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Palm V Handheld PDA
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10 new or used available from $16.99
Average customer review:
Product Description
Palm 5 Personal Digital Assistant Ultra thin. Has e-mail, date/address book , memo pad, Hot Sync Technology, rechargable battery, to do list
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #31902 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Palm
- Model: Palm 5
- Platform: Palm OS
- Dimensions: .40" h x 3.20" w x 4.70" l, 1.00 pounds
Features
- 2 MB RAM
- Easily transfer data from your handheld to your PC or Macintosh
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Stores thousands of addresses, appointments, to-do items, memos, and more
- What's in the box: Palm V handheld, Rechargeable battery (internal), DB-25 adapter, Protective Hard case.
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
One look at the Palm V handheld and you'll know it's something special. Its sleek design and anodized aluminum case appeal to your sense of style. Weighing just 4 ounces, its ultrathin exterior belies its organizational power. You'll have thousands--literally thousands--of names, addresses, phone numbers, appointments, to-dos, plus hundreds of e-mail messages at your fingertips. The advanced LCD screen is razor sharp. And you can recharge the lithium-ion batteries in the HotSync cradle in minutes a day. A full charge lasts for up to a month. Simply put, the sleek new Palm V handheld lets you organize in style.
Amazon.com Product Description
One look at the Palm V organizer and you'll know it's something special. Its sleek design and anodized aluminum case appeal to your sense of style. Weighing just 4 oz., its ultra-thin exterior belies its organizational power. You'll have thousands -- literally thousands -- of names, addresses, phone numbers, appointments, to-do's, plus hundreds of e-mail messages at your fingertips. The advanced LCD screen is razor sharp. And you can recharge the lithium ion batteries in the HotSync cradle in minutes a day. A full charge lasts for up to a month. Simply put, the sleek new Palm V device lets you organize in style. The way you do everything else.
What's in the box
From Winmag®
With the $449 Palm V, 3Com tries to break the mold. Instead of the plastic case used by all models from the original PalmPilot through the Palm III, you now get a sleek, 4-ounce metal case that's slightly thinner and shorter (4.5 by 3.1 by 0.4 inches) than the Palm III or IIIx. The result is a truly shirt-pocket-sized device that's even easier to carry than the earlier models. Yet the Palm V comes with only 2MB of memory-half that of the Palm IIIx.
To reduce the organizer's size, AAA batteries, also found on all previous models, were abandoned. Instead, the Palm V has a built-in lithium-ion battery similar to that in the new Wyvern-class Windows CE devices (see Reviews, May). The battery automatically recharges whenever you put the Palm V into its synchronization cradle. The manufacturer expects the unit to run for several months of average use on a single charge, which is an astonishing claim. I can't confirm this-but after initially charging the unit, I was unable to run the battery down, even after a full week's regular use. Indeed, as I write, the Palm V still indicates a full charge, so getting a month on a charge may be reasonable. In any case, the charge is topped up whenever you sync the unit.
The unit is also available bundled with Franklin Covey's planner software (see sidebar), or you can get the unit from IBM, which calls it the WorkPad c3. The IBM version offers support for wireless, IR-based data synchronization with IBM ThinkPad notebooks.
The downside to the Palm V: There's no way to internally expand its memory, and that slick, high-style case is too thin to work with the accessories currently available for the Palm III, so a completely different line of accessories is required. Moreover, the Palm V lacks the Palm IIIx's flip-over protective cover. And when you add an optional folding hard case, you wind up with a package as large as the Palm IIIx.
Overall, the Palm V is cool, but not so much more capable than the Palm IIIx that it justifies the additional cost. Indeed, it's priced only about $50 below the new Wyvern-class Windows CE devices I tested last month, which offer a color display in addition to the same kind of rechargeable battery.
Customer Reviews
MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR THE EVERYDAY USER
I started out with a Palm III, switched to a handheld PC and am now back with the Palm V. For the everyday person it's more than enough. I didn't buy it to play games with - I bought it to stay organized. The extreme ease of use is wonderful and syncing to your PC is a breeze. Anybody that needs more than this needs a handheld PC (Which have their own combersome problems!) I have found the OS platform with the Palm V much easier to sync with my desktop - especially with WindowsNT. Too many problems connecting with WindowsCE. The Palm V has far exceeded my needs and is perfect for the everyday user looking for a palm organizer that is just that, an organizer and 24hr assistant.
Problems With the Palm V
If you look at the Palm V and the Palm IIIx you will notice some major differences. First of all, the V is smaller, and looks cooler. However, the benefits end there. The V has half the RAM of the IIIx, which, as a seasoned pilot user, i know you will really want if you get into modems and telnet shells and mail and real-time web browsing. (not to mention games) I would suggest forgoing the looks for the functionality (something that is not done enough in our corporate world) and getting the IIIx. You will not regret it. However, if you have to have something shiny, by all means, this is the machine to get....
Magnificent!
January 15, 2000 3Com's Palm PDA's are definitely the best PDA's on the market. You can read the other reviews to hear how this device will help you organize your life and how wonderful it is. As a Palm collector (I have all Palm and Pilot models), I will rather compare the Palm V to the Palm Vx. The only difference between the two is that the V has 2MB of RAM, while the Vx has 8.
I have thousands of addresses, thousands of appointments, and many more to-do items, documents, etc. in my Palm. I also have fax, e-mail, and internet software installed, among many other programs. I only use about 1.5 MB. Therefore, although I have the Vx, I don't use any of the additional memory. Technically, because of the additional memory, the Vx is faster. Nonetheless, because Palm applications are so small, this difference is truly negligible. Therefore, before you spend $100 more on the Vx, make sure you're going to use the additional memory. It's the only difference.
Now, remember: the V series is rechargable, while the III series uses AAA batteries. Therefore, travelling with a V palm means you'll have to carry around the cradle. If you'd rather use batteries, maybe the IIIx is better for you.
Good luck!
