An affordable Palm OS color Handheld.
Written: Mar 27 '02 (Updated Mar 27 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Color screen, affordable, SD/MMC slot, nice faceplate
Cons: Narrow viewing angle, small screen, poorly designed cradle and only mask ROM.
The Bottom Line: Great Improvent fromt the IIIc, but still the dissapointing factors of the m100 series. If you still want color with value, this is your choice.
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| lavoisier's Full Review: Palm m130 Personal Organizer |
For those that find are unsatisfied with their handheld's color screen or just like to make an upgrade for a color screen, yet trying to conserve our wallets for something different. The Palm m130 is your handheld solution to color, without breaking the bank. Basically the Palm m130 is a replacement for the discontinued Palm IIIc, which many people had complaints about the color screen, such that it only includes 8-bit color (256 colors) and that the unit is too bulky and heavy. Even though this maybe a modified m100 series handheld, it still inherits a few problems from that series, such as a small screen and the mask ROM, which I'll explain both of them later in the report.
Features
As I've already said earlier, the m130 is basically a replacement for the Palm IIIc handheld, which also features a color screen. But the difference with this color screen, compared to the IIIc's color screen, is that the m130 features a 16-bit color screen which displays over 65,000 colors for more real life pictures. Even though with a small screen at standard resolution (160x160), the price seems to justify for the offering that the Palm m130 offers. But the color screen is rather not as clear as the m515 though as it includes only a passive matrix display, which restricts the viewing angle of the handheld. So this means you have to hold the handheld at a certain angle to make the handheld screen legible.
For storing all your contents, the m130 features 8MB (7MB useable) of storage to store your contacts, agendas, schedules, photos and more. But it doesn't even stop there for content storage, as the handheld offers a slot for your Secure Digital & Multimedia Card to expand your handheld's storage capacity and to back up your handheld on the go. But the slot isn't just for content storage; as Palm also offers some titles, such as e-books, travel guides, games and many more for the expansion slot. The nice thing about the expansion slot is that you can double expand on your handheld for many applications. Since the SD/MMC card has size of a postage stamp, you can easily store your cards in your pocket, wallet or even store them in your carry case easily. But with the m130, like all the other Palm m100 series; it doesn't feature any Flash ROM to cut down the price. Without the Flash ROM, OS upgrades and 3rd party software storage is questionable.
With a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery in the handheld, you don't have to worry about carrying or buying batteries while you travel for long periods of time. But you do have to worry about being near a power supply though. Under normal use of 30 minutes a day, anyone can expect about two weeks worth of battery life, which translates to about 6 hours of use without turning it off even once. But before you initially use the handheld, do charge the battery for about 2 hours, according to the starter's guide. However, once the battery runs out, the user has 7 days to recharge the battery completely, before they lose any data. Since this handheld has a Li-Ion battery, users can freely charge the battery for just a few minutes a day to top it off, without sacrificing battery performance. But once you can start using the handheld, the Palm m130 provides users a tutorial for knowing how to use the handheld properly and to test their stylus taps. Here, users can adjust the settings of the handheld accordingly.
With a universal connector, it allows you to plug the handheld into a USB cradle that Palm provides along with the package. With this connector, you can easily use the accessories that are compatible with the m125, m500, m505, m515 and i705 (some accessories of i705 may not fit on the Palm m130). So this means, if your friend has a hardware-folding keyboard for his m500 and you would like to use it, this means you can easily use the keyboard without feeling compatible. But if you're upgrading from another handheld, other than the ones that I've mentioned, your accessories for your old handheld aren't compatible with the m130.
Choices of Input
Virtual Keyboard
The option of using the virtual keyboard allows you to easily enter your requested and/or required data into your handheld. To activate this feature, you have to use the supplied stylus to tap on the point where it either says ABC or 123 depending on what you want to use for entering the data.
Grafitti Pad
The handheld has a dedicated area that was designed for writing the characters. For new Palm powered handheld users, this could take a while to really master, but once you've mastered the patterns, you'll be using it most of the time. The Giraffe software built into the handheld can really shape up your writing, ideal for those who are using it for the first few days or weeks.
Handwriting
With the notepad feature in the handheld, you can use your handwriting for quick and short-term notes or reminders.
Desktop Software
With the desktop software provided by the handheld, it comes in a CD ROM and there's a ton of software, including the handheld management. From there, you can perform a synchronization process to interchange data between your computer and handheld.
Hardware Keyboard
With the optional hardware keyboard, you can go mobile without lugging a heavy laptop and it's ideal for traveling when you don't really need a laptop for productivity. This would be great if you're going to enter a pile of data, while still traveling extra light.
What can the handheld do for you ?
The handheld can store addresses and contacts from the Address Book , where it will allow you to store addresses, names, e-mails, telephone numbers and many more. This here could really replace your Rolodex. Plus, you can categorize your addresses, so that if it we're a frequent corporate contact, you can access it in just a few goes, rather than jumbling between names.
The Date Book will allow you to organize the events and you can schedule a baseball game, appointments and even anniversaries. With that, you can really replace your long term agenda without ever taking out a bulky pen and paper agenda. With the LED silent reminder feature, you can set it to silent for a reminder, in case youˇ¦re in a scenario where silence is essential, such as board meetings.
The To Do List gives you the ability to prioritize your deeds and work, where it's important. Without it, what's a handheld without it anyway? When you're done, you can just tap on the square and it automatically gives it a check mark. So this means that you don't need anymore of those sticky notes and never worry about lost lists or overdue priorities buried under a pile of new priorities.
For the Memo Pad , it gives you the capability to write anything you want to write, such as taking notes. The notepad , even makes taking short term priorities or small notes a pleasure as it allows you to write freestyle.
Other features include the calendar, world time and calculator. The world time really allows you to schedule a call to overseas when appropriate.
With the infrared port on the side of the handheld, you can even beam your contact to a colleague without ever having the colleague write down the information.
Design
The design is a nice thing for the Palm m130, as it features the same form factor as the m100 series. But it's slightly different from the m125 in a way though, as this handheld is thicker and heavier as a result of the Li-Ion battery and color screen. Other than that, everything is essentially similar to the Palm m125. With the interchangeable faceplates (faceplates are optional), you can dress up your Palm m130 according to your tastes. With a thickness of 0.9" and a weight of 5.4 ounces, you can easily place then handheld in your purse, bag or even your pocket. But for the pocket, you may want to store it a little more carefully as it takes up a bit more space than the m125 and weighs quite a bit more as well.
Other
With the USB cradle, you can easily synchronize the handheld in a snap. But for those who are frequent travelers, you may want to buy yourself a cable as it takes up less space than the cradle and buy yourself at least a travel charger (or auto charger from sources like Belkin) for the handheld. With this cradle, it even acts as a recharger to freshen up your Palm m130 handheld's battery, so this means you don't have to switch back and forth for charging your battery and synchronizing your data. But taking the handheld off the cradle is very difficult and it requires wobbling, in addition the handheld doesn't fit into the cradle nicely.
With the latest Palm OS 4.1, you can feel secure about what you really beam into the handheld and even have a peace of mind that you're protecting your private content, along with stability of the operating system.
Would I really Recommend it?
I would definitely recommend this to those who are looking for a color screen and want an affordable Palm OS handheld. Because of the features that are present in the Palm m130, it's definitely one of the best buys. But if you are looking for a color screen that has a higher clarity factor, consider the Sony Clie PEG-T615c for a little more money, but it does include extra memory for greater content storage space. You can take this anywhere you go and still keep your life organized. So, no more lost lists, writing on your arms or even missed appointments. Even professionals find the handheld very useful for their lives, especially with hectic schedules.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 280
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Epinions.com ID:
lavoisier
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Member: Hugh Jazz
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 180
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