The palm m105 is a recent addition to the Palm Computing handheld line of products. This handheld is geared towards consumers who are either new to the PDA scene or are economically conscious. This handheld is a good idea, but for the price, it is too little too late. The bottom line is that you are better off getting one of the older models of palms at the same price. Please read on to find out why.
Size and Style
The unit measures 4.66 X 3.12 X 0.72 inches and weighs 4.4 oz. At first glance, you immediately notice that the handheld is smaller than all handhelds on the market now (for it’s functionality). However, the viewable screen size is also much smaller. It is about just as thick as most handhelds though. It is dramatically lighter than the palm III series (a little more than half the weight). This feature alone may be why a person may or may not purchase it. For those who want a lightweight multipurpose handheld, this is the machine to get. It is small and light and will easily fit in any shirt pocket. However, because of that, the screen size is about 30% smaller than regular palms and thus much harder to use. It’s hard enough reading a document on a regular size handheld screen, the size of this one just irritates me on every use.
The neat feature of this device is the ability to change face plates ala Nokia phones. The face plates retail for $19.95, which quite frankly is very expensive for a piece of plastic. Dependant upon how popular this handheld gets will determine how many more different faceplates become available. In my opinion and from reading many newsgroups and forums, almost all people who have purchased this unit have decided to sell it, so I wouldn’t expect any new faceplates in the near future (not from Palm at least).
In terms of design, the unit looks sturdy that one is tempted to throw it around (though with the cheap plastic construction, one wonders). All the corners are rounded and the control panel on the bottom of the unit is rounded out in a 3.12” semicircle. I personally think this unit is very ugly and would probably think twice about whipping it out in front of people (probably why I decided on not keeping it). I would recommend handling the unit for yourself before you purchase it.
One additional note is that the digitizer for the unit is made of plastic and not glass as in other units. Some people have reported that this change has made the unit less sensitive, but I personally did not find it to be a very big problem.
Functionality
I won’t dwell on this point too much as the functions equal most palm handhelds out there. The operating system is version 3.5. It includes all the classic functions such as memo pad, note pad, date book, address book, to do list, etc. One interesting addition is the clock at-a-glance software. This gives you the ability to use the handheld as a clock without dramatically effecting battery life. Honestly, I’m not paying $200 for a clock so I’m not sure about the usefulness of this.
Furthermore, Palm adds an application called notepad which allows for jotting down notes without having to enter it through the graffiti handwriting recognition protocol. In other words, you can write directly on the screen and it saves whatever you have written in your handwriting as a picture. There are many freeware applications available which has this feature so the addition of this only adds convenience.
Memory size and Expandability
As compared to the first version of this device (m100), this unit has quadrupled the on board memory to 8 megabytes. This is adequate for most uses (even Avantgo and Vindigo). The biggest problem with this device is probably the lack of expandability. There are no memory slots (such as the m500 series or the Sony Clie) and very limited accessories for one to add memory. Under normal circumstances, you are stuck with the included 8 MB for the life of the unit (unless sales are so dramatic that there may be a large market for addition of more memory modules for it - which I doubt). The traditional means of expanding memory are through third party vendors such as TRG, but they don’t offer that option for the m100 series handhelds. There are modules available for backing up current applications and databases which attached to the bottom of the unit (the same place the connectors for hot syncing are located). It would be interesting to see if anyone makes sleeves or addons which add compatibility for memory options such as compact flash or smart media. I have not as of yet found any evidence of their existence which is not to say that it that they don't exist, but that they may just be very hard to find. My point still stands however, even if they are available they are hard to find and probably more expensive. In any case, even if there was an expansion option available, that would negate the main reason why many people would choose this unit (the size).
One thing to note is that unlike other Palm handhelds, this unit does not have Flash Rom. This means that this unit has no ability to be further upgraded when newer operating systems are released by Palm Computing. This probably is of no consequence to the normal user as newer OS's seem to be concentrated in adding compatibility with different memory expansion options and adding color or higher resolution capabilities.
The design of the control panel as mentioned before pretty much means that almost all accessories made for current palms are not physically compatible with this unit (other than the ones made for the m100. To really bring the point home about probability of manufacturers making accessories for this unit, well, if very few people buy this unit and those who do sell them or return them, then manufacturers will lose money if they create accessories for the unit. Therefore, I wouldn’t expect to see any accessories for this handheld in the near future, or if ever. As of right now, the only accessories available that I know of is the mobile internet kit, the stowaway keyboard and a digital camera (kodak). I do want to note that the above is just my theory as to what may happen in this handheld market. With the recent increase influx of companies making PDAs as well as integration of PDAs into cellular phones, it will be interesting to see how that will effect the sales of lower end units such as this one.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
If you are looking for a relatively cheap and small unit, then you might want to consider this. However, at this time, with all the new handhelds coming out, all the older models are getting cheaper and cheaper. For example, one can get a color palm IIIc for about $220 (refurbished I believe). For just $20 more, why not? The Palm III series handhelds offer a wealth of accessories and ability for expansion. The only thing is that the Palm III handhelds are slightly larger, but hey, it will still fit in that same shirt pocket. In retrospect, if Palm Computing had introduced this product earlier on (last year) it might have been a hit. At this point, it is just too little, too late.
8 MB memory--stores thousands of addresses, phone numbers, appointments, and to-do items Includes HotSync serial cradle to back up data to your PC or ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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