Psion Series 5MX 16MB

Where do I even begin with reviewing this product. I owned a Psion II back in the day and then the Series 3a, the Series 5 and finally the Series 5MX. This recent purchase was to replace a previous one that went up against an inquisitive toddler and came away rather badly from the encounter. The machine itself is a marvel to use. It may not have the all singing, dancing whatchamacallits that a lot of current gear has but the marriage of the keyboard, the instant-on EPOC Operating System, frugal power use (twin AA batteries which can be used for weeks) and the very stable on-board software (Word processor, spreadsheet, database and very customizable Agenda to name a few) makes it a very practical and usable piece of kit. The keyboard is probably one of the very few on a machine this size that can be comfortably be used to touch-type. If the on-board software does not meet your requirements, there's a wealth of freeware and shareware applications available on the net covering business/personal occupations ranging from gardening to aeronautical navigation. It also has a slot for a CF card that can be used to backup documents and share them with deskbound or laptop PCs - there are document conversion applications that allow its documents to be shared with MS Office users. The LCD (and backlit) screen may not be to everyone's taste but from a pure functionality point of view, this is one little machine that is hard to beat. It even has its own programming language (OPL) for those that like to customize their kit; did I mention that the battery life is excellent?

I was really looking forward to getting this item and when it arrived it lokked really good. However, I quickly found that the lead that attaches it to your computer will not fit most laptops-something I would have expected Psionex to mention BEFORE sale! On subsequent searches on the web I found that this was a known problem with this product (amongst those who have tried to use it)and that it MAY be fixed by buying 2 further cables and downloading some extra software- but still no guarantees! I called the No given on the invoice only to be told that support is only available bewteen certain hours on 2 days- no help is available otherwise. If -like most of the population - you have to work full time than no support is available to you. Psionex has a policy where they only refund 75% of the product price- even when they have sold under what I believe to be false pretences - and when I appealed to Amazon they didnt even consider the case-simply sided with the seller. If you have a desk top computer/are available within certain hours on tuesdays and thursdays or are prepared to spend extra money to get the equipment to connect it to your laptop Then Go For It-otherwise find something else.

I was very worried when my trusty Psion 5mx developed an inability to recognise its backup battery. Despite trying various types of smartphones my husband and I still haven't found anything to beat a Psion for versatility, user-friendliness and reliability. We looked on Ebay and found you can still buy lots, but then I found one from PsionEx through Amazon. It was a very competitive price and we had dealt with PsionEx before and found them to be excellent, so we bought it. It was delivered within a couple of days and worked straight out of the box. Just the Psion, no case or manuals, but that's exactly what was advertised. Fantastic service, and my life is sorted again!

I have just bought another Psion to replace the 3a that broke some years ago. I settled on this Psion 5mx. On opening the box, I discovered that the rs232 link and the PsiWin2 CD ROM were missing. For the price, that was negligible. I have been able to source these elsewhere. The unit is in a used condition but still looks the part. The manuals were present and pristine. This unit was easy as pie to set up and the customising of the unit was a snap. Once you are used to a certain brand of PDA, the workings of it remain with you. The leather case was the finishing touch. Well protected now! For £50 I can't grumble. The seller, Tom was very courteous and gave me prompt replies to my emails. It was a pleasure doing business with him. Psion Series 5MX 16MB

I wanted a PDA without a phone,and something on which I could write my own programs. I used to own a Psion 3A which gave up the ghost some years back and I still had copies of the programs I had written for that. I decided on the 5Mx as it has a better keyboard and more advanced programming capability and will accept 3A programs. This is a great piece of kit with a wealth of facilities and although a bit "retro" its smaller than the mini lap tops and much more fun to use.

The product was in very good condition however I was a bit concerned that I had to wait for a second posting as all the items advertised were not in the first parcel received, however they arrived very quickly with an apology, but it did mean that I had to wait longer than necessary to start using the product. Despite this fact I am enjoying my new piece of equipment and have not complaints otherwise.

- FANTASTIC! : Ordered 25th May late p.m. : Arrived 31st May a.m. Can't be beaten on service and I'm back up and running with this replacement 5mx - the touch-sensitive screen gave up the ghost on my old one - easier and quicker to replace the unit than courier-away the old one for repair! Vital App = Card DataBase : why on EARTH is there nothing out there to equal this on PC/Tablet? There MUST be a market for one - I just wish I could write the necessary code! So easy to keep track of Logins, Passwords and PINs - all double password protected.

This item was ordered to replace a failing one which I had had for many years. The replacement arrived much quicker than had been indicated which was most welcome. The packaging was suitable and the product was as good as new even though it was sold as a refurbished item. I would not hesitate to use this firm again.