.KEYWORD m500
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The new Palm handhelds: faster, sharper, more expandable
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Chris Phillips has taken a good hard look at the new Palm m500 and Palm m505, which feature a faster processor, version 4.0 of the Palm OS, a new universal connector that supports USB, an expansion slot, and vibrating alerts, among other exciting enhancements. Has Palm created the ultimate handheld, or is there room for improvement? Find out in this cool review.
.AUTHOR Chris Phillips
As anyone living on this planet has probably heard by now, Palm recently began shipping the new Palm m500 and Palm m505 models. These new units are similar in appearance to the original Palm V series of handhelds, but they boast several new features. Among these new features are a faster processor, version 4.0 of the Palm OS, a new universal connector that supports USB (Universal Serial Bus), an expansion slot, vibrating alerts, a higher contrast screen on the Palm m500, and a color screen on the Palm m505 that uses the new sidelight technology and supports up to 65,000 colors.
.H1 First impressions
Having already read several reports about the new Palm m500 and Palm m505, I was very excited when I finally got my hands on one of each. It was with great anticipation that I tore into the box and pulled out all the hardware and documentation. I lay the Palm m500 and Palm m505 next to my Palm Vx and was surprised by the contrast between them. You can see the differences for yourself in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Compare the Palm m505, Palm Vx, and Palm m500.
The Palm m505 has white silkscreen in the graffiti area, a dark gray screen, and silver metal buttons. The sides curve in slightly at the center, and the up/down buttons are separated and recessed. This gives the Palm m505 a sleek, stylish look all its own. The Palm m500 has the same shape as the Palm m505, but the screen is light gray and the buttons are black plastic. It’s attractive in its own right, but not nearly as distinctive as the Palm m505. They both come with a flip-over cover that’s adequate for protecting the screen but will probably be replaced by most users. They’re also slightly thicker than the original Palm V series handhelds, but not so much that I’d have noticed.
.CALLOUT Overall, I like these new models. Palm has taken several steps in the right direction with them.
As a current Palm Vx user, I was disappointed to find out the left side rail on the Palm m500 and Palm m505 is smaller than the one on my Palm Vx. This means I can’t use the wrap-around case I already own. The right stylus channel is shorter, which means I can’t use my Pilot Pentopia stylus (at http://www.pilotpen.co.uk/pentopia/index_fs.html) because it won’t go in all the way. Finally, the universal adapter at the bottom is different than the serial adapter on the Palm Vx, so I can’t use my GoType! Pro keyboard (at http://www.landware.com/gotype/pro.html) anymore. This is all very frustrating because it means I have to replace all my accessories. I can understand about the universal adapter because it’s supposed to enhance and improve communication with other devices. However, I would have liked it better if Palm had kept the side channels the same so owners of the Palm V and Palm Vx could reuse their cases and styli.
As is the case with any Palm device that has a sealed battery, the first thing you have to do is let it charge for a couple of hours. But, before I did that, I took a chance and turned on the Palm m505 to see if the reports about the color screen were true. I felt a slight twinge of disappointment when I realized that the reports I had read appeared to be accurate. Under the fluorescent lighting in my office, the colors appeared very washed out (more on this later). However, I was determined to give this product a fair shake. The battery wasn’t charged, and I didn’t have any decent software loaded to give the color feature a good test. Therefore, I decided to reserve judgment.
.H1 Setup problems
While I was waiting for the Palm m505 to charge, I upgraded my HotSync software using the CD provided. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get the HotSync software to recognize the USB port on my laptop. After several unsuccessful attempts to perform a HotSync, I reluctantly turned to the manual and began reading (ugh!). I found the cause of my problem on page three of the booklet entitled, "Read This First." In fairness to Palm, this information was also clearly identified on the outside of the box and on a separate flyer inside the box.
My laptop is running Windows NT, which along with Windows 95, doesn’t recognize the USB ports on my laptop. A similar problem exists for users of certain older models of the Macintosh computer. I could scarcely believe what I was reading. Every Palm handheld I had ever purchased came with the appropriate equipment for my operating system, until now. The only option I had left was to invest an extra $30 in a serial cradle if I wanted to HotSync with my laptop. In fairness, Windows NT is an older operating system and the USB interface is far faster. You can’t support older operating systems forever and still offer new capabilities.
.CALLOUT On the plus side, the Palm m505’s screen had a sharper, crisper picture than the HP Jornada.
.H1 Comparing the screens
Ever the optimist, I pressed on hoping things would get better. It appeared I would be able to use my desktop computer to HotSync since it was running Windows 98. After upgrading the HotSync software on my desktop PC, it did indeed work with the USB cradle. The HotSync time is much faster than with the serial connection. Now I could load some of the bonus software that was included on the CD. I loaded PhotoSuite and the sample pictures and video file. I also loaded a few color games so I could give the screen a real test. I started the PhotoSuite application and loaded one of the sample pictures, as shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B This sample picture was included with PhotoSuite, though this photo of the screen doesn’t do it justice.
There’s no doubt the screen is color, but it’s not nearly as bright or vibrant as I expected. At first I thought I would just increase the contrast but quickly found out that you can’t adjust the contrast on the Palm m505.
.CALLOUT One pleasant surprise was using the Palm m505 outside in the sunlight. The colors looked great, and the sun actually made the screen easier to see instead of more difficult.
Then I turned on the sidelight. Wow! What a difference! This was more like the screen I expected to see, but it was still somewhat less than I had anticipated. When I compared it to my friend’s HP Jornada, the Palm m505 wasn’t as colorful. Even with the sidelight on, it was considerably less bright. On the plus side, the Palm m505’s screen had a sharper, crisper picture than the HP Jornada. You can see the two devices side by side in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C Compare the Palm m505 with its sidelight on to the HP Jornada.
Next, I loaded a color game called Herdin’ Catz (look for a review of this game in an upcoming issue). This game makes liberal use of color, and even with the sidelight off, the colors were obvious. They were just that much better when I turned the sidelight on again. One pleasant surprise was using the Palm m505 outside in the sunlight. The colors looked great, and the sun actually made the screen easier to see instead of more difficult. Palm explains the new technology in this way:
.QUOTE The display on the m505 utilizes a new technology in color screen display. Previous displays, like the Palm IIIc, use a transflective display technology (much like that on previous Palm models). The Palm m505 uses a reflective screen, which greatly enhances its ability to be viewed in direct sunlight conditions. In fact, the greater the ambient lighting, the better the viewing experience.
There are several people in my office who use the Palm Vx, so I decided to see what they thought of the color screen. The results were mixed. One person commented that the screen basically looked monochrome until you turned the sidelight on. This is especially true for applications like the Date Book, Memo Pad, etc., where the only color is the blue bar across the top. Some people were impressed and some were not, but everyone agreed it was better than the grayscale screen on their Palm Vx devices.
Next I played with the Palm m500 screen to see how it compared. Immediately, I noticed there was less of a glare and the screen appeared to have more of a matte appearance. Something that has always annoyed me about my Palm Vx is the fact that I had to constantly adjust the angle from which I was viewing the screen to minimize the glare from surrounding lights. This problem has not disappeared with the Palm m500, but it certainly is better. One of the other differences is how you adjust the contrast. There’s a small circle in the upper right-hand corner of the graffiti area that brings up the contrast bar when you tap on it. Other than that, I didn’t notice much difference.
.H1 Other features
I did notice a significant increase in processing speed. Programs loaded quicker and tasks were performed in less time. I use a Bible reading program that always takes about four seconds to load, but the Palm m505 did it in about half the time.
I also really like the expansion slot. I had the opportunity to use the preformatted European Cities card. This is the ultimate in simplicity. Just push the card into the slot, and the Palm m500 or Palm m505 springs to life and displays the applications available on the card. It does take several seconds for some of the applications to be transferred into memory, but the trade-off of freeing up memory on the Palm handheld itself makes this well worth it. Everyone I showed the card to was very impressed with the size and functionality. They all felt this was a significant improvement to the larger Springboard modules used by Handspring Visors. I’m very eager to see what other accessories are designed to use this slot in the future.
Version 4.0 of the Palm OS has some interesting improvements. People were very impressed with the clock feature that can be accessed at any time by tapping on the small clock in the upper left-hand corner of the graffiti area. This causes a clock to pop up on the screen for a few seconds regardless of what application you’re currently in, so you can check the time or date. Then it disappears and leaves you back where you started. You get the additional options of vibrating alerts and also the option to have the green LED flash as a silent alert.
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.H1 Conclusion
Overall, I like these new models. Palm has taken several steps in the right direction with them. Faster processing, expansion slots, and easier to read screens are all things people are clamoring for, and Palm delivers. Also, version 4.0 of the Palm OS seems very stable. I didn’t have any problems, and that’s unusual for any x.0 code.
However, Palm missed the mark in several areas. My biggest disappointment was with the color screen on the Palm m505. After a week I got used to the washed out appearance and have learned to make judicious use of the sidelight feature when I want the colors to be more vibrant, although being able to view colors in sunlight is a big plus. But I still get a good dose of "color envy" when I see how vibrant the colors are on some of the competing devices.
I’m also disappointed that Palm managed to engineer these new devices in such a way that I cannot reuse any of the accessories I currently own. As a loyal Palm handheld user who has already made significant investments in the accessories I currently use, this is an added cost I’d prefer not to incur. Also, Palm may not win brownie points by standardizing on USB when many people with older operating systems still can’t take advantage of it. I think it would have made much more sense to include the serial cradle and then allow people to upgrade to the USB cradle if they were in a position to take advantage of this technology.
Life is about tradeoffs, and my ideal Palm handheld does not yet exist. If you have to have the best color screen available for the Palm OS, I advise you to look at investing in another model. If, however, you like the thin size, light weight, and better use outdoors of the Palm m505, and are willing to accept the limitations of the color screen, you should seriously consider this model. This color screen is still far superior to any of the grayscale screens, and I can’t imagine having to go back. But I would have to think long and hard about upgrading from my Palm Vx to the Palm m500. When I factor in the cost of replacing all my accessories, I’m not sure the extra features on the Palm m500 make the move worth it, especially when the price difference is so small to get the extra feature of a color screen.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the Palm m500, visit http://www.palm.com/products/palmm500/.
For more information on the Palm m505, visit http://www.palm.com/products/palmm505/.
For more information on the Pilot Pentopia stylus, visit http://www.pilotpen.co.uk/pentopia/index_fs.html.
For more information on the GoType! Pro keyboard, visit http://www.landware.com/gotype/pro.html.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f538
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