New Axim X51 owner

[Alan Hudson]

I'm awaiting delivery of a new Dell Axim X51, and I've been killing time downloading and reading the Owner's Manual .pdf. There's one thing that I'm not sure about, and the manual doesn't make it clear - will the X51 charge from a USB connector on a PC laptop? If not, what's the best option/accessory for charging when away from work? I want to avoid carrying the charging/sync cradle around with me.

Many thanks.

[AnswerDude]

I believe the cradle will charge the axim without power adapter only when the axim is off. There's 3rd party sync and charge cable that may be able to do better such as this
http://www.boxwave.com/products/minisync/minisync-retractable-cable-dell-axim-x51_749.htm

[Alan Hudson]

Thanks - that sounds promising. So the X51 will charge from USB when connected, but only when switched off. And that link looks like the perfect on-the-road solution for charging. Thanks again :)

[uzziah0]

The problem with powering the Axims from a usb cable is that usb only has something like 500mamps while the Axim charges with 2400mamps (or something like that).
That is why it will only charge from USB while the Axim is off, and then only when it is charged enough (some say as low as 50%, others say it much be something like 70%).
Basically, I only rely on charging my Axim (an X5) from the power cord plugged into the wall (I only carry it with me when I know I'll need it).