Psion Series 5mx

The screen has also been upgraded; it's now clearer and less reflective than that of its predecessor. As well as making the computer more pleasant to use, it also means you won't have to use the backlight so often. And to round things off, the backlight itself has been improved. The irritating humming of the Series 5's backlight is now a thing of the past, and it also uses around 30 per cent less power in operation.

One area Psion has steered well away from is colour. Despite the fact that mono Windows CE devices are now virtually impossible to find, Psion claims to have delayed making this leap for two reasons: cost and battery life. Of the two, battery life is the more convincing. There's no colour HPC on the market that can last for ten hours, even if using lithium ion batteries, whereas the Psion is quite happy for around 20 hours using just a pair of alkaline AA cells. The cost argument still holds some water, with the 5mx selling for £144 less than the HP Jornada 680 (reviewed issue 57, p154 ), although the Jornada contains a faster processor - necessary for running Windows CE - and a modem.

Although none of the changes in the 5mx are jaw-dropping in their magnitude, they add up to a comprehensive upgrade to the Series 5 that more than justifies the new name. Its speed, design and mobility combine to push the Series 5mx far ahead of the Windows CE pack - and they hadn't even caught up with the Series 5.

Author: Tim Danton