Dell fights shy of revealing more PDA details

By Alun Williams

Posted on 5 Nov 2002 at 13:12

More details about Dell's forthcoming PDAs - dubbed Axim - have emerged on the Web.

Denying that the leaked documentation came from within Dell, a spokesperson for the company refused to confirm or deny the details of the PDA appearing on the Internet.

Reportedly, the Pocket PC-based model will feature 300MHz and 400MHz Intel XScale chips, Secure Digital and Compact Flash expansion slots, a 3.5in screen and a standard Pocket PC-spec jog dial.

The PDA will be unveiled 18 November at the Comdex Fall show. A European launch is expected around six months later.

As we reported a fortnight ago - Mobile devices turn up the heat - the Dell PDA has long been anticipated. The director of the research group Canalys, Chris Jones, told us he expected to see the popularity of PocketPC devices rise when Dell enters the market.

'Dell will bring down the cost of Pocket PC devices across the board by coming in with aggressive prices,' said Jones. 'They may even put aside some of the margins to other ranges in order to make an impact on the market.'

While the talk has been of a $199 device, he expects that to be the lower limit for such a device, and guesses European pricing to be between €249 and €349.

He also expects to see some innovative marketing techniques from the company to sell the new handhelds. 'We may see kiosks in shops so that customers can see and feel the products, rather than being restricted to choosing them on the Web site,' Jones predicted.