Read Your Palm m105? What you must know about Palm m105 personal organizer
Pros:
Price, Durable, Fun!
Cons:
No expansion slot, no modem
The Bottom Line:
The Palm m105 is an excellent value! Its small, durable, and does a superb job of contact management, calendar keeping, to-do lists, etc. Read your palm m105, it's worth it!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Here is what you need to know about the Palm m105 Personal Data Assistant. Ive owned other PDAs in the past that gives me the ability to make an informed judgment. Here are the 8 most critical factors you should consider when purchasing the Palm m105 or any other PDA.
PHYSICAL SIZE:
Lets face it. The reason you want a PDA is so that you dont have to haul around a 15 Calendar, Address Book, etc. The Palm m105 is very small, and certainly gets high marks for being portable. Its not quite as thin as the Palm V, (but it also cost $150 less!). It will fit in your purse, or pants pocket, or your suit pocket without problem. However, carrying it in a shirt pocket may leave you feeling like it creates a bit too much of a bulge. Overall, however, the PHYSICAL SIZE OF THE VERY GOOD.
SCREEN SIZE:
Sure we would all like to have a PDA the size of postage stamp, but if you cant see the screen, what good is it? The Palm m105 has an adequate screen size. Its screen is slightly smaller than other PDAs, however, making the text on the screen is a tad smaller. My personal experience is that I am able to read the palm from a reasonable distance (e.g. when holding the palm near my waist), and it has not been a problem. If you have poor eyesight
or plan to use the palm for composing larger documents with an optional keyboard, maybe the screen size would be a bigger issue. Overall, I would say the SCREEN SIZE IS GOOD.
MEMORY SIZE:
This is the biggest reason to get the Palm m105 instead of the m100
They have upped the memory to 8 MB (the m100 has 2 MB). The extra memory is handy because it allows you to keep more stuff (programs, dictionaries, books, games, maps, pictures, etc) on the PDA. Eight Meg is plenty of room for 90% of the people, and if you are only going to use the PDA for managing contacts, to-do lists, and your calendar, you will likely find that 8 meg is much more than you need. Overall, MEMORY SIZE IS VERY GOOD.
EXPANDABILITY:
Can your PDA grow as new technology becomes available? As mentioned above, there is plenty of memory for adding programs, this is a plus. However, one of the limitations of the palm 105 is that there isnt an expansion slot for adding memory or peripherals in the future. The palm m505 ($450) does have this expandability
but for a price. In addition, the operating system is not upgradeable. Overall, the EXPANDABILITY IS POOR.
DURABILITY:
Ok, you are not uncoordinated; you can chew gum and use a stylus at the same time. But lets face it, this fancy little computer may slip from your hand or pocket some time. The question is, will the palm m105 survive the experience. My personal experience is that the PDA seems robust enough, but I havent had it long enough to drop it. The screen is plastic, however, which makes is much more shatter resistant. Also a ZDNET torture test that Ive read gives the m105 high marks for durability. Some good advice, however, is to purchase a protective case and screen covers however
just to be safe. DURABILITY IS VERY GOOD.
CUSTOMIZABILITY:
The palm m105 can match your personality. You can purchase different face plates of 20+ different colors. So if you are the kind of person who wants to have your palm match your outfit
then you will be right at home with this palm. In addition, its curvy design is modern and a nice leather case can also convey a professional image. CUSTOMIZABILITY IS VERY GOOD.
FUNCTIONALITY:
Will the palm do what I need it to do? If you want to keep track of contacts (address, phone, etc), your date book (it syncs perfectly with Microsoft outlook), to do lists, and always have a dictionary (program available for free on web), and calculator with you
the palm m105 does it perfectly. If however, you are interested in e-mail, or accessing the internet. This palm is not for you
it just doesnt do it. Personally, I spend much of my day near my PC, so I do my e-mail composing, and web browsing there, so I dont need those functions in my palm. But, if you want to go on a business trip to CA and send an e-mail from the airport
then you might want to look at some of the other palm models. Overall, FUNCTIONALLY IS GOOD.
PRICE, PRICE, PRICE:
One of the best points of the palm m105 is that is costs $100+ less then other PDA models. $199 is a pretty good deal, especially if this is your first palm, and you are likely to only need its basic features. The only real question is whether to save $50 and get the palm m100 instead. Personally, I liked the peace of mind knowing that I would not fill up my memory. I wanted the palm to be able to meet my needs for at least a couple years
so, I opted to go with the 8 MB m105 instead of the 2 MB m100. The Palm m105 gives you a lot of value for the price
its well worth it. Overall, the PRICE IS VERY GOOD.
Hopefully this review helps you decide if the Palm m105 is for you
it has a lot going for it, and I can clearly recommend it. Have fun reading your palm! :)
