Great Product But...

I was stunned when Palm Computing chose me to be a beta tester for the yet-to-be released Palm VII back in February of 99...I had forgotten that, when I registered my original Palm Pilot a couple of years ago that I had okayed inclusion in the beta program. Little did I know!

When I received my Palm VII, I was excited at the thought of being able to stay in touch anywhere I traveled (typically larger cities throughout the US). I continually lug a laptop around, and I hoped to be able to jettison it, if at all possible. I still have the laptop, but the Palm never leaves my side either!

I originally had problems connecting to 3Com's proprietary palm.net site, but heck, it was a beta program...Customer service during that period was fabulous, very attentive, knowledgeable and fast-acting: When it was determined that my beta unit was defective, 3Com sent a new one, overnight, to me in Las Vegas. I opened the box, followed the setup procedure, and within minutes was able to use the palm.net email service (I tested it with the laptop and a landline, of course). Now things were getting interesting!

I easily transferred my apps from my Palm Professional (with the infrared/2 meg upgrade kit) to the VII, and haven't looked back since. 3Com tracked our progress during the beta period, soliciting comments frequently, and provided updates and support as required. One thing I continually mentioned was how nice it would be to be compensated for our efforts (600 beta testers)...gee, it sure would be nice to actually KEEP this thing! Responses were noncommittal...

I believe it was in April when I was notified that 3Com was ending the beta, and my testing palm.net account...but that I was welcome to keep the unit as a gesture of appreciation. Yahoooo!

Okay, $600 freebie aside (use that as a measure of their customer service, and you'll be on track), how does this thing perform?

As well in the normal apps as my Professional did.

But I have also been able to receive emailed copies of jobsite reports from my field staff IMMEDIATELY after they were completed (and while I was on my way to meet the client to discuss issues of concern!), I've been able to fax documents, get directions (again, while on the road, via the Mapquest PQA), and even get the translation for the word "yellow" in Spanish for my four year old (amarillo :-)). I checked the directions -- accurate to within feet. Best of all, it has worked everywhere I have traveled since then: Boston, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, New Hampshire, Chicago (and all of the airports in between)

With my Canon BJC 50 printer and PalmPrint software I can wirelessly print reports, addresses, memos, even address labels (of course, you can do that with any IR equipped Palm). This thing rates a 10 on the cool scale...and at least a 9.5 on the "ease of use" and "applicability to my business" scales.

The downside?

It might be hard to justify the purchase price if you have a limited budget, when you can do almost everything BUT connect to the Net with a III or a V for about half the price - and when you consider the monthly fee ($9.95 and up) for service. But if you NEED to be connected, or if you frequently travel and HAVE TO HAVE IT NOW. (or, of course, if your youngster keeps asking for translations)

Bottom line: If you THINK you need it, or if you just GOTTA have it, you can't go wrong. Remember, I'm still using a beta that's almost a year old...