Psion Series 5

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Psion Series 5mx

Manufacturer	Psion PLC
Type	PDA
Operating system	EPOC32
Input	keyboard, touchscreen, microphone
Power	2 AA batteries

The Psion Series 5 is a PDA from Psion. It comes in two main variants, the Series 5 (launched in 1997) and the Series 5mx (1999), the latter having a faster processor, clearer screen, and updated software. There is also a rare Series 5mx Pro, which differs only in having the operating system loaded into RAM and hence upgradable. Ericsson marketed a rebadged version of the Series 5mx called the MC218.

The Psion Series 5 is a major upgrade from the Psion Series 3. A Psion Series 4 does not exist, due to Psion's concern of tetraphobia in their Asian markets.^{[citation needed]} The external appearance of the Psion Series 5 and the Psion Series 5mx are broadly similar, but their mainboards and other internal components are different and not interchangeable. The screens are not interchangeable because of different screen cables.

The Series 5 was the first to feature a unique sliding-clamshell design, whereby the keyboard slides forward as the device opens to counterbalance the display, and brace it such that touchscreen actuation does not topple the device.^{[citation needed]} This novel design approach was the work of Industrial Designer Martin Riddiford of Therefore Design. A simplified version of this design was also used in the Psion Revo.

The moving parts and hinges can wear out or break. The most serious common problem arises because of a design fault in the screen cable where tooling holes cause unnecessary stressing due to additional bending of the cable at this point each time the Psion Series 5 is opened or closed and eventually leading to failure of the cable, which causes a serious display malfunction and the appearance of vertical lines on the screen. The screen cable to the Psion Series 5 is more durable than the screen cable of the Psion Series 5mx. There is an after-market cable available for the 5mx which aims to eliminate this problem (see Psionflexi in the 'External Links' below).

At the heart is a 32-bit RISC-based ARM710T processor running at 18MHz (Series 5) or 36MHz (5mx), with 4, 8 or 16MB of RAM. It's powered by two AA batteries, typically giving 10 - 20 hours of use. The display is a touch-sensitive, backlit half-VGA (640x240-pixel) LCD with 16 greyscales. The keyboard is generally considered to be among the best for its size, with large-travel keys and touch-type capability. Both RS-232 and IrDA (infra-red) serial connections are provided, along with a speaker and microphone, giving dictation ability as well as playing music. External storage is on CompactFlash.

Psion 5mx - (on 5cm squares)

The EPOC operating system, now known as Symbian OS, is built-in, along with applications for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, email, contact and diary management, and software development using Psion's own OPL language. A Java Virtual Machine and synchronisation software for Windows was bundled with the 5mx as optional installations and, later on, the 'Executive Edition' of the 5mx was bundled with various hardware and software extras including version 3.62 of the Opera web browser and a mains adaptor. A wealth of third-party software is also available, from games and utilities to navigation, reference, communications, and productivity applications, and standard programming tools like Perl and Python.

An open source project OpenPsion, formerly PsiLinux, aims to port Linux to the Psion 5mx and other Psion PDAs.

Psion's experience designing for this form factor and attention to detail has made these machines a favourite with power users, many of whom have stuck with them, despite their age and the appearance of Symbian OS-powered mobile phones and other PDAs with more impressive specifications. There have been intermittent rumours of Psion's return to the consumer market, but the Series 5mx would seem to be their swansong.