Rating: 
Summary: The 5mx excelled in a war zone
Review: In the Spring of 2003, I deployed to Iraq. At night, when I slept, whether it was in the dirt or on the tiled roof of an abandoned school, two things were always hugged close to my body: my M16-A2 series rifle, and my Psion.
In my capacity with the United States Army, I work as a print journalist. During my time in Iraq, I took photos, wrote stories, and escorted international media. During one month alone, my story output was more than double that of all but one other person in my unit, and I honestly believe I could not have accomplished that without my Psion.
I carried it always in my cargo pocket, and it held-up well. It was dropped from HMMWV's on multiple occasions, and was constantly subjected to sand and dust and heat well-above the operating temperatures of 99.9% of electronic equipment in use in the world today. I went through four PCMCIA storage cards for my digital camera, and was locked in a constant battle to keep my Dell laptop functioning so I could send my stories back to headquarters over the secure LAN lines, but never once did my 5mx fail me. It went everywhere I went, and was repeatedly the envy of many civilian reporters I came into contact with.
I read many reviews here, and I can see that perhaps part of Psion's downfall was the ineptitude of average users. To properly type on a Psion--in the case of everything except the Netbook--one should hold it in both hands and type with the thumbs. With very little practice--whether you are an adept touch-typist or a dedicated hunt-and-pecker--you will find yourself typing at incredible speed with only your thumbs on this keyboard so perfectly suited to that form of data entry.
In the Army field of journalism, there is no acceptable substitute for a direct quote. With the 5mx, I never had to offer a substitute. I could type with my thumbs as fast as anyone I met could talk. The voice recorder was also useful in such cases, but as fast as I could type when using both thumbs, it was hardly ever necessary.
The monochrome screen is ideal for those who need a tool instead of a toy. It eats less battery life than a silly screen that can show as many colors as some desktop monitors. The AA battery powere supply was especually convenient for me. I had to have a baggy of AAs for my camera flash anyway, as well as for my Maglite, and I was often in a situation where recharging batteries was not an option.
I took notes on my 5mx, wrote entire articles on it, was able to use it to make notations unobtrusively during briefings, and even kept a journal on it at the insistence of my Mother.
Also, as a college student, I have used my series 5, 5mx, and even my Revo (the last Psion I was ever able to purchase *sigh*) to take notes and write term papers.
There is no substitute for the Psion on the market today--either in price or functionality--and I wonder if there ever will be again.
Complain about the Psion if you like, but my extensive experience with the company tells me the fault was never in the product.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect for travel
Review: Although I have a 3lb/12.1" laptop (a Sony that I love), there are trips that I take for which that is just too large/heavy. For those times the 5mx is near perfect. I've edited text of a research paper on flights to and from Argentina. I've copied down the names of interesting books in the library of a B&B that I was staying at in Michigan. I checked email in a fleabag motel in West Virginia. The unit is a little pricey and isn't ethernet-able (the reasons for the 4 stars rather than 5) but otherwise it proves to be a useful travel machine. (It fits nicely in my inside coat pocket as well.)
Rating:
Summary: Great PDA, Substance over Style
Review: As someone who works in the high tech environment I am exposed to a variety of PDA's with coworkers and clients. I have used a number of different devices and have found all of them lacking. Well now I have what I consider to be the best PDA available, the Psion 5mx. I did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that this was the best value I could find in today's market. What a delight to enter data with a real keyboard. To be able to download Word and Excel files from my office desk top computer to the 5mx and work on them while I am traveling. Meeting with a client and being able to make changes to a price quote because I have the spreadsheet in my 5mx. Lugging around my laptop was always a pain, the 5mx gives me the access I need to files while I am away from my desk in a neat little package. A great operating system, bullt in programs that are fast and efficient, no longer am I kept waiting for the Windows hourglass. It is expandable with Compact Flash cards, (the same type as you use in a digital camera) so they are much less expensive and easier to obtain than a PDA's manufacturers proprietary card. There is a lot of software available on the net, much of it freeware or shareware. This is a great PDA designed for someone who is serious about having a real business tool without all the marketing hype.
Rating:
Summary: Top of the line palm device
Review: Forget the palm pilot, the Psion 5mx is tops. The key is being able to quickly enter data into the machine, without having to "learn to write", and without having to point to letter by letter. Oh sure, Palm Pilot owners will tell you that they enter their info on a pc and download it to their pilot, but, most of the time (maybe its just me) I find myself entering data into the organizer without the pc.That, and the other assortment of top line features should make this your only organizer choice.
Rating:
Summary: Psion 5mx: can't function without it!
Review: Having used the 5mx for nearly a year now, and the Psion 3a for several years prior, the 5mx has become indispensable. All contacts and schedule/agenda keep my life in order, but hey, any Palm platform can do this. Where the Psion really excells is in its ability to become a near desktop (or laptop) equivalent in your pocket, and therefore be with you all the time. As a physician, I use it for all office notes, and with a slick program called ChartNotes, can convert notes to letters, etc. While this program will only appeal to a select audience, it points out the versatility of the platform, with literally hundreds of programs and applications available, most either free or for a modest sum, easily obtainable on the web, directly downloadable, for whatever the user's interest or occupation is. The ability of the accompanying PsiWin to seamlessly synchronize with MS Outlook, both for schedules, contacts, and emails, as well as allow rapid direct printing or faxing, and rapid transfer and conversion of Word, spreadsheet, and data base files makes the 5mx an extension of the desktop. Indeed, this redefines the concept of "personal computer", as for me, in order to be truly personal, it needs to be where I am, always available, all the time. This is much more than just an "organizer" or PDA. I find myself doing at least 50% of my "computing time" at my Psion. The 56K travel modem also allows me to retrieve emails, and fax off documents. The small (monochrome) screen makes web browsing sub-optimal, which is about all I end up using my desk top PC for now. The EPOC platform never crashes, even when running multiple files and programs simutaneously. I only wish Windows was as robust!
Rating:
Summary: Screen get malfunction is a norm ?
Review: Hi, After One year and twenty seven days of using, my psion 5mx screen MALFUNCTION yesterday, just 27days after the one year warranty. I was having a meeting in my office's conference room yesterday afternoon and using the inbuilt spreadsheet programme. At about 4.30pm, we decided to have a tea break and I just closed the lid and left it on the table. When I open the lid of the 5mx at 4.45pm after the break (ahem! we have time sheet, so to bill clients on productive hours only, a usual practice for accountants), I discovered the screen show only some horizontal lines crossing the screen, together with some tinny line on the left hard margin of the screen and, that's it! No matters how many times I on and off the unit, it remains the same. By the way, whenever I press the keyboard or using the stylus to press the icons, the horizontal lines re-arrange themself, and the backlit is functioning. Well, since I got the netBook on the 27th July 2000, the 5mx mainly mean for backup from the netBook and left in my office (will this happen with the netBook in the future ?). I had tried to take out the battery (all) and left it till this morning, it remain unchange! And unfortunety, this is a VERY COMMON problem encounter by Malaysian's Psion 5mx user, mostly just after the warranty period ?? Please help!
Rating:
Summary: Great Little Computer
Review: I bought the 5mx about a month ago and have had great luck with it. It works well with my home pc and transfers text flawlessly and easily. The only problem I have had is it sometimes doesn't want to connect to my home pc and I have to keep clicking on connect until it does. I love all of the features. The keyboard takes a little to get used to, but now I can type about 30 wpm with it. If you have large fingers, this probably won't work for you. I love the spreadsheet, the "daytimer", the notebook for daily lists, and how easy it is to download some awesome programs from the internet including lots and lots of books. I haven't dealt with customer service since I have had no problems with it at this point. If you want a word processor, spreadsheet, address book, ebooks, and lots of games to entertain you, this is the "computer" for you. If you need more, look for a notebook computer. I am happy with the battery life as well as it being lightweight. I take it backpacking and use the tape recorder to record notes and then at night, I type out my notes. It works great for this. So far, I have suggested this little beauty to several friends. A color screen would be the only additional feature I would like. I have 3 books, 8 games, lots of notes and addresses and have only used about 1/4 of the memory.
Rating:
Summary: Good and Bad
Review: I bought the 5mx and promptly returned it. The Good is this little thing is a true computer-- not just a fancy organizer like the Palm. It's word program is very good. The Bad is the screen contrast is quite poor in my opinion. Without the back light, I had trouble seeing the text even in a well lit room. Also, the key board is small (as expected), but the disappointing part with the keyboard was I had to press firmly (kind of like a small calculator) for the key to register, as opposed to a soft touch like a computer. This really slows down the typing process. So for me, it just did not work out. However, if the screen contrast does not bother you and you are a "hunt and peck" typist anyway, this would be a great buy IMHO. Like I said above, it really is a little computer!
Rating: 
Summary: Great alternative PDA
Review: I have been a Psion owner for 5 years now. I started out with the original Psion Series 5 and have now upgraded to the 5MX. I have had my new Psion for 2 months now and it is well worth the cost. Their are many features of this PDA that stand out from the Palm/Handspring models. The keyboard is very nice. It is tactile and easy to type on; either traditionally or with the thumbs. I've tried "Graffiti" and have gotten pretty good with it. However, using the keyboard is much faster. The Psion 5MX also boasts 16MB of RAM, a voice recorder, a relativley loud speaker (I use as an alarm clock), contact/calander & e-mail synch, MS Word/Excel conversion, infra-red printing and transmitting, a great backlight & more. All of which works very well. The only draw back that I have come accross, is the lack of U.S. interest. However, I have found plenty of applications, share/freeware on the internet and I've been able to find everything I've wanted.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Product-- Horrible Customer Service
Review: I have had a series 5 for 1 1/2 years. I love the size, capacity, features and display. Unfortunately, my Psion broke just in time to be out of warranty. The company will repair it for $160 without guarantee that it won't break again. I have heard from several others that their Psion Series 5 or 5mx also broke shortly after the warranty period had ended. Psion does not offer extended warranties, either. I have had a very poor experience with customer service; they are not helpful, and don't seem to care whether they maintain the customers they work so hard to acquire. Furthermore, I've noticed the company being more stingy, unaccomodating and generally customer-unfriendly over the past few years. I would be surprised if Psion stays afloat given the competitve climate for hand held computers out there.
|
