Palm m500 Handheld

Just what do you need a Palm Pilot for anyway?

That?s not the point, is it? It?s just fun!

I must admit that was a driving factor in my desire for a Palm. The main reason, however, was to be able to read texts when I have a chunk of time in my busy schedule without having to carry around the large volumes I wanted to study. The price for the latest innovations is still over the top.

I didn?t know the first thing about PDA?s when I started, so I just talked with friends and coworkers. That settled me onto either a Palm or Visor. After comparing epinions reviews, I decided Palm would better suit my personal needs. The question of a color screen came up several times, so again, I consulted epinions and realized in no time that the color PDA?s time has not arrived. I settled on the Palm m500 (the m505 has the color display of highly questionable quality).

Although this is the first PDA I?ve owned/used and can?t really compare earlier models, I have seen what friends have, and the visibility of the screen on the m500 is FAR better than anything else I?ve seen! I loaded the picture software and the unit clearly displays pictures of my wife and kids (albeit in grayscale). I also get news updated from the Internet, and I can see the pictures that accompany the day?s top headlines.

The wonderful convenience of rechargeable batteries went unappreciated until I saw a friend conserving the time she kept her Palm on so she wouldn?t have to replace the AA batteries as quickly. With the m500, it recharges fully in a minute or so each time you put it on its cradle.

Once I had the unit, I decided to use its features as much as I could. I entered my entire address book and then some. I embarked on using the Palm?s calendar feature. The biggest drawback for me with a PDA calendar is not being able to see a full week at a time in full detail. I like to keep a quasi-journal of activities and events in my calendar, and not being able to browse through a week at a time makes the journal function nearly useless for me.

The great fun started when I discovered sites like www.handango.com and www.tucows.com for downloading software (ok, games, I admit it). There?s nothing like sitting through an excruciatingly boring business meeting with solitaire going on your Palm.

The 8mb of memory that comes standard on the m500 has been adequate for me. It has expansion card capability to increase memory or run additional programs, but I have as yet to explore these functions. The unit itself wasn?t cheap, and the cards aren?t, either.

As for the main reason I wanted a PDA, I have been pleasantly rewarded with the ability to read and read to my heart?s content whether it being standing in lines, eating lunch, waiting in doctor?s lobbies, etc. I have found online and downloaded many books I want to read, and with the ?Documents to Go? software that comes with the Palm m500, I?m able to copy and paste any article, conference address, or other document into a Word file and read it on my Palm. How cool is that? I carry a whole library in my pocket everywhere I go!

Should you buy one? I?ve been very happy with mine: the display is the best I?ve seen, and the rechargeable batteries are awesome. So if you have the money to blow (or can get your company to buy it for you), I recommend you go for it!