Windows Mobile v5 – First Thoughts

I mentioned a while ago that I purchased the Windows Mobile 5 Operating System upgrade for my PDA, a Dell Axim x50v.

The upgrade was a fairly simple affair. Backup your personal information using ActiveSync, upgrade to ActiveSync v4.1, then pop the WM5 CD in to your PC and follow the prompts. After upgrading the PDA’s ROM and a few resets, the PDA was running WM5 and looked very good on it!

I’ve been using WM5 for about 6 weeks now and have found it a nice improvement over WM2003. The interface is tidier, the ability to use all memory in the PDA as one giant “block” (as opposed to juggling between “Programs” and “Storage) and the new Windows Media Player is a nice addition.

However there are some problems, some of them real pains.

Application Compatibility is one. I needed to purchase an upgrade to many of my favourite apps, and some (such as OnSpeed) are still not available for use under WM5. This is par for the course with all new O/S though and I guess will change in time.

Battery life seems to have been halved when using Wi-Fi. Whether there is some “tweak” that I’m not aware of in fixing this – I don’t know. But with Wi-Fi turned on I can literally sit and watch the Battery meter drop by the second. Where as I’d charge my PDA once every fortnight or so, I’m now having to do it once every other day.

Finally – ActiveSync crashes. A lot. I mean, every other time I cradle the PDA it needs a reset to do a sync. Initially Sync startup also seems slower.

The forums across at AximSite seem to mirror many of my problems, so it’s not just me!

So after 6 weeks I’d give WM5 a thumbs in the middle. The benefits from upgrading are obvious to me, but if you are considering it – wait until the majority of these bugs have been fixed or a workaround found.

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