competitive world, price means everything. Even I might consider one if it ever sees the light of day over here. Just imagine how it could improve the weblog

A few reviews of the Axim 5:

CNET Hardware Reviews

Pocket PC Magazine

ZDNET Australia