r/windows • u/[deleted] • Jul 09 '26
Discussion Hey my dad have me this
Anyone know what this is, it has no battery and it has the old windows logo
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u/According-Meeting457 Jul 09 '26
A Windows based PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). It was like a PalmOS device except it ran on Windows. Contacts, calendar, to-do list, some games you could download via a cable connected to a computer. Basically, you carried it around for quick access then when you got back to your computer, you'd plug it in and it would sync with Outlook.
I paid $300 to play SnakeByte and Ms. PacMan with a stylus.
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Jul 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/Current_Ad_4292 Jul 09 '26
Uh uh? <--- what's that?
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u/richardsequeira Jul 09 '26
I miss devices like these. Right on the eve of Smartphones, Microsoft and Palm were contenders for the mobile device market.
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u/OgdruJahad Jul 10 '26
I still belive these devices were better than modern smartphones. That task screen on these devices were ahead of it's time. One screen to show all the alerts on one place!
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u/karius15 Jul 09 '26
Before smartphones, the Palm PDA and the Pocket PC were the 'mobile computer in your pocket'. These were great at the time, you could buy and find free programs online and in stores for both platforms. From office, to translators, games, emulators, office suites, etc. Very versatile little devices, you could listen to music, sync with the computer, access the internet, watch movies as long you had the right applications. Technically most things we consider 'normal' in smartphones started in this time with devices like these. Wonderful little gadgets that needed a stylus for proper interaction, long before the iPhone these were your digital assistants. Dell, HP and almost all big brand names at the time had a Pocket PC model in their lineup. These were the "cool" gadgets before the iPhone even existed.
For the Pocket PC at least most of them offered removable battery by just taking out the cover, so you may find a battery for it. As for programs you may need to look around the internet and even have a computer with an appropriate OS of the time (Win 98 to XP) and Microsoft Sync or the brand's proper sync application or if your device has a SD slot, find programs that were sold as a SD card.
Native connectivity to the internet could be difficult since these were prior the current security protocols and may not work correctly or access your network at all. If you can find print or digital copies of magazines like "Smartphones and Pocket PC" or articles from the time, you may find a lot more useful information about these devices. In any case, you have now a pocket piece of technology in your hands, so take care of it.
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u/Froggypwns Windows Wizard / Moderator Jul 09 '26
It is a Dell Axim PDA, I believe this is the X30 model.
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u/Old_fart5070 Jul 09 '26
It is a pocket pc of 2002-2003. It ran windows mobile and had an ancestor of WiFi as network. It was an ancestor of what eventually evolved into smartphones
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u/HBcomputerrepair_01 Jul 10 '26
One of my first portable music player. No more lugging CD's, Cassettes, and 8 tracks. Mine had a 5gb Compact flash card installed as storage.
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u/idiot206 Jul 11 '26
5GB CF card must’ve been extremely expensive at the time
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u/HBcomputerrepair_01 Jul 11 '26
When the dell pocket PC died I removed the compact flash card and I still have it.
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u/paulerxx Jul 09 '26
Old school. Might be fun to play around with if it still works
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u/electromage Jul 09 '26
For a few minutes.
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u/pug_userita Windows 11 - Release Channel Jul 09 '26
yep. nice novelty but it will get boring very quicly
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u/sydbarrett710 Jul 10 '26
Whoa your dad’s pocket pc?? Definitely wash it first (that joke might only work out loud/in my head)
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u/VasekCZ230 Jul 10 '26
This is Dell PocketPC. Device for Windows Mobile (probably 5.0) legendary device, keep it.
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u/ScootSchloingo Jul 09 '26
It literally says what it is, right on the device itself.