Think of the Palm m515 as version 1.1 of the Palm m505. Essentially this means that all the minor irritations of the device were fixed, but none of the major issues were addressed. If you have ever used a m505 you know exactly what I mean – the washed out illegible screen and minimal RAM etc etc.. Many reviewers have claimed the m515 is what the m505 should have been. I disagree with that theory, as I feel that Palm missed the boat big-time with the m505 and are simply rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic with the m515 – more on that later.
Some Interesting Geeky Details
Externally there is no difference between the m505 and the m515 – until you turn the PDA on. Then you notice you can actually read the screen and tell the difference between the colors – no longer is everything pale pastel like grannies curtains. In fact, one neat feature is that the backlight comes in high and low luminosity.
The m515 has the (new) standard Palm appearance with the silver buttons of the Palm V model. The not so geeky detail is that the device really does fit neatly into your palm – unlike so many of the competitors out there. Ergonomically the form is very well engineered. Using the cheapo cover case that comes with it presents a few problems – but if you go out and spend $29 on a decent cover case it all fits together very well.
The operating system is Palm OS 4.1, which is burnt onto the Flash ROM memory. Speaking of memory the m515 comes with 16MB of memory as standard, and a write-in rebate offer for a 16MB flashcard too. I use the flashcard for storing pictures, which although they are constrained to a 160 by 160 image actually show up pretty well. Why Palm hasn’t moved up to a 320 by 320 resolution is beyond me – that’s definitely one of the areas where they missed the market.
The processor is a Motorola 33MHz VZ Dragonball – the speediest chip Palm offers – although its slower than some of the competitive offerings out there today (like the cute Sony NR-70 Clie : awesome gadget !!). Could this be another area where Palm missed the market?
The Battery
So when I first started using a Palm Pilot I used to moan and complain about the battery life – and how much it cost to replace all the AA batteries if you were a heavy user of the system. Then along came the rechargeable Li batteries and life was good – for a while. With the color screen, processor power and other widgetry the battery life is dismal – especially if you use the backlit screen. Although its not as big a problem with the 515 as the 505 the battery still goes pretty damn fast. A plane trip from New York to Florida is enough to almost bring the battery pack to its knees.
Standard Stuff
The m515 has all the standard Palm stuff, which I’m not going to even list or bore you with because you can read that in the other reviews or get it from the Palm website. The reason you’re reading this epinion is get my real-life experience – right ??
Having been through several generations of Palm its important to note that I had no problems transferring my databases from an old Palm(a VIIx) to the new. The universal connector is still universal, and any accessories for the monochrome m500 or the m505 work with the M515 – like the stylus.
The SD/MMC expansion slot is a useful addition to the current generation of Palms. The cards are a handy spot to store “stuff” – although be warned that access is slower and not all programs are compatible with the cards. You can get the standard games, bible, restaurant guides, financial programs etc.. all pre-programmed into the expansion cards . But you can only use one at a time.
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