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Handhelds Hardware

Palm IIIe Announced 132

Posted by justin++ from the 3-iii's dept.
Palm Computing introduced the Palm IIIe today. The new handheld ships with 2MB of storage, as well as a built-in TCP/IP stack. According to the press release, it's aimed at new users, like students. You know, it's funny - my little sister has been asking me for a Palm. Maybe this is what we've been waiting for. The SRP is US$229.
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Palm IIIe Announced

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  • Hello; I'm about to buy a palm IIIx. (MSRP: 370).
    shopping.com and buycomp.com used to have the IIIx at 250ish -- now they're both around 300. I want to buy it from clubcomputer.com for 250ish but you must have a membership. There is a Trial membership for $1 but it seems like it could be a scam, Has anyone bought anything from clubcomputer.com?
  • It seems to me like they're back to the PalmPilot Pro/Personal kind of thing again, after a brief stint with only one model (III).

    When you think about it, the IIIe and IIIx are basically the equivalents to the Pro and Personal of years gone by.

    The big difference now is that there's also the Palm V, which is (in my opinion) the killer Palm. I'd love to have one, if I wasn't poor.
  • e and x have different amounts of RAM too. But you're right, there were more differences between Pro and Personal (Personal didn't have networking stuff, which bit).

    Doesn't the V have a modem? Or is that the VII or whatever? I'm having trouble keeping them straight.
  • Yeah, just the RAM. That's all that you could ever upgrade with these (you could add IR with some RAM upgrades if you needed it). Just about any Palm can go up to 8M with the right upgrade, so go forth and install.
  • Usenet [deja.com] is a great resource for used stuff :).

    Alex Bischoff
    ---

  • ResellerRatings [resellerratings.com] gathers feedback about online retailers. Here's what they have to say about ClubComputer [resellerratings.com].

    Executive Summary: 1.9/7.0, I'd avoid.

    Alex Bischoff
    ---

  • I own a Palm III. It's been invaluable for me, and I'm only a highschool student, so I can imagine how a really busy person would enjoy it.

    1) making appointments/scheduling
    This is one thing that the Palm series excels at. After all, it's meant to replace a dayplanner. Quick tap, perhaps adjust the time, write in a description and you're done.
    2) writing quick e-mail (can i?)
    If you're not brilliant at Graffiti, e-mail is tortuous. For all but the very shortest notes, it's better to wait till you get to a real keyboard.
    3) notes
    Again, unless they're very short graffiti makes it difficult - especially when you make graffitios. When you get into a groove, though, you find that graffiti is actually rather efficient and easy to use, and with a bit of experience you make fewer errors.
    4) simple games
    You mean there are other purposes to a Palm? :) There are a lot of simple but very fun games out there in Palmland. Don't let anyone else know that you've got games on it or you'll never be able to use your PDA for its DA work.

    Is the 2MB really worth it?
    In my experience 2 MB is more than enough for everything you need. Unless you're going to be loading on many books from the Gutenberg project, the 2 MB is a huge expanse that you're not likely to fill.

    I recommend the Palm III to you. It's cheap, expandable, and very useful. I know I use mine all the time.

  • Posted by lamikr:

    In addition I want
    - internal GSM
    - Email/Browser
    - Radio + plugin for headphones
  • Posted by BrainMold:

    If you want to get a PalmIII[x], try www.DealTime.com [dealtime.com].

    They will search a limited amount of respectable online sellers, auctions, and classifieds for the selected PDA. Using this, I've found you can get a PalmIIIx for $265 to $275 and a plain PalmIII even cheaper.

    You have to constantly watch the deals though. Some are for a limited time. But, If you don't mind having your POP account flooded with email, you can have DealTime send you updates on the deals everyday.

    You also might want to see if the prices come down, too. One day I saw a PalmIIIx for $265 then $289 the next from the same company.

    If you want to search even more sources, try PriceWatch.com [pricewatch.com]. They will search hundreds of online merchants. Some are big time companies, others are small little stores from the middle of nowhere. The prices are guaranteed [sp?] for a little while, so if a little brat from some small little buisness jacks up the price on you, you only have to pay the PriceWatch price.

    #include "disclaimer.h"

    I haven't used either of these methods to buy a PalmIIIx yet, so I can't personally reccomend them. But, I am currently searching for a PalmIIIx on DealTime. In other words, if it turns out they rip you off, you've been warned.

    [Who would win in a fight, the normal Mr. Spock or a Fuzzy Logic Mr. Spock?]

  • it sounds more like a 3x that got gypped a couple megs.


    Who am I?
    Why am here?
    Where is the chocolate?
  • As the owner of a III, anda college student, I can tell you that it will be more than adequate. I have almost all my notes for this quarter typed on it (with a GoType keyboard), several personal memos, a reasonable-sized address book, calendar appointments reaching all the way back to February (almost daily), a large number of games, a financial calculator, and a draw program, all stored in 2 megs, and I still haven't filled a third of my memory. Don't sweat the extra megs. If you ever really need them (like if you're planning on running palm linux or PalmVNC), then you can always get a memory card. The screen on the III isn't quite as crisp as the one on the IIIx in odd lighting, but the icons, as someone previously mentioned, are much more natural on the III than on the IIIx. As for the IIIe, it sounds like a IIIx minus 2 megs of memory and some other features. I've seen the V in stores, and invariable the buttons on it are mashed while its cousins the Pilot, III, and IIIx are in great shape. The Pilot, of course is outdated, so don't buy one unless you're really short on cash (it lacks infrared). Finally, the VII. The VII is OK if you want to pay hefty wireless charges and want a Palm that's an inch longer than standard. If the wireless is that important, get a III. I saw a wireless adaptor for the III in this month's PC Mag. Hope that helps ;)


    Who am I?
    Why am here?
    Where is the chocolate?

  • could someone with wrist pains tell me if these help? I can't get away from the keyboard at work, but if I could check my home email and read usenet (there are good groups left, but you gotta know killfiles) it might save my wrists enough a bit.

    I'm not calling this carpil tunnel, cuase as all /. readers should know by now that there are many other causes of wrist pain.

  • I really like my palm III because it doesnt have too much features. The machines that have many features do so at a cost. Not only is the price very high, while I got my palm iii for $ 150 in the Netherlands, battery live suffers, and you are stuck with an OS that severely sucks, namely windows CE. My palm does what I want it to do, it has replaced my paper agenda, it allows me to carry a lot of tools and information in one compact package, and it even does email and www via IR with my Ericsson SH 888. Now that is cool. Reading slashdot in the train, completely wireless..

  • Bah! (Score:1)

    by mholve ( 1101 )
    Forget that. When's the PalmXVI coming out?! What's that? It's only $954.00US? Cool! ;>
  • I want a useful PDA, but I am also a geek. I like the Palm because it is useful and a wonderful toy as well.

    Practical is important, therefore I don't buy slow bloated WinCE devices but have a small quick Palm, but funky is good, therefore I wish for colours, with lithium ion accu's that are recharged whenever the Palm is put in the cradle that should have little impact.

    I want both KDE and GNOME apps on my desktop, colours on my palm, a lightsabre in my hand, a portable mp3 player in my pocket and one on my stereo as well.

    So, I have a PalmIII and will not buy the next palm before I get a Palm V equivalent with colours. Colours does not neccesarily make impractical or bloat.
  • What is it with little sisters and Palms? Both of mine want one. I DON'T have THAT kind of money...
  • you can get a Palm IIIx (i did) for $250 from places like buy.com and shopping.com. and the IIIx has 4mb of ram.

  • According to http://www.palm.com/products/family.html the IIIe is neither expandle nor upgradable....

    why is it different?

    the confusion continues...
  • I have a IIIx, and even if I'd been able to get a V for the same price, I wouldn't have wanted one. The Li-ion battery isn't a selling point; I prefer rechargeable alkalines [rayovac.com] for this kind of application [1]. The only thing the V has going for it is a bit of industrial design, and I'd much rather have the enhanced internals of the IIIx.

    I'd still buy a IIIx, though the IIIe is probably a better value for entry-level users.

    [1] A little tip from the O'Reilly book - you can set the Palm's battery-monitor thresholds for NiCd, Alkaline, or Rechargeable Alkaline by writing the 'shortcut' symbol, then '.7'
  • Is 2MB that substantial in PalmLand?

    As with anything, the answer is "it depends." In general, I'd say most users actually only need 512k for basic addressbook/calendar functionality (ie a PalmPersonal... discontinued). If you start using lots of additional apps then you'll want 1MB or 2MB if you're really into it.

    I've got a fair number of third party apps and I've got room to spare with my 2MB. The one thing that I would say would likely require more than 2MB would be e-books. For example I used to keep several chapters from a Netware handbook on my pilot. Very handy but it sucks up the RAM.

    In the end of course, you can never have too much RAM =)

  • I may not be that familiar with the product line, but all it seems to be is a Palm III with an "e" following the designator and only 2 MB of memory. In other words, pure and simple repackaging of an existing product.

    I am inclined to believe that if they'd come up with other case colors (red, yellow, green, etc.) and some games or something, they'd be more attractive for general consumers.

    Cheers!

    E
  • I happened to be on the Palm site this morning and saw the IIIe section -- of which I had never heard. I quickly scoured the net looking for information on it, but could find none. I guess I happened on it just before the press release. It's pretty good when you are more current than Slashdot... :)

    Anyway, the comparison is as follows: it is a III with the newer screen and OS. Otherwise it is the same (also 2 MB of RAM) except that it isn't upgradeable. Oh, and its slightly cheaper.

    It sounds like a fair deal to me, actually...
    -Lenny
  • I have been using a Palm III for over a year now, and I run my (work) life by it. The 2MB limitation has never been an issue; I have over 1000 appointment records and 200+ contacts stored in the thing, numerous games (c'mon..) and it seems that the only way that I can approach the limit of my memory is by using Avant Go (a 'download now, view on the train' web browser) and loading quite a bit of web pages (and images).

    I recently had the opportunity to upgrade to a Palm V for free (someone in my office.. yadda yadda yadda), but after some thought I realized that the only benefit I would really be getting would be the new LCD screen. Yes, the new screen is fantastic, but not worth the hassle of lugging the cradle around on business trips (for recharging purposes). The Palm V is really cool, so don't get me wrong. I'd like to have one, but I find that the Palm III* series is the most rugged and portable (read: batteries VS recharge) of the series. The only thing I didn't like originally was the flip-top cover, but I've found that it is actually a great thing to have (and makes a nice closing 'snap' if you do it right ;-)

    In summary, the IIIe is cheaper, has the better LCD screen and limits you to 2MB. The memory isn't a problem, and the screen is a definate plus. I think this is a fine product for those who aren't going to try and run Linux on it.
    --

  • This is nothing new to the Palm platform. Every Palm device ever shipped has had a rudimentary TCP/IP stack I believe.

  • And the scariest part is that the Gameboy, IIRC, runs off of a modified Z80! Holy crapola!

    I remember how cool they were when they came out... and GBZelda was actually _very_ good (never played Z64)
  • Sonofabitch! I just placed an order for a Palm IIIx today. I was torn between a Palm IIIx and a Palm V. I didn't really know whether the extra 2MB was worth having the less attractive IIIx or not, so I just guessed. Anyone have any comments one way or the other? Is 2MB that substantial in PalmLand?

    By the way, does anyone know how much wireless connectivity costs for the Palm VII?
  • The Palm was never intended to be a complete portable computer, it complements your computer and allows you to take your vital information with you wherever you go. If you want 16 bit color, mp3 playback and PCMCIA network cards and 4-8 hrs battery life, get a WinCE. I don't need or want any of that.


    And compare the formfactor of the Palm V and a Casio E-105.
  • Mine's hit the pavement several times and is fine, I wonder if the newer ones can do the same.

    I managed to drop my P3 on it's top corner onto a marble floor and it croaked. When I called customer support, I was very pleasantly suprised that they replaced it for free. No fees for me, not even shipping. Now that is customer service.
  • Grafitti is okay as shorthand, for a few letters, a word or two. Writign entire sentences with it is doable. When it gets down to a paragraph or so, it gets to be torture, and in some users, grafitti ended up replacing their ordinary handwriting -- including the fact that they couldn't get used to writing left-to-right again, they'd just layer letters over another.

    If you plan on doing anything more than a shopping list and appointments, I'd suggest getting the FITALY keyboard extension.
  • Let's not forget the DATA used to populate these programs. There's documents, databases, and phone lists. Having 4 megs is great when keeping the entire company directory in your pilot.
  • It's consumers who BUY features that you personally don't find useful that fuel the entire market for these devices.

    I'm at a party, someone asks me about my kids (hypothetical, I don't have any), and I whip out my color PDA and click through 'em. Gets to pictures of my pets, and a friend collects animal pictures for a montage or something and hey there's one that's really cute, no prob, beam it over to her.

    Maybe I don't want to carry dozen extra electronic gadgets, one for my pictures, one for my MP3's, one for my appointments. Those not competing for alpha geek status usually don't like being encrusted with electronic barnacles everywhere they go.

  • I havn't seen all this n one message so...

    the III is the original style, has the Dragonball on the main board memory on an add in card with old lcd.

    the IIIx is the new mainboard with Dragonball and memory. has open card socket. new lcd.

    IIIe new mainboard, less memory no upgrade/memory socket

    heheheh wait till Palm spits out the next V with 8Meg & a 20Mhz Dragonball

  • This mixture of features, none of the Palms clearly outshines the others. It's about time the released a killer, expandable, high memory palm with PC card support in that cool metal form factor of the Palm V.

    It's almost as bad as the processor market.
  • Do you recall the announcement that described a palm with a built in wireless network transceiver that could be used in larger cities for browsing web pages, email, etc. I suppose that could have been the Palm V, but I swear I remember something about one with more flexability.

    The Palm V's need for a "special" web format sort of grosses me out.
  • I went to the DaVinci site and davinciworld.com...
    They only have 25 shareware applications available (mostly games) for it. Compare this with the thousands and thousands of 3rd party applications available for the Palm. If you are satisfied with just using the built-in apps for a dayplanner replacement, the maybe DaVinci is an alternative to the Palm. But for anything else, the Palm rules. (even the built-in apps have 3rd party replacements that really improve the functionality of it).

    -Mitch
    (see my palm apps... www.blevins.simplenet.com/palm [simplenet.com])
  • I think you are missing the point. The PalmOS and wince are after two different markets.

    Palm - The KIS(Keep it simple), Keep it cheap crowd. They want their PDA for quick reference. Color has limited use and limits battery time.

    WinCE - The people who think even a laptop is to big, but still need to do major word/doc processing.
  • The true nerd's PDA of choice is, of course, the Palm IIIx. Shall we count the ways... It has 4MB of RAM, so you can load it up with countless useless things (like IRPing [tu-bs.de] to fool around with IR printers), flashable OS means you can run Linux [uclinux.org] on it if you are so inclined...

    Let's not be fooled, dudes - a nerd doesn't use a PDA because it's useful, as in managing your shopping list (you order on-line from your local mart anyway) or keeping track of your appointments. We have them because they're way cool - in other words, we have an intuition that they represent a new paradigm, one where bloatware is refreshingly unwelcome.

    The IIIe is obviously a ploy to scrounge a bit more market share - but I say, more power to 3Com if it succeeds. Meanwhile, if you're a self-respecting nerd, get a IIIx. ;)
  • I ordered a Palm IIIx there for $268.94 on May 23 and it arrived in a month. Earlier I ordered a Hitachi 753 19" monitor for $562.26 (free shipping) and it finally came after 2-1/2 months. They sent me a modem, ethernet card, and CD drive in a week.
    ClubComputer is cheap, but has the most aggravating website anywhere (runs on "Object Builder"- anybody know what that is?). Most of their stock can't be found via the search function on the page; you have to download page after page of lists (SLOW). The fastest way to see if they have something is to check shopper.com or killerapp.com. Assembling a new computer, I saved a lot at Club, but it was annoying. They can't tell you when something will ship. They're not a rip-off outfit, but they're not ready for prime time, either. At the end of the $1-one month intro. period you can sign up for a year for $20.
  • I got my palm III for $158.95 + MA tax + shipping, for a total of about $175 from buy.com [buy.com].

    You can always check pricewatch.com [pricewatch.com] for the latest lowest prices, except that they aren't listing buy.com today for some bizarre reason.

    Bravery, Kindness, Clarity, Honesty, Compassion, Generosity

  • I want a handheld internet appliance that connects to the internet, allows web browsing, email, and most importantly (secure) telnet. And with a built in modem w/ built in cell phone (or digital, or whatever works) and no wires - one complete unit.
    (I can live with 14.4 kbps - more would be nice, but ya know...)

    and plays simple games on the plane.
    MP3 would be nice

    at least 16MB of RAM. color screen (256 colors is OK)

    I'd be willing to accept a minimum of 24 hour battery life, IF there was a nice "recharger-cradle" that I could put it in at home before I go to bed every night. But it's still got to stay charged over a weekend trip... (tho not constantly on)

    and I want it for under $300.

    Jeeze, you can get a full blown 350MhZ Linux machine for $199 these days! (or soon, as the press releases say)

    I know this doesn't exist yet. But I wont be buying a PDA until it meets these criteria.

    -geekd
  • yes! exactly. I want a little bitty laptop with a built in cellmodem.

    I was SO CLOSE to getting a Libretto.


    I figure 2 years until my criteria are met.

    -geekd
  • Color display? Eats plenty of power. That's the main problem. I think they should instead increase screen size and resolution a bit.
    Yes I'd like to see a color palm too. But the other points you raised - Entertainment apps? Palm definitely has more than CE last time I checked.

    I don't think Color Palms are too far down the road - the Palm people are not stupid... But I'd rather see them do it right, than have the hardware chaos that the WinCE machines have. ;-)
  • I tend to agree. I have checked out PalmIII, PalmV and PalmIIIx at a store, and compared them. I immediately gave back the PalmIII. The screen of the new Palms is SO much better. I've always had problems with these bw lcd displays. I have a TI Avigo, which served me well - although there's not much software for it, and it doesn't have handwriting recognition of any form, it's tons cheaper (got it for $100) and it has a higher res screen (160x240 pixel). I've just ordered a PalmIIIx yesterday - For the software, and for the lcd screen.
    Bottom line: The new LCD screen is definitely worth the cost of the IIIe over the III.
  • Here's what I recommend: Download all the software you want from say pdacentral.com, and load it into the Palm Simulator. If you stay well below 2MB, get a PalmIIIe. If you get anywhere close or even over the 2MB, get a IIIx.
    Don't bother with the PalmIII - the display is too bad compared to the newer Palms.
  • It is just you.
  • Yes but the guy's a student at a college. He will not have an "entire company directory" on his Palm. Look at the original post... I think if he's on any kind of budget, a PalmIIIe is the way to go. Of course the added ram of the IIIx is nice. That's why I am getting one.. on thursday. I can't wait. :-)
  • Actually, I'd bet that a Palm Vx is next. A Palm V with 4MB of Ram. And then *I* am gonna scream for just making the form-factor tradeoff for more RAM... :-)
  • There is no IV model since the IIx is probably considered the "4". There's no PalmII either, afterall - that was the Palmpilot Professional... or something. Weird, but I think that's the way they do it.
  • Sigh... I have a Nokia 6150.... And it's not IrDA compliant. I'll really have to complain to Nokia for being such proprietary and shortsighted fools :-(
  • Technology isn't that far. Let the manufacturers of the hardware create less power consuming screens, and the makers of batteries build better, well, batterie,s and there you go Maybe in 2001.
  • Similar to them...but there arn't any REAL feature changes. Pro and Personal had different amounts of RAM. That's something very quickly noticeable. To utilize the built in TCP/IP stack, you'd need a modem. Which is an added cost. I'd like to see an integrated modem with the TCP/IP stack.
  • Hmm. If the next model is called the Palm IIIc, or III+, or IIIgs, I'm going to scream.

    --John Riney
    jwriney@awod.com
  • i'm at a party, someone asks me about my kids (hypothetical, I don't have any), and I whip out my color PDA and click through 'em. Gets to pictures of my pets, and a friend collects animal pictures for a montage or something and hey there's one that's really cute, no prob, beam it over to her.

    Who (besides an alpha geek) would (1) go to a party with a _PDA_ and (2) go to a PDA for pictures of their kids rather than their wallet?

    Making a PDA in 1999 with color, sound, and a billion other unimportant features is doomed to failure because it's too much for currently available resources. Eventually, battery life for color devices is going to measure into the weeks and months, and they will become far more commonplace.

    -jon

  • I can't believe they don't include the plastic flip cover on the IIIe! The screen just gets trashed in your pocket, otherwise. It's a shame that such a cheap part was excluded.

    I wonder if it was done to promote their line of snazzy leather covers/organizers/wallets. It certainly couldn't have been to cut costs!

    It's still an awesome deal, though. What a great way to steal more market share. Go palms.

    -- Scott

  • You must be thinking of the Palm VII.
  • Is there anywhere where I can get used palm's? I have been hunting around for the last hour or so and havn't had much luck at all. Anyone else?

    Benjamin Meyer
  • Where do you get used palms?
  • But I wont be buying a PDA until it meets these criteria.

    So you want a laptop??? That isn't what I want. That isn't what the palm is trying to be. I want to be able to do simple stuff and be small enough that I WILL carry it with me wherever I go. Can you say that about any any laptop? No it is like carring a book around. You just don't do it. I have a real computer for that kinda stuff. So my question is what palm will best suit these simple needs, not how many things can it do.

    Benjamin Meyer

    P.S. anyone looking to sell there PalmPro drop me a line.
  • Ok I have been looking at these Palm's for a long time now. I have my computers at home. They do quite a bit. I tried using a daytimer a few years ago, but it just didn't work. I don't want a laptop, I want somthing that is an extension of my computer. Keep my appointments, let me take notes etc. Now that there is another Palm out there I am very confused. Here is what I am going to be doing with it.

    1) making appointments/scheduling
    2) writing quick e-mail (can i?)
    3) notes
    4) simple games

    I am a student in college and so it isn't mission critical or anything. Can someone tell me what you think I should get. What made me really ask this question is the fact that they call this the palm for students. When they label a product for certain people I double check it every time. I am a power user. I run linux, have a web server, three hubs (for 5 machines :-) you get the idea. Any info from people who are in simalar situations and have true stories etc would be very helpfull. Is the 2MB really worth it?

    Benjamin Meyer

    P.S. sorry for my english
  • now, this lack of a memory slot on the IIIe , this just means that you can't add more storage space, right?

    it doesn't mean thst you can't flash upgrade the OS does it?


    i'm a little confused from various comments....
  • what is tc/ip useful for if there ain't no modem?
  • could you do this with a cellphone with an ir link and a palm?

    I think'd just need a plastic cradle (to keep the devices in Ir contact)

    and a driver probably.......
  • there is another clone
    that is basically a palm three with a barcode scanner

    there is also one that is ruggedized,r echargable and
    has wireless ethernet and 8mb of ram too

    symbol technolgies makes both of them
  • I'm looking at the site, and the only difference I can see is that the IIIe is $229 and the III is $249. Shaving off $20 makes it affordable? What's missing here?

    I own the III and I've never run into a space crunch yet so the RAM is fine. The backlight on IIIx is kinda odd, the glare on the screen is the same, and they replaced the silkscreen buttons, and removed the text by them (A little picture of a house is more straitforward than a button labeled 'Applications'?) I had a friend that bought a IIIx, and after setting it side by side with my III, he returned it for the III. It wasn't worth it.

    I'm not to impressed by the new V either. Yah the connectivity is spiff... if you wanna pay for the service (hmm, let's see, cell, phone, DSL... I think I need to tack on another $20, I'm not paying enough for my communications) It's thinner and the lithium-ion battery is neat, but why did they change the case? The power button is in a screwy place and there's no cover. I'm always pocketing mine and can't really live without that feature.

    Sadly enough, the III meets all my needs and more. I've read that sales have suffered because many people feel the same. My fear is that 3COM will learn from this, and either start cramming more and more features in, or start using cheaper parts so they break faster. Mine's hit the pavement several times and is fine, I wonder if the newer ones can do the same.

    I guess I'll just keep mine until it dies, or until there's something in a newer one I need. I just hope by that time they haven't added color, sound, and 50 other features that suck the battery dry in 2 hours. The people at 3COM need to listen. You have like 70% of the market because of the quality of your existing product. It's simplicity. Don't let creeping featurism ruin your product.
  • Close. According to their comparison sheets, the IIIe is a III that isn't upgradable at all, and doesn't automatically come with the Outlook conduit. And it has the IIIx screen. Though I'd like to know how I can upgrade (I think they mean the RAM) my new plain-ol III.
  • I would honestly advise you set your sights a little higher and get a plain Palm III. Or the IIIe if you want to save some money, I guess. I just bought myself a Palm III a little under a month ago. It's nice knowing you've got the whole 2 MB of RAM, believe me. A hint on getting a nice price on your purchase: I got Office Depot to pricematch buy.com. I got a $250 Palm III for like $173 (buy.com's price + shipping). $80 off.

    Regards,
    Dario
  • Why pay MORE for something that has less memory and shorter battery life than the Palm IIIx? The only thing that the Palm V has going for it is a snazzy new case. Wee. It also costs about $150 more than the IIIx. It's fine for somebody who has more money than brains, but if you actually want to do something with your Palm besides showing it off, than the IIIx is the way to go.

    The Palm VII is interesting if you have a LOT of money. It not only costs a heck of a lot to begin with, but the service is about $25 a month. Who wants to pay that much to browse the internet with a tiny screen and very poor bandwidth? Sure, it sounds cool, but I doubt it's worth it. Maybe some day. Technology is always getting better and prices are always dropping (Except on the Palms, which seem to be getting more and more expensive with each model. Hmm...).

  • Although I agree with most of the other comments, that flashy features like MP3, Color, etc. only increase price/size/weight and decrease battery-lifetime, while not providing any productivity or usability benefits, not significantly enhancing the base unit can sometimes affect continued market success.

    But according to a recent c't article, Palm has already announced that they're going to do a re-design soon/now...

    Regs, Pierre.
  • but jeezus when the heck are the Palm people going to re design their units? I mean sure I had a palm pilot when it first came out and it was way cool. But now you have other PDAs with huge amounts of storage and MP3,WMA,Video even playback capability with 16-bit colour. After getting a Casio E-105 (yea yea I know most of you are anti Windows anything eheheh) I just couldn't stand looking at any B&W 4 colour PDA at all. If the Palm team wants to get back in the swing of things they need to go all colour and more entertainment apps too along with all the business stuff. Not trying to bash em here I loved my good ole orignal Palm pro, but now even the Palm V seems sub par to 16-bit colour. IMHO
  • Some people want *usefull* PDAs, while 16bit color may be nice, color screens chew up battries like nothing, I remember when it was the game boy vs the game gear, the practical time on a new pair of battries for a game gear was 30minutes, or one play. a gameboy would last for weeks of normal use (about 30 hours). look at the market sucsess of the diffrent products...

    16-bit color, voice notes, built-in digital cameras... all of the things that winCE makers cram into there products are nothing but useless toys. and they cost a fortune to!
    the Palm pilot does just about everything you'd need (although mp3 decoding would be nice...) and it costs a lot less (and get much more battery life)
    _
    "Subtle mind control? Why do all these HTML buttons say 'Submit' ?"
  • Amen!

    This is my primary argument any time someone sees my IIIx and starts asking things like "When is there going to be a color version?" or "What do you mean, it just beeps??" or "What kind of games can you possibly run on a screen that small?"

    My answer is almost always that simplicity is golden. Besides, I rather like having battery lifetimes expressed in weeks instead of hours...

    My question is.. What happens when we can get all the whizzy features (MP3, Quicktime, gobs and gobs of memory, colour, etc) while maintaining the form factor of the palms, the battery life of the palms, and the price point of the palms? Would you buy one?? Would I? Would the simplicity argument still hold?
  • maybe i'll download the classes and post them on the web...email me if youre interested an/or have a site you want to post it at, i'm kind of lazy.
  • my palm V that i bought at javaone for $200 (heh heh) has a VM with it called KJava with java.lang, java.net and java.io libraries plus some libraries for gui on palm ...i think java.sun.com has some stuff on it about kjava...
  • I HATE the convex buttons
    on all PalmIII models.
    I have a PalmIII, and I am
    constantly tempted to
    press the buttons with the pen,
    rather than reach a finger over..
    (Especially when I'm using it with one hand.)
    The pen just slides off of the buttons..
    With the PalmV, the stylus-friendly
    concave buttons are a subtle plus...
  • Hmmm... My Flip-top cover is getting a little stripped. If I make any sudden wrist moves, it flies off. Hence, I have to be really careful when i try to use the PalmIII to look cool....
  • The IIIe is a step in a different direction for Palm. Each model has its' specific target audience. The IIIe is for basic users. I see this as being used by those who could care less that you can upgrade it, or even add software to it.

    I work with a woman who has a Palm Pro. She's had it for a couple of years now and only uses it as a replacement for a planner. She doesn't even know how to install 3rd-party software.

    But, this is not the model for eveyone. The III is a good basic PDA, the V for executives (or anyone who wants a flashy device), the IIIx for geeks, and the VII for... I don't quite know yet. I use a VII. I was part of the 3Com field trial and got to keep the unit. I really like it. The wireless features are pretty cool, and even useful.

    Palm is just trying to keep up with Windows CE. CE has the luxury of multiple manufacturers producing units. Each of them is a little different. It's up to the consumer to pick a model. Palm is just giving consumers choices.

    This will help Palm to keep its hold on the PDA market. If they don't cater to everyone's needs, they will go the way of the Newton.
  • If you want really cheap, get a Pro (still possible to get new cheap). Has TCP/IP, mail client, etc. If you don't read too many books/look at too many images, the 1 meg of RAM is more than sufficient. I'd say they're around ~$100 new if you shop around.

    If you're considering adding a book or two, get a PalmIII. Basically 2 megs of RAM with a nicer formfactor. Probably $200 if you look around.

    On my palmIIIx, I have 900k free, with 45+ apps (games, etc), taking only 1 meg. The other 2 megs or so is filled with books.

    With the exception of a few, most Palm apps are 50K in size. You can find used Palms very cheaply, too, AFAIK.
  • I used to love the simplicity of the Palm platform (ie, either you get the professional or not). These days 3Com seems to be churning out new models with nothing new or exciting in them. Seems kinda like the Apple situation a couple years back. That's why I am sticking with my Pro. Let's do a little rundown on the evolution of the Palm.
    • Std 512K, barebones.
    • Pro TCP/IP, 1 MB
    • III Ohh new case(sarcastic), 2 Mb memory, new OS (new memory model)
    • Some other III models here, too forgettable to list...
    • IV Odd no four model...
    • V cool case, rechargable battery...that's about it.
    • VII interesting concept. wireless pda. But it looks ugly, and you pay by the KB for transmission.
  • Well, you wouldn't have to do it too loud.. the Palm Platform is faster and has more RAM than an Apple II. One article I read said that the Palm IIIx had more storage and processing power than the embedded systems inside the Apollo rockets. Of course, they used a Windows CE device for Apollo 13 :-)
  • Has anyone else seen or used the DaVinci? I saw it in a catalog (1-800-batteries, now iGo or something) and recently saw it in a Target store.

    This looks like a knockoff of the Palm III, but for $99 comes with a little keyboard and a similar cradle to Palm for HotSync. I can never find one I can hold and play with, but I'm really curious about how it compares. I think if someone only wants to keep addresses and phone numbers in it then its gotta be worth it.

  • Found a link on 1800batteries.com and it looks like the keyboard is $39 extra. It only has 256K of memory so it looks like extra apps are out. But it has built-in calendar/scheduling, to do list, address/phone book and you can take notes w/ it. And like I thought it can HotSync w/ Outlook.

    I wonder if it or some smaller schedulers I saw at Best Buy will Sync w/ a Linux box using korganizer or something?

  • http://www.1800batteries.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/Pr oductDisplay?prmenbr=1&prrfnbr=348421

    I don't know why the other post broke but here it is. Only 256K of mem, but it does all the basics and the keyboard is $39 extra.

  • Tempting, but the Palm V has greater sex appeal :->
    --------------------------
  • ...i have been looking for what app's i would need to get my palm IIIx to talk to my linux box. ie grab anymail in /var/spool/nmarshall
    etc...
    lookt in the howto dont look like anyone has done this...

    nmarshall
    #include "standard_disclaimer.h"
    R.U. SIRIUS: THE ONLY POSSIBLE RESPONSE
  • What I want in a PDA is this: Paging capability (both from a normal paging aspect and a voice-mail short message service type thing), email header info auto forwarded periodically, all the normal goodies (calendar, to-do list, random notes, etc), and good syncing (over the wireless connection if the computers are remote.

    I've been looking at the VII but am bummed about the palm.net proprietary service. I want standard pager/wireless sms service. If I could just get e-mail I could set up my linux box as a pager/voicemail/email header forwarder.
    gid-fu
  • Sure, it's silly to have all these different Palms. And look at the III and IIIe - a couple of bugs difference, a few features are different, but that's not what it is about.

    Marketing! To be in the news, show the world that one new Pilot is coming out after the other, not only CE devices. And that's great. No matter what people at /. know, the general public has to know that there are alternatives to Microsoft.

    However, I am still waiting for more Pilot clones. I believe IBM has or had one, but that's about it. I hope that 3com has a proper hardware licensing policy, and that more hardware manufacturers are taking advantage of it. Does anyone know more about this?

  • All they have to be is cut down the weight of libretto form 2 pound to 1 pound. I wouldn't want them shrink the keybroad size, the current size is fine as it is. Tried the SOny picture book, the screen ratio sux! Although that's M$'s fault for no supporting 1024 X 480.



    cy
  • > grab anymail in /var/spool/nmarshall

    I have imap running on my server (FreeBSD box...)
    And an imap client on my palm (MultiMail - it's not with me?)

    p.s. Leave your email address - you'll never see this.
  • I agree that the palm will be dead in a couple years if they keep this crap up.. I don't particularly feel the need for a color display ,it might be neat but I would prefer the battery life. What pisses me off is that I can get all these goodies (color screen, 32 megs, 133mhz processor, audio record and playback abilities etc.) on a wince device for EXACTLY the same price as a Palm V!!!!! Playing around with them at the local office supply store an uneducated customer isn't even going to look twice at the palm. If they were more reasonably priced (less than $100 for this shit models like the palm III) they might have a fighting chance.


    Basically what I'm saying are the people in the 3com marketing department are as stupid as the people at Iomega (just think we could all have zip drives now if they hadn't decided to sell the disks for $10). What palm needs are cheap prices on the BW models and a couple of color/goodies models to satisfy those users who feel the need to keep up with their wince touting buddies.
  • Try eBay (if they're up... :) ) and search on "palm iii"... It's possible they have a category for PDA's, but I haven't checked lately.

  • I think Palm IIIe will be harder to operate than PCs... too small... too slow.

    Even dumb people need computers. :)
  • Aren't Palm VII's out already? Who wants a Palm II?
  • I actually bought a daVinci last week and I love it. It's lighter than any Palm I've ever held, and smaller than most. daVinciScript was easier for me to learn than Graffiti; five minutes of practice and I was rocking. There's already a good amount of software free for download, and there's a daVinci emulator, software development kit, and GCC for dV on Royal's web page [royalnet.com] (haven't played with any of the dev stuff yet). I'm told by a friend that there is a way to get Palm executables to run on daVinci, but I have no idea how.

    I only have a couple of complaints. The touch screen is delicate; mine already has a couple of scratches after a week. I haven't spent enough time with any of the Palms to compare screen durability, though. The flipover screen cover is very durable. I also haven't found a way to download books into my dV. Finally, the documentation provided with the daVinci was substandard, though the device is quite simple and intuitive to use.

    daVinci also doesn't have an IR port like Palm, but that's not really a factor for me since I wouldn't use it anyway. It has 2 MB of flash memory and battery life you wouldn't believe. I've been using mine pretty heavily for nearly a week and the battery level hasn't dropped below 1/4.

    I didn't have the cash laying around to drop $300 on a Palm. The daVinci is $99.99. With its somewhat reduced capabilities and vastly reduced price, daVinci was perfect for me.

    The previous poster said that dV comes with a little keyboard, which isn't true afaik. The keyboard is sold separately for $20-30. It's actually very cute and folds in half for storage/carrying. It does come with a serial cradle (syncing with the PC is *SLOW* but I've never seen it done on a Palm to compare). I don't know if Royal ships them this way or if Office Depot decided to be nice, but mine came with 3 styli and 2 docking port covers.

    I use mine to keep addresses and phone numbers, jotting down notes, driving directions (the backlight is excellent; perfect brightness), and appointments, to wake me up after naps, and to play solitaire and yahtzee at lunch and during breaks. :o)
  • I just bought a IIIx for me and a III for my wife. Would have preferred to have gotten her a IIIe because of the screen.

    I used a wince. My experience is that I can store more addresses, todos, appointments, games, and applications in 2M on a palm than 8M on a wince. And it feels more than twice as fast with a 16Mhz chip than the 69Mhz of the wince.

    After using the wince I realize what is important to me. Convenience. I like not having to remember to recharge the thing EVERY SINGLE DAY. The times that I spend playing games are short bursts more suited to MahJongg than Doom. I wouldn't mind MP3, but I know I wouldn't carry head phones in my pocket enough to warrant it.

    I am glad to see palm continuing to develop a wonderful product and not be coerced into making it a GameBoy/RIO with an address book.

    Just my most humble opinion.
  • You did the right thing.

    2MB is a LOT of extra mem, probably more than
    you will use.

    But the IIIx takes normal batteries, so when
    they die you can replace them. The V has
    built in rechargeables, and if they die when
    you need them, you're out of luck.

    Also, the IIIx has an upgrade slot, and you can
    bet that all sorts of neat plugins will
    eventually be available.

    The IIIx is cheaper too, so unless you're really
    into looks, you got the better unit AND saved
    money!

  • That is teriffic. For me, good customer service is the most important thing a company can provide. A number of years ago, I got a Kensington TurboMouse for my Mac. One of the buttons died and they replaced it for free (in about 1996). The same button broke in the replacement mouse this year (1999) and they again replaced it for free. No shipping costs, nothing. In fact, they offered to send me the new version of the mouse instead of the older one that I had. It's that kind of service that will make me buy Kensington products again.

    It is encouraging to see that theere are companies that understand the importance of maintaining customer loyalty through effective customer service.

    -awc
  • I have a Palm III now, I'm thinking about selling it, and getting the Palm V, basically because of the size, were the Palm III fits in my pocket, the Palm V fits nicer. Contrary to your statement, the Palm V DOES have a cover, its pretty cool actually, it slides in the same slot that the pen slides into (there are slots on both sides, so you can hold both the pen and the cover, or switch the orientation if you are left handed). Its not as tough as the PalmIII hard cover perhaps, but its plenty tough enough to stop incidental damages that could occur while its in your pocket.

    Spyky
  • $9.99 for 50K/month or $24.99 for 150 K/month. If you exceed the given K in a month, you are charged $0.30 per each additional K.

    Check out the full Palm VII review at the Gadgeteer: http://the-gadgeteer.com/palmvii-review.html

  • Consider the portable video game market. (Score:5)

    by Cebert ( 69916 ) on Monday July 19, 1999 @05:05PM (#1794997) Homepage
    We've had the Atari Lynx, with 4096 colors and hardware
    scaling, backlight, etc. Game Gear. TurboXpress.

    What's outlived them all? 4-color Gameboy.

    Only NOW, in 1999 have they updated it to near NES
    color and a little more CPU muscle.

    Perhaps the PDA market will mirror this...how long
    do those batteries last on your CE device? :)
  • This seems like they are following the arcane strategy that Apple used about 2-3 years ago, with about 20 models that overlap each other - and then no one can figure out which one has what
    IIIe, IIIx, V, VII ????

    They need to figure out what to sell (or just figure out how to name them so people can tell a difference...

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