Dell today greatly expanded its Pocket PC offerings with the release of the new Axim X3 series, the sequel to the very successful Axim X5 series, which put the company in the number two position for Pocket PC sales behind Hewlett-Packard in only one year of existence.

Like with the Axim X5 handhelds, Dell has bundled a lot of features for a good price. One of the three models in the X3 series is the first Dell Pocket PC to include built-in Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi model, the Axim X3i, sells for $379, while the other two go for $229 and $329.

At 5 ounces, the Axim X3 is 28% lighter than its predecessor, and at .55 inches, 17 percent thinner. The Axim X3 feature a 3.5-inch, 240x320 pixel and 65K color display, removable batteries, Secure Digital slots for memory and peripheral expansion, and Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PC operating system. For audio, the models include a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a speaker and microphone.

Both the $379 and $329 configurations include a 400MHz Intel XScale processor, 64MB of RAM and 64MB of Flash memory. These two models also come with a sync/recharge cradle that has an extra battery charge slot that accommodates either a spare standard battery (950 mAh) or an optional high-capacity (1800 mAh) battery ($99). The $229 configuration has a 300MHz XScale processor, 32MB of SDRAM, 32MB of Flash ROM and a USB sync cable instead of a cradle.

Other than a lack of integrated Bluetooth, the three Axim X3 models match up nicely, price and feature wise, with HP's current and far more extensive line-up. We expect these new handhelds to put pressure on the Pocket PC industry to lower prices the way the original Axims did this past year.