IIIxe compared to other Palms (Vx & IIIc) (Palm IIIxe)

Member Name: Charles Herbert

Product:	Palm IIIxe
Date:	10/11/00 (626 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huge memory, latest OS, not too pricey

Disadvantages: A little bulky, needs batteries, no colour

Why buy the IIIxe?--Palm's latest offering. How does it compare in features with the other Palm's available? Particulary the IIIc and Vx which are about 75-100 pounds more?

- Memory is top of the range with 8Mb, same as the Vx or IIIc. Friends who've been loading applications and e-mails into their Palms for a couple of years says this is masses, even for power users.

- It is monochrome, the only one with colour is the IIIc (though a Vc is coming next year). Does that matter? Colour is fun if you're into games; if your focus is e-mails, calendars, and serious stuff, it is probably not worth the extra money.

- Physically it is the same as the rest of the III range. That means it is not as cool and slim as the fancy Vx, but nor is it as expensive. There are also more physical accessories (like keyboards, modems, etc.) available for the III range than the V, and all III series accesories should all fit the IIIex (software is common for all). The colour is an executive slate grey (i.e. dark gray), rtaher than the light grey of the IIIc or the horrible transparent case that some III models come in.

- it runs off batteries (AAA cells). This is a bit of a downer. The IIIc and Vx both have a rechargeable cell (lithium-ion I think) which keeps them going for a month and recharges automatically whenever you HotSync with your PC.

- it has the latest Palm Operating System v3.5 (Check you're getting latrest stock or your Vx may only come with v3.3). This can be important if you want to use the Infrared port for fancy things (connecting with your mobile phone?). Also v3.5 is supposed to HotSync twice as fast as previous versions.

For the budget conscious, it is probably the best choice of Palm. Unless you need ultra-portability (Vx), can't live without colour (IIIc), or just hate buying batteries (but hey, you can buy a lot of batteries for 75 pounds!).

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