- Built-in 8 MB memory stores thousands of contacts, appointments, to-do items, and notes
- Displays over 65,000 colors--view photos, video clips, and more
- SecureDigital/MultiMediaCard expansion slot for additional memory and functionality such as a dictionary/thesaurus, games, and more
- USB cradle allows faster HotSync operations
- Windows and Macintosh compatible--includes desktop software for both platforms
1. Visor Prism -Absolutely the brightest Palm display out there, including the new Clie n710 and 610 models from Sony. It's active-matrix back-lit display is bright and text is very readable. The expandable modules are a great idea, but I never took advantage of any of them. My only complaint about the Prism is that is was just too darn big and heavy. It's a bit boxy, and just felt like a weight when carried in a shirt pocket. In sum, awesome screen, but mediocre form factor still makes this a winner.
2. E-125 -If you're in the market for a PocketPC, I think this is the way to go. The screen is gorgeous, and Microsoft's clear type font technology is really something. The display has more colors, and is larger than Palm displays, allowing you to really spend some quality time reading books or playing games. The new Windows Media Player 7.1 is also a vast improvement over former versions, and transferring audio files to the unit is a snap. Sound quality is very good, too. I personally prefer the Palm OS -from running apps to hot-syncing, it's so much simpler and faster. Plus, the PocketPC platform is not nearly as stable in my experience. Programs tend to crash far too frequently, usually taking the entire OS down with it. It's also very easy to have too many apps running at once (not all of them have File/Exit menus), leading to a crash when you run out of memory. Finally, although the units do a whole lot more than the Palms, they are also much bigger -no fun at all to carry in a pocket.
In short, if you are really intrigued by the PocketPC -hey, different strokes. But if you're a Palm user and happy with the platform, there really isn't a reason to switch, unless multimedia is essential ....
3. Palm IIIc -not as many out there as there used to be, but still worth a look if you can find one. Zippy and attractive, this unit is relatively bright and clear, but not nearly as bright as the Prism. One thing the IIIc and the Prism have that the m505 does not is a brightness control (hold down the power button and the brightness meter appears, giving you control over whether to save power or let it shine). But it comes standard with a serial cradle (ugh!) meaning you'll have to pay extra for a USB cradle, and it's a bit boxy and has a plastic feel to it for my taste. The model has also been discontinued, raising questions about investing in old Palm technology.
4. Palm m505 -First, I must address the rumors that units manufactured outside the U.S. (i.e., in Hungary) are not as bright as the U.S. models. I've seen both U.S. and Hungary models, and there is no difference in the brightness of the display. Check out the m505 FAQs at Palm's web site, where they address this by stating that the rumors are false, and that identical components are used regardless of where manufactured.
Next, it's true, this display is the worst of the four units discussed here. But if you consider this model as an m500 (the monochrome version) with color, you won't be disappointed. Side by side, the m505 is much easier to read from all different angles than is the m500. And the color really does enhance the user experience, especially when the unit comes with a terrific app like MGI's mobile photo suite. Who wants to see digital pix on a grey-scale Palm? For the extra $... that Palm charges for a color display, it's just a no-brainer. Color is worth it! I also found that after a few days using this model, my eyes adjusted to the screen, and it was a pleasure to use. Still, Palm might have found a better balance between power conservation and the birghtness on this display -they erred on the side of conservation, which, based on the reviews right here on Amazon, wasn't the way to go to satisfy most users.
Notwithstanding the slightly disappointing screen, the m505 is my choice for daily use. For one, it ships with v.4 of the Palm OS and Desktop for Windows, as well as numerous other bonus apps (Palm Reader, AOL for Palm, and Documents to Go v. 3, to name a few). It also comes standard with a USB cradle, and is both PC and Mac compatible (as are Visors, but not PocketPCs or the Sony Clie, which are PC only).
The m505 also offers the SDD/MMC slot for memory and software cards, and neat innovation that works like a charm (my m505 came with the GamesPack card).
Finally, the m505 carries on the legendary form factor of the V/Vx models, which ultimately makes this the best PDA for me. Even with the optional Palm slim leather m505 case, the entire thing fits in my shirt pocket with room to spare. It's tiny and attractive, and every button has wonderful, snappy tactile response. The thing just feels great in your hand, and the craftsmanship really shows.
The bottom line -you've really got to go out to a retailer and compare these babies side by side. This model won't be for everyone, especially folks who want to read novels or write lengthy documents directly on their Palm device. For everyday contact and schedule info, and occasional reading and writing, the m505 is a definite winner in my book. A slightly brighter screen would make it perfect and worthy of 5 stars!
Buy PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Now
It took me a few days to get used to the different screen technology, as I upgraded from the IIIc (you know, the one so bright you can signal aircraft with it). You just have to get accustomed to the silver background instead of white, which is why it looks milky white with the frontlight turned on.However, I'm facinated in that the screen is clear and readable no matter what the lighting situation may be. When walking down a corridor or past windows, you never 'lose' the image like I did on my former greyscale and color devices. There was also no hint of streaking or banding.
Enough about the screen. The reason I bought it was because of the expansion. I can now travel with EVERY application I need, including my spreadsheets, relational databases, ebooks, and mapping software. I could only fill it up by loading multimedia clips and movie trailers. When it comes to making sure your data is safe, I can now carry a full system backup in my wallet. You insert the backup card in your Palm and two buttons pop up on the screen; Backup and Restore. Forget the manual! I should probably mention that you can put more than just Palm files on the card. Just drop any file into the Palm installer, send it to the card, and you have it with you. An extra trick when you get to that out of town meeting? Click on that special file and email your materials as attachments using McFile.
I don't really have to mention size, you can slip it in your pocket without looking like you are stealing bricks for your diveway. Even though it is more solid than other handhelds I've owned (this is my 5th), I find myself being more careful due to it's size.
One thing I was not expecting was the extra speed. If you don't know anyone with a Pocket PC (I have friends and coworkers with them), then go down to a local store and try out a Pocket PC with the 505 by it's side. You will be surprised by how sluggish most of them seem. I had to use a utility to slow the Palm down to get the responsiveness of the PPC's (HP Jordana was used in actual testing). Taking that same utility, you can crank the speed up to 50Mhz, which is the equivalent of above 300Mhz on a Pocket PC, and really watch it fly. Watch the battery though... you don't get as good mileage with your foot on the floor like that.
Hotsyncing was also drastically different. A normal hotsync take 12 seconds. Sometimes I do it twice because I did not see the first one, even though it says it did. A full reload from the desktop computer used to take me about 55 minutes. A reload to the M505 takes 9 minutes, including backup and verification.
On the downside, the battery life is not as good as the IIIc, which had a huge battery. Size does have it's tradeoffs, and Palm would have had to give up the expansion slot or vibrating alert to get more battery in there. Most users can expect about 2 weeks of use from a single charge, if they they don't watch too much video. But I should also mention that this is a concern only if you hotsync once every two weeks. The M505 soaks up a charge faster than any device I've known. In testing, it went from a 10% battery level to 53% in two minutes. Given time to stabilize, the voltage level evened out at 48%, so I imagine you would have to purposely avoid the cradle in order for the thing to even get low in the first place. If you do kill the battery by ignoring the many warnings which begin at 10%, it will not turn on. This is to protect your data, which will be safe for another week... but THAT'S something I'm not going to test!
Read Best Reviews of PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Here
This is my third Palm, so I am obviously sold on the usefulness of the little machines! If you are a busy person--not necessarily a BUSINESS person, but a person who has a busy life, and has to remember lots of information, keep lots of appointments, etc., I believe you will fall in love with these devices if you try them. I use mine for the traditional purposes of keeping track of appointments and recording phone numbers, but also to put reminders to myself in the future, such as "rebalanace mutual funds in IRA" twice a year. I also use this as a memory bank for odd little bits of information I may find useful, by recording the information in a note, along with several key words I will think of when I want to remember the specifics months later. I search for the keywords, and there is the note, displayed so I can see it.As to the specifics of this particular Palm, the two main advantages it has over the Palm V series are color, and the ability to use memory cards that can be inserted into the device. Bluntly, I am unimpressed with the color. You can use Palm m505 to display color photographs, but the display is not bright enough or large enough for this to be a good way to show off your pictures. I have hopes that the color will be useful when I acquire mapping software later, but I haven't done that yet.
So far I haven't used the memory cards as anything but an expanded memory, but Palm and other providers are already offering memory cards with all sorts of programming included--Huge databases of tourist information on cities, maps, game programs, and all sorts of things. It looks like this will be good, if your needs extend to that.
I highly recommend this product if you are buying your first PDA, or if you have a very old one (Palm III or something) you want to upgrade. If you have a Palm V or Palm Vx, I'd suggest waiting to upgrade unless you have a burning need for the memory cards.
Want PalmOne m505 Color Handheld Discount?
I bought my Palm m505 in Sept. 2001, now it is less than 5 months later and I have experienced the Hot Sync problems everyone else is talking about. When I contacted Palm, they said they know about the defect and have corrected it, but in the meantime, I spent $478 for a NEW palm pilot that DOESN'T work and the only thing Palm will do for me is send me (at my cost of $25) a REFURBISHED replacement. Seems like someone is getting a good deal here, and it's not me. I will never buy a Palm product again. Additionally, the color screen is terrible without the backlight on. I am sorely disappointed.Save 49% Off
Bright I used to have a Windows CE device, the Nokia 9110 palmtop/mobile phone and still have a Palm IIIc. I read a lot of bad things about the M505 color display. After using it very often in the last couple of weeks (car travel, planes, office, etc.) I can't believe that people say the display is a problem. This is far better then my PIIIc. For sure the contrast on the display are less impressive (you getting used to it) but it works in all light conditions. I only use the backlight in about 10% of the time. Sometimes you have to swivel the Palm screen towards a light source to read the display correctly without the backlight (it saves battery).. Outside, this display is incredible clear, with my PIIIc I always had to increase the intensity of the screen to see something.
It is also much faster then the PIIIc, this M505 is really fast. The software included with it is really cool, easy to use Excel and Word document reader. Ebook, Photosuite software to name a few.
Because of the negative commands on this site on the M505 I almost bought a M500. Lucky I didn't do because I heard now that the M500 is slower (It has the same processor but the screen updates slower).
Compared to the PIIIc, I would say the M505 is:
Smaller with less weight. (it fits in my wallet).
Faster.
More software.
Integrated SD slot is really useful, I never thought it would be (8Mbyte RAM with a few family pictures is could becoming a problem).
Better display ( better in both very dark and bright light situations). Even in this small size, the battery get me running for longer then 10 hours, thanks to Color LCD technology Palm is using (simular to the PIIIc).
Now I can write on my palm in complete darkness also because now my Silkscreen lights up.
This unit is ready for the bluetooth wireless technology, which will be available from Palm at the end of the year.
Faster USB hotsync transfer. (only important for Aventgo website syncing I found).
No comments:
Post a Comment