Pros: SD card expansion slot,
USB Universal connector,
Better case buttons,
Vibrating alarm,
Cons: Not many software improvements in Palm OS 4.0
The Bottom Line: Above and beyond what I expected when I bought this product. Excellent interface, display, and the memory card is feature is a must have!
I compared the m505 to my compaq iPAQ and Palm IIIc over the weekend, and had some comments to make (along with everybody else) about the controversial screen issue.
I compared the iPAQ and the 505 side-by-side, and without the backlight on the 505 looks to be about the same as the power-save mode on the iPAQ, maybe a little brighter, but I'm not even sure about that. The power-save mode on the iPAQ uses no backlight illumination at all, which is to say, that the 505 is no better than the iPAQ's screen on the 5th and lowest power setting.
It does look better with the backlight on though. The iPAQ has five different settings for the screen, power save mode, low, medium, high, and super-high brightness. The 505 looks to be somewhere between the iPAQ's low and medium-intensity mode. If it gets to medium on the ipaq it's definitely no brighter than that, and the high and super-high settings are very bright. At these settings there's no comparison between the 505 and the iPAQ. On super-high mode the iPAQ looks several times brighter than the 505.
If I have any complaint about the iPAQ screen it's that it looks somewhat milky on medium or high intensity, but it's brighter than the 505 even with the backlight on. However, the iPAQ, like the 505, is also visible in direct sunlight.
I also compared it to my IIIc. The IIIc is definitely easier to read indoors. I tested it in a Best Buy store under fairly bright office-lighting conditions, and without the backlight on the IIIc is noticeable brighter. The 505 is visible outside in the sun, however, where the IIIc would wash out. However, in the store I looked at them side by side with the screens facing the front of the store where the sun was coming in, and even then the IIIc was still easier to see than the 505, even with the backlight on. I tried this with several other people at the counter who were also interested in the 505, and we all agreed, the IIIc was still the winner. There were 3 or 4 of us there, and we all discussed the pros and cons of the unit, and the overall consensus seemed to be that you would have to use the backlight on all the time. With it on, however, most people felt the screen was tolerable, although not great, and an older woman who I was discussing the unit with decided to buy one right there as the store was having a Memorial Day sale and was offering it at a very attractive price.
I own a Handspring Prism, I've checked out the screen, and even here, there's not comparison between the 505 and the Prism. The Prism is much brighter. It's not brighter than the IIIc, as has been complained, I've compared these two side by side also, but it's just as bright. So if you're disappointed in the M505, you might want to check out the Prism.
Using the backlight on all the time does allay many of the criticisms about the screen as it is substantially brighter with it on, but then, that will tap into your power and defeats the supposedly longer-life battery of the 505 compared to the IIIc. The one thing where the M505 was the clear winner, though, was in the speed area. It is noticeably faster than my Palm IIIc, which I find to be perfectly acceptable. The screen refreshes on the M505 are really fast, maybe even faster than my iPAQ, but I wouldn't swear to it.
It seems to me that the decision to buy or not to buy this particular Palm is going to be a highly individual one. I'm not ready to buy one yet, as I find I still prefer the screen on the IIIc, despite the much greater speed of the M505. But if I the IIIc didn't exist I'd probably buy the 505 if it was the only way to get color.
Built-in 8 MB memory stores thousands of contacts, appointments, to-do items, and notes Displays over 65,000 colors--view photos, video clips, and mor...More at Amazon Marketplace
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