Customer Reviews for PalmOne m505 Color Handheld

PalmOne m505 Color Handheld
by Palm

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Customer Review: PLEASE READ THIS if you're thinking of BUYING a PALM m505
Summary: 1 Stars

I gave this product a 1-star in hopes of getting your attention so that you would READ MY REVIEW. In actuality, I give the palm m505 FIVE STARS! Check out my breakdown below:

Screen  Many people have been complaining about the dim screen. Its NOT THAT BAD! The screen is a little dim, but under normal lighting conditions, its very acceptable. And if youre ever in the dark, turn on the Backlight and your whole screen lights up, including the graffiti area!!! Also, the screen doesnt become inverted like on the older Black and White screens! It stays true to the colors and looks amazing. This screen is 16-bits, which means it can show, at any given moment, 65,000 colors simultaneously! Thats better than the newly released Gameboy Advance by Nintendo!

Battery  Lasts! After about 60 hours of regular use, my battery didnt even go below the halfway mark. It charges fast and maintains the charge much better than the Vxs Lithium Ion battery. Palm also states in their users manual that even if you let your palm drain to the point that you cant operate it anymore, it still holds enough of a charge to keep all of your stored information alive for over a week!

4.0 Operating System  on the surface, the new OS looks about the same as the preceding 3.5. But the best feature so far about the new 4.0 OS is the ability to use the Graffiti Area and on-screen Keyboard at the same time! I love that about this palm over my old Vx.

Pen  the Vxs pen was a piece of light... plastic. The Stylus for the 505 feels a little heavier, since its basically two plastic ends screwed into a solid metal shaft. Much better feel.

Size  Small and sleek! Fits in the palm of your hand better than any older Palm. Its about the same size as the V-Series, but sides on this one are a little more curved inwards making it just a little more comfortable to hold.

Chip  I havent used the new expansion card feature yet, but Ive heard tell about Palm announcing the release of a Modem due to come out next year. Just another addition to the growing wireless revolution. You can bet that Ill be buying one when its released!

Hot Sync  the Hot Sync cradle for the 505 has its pros and cons. Pros: Super fast! This aint no 1-bit transfer rate via serial connection! This is USB! What took 30  60 seconds before with the old serial cradles now takes about 3 seconds with the USB connector! Cons: the actual cradle itself is kinda dumb. The Unit slides into the cradle just fine, but taking it out of the cradle is a little convoluted. You have to tilt the palm forward a bit, until you hear an unsettling snap sound (which sounds more like a crack) and then pull the palm Upwards. I dont like that. The cradle is also a lot larger and heavier than older cradles. Also, since the unit recharges while docked, the cradle has an extra power cord that plugs into an electrical socket

Extra Software  the m500-series comes with some awesome software that older units never came with. A powerful calculator for doing more complex calculations then the older calculator, a document reader/editor thats right! You can edit Word and Excel files on your palm! (I havent tried that yet, but Im sure I will). MGI PhotoSuite mobile edition is a great little image navigator! Now you can store Gifs and Jpegs and other awesome file formats on your palm! And with this awesome color screen, everything you keep on it will be as vibrant and colorful as it is on your home computer!

I had a Vx for about a week before exchanging it for an m505. Before the Vx, Id never owned an electronic organizer. This little device has quickly become a fixed part of my life. I highly recommend spending the money on this thing.

Thanks for reading my review on the Palm m505.

Customer Review: Perfect color Palm
Summary: 5 Stars

That is, until now. I've put the m505 through it's paces and am very impressed with how Palm weighed the tradeoffs. Yes, there are still tradeoffs. The screen isn't as bright as for example the IIIc. This is because the m505 has a TFT reflective screen iso an active matrix screen. In other words, it reflects ambient light instead of emitting it's own. The advantage however is much improved batterylife. Also, an active matrix screen is completely illegible outside, whereas the m505 screen looks vibrant. To alleviate lowlight situations the m505 screen is 'sidelit' to provide the ambient light necessary. Batterylife still clocked at a little under 7 hours of continuous use w/the backlight on! Under the fluorescent lights in my office I don't need to turn it on, however in my neighbourhood's unnamed coffeehouse I do need it. I think that folks upgrading from a bright IIIc will be disappointed, however I disagree. I found the brightness of a IIIc straining after long e-book reading sessions. The m505 screen is easier on my eyes, yet very good quality and usable under the most circumstances. In short, I'm very happy with the screen.

The expansion slot also is a very welcome addition. I think the SD/MMC slot is the most elegant expansion solution available on the market yet. Why? It retains the all-important formfactor. Try a Springboard on a Visor Edge, or worse, the iPaq with an expansion sleeve. The SD slot is elegant, small, and hotswapable. Right now, not too many expansion options are available pending the final approval of the IO standard on SD, but look to how support of proprietary Handspring Springboard grew for an idea of how SD will be supported. I'm using my m505 with a 32Mb memory card, and it works very well. I can run apps from the card with negligable delay, the card shows up as a category and I can select any app from there. Again, very nicely implemented.

I was a bit surprised by the hotsync speed. Very fast. USB really makes a difference, but make sure you have a USB port, otherwise you'll have to buy an extra serial cradle.

I don't hear much about the software bundled with the m505 in the reviews, but I think it's great. Most importantly, the m500 series comes with Documents To Go. This app allows you to read and even edit Word, Excel, Wordperfect, Lotus etc. documents, with perfect ease. I had bought it already, but for the newcomers it's great to get this app with the package.

I really like the vibrate alarm. Somehow, I'm surprised nobody came up with this one before (including myself). But this is great! No need to wake everyone up at meetings anymore to be alerted. I would like to be able to choose which alarm I want to get with every particular event in datebook. Right now your choice is applied across the board to all events. But I'm sure DateBk4 will fix that one. Great app that one by the way, check it out...which reminds me that Palm came out with a press release that the 10,000th application has just been released. Can you believe it? And most of this is freeware and shareware!

Let's see, what else, with the m500 series Palm standardized the connector at the bottom, so that you don't need new peripherals every time you upgrade to a new Palm. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's a bit hard to unplug the Palm from the cradle...a minor annoyance. Another minor gripe is the price, although considering I plunked down... for the Vx, this could be considered a bargain by some standards.

All in all, formfactor, batterylife, color, expansion, software, I'm sold.

Customer Review: Some comments on the screen
Summary: 3 Stars

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 basically means 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 modes. 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 505's backlight on. However, the iPAQ, like the 505, is also visible in direct sunlight due to the partially back-reflective screen capability.

I also compared it to my IIIc, which I have had for 18 months and am quite fond of. The screen is so bright at full brightness you can use it for a flashlight in a dark room. (Someone once humorously remarked you could use it to signal alien flying saucers, which it just about is).

Anyway, 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 noticeably 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 sunlight was coming in, and even then the IIIc was still easier to see than the 505, even with the backlight on.

I tried this test 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 don't own a Handspring Prizm, but I've checked out the screen, and even here, there's no comparison between the 505 and the Prizm. The Prizm is much brighter. It's not brighter than the IIIc, as has been claimed; I've compared both screens side by side also, but it's certainly equal to it. So if you're disappointed in the M505, you might want to check out the Prizm. the Prism also offers 64K colors.

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. In any case, the greater speed of the 505 is a big improvement over all earlier Palms.

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 brighter 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.

Customer Review: The size is it's best feature
Summary: 4 Stars

What I like:

* I love the size/shape - ergonomics in general. When I first saw the m505 I was a little disappointed that Palm didn't do something to differentiate it in appearance from the V/Vx. But after only a few days with my m505, I discovered that Palm pretty much reached perfection with the V/Vx design. If you want a small/sleek PDA (which I do), this is the one to get.

* It's expandable with MultiMediaCards and Secure Digital cards. These cards (well, not the SD cards yet!) are readily available and they're fairly cheep - plus they're very small. I considered the Handspring Edge but in my opinion, their expansion approach is terrible - you need that huge plug-in module hanging off the back before you can use the expansion cards. This destroys the ergonomics of the unit. I mainly want expansion to add memory, the approach the m505 (and m500) takes is much better because it gives you all the memory you [probably] want while maintaining the size/shape of the unit.

* The new processor seems to be pretty speedy. While I haven't performed any actual benchmark tests, I did put my Visor Deluxe and my m505 side-by-side and tapped the same application at the same time. I tried this with several applications (form Datebook, to Vindigo, to a Acrobat file) - the m505 was the clear winner. However, be advised that several PDAs use the same processor as the m505, so choose wisely.

* The battery life seems to be pretty good - even with the backlight on all the time.

What I don't like:

* Like many people, I'm disappointed with the screen - it is rather dim. The backlight improves it to acceptable. The Handspring Prism clearly has a superior screen - but you pay for it in terms of size. Since I use the backlight almost all of the time, it would be nice if the unit would default to using the light whenever it's turned on (without having to hold the power button for a second or two or doing the swipe on the screen).

* Memory management for data stored on MultiMediaCards. Applications will not run directly from the expansion card. That is, if you run an application on the card it will first copy itself to the system memory and run from there. This clearly has limitation both in terms of size of applications and your usage of the system memory. It also seems like some applications can't be transferred to the card (e.g., Vindigo). But on the positive note, you can store read-only databases on the card (and access them directly from the card). Of course you'll need software to accomplish this (I use MSMount).

* The price is a little high for the improvements over the Vx.

Why I bought the m505 instead of something else:

Before purchasing my m505 I also considered: Visor Edge, m500, iPaq and Sony Clie PEG-N710C. I quickly passed on the iPaq because of it's larger size and because it was geared more towards entertainment -- and that's not what I want a PDA for. Also, I really didn't care for the Windows operating system. I then passed on the Edge because it's small/sleek size is destroyed when you use expansion cards. I considered the new Sony Clie until I read more specs - particularly its size. Also, the Sony is more of an entertainment handheld - with it's mp3 capabilities (I have no interest in an mp3 player). So I was left with the m500 and m505 - I chose the m505 because of its color screen. Despite the m505's marginal color performance, I'd probably make the same choice. While not great, I believe it is slightly better than the m500's monochrome display. For my wants and needs in a PDA, I don't believe there is a perfect one out there - currently, I believe the m505 is as close as I'm going to get.

Customer Review: The size is it's best feature
Summary: 4 Stars

What I like:

* I love the size/shape - ergonomics in general. When I first saw the m505 I was a little disappointed that Palm didn't do something to differentiate it in appearance from the V/Vx. But after only a few days with my m505, I discovered that Palm pretty much reached perfection with the V/Vx design. If you want a small/sleek PDA (which I do), this is the one to get.

* It's expandable with MultiMediaCards and Secure Digital cards. These cards (well, not the SD cards yet!) are readily available and they're fairly cheep - plus they're very small. I considered the Handspring Edge but in my opinion, their expansion approach is terrible - you need that huge plug-in module hanging off the back before you can use the expansion cards. This destroys the ergonomics of the unit. I mainly want expansion to add memory, the approach the m505 (and m500) takes is much better because it gives you all the memory you [probably] want while maintaining the size/shape of the unit.

* The new processor seems to be pretty speedy. While I haven't performed any actual benchmark tests, I did put my Visor Deluxe and my m505 side-by-side and tapped the same application at the same time. I tried this with several applications (form Datebook, to Vindigo, to a Acrobat file) - the m505 was the clear winner. However, be advised that several PDAs use the same processor as the m505, so choose wisely.

* The battery life seems to be pretty good - even with the backlight on all the time.

What I don't like:

* Like many people, I'm disappointed with the screen - it is rather dim. The backlight improves it to acceptable. The Handspring Prism clearly has a superior screen - but you pay for it in terms of size. Since I use the backlight almost all of the time, it would be nice if the unit would default to using the light whenever it's turned on (without having to hold the power button for a second or two or doing the swipe on the screen).

* Memory management for data stored on MultiMediaCards. Applications will not run directly from the expansion card. That is, if you run an application on the card it will first copy itself to the system memory and run from there. This clearly has limitation both in terms of size of applications and your usage of the system memory. It also seems like some applications can't be transferred to the card (e.g., Vindigo). But on the positive note, you can store read-only databases on the card (and access them directly from the card). Of course you'll need software to accomplish this (I use MSMount).

* The price is a little high for the improvements over the Vx.

Why I bought the m505 instead of something else:

Before purchasing my m505 I also considered: Visor Edge, m500, iPaq and Sony Clie PEG-N710C. I quickly passed on the iPaq because of it's larger size and because it was geared more towards entertainment -- and that's not what I want a PDA for. Also, I really didn't care for the Windows operating system. I then passed on the Edge because it's small/sleek size is destroyed when you use expansion cards. I considered the new Sony Clie until I read more specs - particularly its size. Also, the Sony is more of an entertainment handheld - with it's mp3 capabilities (I have no interest in an mp3 player). So I was left with the m500 and m505 - I chose the m505 because of its color screen. Despite the m505's marginal color performance, I'd probably make the same choice. While not great, I believe it is slightly better than the m500's monochrome display. For my wants and needs in a PDA, I don't believe there is a perfect one out there - currently, I believe the m505 is as close as I'm going to get.