I've decided to try writing part of this review using the word processor on the 5mx. This will allow me to get a feel for the keyboard and what it's like to type a document on it. I'll also get the chance to use the word processor, and see how easy it is to export documents from the Psion to the PC.

I should admit at this point that my own PDA is a Palm IIIx, so I'll be making some observations from the perspective of a Palm PDA user. It's only too obvious though, that the Psion Series 5mx is in a totally different market from the Palm organisers, not just in price but in features, and in what it sets out to achieve. Therefore, I don't intend to make direct comparisons between the two, that would be meaningless.

The Series 5 has a really nice quality feel to it. The mechanism for opening the unit is very well engineered, as the case opens, the keyboard slides out from underneath. This is obviously intended to give the unit a smaller footprint when the case is shut, and it's very effective as you can see from the picture below. I have my doubts about how reliable this assembly will be after a couple of years of active duty, there's a ribbon cable connecting the keyboard to the main body, and I can see that being a potential weak point. The other concern I have about the case is that when you close it, it shuts with a bang. The 2 halves of the case are pulled together by quite a strong spring, and I worry about cracking the screen when closing the case.

The case is a nice metallic silver colour, and overall this unit has a very expensive look. I've been using the Series 5mx for 2 weeks now, and when I go back to my Palm IIIx, it looks very plasticky and cheap, the Psion really puts 3COM to shame in this department.

This keyboard is the best I've seen in a PDA, the keys are big and well spaced. One problem I've found while typing this, is that if you are trying to type quickly, and you press a key slightly off centre, it sticks. Maybe I just need to improve my aim a little, but the keyboard on my PC allows more tolerance for error.

There are 3 buttons on the base of the unit at the front, which activate the "Voice Notes" function. These buttons have a sliding cover on them which slides into the casing of the unit, revealing the legends. When I first unpacked the Psion, I thought the cover came off in the same way the memory door opens. It's a good thing I didn't pull on it too hard before reading the manual! The buttons are well positioned, when you hold the unit with your thumb over the buttons, the microphone is at the top corner of the unit.

The Psion is connected to the PC by means of a serial cable which plugs into the back of the unit. The serial connector on the Psion is very thin and fragile looking, and there's no support for the connector when it's plugged in - a definite weak point. Another observation I have about the serial connector is that it isn't obvious which way it should go in. Couple that with the fragile construction, and it's a recipe for disaster, surely it doesn't cost very much to print "Top" on the connector?

A fully functional Word Processor. There are 3 fonts available, Arial, Courier New, and Times New Roman. Fonts can be sized between 4 and 50 points, with bold, italic and underline. You can format text with bullet points, and there is a good selection of special characters to choose from. Borders can be placed around paragraphs, and can be filled with any one of 4 shades of greyscale. You can also insert sketches, tables and graphs from the Sheet application. There is also a built in spell checker. There are a number of standard templates, and it's also possible to create your own templates. There are lots more formatting options, and you can even see a print preview before printing.

This spreadsheet application has an impressive list of functions. The Series 5mx has a fast enough processor to make this a very usable application, even with quite large spreadsheets. PsiWin can convert an existing Excel worksheet, and copy it to the handheld for editing on the move. I found that a couple of the functions in my MPG sheet were lost during conversion, and where there had been formulae the cells had been changed to plain number values. It would have been nice if PsiWin had notified me during conversion that some of the fields had been changed. Suffice to say that you should thoroughly check any imported sheets before working on them.

Not a bad contacts application, there are plenty of options available to personalise the layout, you can change the fields and label them as you please. There is also a search function, which works very quickly too.

There are 4 views available: Day, Week, Busy, and Year planner.

One excellent feature is the ability to attach drawings from the sketch application. This allows you to use the nice clipart library to assign icons to different types of event. There are also plenty of options for setting repeating events, even quite unusual ones.

One annoying thing about the Psion is that you have to keep the Agenda application open if you want your alarms to sound. If you close Agenda before powering off, the next Agenda alarm is passed to the alarm application, and only that one will sound. All subsequent alarms are lost until you run Agenda again. This was particularly confusing for me, since as a Palm IIIx user, I've become accustomed to the idea that I don't have to shut down any applications manually- they run in the background all the time. I'm sure this wouldn't be a problem after using the 5mx for a while, but it is worth mentioning.

This application makes good use of the greyscale screen with the ability to enter a "tentative" entry. This is the electronic equivalent of pencilling in an appointment, and the entry appears in grey instead of black.

While testing this unit, I didn't have a modem to try the email application with, so I can't comment on how it works. The email application also allows you to send faxes, and if you have a mobile phone, it can send SMS text messages too.

There are 2 calculators rolled into one. The desktop calculator has big buttons and a simple display with a list of your most recent calculations.

The scientific calculator is just that:- a scientific calculator!

Jotter is the Psion equivalent of the MemoPad on the Palm PDA, with plenty of additional options for formatting the text with bullet points, underline, bold and italics. You can also insert drawings from the sketch application.

It's possible to create more than one Jotter file, which is more or less the same as assigning categories.

Essentially a database which resembles a card index. This application will be useful for a salesman, or someone who keeps an inventory of some sort. I'm struggling here, because I personally have no use for this at all. If you're interested, it can be customised to your heart's content, you can rename and reorganise the fields to suit your requirements. It's also possible to insert drawings from Sketch.

The world map screen is really quite useful, you can tap on the screen to find the name, time zone and dialling code of the nearest city. Alternatively you can enter the first few letters of a city to find the same information. You can also set alarms from here, with options to set repeating alarms, etc.

The Sketch program is great fun! You can draw in 4 levels of greyscale, and there's a nice library of clipart built in. As you can see, I'm not the most artistic person in the world.... (It's supposed to be the Starship Enterprise!)

Straight out of the box, with no memory used by other applications, the Series 5mx can record about 30mins of audio using the built in microphone. The microphone is surprisingly sensitive, and it's good fun to set it recording, and leave the room! On the practical side, you can take voice notes, and record your own alarm sounds. I recorded one of my favourite sounds as an alarm, and if you have a Series 5, you can download it here. (42KB)

Er.... it's a good game, but the implementation on the Psion is poor. I got fed up playing it after a few minutes, and never went back to it.

I've found the PsiWin software to be very frustrating. I think I've been spoiled by the simplicity of the Palm Desktop and HotSync applications. There is no easy way to enter data on the desktop and Sync it with the handheld. The Psion will synchronise with Microsoft Outlook, but not everyone uses Outlook (I don't). I also ran into problems when I tried to export the data from my Palm IIIx to the Psion. I ended up Syncing the Palm with Outlook, then syncing the Psion with Outlook, but that only transferred the Contacts, my MemoPad entries didn't find their way to the Psion, and only about 10% of my Calendar data made the transition. To be fair, I think half the problem was with the way Outlook Syncs with the Palm. If Psion were clever about it, they could offer their customers an easier way to convert from another PDA.

One of the better features of PsiWin is that it installs a new folder in Windows Explorer called "My Psion" which allows you to drag and drop files when copying to and from the Psion. I began to wonder if there was a conflicting application on my PC which caused the Psion to disconnect all the time, I couldn't get it to stay connected for more than a couple of minutes at a time, and if my computer was connected to the internet, PsiWin wouldn't connect at all. I know I said I wouldn't make direct comparisons with the Palm IIIx, but it is certainly valid to compare the method of connection to the PC. This is one area where Palm Computing have blown away the competition, you just place your Palm PDA in the cradle, press the button, and make yourself a cup of tea, no drama. Maybe Psion should approach Palm Computing about licensing HotSync.

The Psion Series 5mx is an excellent product. It should be noted that this unit is marketed as a Palmtop Computer, and not as a PDA. It works pretty well as a PDA, but that's not its prime objective.

As a Palmtop Computer, it's fantastic. The keyboard is excellent, and the battery life is surprisingly good. If you need to work on documents on the move, but don't want to carry a laptop around with you, look no further. The applications launch quickly, and the user interface is very easy to navigate.

One area which requires a little attention is the screen, I found it necessary to use the backlight in all but the brightest conditions. (I think there's another lesson to be learned from the newer Palm PDAs)

Alas, my 2 weeks with the Psion Series 5mx are over. I'm really going to miss it, but it has to go back. It has wakened me faithfully every morning to the sound of Pink Floyd, can I ever go back to the tinny beeping sound of the Palm IIIx?

See the review of the Psion Revo.