Psion Series 5MX PDA

A long time ago, Psion, now Psion-Teklogix, made the flawed but brilliant 5MX Pro. The device, about the size of a new, and seriously flawed, PSIXPDA, had a 6.5 x 3" keyboard that was easy to touch type on, a rock solid OS in EPOC (still used in phones), a valuable software set for the day, and lots of friends in the burgeoning Web to add new stuff. For entering text on a device small enough to slip into a jacket pocket, yet almost as useful as a laptop, the 5MX was brilliant, with a keyboard the Japanese and Chinese might want to look at as a model for buyers with character-based alphabets. The slightly convex, well-spaced keys, allowed a sure touch and an unheard of input speed for a PDA.

The flaw was that as you used it, sooner or later, the all-important and soldered(!) ribbon cable to the screen, would crack (manufacturing error) and the screen would show a variety of errors that made the device impossible to use. It was also pretty slow, but you don't need much power to write a short story, do a moderately complex spreadsheet, or maintain contact lists. EPOC's remarkable efficiency as an OS helped a lot. Psion ended production about a decade ago and brought out the overpriced, WIN CE-powered Netbook Pro, a very nice system but no competition for far more powerful laptops, except in its exceptional (7 hour) battery life, and its even more brilliantly designed keyboard, still the best I have ever used on either a laptop or a "PDA", even one as large as Netbook Pro or an NEC 900.

HP (Jornada 690-728) and NEC (Mobilepro) carried the ball a little longer with quite good small systems using WIN CE and its derivatives, but, except in Asia, the clamshell with a usable keyboard fell out of use. The advent of the 8-9" netbook made a comeback unlikely, not only for its dramatically greater power, but because netbooks are pretty small, light, and, of late, with not bad battery efficiency. (Imagine getting five hours of time on a 1998 Libretto).

But, a small device with a keyboard good enough to actually type on has not been made since the early 2000s. That's why I went for this "new" 5MX, produced by a fellow who's been replacing that fragile ribbon cable for other 5MX fanatics for years. Using parts he'd scavenged from somewhere, he created a "new" 5MX with the added advantage that he installed a modern ribbon cable, i.e., one without the hole inadvertently punched in the wrong place that fatally weakened the original. It's a European version, a 5MX Pro, which means you have to load a secondary English version of the OS (lasts until you forget to change batteries; then you do it again.) It also means it has an extra 6MB to put programs in.

For writers who don't want to lug even a netbook, the 5MX is still the best ultraportable typing and editing tool made. If the otherwise attractive PSIXPDA had had a keyboard modeled on the ergonomics of the one on the 5MX I would have bought one without a thought for its somewhat inflated price!

The Psion 5MX's rebirth will be shortlived. Get one while you can if you want small and typable.

Where to start ??? OK, if you need to carry your life around with you, this is for you. It has a Contact list, Data files, word processor, spreadsheets, diary, scientific calculator, the list goes on.... and all fully customisable ! Plus, there is TONS of free software available. Have owned a 3c before, this is 3c on steroids ! First off, its a greyscale display. OK, if you need your contacts, agenda, word docs and spreadsheets in colour, don't bother ! If you want portability, a PROPER useable QWERTY keyboard, decent sized keys, not a touchscreen one, and about 2 weeks use out of 2 AA batteries, not to mention speed, go for it. I had a HP iPaq, battery lasted maybe a day.....Screen (touchscreen) is a good size, and has zoom feature, stores on Compact Flash cards up to 2gb, and file sizes are minute compared to Windows. A LARGE contacts file is about 100kb. Oh yes, and it doesn't 'boot', you just turn it on, it's there, ready to go. PsiWin software (free download) will sync it to Windows if you want,(via cable or IR) so you can work on PC/laptop, then transfer to Psion. You can also write your own programs in Epoc/Symbian. If you want whistles, bells, colour and crap battery life, get an iPad,(which won't fit in your pocket like this will) if you want 'does what it says on the tin' and battery lasts forever, get a Psion............ I now have all my works stuff on this, contacts, orders, diary, mileage, expenses...Don't trust me, go Google it, and look for reviews, doubt you will find a negative one ! And........... it's BRITISH !!!!!

Despite its considerable age compared with the current crop of PDAs, I think the Psion 5Mx is still state of the art in many ways.

The software is excellent, reliable and full-featured. For example, the spreadsheet is more than a match for pocket Excel; the agenda manager is still way ahead of any other diary program I've seen.
The built in programming language (OPL) is easy to use but there is plenty of excellent software available on-line, much of it freeware.
The operating system is amazingly stable. I start to worry if I need to reboot more than once every couple of years.
The hardware is reliable and efficient - battery time is measured in weeks, not hours, and it takes standard AA batteries so works will with rechargeables.
It has an ingenious flip-out keyboard on which you can easily touch-type.

What's not to like? Well you only get a monochrome screen (that's why the batteries last so long) and you don't get all the connectivity offered by more modern kit, such as blue tooth and wireless LAN.
There is also a weakness in the cable connecting the keyboard to the screen. Repeated opening and closing of the case can occasionally cause this cable to break but this has only happened twice to me in more than 10 years of use. A couple of companies still offer a repair service.

If you want something that combines phone, camera, web browser, HiFi... then the Psion isn't going to suit you. But if you want a PDA that does its specialized job brilliantly then I'd recommend taking a look at the Psion.

Best piece of the hardware, i have ever seen. Almost adult keyboard, with perfect response for even medium texts, unique data format with extremly small file size. Empty MS Word 2010 file is bigger than twenty page doc with PSION Word program itself. Touchscreen with pressure sensitive ability for simple sketches and quick diagrams. Medium size, sturdy machine with everything from address book to spreadsheet, from simple voice recorder to alarmclocks. And best of all, two AA size lithium cells last for month, so there is no need to AC power at all. If you seek something for everyday memos, longer texts on the go, logbook for mission to Mars or Dachstein in Austria, it fits perfectly. If you seek something without overpriced Li-On cells, with fantastic price to use ratio, thats PSION MX5. Add solar modification and you have perfect postapocalyptic gear, that fits any wault:].

CONS> bad contrast of old LCD screen, no modern technologies such as USB, Wifi, etc. Well known problem with screen cable. Inventor and producer is gone almost for ten years, bud still good range of software and spare parts. Its more or less offline device, its internet capabilities has gone with analog modems. So backup this function with any smartdevice.

Its good for creating any texts, logs, or such, not very good for consuming any of the modern formats such as PDF.

I take some stick from younger colleagues for still using this outdated piece of kit as my diary, contacts database and notebook.

Sure it's not an i-phone, Palm or Treo but it is a beautifully designed and attractive object, and the keyboard is a delight to type with rather than some "touch sensitive" screen that has no feel or a tiny qwerty pad which requires slender young fingers and perfect eyesight.

That's why I see my Psion as a Morris Minor. It's design was the best of its era, and it goes on being both usable and effective long after its peers have been scrapped.

I wouldn't want a Psion as my only piece of kit - so I have a notebook and dongle for the stuff it cannot handle, which is plenty.

But then again, I'd never use a Ferrari to go to the shops, or a notebook just to look up a contact and be reminded of their dog's name. So my Psion goes on being useful to me - and much loved with it. Just like my Morris Minor.