This article largely compares the Palm m515 with its now-discontinued predecessor, the Palm m505. For more on the m505, please refer to my review at http://www.epinions.com/content_50003349124
As Palm’s new flagship PDA, the m515 fixes what’s wrong with the m505, and retains all of the good points.
What they changed
More memory
The m515 comes with 16MB of memory, double the capacity of the m505. While running programs off an expansion card is possible, it’s slow. The extra memory comes in useful for databases, dictionaries, and of course, games.
Brighter screen
The colour screen of the m515 has been upgraded to address customer complaints. The screen is much, much brighter than the m505. There are 3 brightness settings, but even at the lowest setting it’s still brighter. Unfortunately, we are still stuck with the same 160 x 160 pixel resolution.
Palm OS 4.1
This software update is mainly a collection of bug-fixes, with no major changes. On a positive note, the infamous USB Hotsync problem has now (finally) been fixed.
What’s still the same
The m515 retains the same form factor, which I personally think is the best of all PDAs. Despite the brighter screen, battery life has not suffered significantly. The m515 comes with the same software bundle as the m505, including Avantgo, Documents to Go, MGI Photosuite, Mobile Connectivity Software and Palm Reader.
Verdict
With this new update, Palm finally gets its top-of-the-line PDA just right. It’s sleek, sexy and powerful. For new users as well as those upgrading from older PDAs, the 515 is definitely the one to get. If you’re budget conscious, but still want a color screen, the new m130 is definitely great value.
Will I be upgrading from my 505 to the 515? They answer is no. While the larger memory and brighter screen are tempting, they are merely incremental changes. The changes put the m515 almost on par with current Sony devices, except for higher screen resolutions and multimedia capability. I will wait for new Palm OS 5 devices to come out before upgrading.
Palm organization and style at an affordable price Easy to learn and use--even if you've never used a handheld before Mini-USB connector allows easy t...More at Amazon Marketplace
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