The best 'PalmOS' PDA there is (Palm IIIxe)

Member Name: ben_83

Product:	Palm IIIxe
Date:	05/02/01 (402 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huge 8Mb memory chip, latest version of 'PalmOS', wireless internet access (with an infrared-enabled mobile phone), thousands of add-on apps to choose from, much cheaper and easier to use than colour 'PocketPC' machines

Disadvantages: Ugly case, Palm's techincal support is rubbish

Yes, before you ask, I'm perfectly aware of the connotations attached to owning a PDA. I realise it's modern equivalent of the eighties yuppie favourite, the Filofax, but, as it turns out, my Palm IIIxe is one of the most useful things I've ever bought.

The IIIxe is the most powerful handheld in the III series (and is no less powerful than the flagship Vx) with a processor that's more than capable of handling anything you care to throw at it, including video files. More importantly, it comes with a whopping 8Mb of memory to store all your data and add-on applications. This is remarkable when you consider that the biggest 'PalmOS' apps weigh in at around 500Kb (or a sixteenth of the IIIxe's total capacity) and most are only about 50Kb.

Still, what use is all this hardware without any decent programs to back it up? The answer is none so you'll be glad to hear that the IIIxe's software is exceptional. It comes preloaded with 3Com's latest version of the excellent 'PalmOS' (3.5, but this is upgradeable with a free download) which is extremely intuitive and user-friendly for anyone who uses 'Windows' or 'MacOS'.

Although no Palms have built in keyboards, as was the style for PDAs a few years ago, they do have more than adequate replacements for them. You can either enter the text via a rudimentary handwriting-recognition system using the included pen-like stylus (quite slow) or use a simple software keyboard with which, after a few hours practice, you can veritably race through e-mails, memos, etc.

As with all Palms, the IIIxe also includes a few basic applications to get you started.

'Address' is a very useful little app that will store names, addresses (street and e-mail) and phone numbers (with the added bonus that you can specify the kind of phone number - home, work, mobile, fax or pager) which all integrate with the rest of the software on the device
. For example, if you are writing an e-mail, you have the option to transfer the e-mail address data straight from 'Address' to the recipient line of your e-mail without having to exit your e-mail client, open 'Address' and copy and paste the e-mail address.

'To Do List' is just as useful as 'Address' and probably my favourite Palm application as I am a forgetful chap to say the least. It does exactly what it says on the tin and provides you with the ability to assign a date to have the item done by and a priority number from 1 to 5.

'Mail' is, unsurprisingly, a basic e-mail client. It allows you to download e-mails from your PC, reply to them and write new ones. New e-mails from your PC's inbox are downloaded and everything in your outbox sent through your PC's mail client (all major clients are supported, although Netscape Messenger, the one I use, was quite hard to set up) when you synchronise the device. This is a simple matter of popping it in the supplied cradle (connected to the serial port) and pressing a button, although you'll have to be connected to the internet if you want to send e-mail.

'Memo Pad' is a basic text editor, with similar functionality to 'Notepad' for 'Windows'. 'Date Book' is a diary with alarms assignable to each item. 'Expense' keeps track of a busy executive's expense account which is fine, but pretty useless for me as I'm not a busy executive. 'Calculator' is pretty self explanatory.

Also included on the CD-ROM that comes with your new IIIxe is 'Palm Desktop' (a PC and Mac application that backs up all the data stored on your handheld), 'AvantGo' (an excellent piece of software that downloads selected web content for you every time you synchronise) and a few simple games which may divert the attention for a few minutes.

However, the real fun comes when you start to add
thirdparty software to your Palm. Thanks to its 8Mb memory, IIIxe users can store numerous programs on their device which is very useful as there are literally (and I don't mean that in the way most people incorrectly do) thousands of applications available to download from sites like www.download.com and www.zdnet.com. Although a lot of it is rubbish, you'll find yourself keeping a fair proportion of the stuff you download simply because it's so darn useful. Want to keep track of all those website usernames and passwords? Why don?t you try 'Yaps!'. Want to use your IIIxe's infrared port like a remote control for your TV, VCR, hi-fi, etc.? Get yourself a copy of 'OmniRemote'. Do you hate writing SMS messages on a poky little cellular phone keypad? Well, write them on your Palm and send them to your phone through its infrared port. And so on.

The thing I like most about my IIIxe is that it can be anything I want it to be. I know that sounds like a slogan designed to make a huge, faceless corporation seem human to the public but bear with me. With 8Mb of memory at its disposal and an infrared port (used for wireless synchronisation and, more excitingly, internet access via an infrared mobile phone) there are no limits to what my PDA can do. As long as the software is written for it, the IIIxe can do it. And since I got my 'Palm Mobile Internet Kit' (available separately for about £25) I can access pretty much any internet content you care to mention (the web, e-mail, WAP, AvantGo live, etc.) totally wirelessly. Although if you don't have an infrared port on your mobile phone then you would need a wire.

I do have a few minor complaints though. Unlike the V series, which recharges its batteries while it's in the HotSync cradle, the III series runs off AAA batteries. While I can see advantages and disadvantages to both methods and I've certainly had no problems with the battery life of my handheld, so
me may find the III's system a little archaic. Also the case of the IIIxe is hardly the most attractive thing I've ever clapped eyes on. The plastic feels cheap and looks even cheaper and the shape of the thing is scarcely appealing. In contrast, Sony's CLIÉ and Palm's V series are both very handsome machines, although this is reflected in their price. My final gripe is the quality of Palm's customer service. Their website is a mess of pages where you find yourself looking at the same information over and over again, said information always managing to be something you don't want to see. Also, their e-mail support is a joke. I get the impression that the staff don't fully understand English and it often takes three or four e-mails to get any problems sorted. And don't get me started on their call centre. I phoned the number for the UK in the manual and it wasn't even recognised.

Still, as long as your IIIxe doesn't break on you and you don't care about its ugliness, I'm sure you will find it to be a faithful servant for years to come. I've only had mine a few months and I already couldn't live without it.

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