Update: 9/6! How to trick out your Palm III/V for sub-200$!
Written: Aug 23 '00 (Updated Sep 06 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Turn your Palm into a full blooded Wireless PDA with tons of memory and killer apps
Cons: none
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| boden11's Full Review: Palm IIIe Personal Organizer |
Update: 09/06/2000! Update is at the end of original epinion
Ok, you are the proud new owner of a Palm IIIe or a Palm V and are quite happy with your purchase. Only problem is you want to start upgrading it and aren't sure what to get or the place to get it. This guide will help you with a couple of issues including:
1) Going wireless with your Palm
2) Upgrading your memory (you too can get 8MB)
3) Must have Palm software
Wireless Internet Access--not just a pipe dream
Sure a Palm is nice and small and useful for all tons of applications. But how much more powerful would it be if you could check your email in the middle of class (not just composing one to be sent the next time you HotSync). Or how about keeping up with your favorite baseball time while in the middle of a meeting? There are a few ways to go wireless with the Palm you own (3, 3e, 3x, 3xe, V, and Vx). Let me introduce some of them and explain how it works, and sum up with my preferred way.
V series
The V series has the most options because Palm itself manufactures GSM for their Palm V modem. The Palm V modem sells for 149$ on their webpage and supports up to 33.6 kbps for land line connections (physical phone cord). It also has a slot where you can purchase a GSM cable (through Palm) for about 89.99$. This cable hooks into your GSM cellular phone (most cellular phone companies support this protocol, including Pacific Bell, Verizon Wireless/GTE, Voicestream, etc) and plugs into your modem.
You will need to pay extra for data service on your cell phone, and plans can vary. Pacific Bell charges 4.95$/month for Data service and .15$/minute that you actually use it. I am not sure about the others, but I'm sure the prices are generally comparable.
Using the cable you can connect to the internet at speeds up to 9600kbps (only about 1k/sec up and download) which is decent enough since you are mostly going to be sending small emails. Even browsing the web isn't very intensive since most browsers filter out large graphics and don't support Java applets. A 200k homepage might get filtered down to 15-20k of text and a single picture.
This is a feasable option if you own a Palm V series Palm and already have the Palm V modem (or plan on getting one) and own a GSM capable cell phone. Otherwise the 149$ for the modem, 90$ for the cable and much more for a cell phone is not worth it. Also, only major phones by Nokia and Ericsson are supported (Nokia 51/6190, Ericsson 788/888)
Minstrel Modem for Palm 3/V series
Another option is to get a Minstrel modem for your Palm 3 or V. The modem weighs about 5-6 ounces and clips onto your palm adding a little more depth and height. The Minstrel modem is a wireless modem that has its own power source (a rechargeable NiMH battery that lasts 5-6 hours in standby mode, or about 1-2 hours full usage).
This modem is twice as fast as any GSM cell phone connection, being able to connect to the Internet at 19.2kbps. It DOES require CDPD coverage in your area, which may or not be available where you live. (General rule is if you live in a large city you're covered, if you're out in the boonies, forget about it). The modem costs 369$ by itself and can be purchased for much cheaper (about 239-269$) with a service plan. Service plans vary greatly. Go America charges 59.95/month for unlimited usage (provided you use their supplied web software) while Verizon has a special service for 24.95/month that also offers unlimited usage.
Check out www.novatelwireless.com for more information about this modem and CDPD coverage areas. Check out goamerica.com for their service plans and www.bam.com/wireless/internet_acc1.htm for Verizon's service.
This modem is great for anyone that has CDPD coverage where they live and want the faster internet connection speeds.
Global Pulse GSM cable
This is the product I am currently recommending. TDK Europe sells a GlobalPulse cable which plugs into major Nokia and Ericsson phones straight into your Palm 3/V organizer. (Phones need to be GSM). There is no need for a modem (like the OPTION GSM adapter--www.option.com, or the Palm V modem). GSM supports data, and this cable exploits that fact and uses software to decode data at a 9600kbps rate.
The cable is 99.95$ and is available at www.handgear.com. Most Nokia and Ericsson phones are supported, but I am not 100% sure about the new T28 World and T28s phones by Ericsson (one place says yes, the other place says no). More information about the Global Pulse cable is available at www.tdksys.com. One problem with the cable is that because it is sold through TDK Europe to US distributors there really is not much technical support.
I have emailed TDK Europe and gotten vague resposnses (about T28 compatability), and the US distributors aren't sure either. The phone numbers listed too are all in Europe, so...
However, if you own a popular Nokia or Ericsson phone your set to go. Just plug this cable in, and then connect. Surf the net, Instant Message buddies (AOL makes an AIM for Palm), Email on the fly, whatever you desire. This is currently one of the cheapest and easiest ways to go wireless on your Palm3/V series organizer.
Upgrading your 3/V Series to 8MB
If you're like me, you're not satisfied with the stock 2 or 4 MB of RAM in your PDA. Just putting on some basic software I managed to run out of memory in about 3 weeks. There are a few options to upgrade your memory:
AxxPac SmartCard Reader
www.axxpac.de -- This German based company sells a smartcard (ie-the flash cards you put in your Diamond RIO or whatever) reader for your Palm. You take off the back of your Palm (3x, 3e only) and plug this into the free memory module. Put on the supplied back cover and you're ready to go. Need extra storage? Slap in a 96MB smartcard and that's it. The problem with this however is that you can only use the smartcard for storage and cannot run programs off the card. Hopefully this will be remedied in future drivers. A decent way to get more RAM, and a must for Techno Geeks that own a 3x or a 3e.
FlashPlug like devices
These can be found all over the internet. Basically you plug this into the Hotsync port of your Palm and this adds another 2-8MB of storage. They cost anywhere from 30-100$ based on size and brand. The obvious problem with this is that it doesn't help much since you can't hotsync over more programs to your Palm since this occupies the hotsync port. Also no company suports running programs off the flashplug (yet, tho I am not 100% sure).
Send in your Palm to a guy that can upgrade your memory!
While not the easiest or cheapest way to go, this is what I chose. At www.palmpilotupgrade.com you can upgrade your Palm 3, Palm V or IBM Workpad PDA. The price is reasonable (99$ for the Palm 3, including shipping and 109$ for the V). What this place does is open your Palm up (This WILL void your warranty) and replace the memory module to increase it to 8MB. Why is this so great? It doesn't use your hotsync connector to add more RAM. Plus you can store and run programs off of it, it's like you sprung for the 3xe or the Vx without the additional price. I mailed in my 3e just today, and will keep you posted once I get it back, but just by looking at the feedback on the webpage (like 300-400 messages, ALL POSITIVE) I'm sure I'll be satisfied.
Must have software
Ok, you got your wireless internet connection and now you have 8MB of RAM and you need to know what software to load up. Here is a short list of must have software:
1) Avantgo--browse the web while online or offline (caches URLs), very slick program, and free to boot
2) MultiMail Pro--once you go wireless you'll find that you need to send email through POP/SMTP servers, and the Email program on your Palm doesn't support this, well this program does (and other mail protocols too). It has tons of options and can be synchronized to desktop email programs using MultiMail Pro Conduit. Costs about 29-39.95$, but worth it.
3) Silver--sick of your bland interface? Give it a makeover with Silver screen v1.5. This program makes your Palm look 100x better. It supports drag and drop, various types of menu layouts, and much much more. This is a MUST have.
4) AOL IM for Palm--available for AOL users (or friends of people that use AOL), just type "Palm Beta" in for your keyword. In a day or two they will let you download AIM for your Palm--IM your friends in the middle of class! Automatically loads up your buddy list too, and it's free.
Some other nifty programs include: PalmJongg, AtomSmasher, Liberty v1.1, MochaSoft PPP, and PocketChess. If you're having trouble finding these, search at PalmGear HQ (palmgear.com).
That's all for this installment of Palm tips, hope this helps you out alot for going wireless.
Update 9/6/2000
Well today I achieved the ultimate, the epitome of uber-geekdom. I managed to use my Palm IIIe, Nokia 5190 and GlobalPulse cable to connect to the internet wirelessly and send an Instant Message. (AOL now has release v1.0 on their webpage for Palm users, it's no longer beta). I will write in epinion in the upcoming week on the GlobalPulse cable since it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to setup.
Also, yesterday I received my Palm IIIe back from www.palmpilotupgrade.com and I have to say that I'm quite impressed. My unit now has 8MB of RAM (versus its previous 2) and works perfectly. In fact the only difference I have noticed is that the stylus housing seems to be tighter, as it takes much more force to take out/put in my metal stylus. I don't know if this is because the unit is a little bulkier from the 8MB chip or maybe he didn't align the case up a 100%? Anyway it's not a real problem and other than that everything's great. He even LOWERED his prices on upgrades on the Palm III line to 79$. That includes parts, installation AND shipping back via USPS Priority 2-Day Mail. You really can't get a better deal then that. This place even upgrades the new m100 Palm to 8MB!!
Till next time, stay tuned for another indepth Palm article...
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100-200$ depending on your choices
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boden11
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boden11 loves gambling...errr investing in the stock market and and doing his own taxes
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