Buying a Palm

[xekul]

I couldn't think of a witty topic (the possibilities, I'm sure, are endless), so there it is.

I'm thinking of buying a Palm. Memory is the most important factor because I want to load the thing with e-texts for reference and reading. I don't really have a set budget but I still don't want to get ripped off. So far, the IIIxe looks good. I don't need the features and battery drain of the IIIc, or WinCE devices. I also have to be able to sync with Linux, so the Visor's out.

Is there any reason I shouldn't go for the IIIxe? I'm aware of weird screen problems, but I figure I can keep returning it until I get a good one.

Often when I'm considering a product, I end up looking for bad reviews because I've only seen good ones (besides the mushy/misaligned screen) and I want to hear a dissenting opinion, if one exists. Any bad experiences?

[Dragwyr]

Why do you say that the Visor is not an option? It's the same unit with the same software shipped, just a different manufacturer.

Anyway, the Palm you listed would be a good choice.

[Esprix]

I just bought my Visor Deluxe, and I couldn't be happier with it. Anything that will run on a Palm will run on a Visor - it's the same OS. Visor's just less expensive than the same 8MB memory Palm (plus it holds a few thousand more dates and addresses, and it comes in nifty colors).

Esprix

[soulsling]

thinking about getting a palmVx myself. never considered the visor, the Vx comes with 8MB of RAM, it's a toss up between that and a digital camera though, i just don't know what's more practical in the long run for me. what do you want to do with your palm?
pilot that is.... (you dirty bastards...)

[xekul]

The Visor uses the USB port, but pilot-link under Linux only talks to the serial port. I don't know how well the kernel supports USB, anyway. I'd prefer not to reboot into Windows every day just to sync my handheld. So, no Visor :/

Oh yeah. And I forgot to mention I'm in Canada, and I don't think the Visor's available here. I can get someone to buy from the States, but I don't want to have to ship it all the way back if there's a problem.

I'm trying to get it to replace the notepad, scheduler and novel I carry around. I need gobs of memory to store e-texts on it. I'll probably throw in a few games for fun. But I've never used one before, so I don't know what possibilities there are. I won't be using it for business applications, though; it's student stuff and personal stuff.

I considered the Vx, too, but I don't think the extra price justifies the lighter weight and rechargable battery.

[vandal]

Quote from xekul:
Is there any reason I shouldn't go for the IIIxe?

Yes, there is. It is not in color. It is not capable of Internet access. If these features are important to you, the IIIxe is not for you. The Palm IIIc is in color. The Palm VII is Internet ready.

[xekul]

Nah, neither colour nor wireless Internet access are very important to me. Besides, I don't think the service is available in Canada.

I was actually looking for less obvious problems with the IIIxe, like the (patchable) memory leak in PalmOS 3.5. I should have made this more clear.

Thanks for the replies though.

[Tiburon]

I have the Palm IIIxe.

The first thing you should ask yourself is what you want your palm device to do. If you must have wireless internet access - they your choice is pretty clear - the Palm VII.

If you don't want to use all the multi-media stuff, which is what it sounds like, then you are really deciding between the Palm products or the Handspring Visor products.

The people at Handspring were the original people from Palm who split off.

There are some benefits of the Visor (the Visor Deluxe is closest to the Palm IIIxe). The biggest benefit is that there is an expansion slot in the visor. This allows you to back up certain things and add memory. That's the primary complaint with the older palms - simply not enough memory. Since memory has been increased from 2 to 8, this hasn't been a problem.

I chose the IIIxe because it is the latest model in the III series not including the color model. Color simply wasn't that important to me. It is exactly like the color model, minus the color and $200 bucks less. That was enough to sell me on it.

You can put quite a large amount of information on your Palm. I have the federal rules of evidence, the constitution, rules of criminal procedure, etc - you will need to download a Document Reader, too. (I recommend CSpotRun - free and very simple!)

Why the Palm over the Visor? I don't like all the visor colors or the look of the visor as much as the Palm. That's really about it. The operating systems are the same, though, so all those downloads for palm can be put on your visor handheld, too.

I think the IIIxe is a great choice. It has the latest palm operating system and plenty of memory for the average user. I also have a modem and can check my AOL e-mail anywhere in the country for free (on the unlimited use plan). This is also a benefit for me. And with a palm device, you can download AOL mail onto the palm, unlike with a computer where you view it online.

Well! Best of luck.

JunrGatr

[Jo3sh]

At work, I have to mess with both Palms and the Compaq Aero 1530 (WinCE), so I have both on my desk. I like the Palm Vx pretty well for day-to-day scheduling and contact info. The only thing you might want to consider is that the Aero, in particular, has a slot for Compact Flash memory. I put a 48MB module in my Aero, which means that I can (audio) record long metings, store the text of many books, etc. Also, the CF memory is nonvolatile, so it's possible to have multiple cards going for different purposes. The Palm lacks this capability. But how does the CE sync to Linux? I don't know. Come to think of it, though, I do have a spare box I could set up...

[Smeghead]

I considered the Vx, too, but I don't think the extra price justifies the lighter weight and rechargable battery.

I disagree there. I have a V (bought right before the Vx came out, dammit!!), and I know lots of people that have members of the III genus. I LOVE the fact that it's small enough to actually carry in my pocket all the time. And the rechargeable battery is a source of constant smugness over all my friends. I never have to stop and think whether playing some game on it is worth the price of the battery power. Well, that's what I think, anyway.