.KEYWORD palmvii
.FLYINGHEAD FRESH LOOK
.TITLE The magnificent, misunderstood Palm VII
.FEATURE
.SPOTLIGHT figalt palmvii-cover.gif
.SUMMARY The Palm VII is a magnificent machine, if a bit misunderstood. Since its release, the Palm VII has unfairly suffered from a somewhat negative perception. In this important article, Samuel Brandwein addresses the four most common Palm VII myths. You may not want a Palm VII yet. But read this article and you sure will. We’re betting you’ll leave tire tracks on your way to the nearest store.
.AUTHOR Samuel Brandwein
It is amazing to me that the Palm VII is being overshadowed by other forms of wireless Internet that are much less user-friendly, such as cellular phones. The Palm VII uses the wonderful Graffiti handwriting recognition system for data input. The average cell phone, meanwhile, laughably requires you to use a phone keypad for data entry. I think the Palm VII has for too long suffered from negative perception dating back to its original release.
.H1 The ugly duckling
When the Palm V was released, it looked like a revolutionary advancement from the previous Palm device, the Palm III. The Palm V was more compact, it was lauded for its visual appeal, and it had an improved display and rechargeable batteries. The critical analysis of the Palm V was almost universally positive. Compare that to the release of the Palm VII.
The immediate reaction people had when they looked at the Palm VII was, "Hey, this is a big step backwards." The Palm VII is the largest Palm device, it doesn’t have rechargeable batteries, and it has a rather unappealing appearance. Then the critics weighed in on it. Unlike the wonderful reviews received by the Palm V, the Palm VII received what I would describe as mixed reviews, at best.
The critics attacked the Palm VII on four key issues:
.BEGIN_STEPS
.STEP The limited number of useful Web clipping applications;
.STEP The Palm VII’s inability to browse the Web outside of the available Web clipping applications;
.STEP The inability of the Palm VII to use someone’s existing ISP (Internet Service Provider) email address;
.STEP And, most significantly, Palm.Net service pricing that could quickly run into the hundreds of dollars a month.
.END_STEPS
The purpose of this article is to address those four issues and explain why they are no longer relevant.
.H1 Issue one: not enough Web clippings
Web clipping pulls specific bits of information from the Internet in response to a query. Therefore, Web clipping applications are typically called PQAs (Palm Query Applications). PQAs are a great concept because they send and receive information in a format optimized for a handheld computing device. The problem with the original 25 or so Web clipping applications was that they were of limited usefulness.
The original PQAs were constructed with the goal of data transfer economy (something no longer as critical due to pricing changes, as I’ll discuss later). For example, when you use the ESPN PQA to access recent sports stories, you get back 20-25 word summaries that impart very little information beyond what’s in the headline.
Fortunately, independent developers have created dozens of excellent PQAs. Palm should be given credit for doing a great job of cataloguing most of the PQAs on their Palm VII Web site, found at http://www.palm.net.
To give you just a few examples, there are now PQAs that provide access to Amazon.Com, free real-time stock quotes, and even the ability to send someone flowers right from your Palm VII. If you are an eBay regular, the eBay PQA is a must, because not only can you access auction information, but also you can make live bids.
.H1 Issue two: inability to browse the Web
"Web Clipping, Not Web Browsing"–that’s what it says right on the box my Palm VII came in. However, that description is no longer accurate. The Palm VII can browse just about anywhere on the Web. What you need is a PQA that serves as a Web browser. Several PQAs have been developed for just that purpose. The Palm VII browser that I use (and think of very highly) is called DPWeb. I discussed DPWeb in my article entitled, "Super productivity: it’s in the Palm of your hand" in the February 2000 issue of PalmPower Magazine at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/superproductivity001.html.
I’d like to add that they’ve recently developed a deluxe version that supports things like bookmarks, search capabilities, and cookies. The basic version of DPWeb is available without cost. However, there is a nominal fee of $20 to upgrade to the deluxe version. Go to http://www.digitalpaths.com for more information.
.H1 Issue three: inability to use your original ISP email address
Personally, I like the iMessenger application that comes with the Palm VII. It’s great for sending and receiving email on the go. (By the way, make sure to go to Palm.Net and set up your desktop email address as a "bcc" for all your outgoing email from the Palm VII, as the Palm VII does not retain outgoing mail after it’s sent.) However, a common objection critics raised about the Palm VII was that you had to get a brand new email address ending in "@palm.net." Again, this is no longer the case. There are several PQAs that allow you to use existing email addresses. Although I use iMessenger to send email, I use a PQA called ThinAir to retrieve email from my desktop’s ISP email address. ThinAir gives you real-time access to your inbox, whether it’s with an ISP or a Web-based system like Yahoo or HotMail. It’s easy to set up, and you can have access to as many as three different email accounts. Go to http://www.thinairmail.com for more information.
.H1 Issue four: Palm.Net’s service pricing
The biggest complaint about the Palm VII when it was first released was the pricing structure that Palm, Inc. had developed. Cost was related to the bits of data that one accessed, and the format was difficult for novice users to understand. Furthermore, someone like me who swears by the usefulness of their Palm VII could easily run into costs of hundreds of dollars per month using one of the original pricing plans. Needless to say, the critics had a point in blasting Palm for the original, limited volume pricing plans. Although these limited usage plans still exist, Palm has recently come out with a pricing plan that’s a real winner: $44.99 a month, unlimited data volume, unlimited email volume, and like the other Palm.Net plans, no roaming costs. I’ve compared the Palm VII "unlimited volume" plan to several other wireless plans, including plans for other Palm devices, Web-enabled phones, and wireless services for Windows CE devices. I have yet to find any other service offering unlimited wireless usage for less than the Palm VII.
.H1 Conclusion
I hope this article has cleared up what I believe to be inaccurate perceptions regarding the Palm VII. The Palm VII is not perfect. The next version of the Palm VII absolutely, positively should have two enhancements: batteries that charge in the HotSync cradle and more memory than the 2MB currently available. However, I believe the Palm VII, even with these imperfections, is a wonderful device, a marvel of engineering, and an incredibly useful tool.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
You can find a catalogue of Palm Query Applications and other resources for your Palm VII by visiting http://www.palm.net.
For more information on DPWeb, go to http://www.digitalpaths.com.
To find out more about retrieving email from your desktop’s ISP go to http://www.thinairmail.com.
To read Samuel Brandwein’s article in the February 2000 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/superproductivity001.html.
.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 Samuel Brandwein is a regional sales vice president with a national financial services firm. He can be contacted via email at sb401@earthlink.net.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6e1f1
