Palm m505 - A new owner UPDATE! (Palm M505)

Name: drdel

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Product:	Palm M505
Date:	22/07/01 (416 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: slim design, easy to use, huge potential, massive web support,

Disadvantages: a bit pricey, doesn't come with much, need to spend more money to get the best out of it

Just a quick further update, and the last, I promise. I have my whole lif in the Palm of my hand! Sorry, couldn't resist. There is almost a feeling of trepidation about all the info stored in there. But I am infinitely more organised and never miss appointments. I am happy that the money was a worthwhile investment. What more can I say. Still dont think it is worth getting the colour version though.
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I thought I woud do an update after just over a week with my new palm m505. My original full review follows this update.
So.....am I still using it? Should I have bought something else? Would I have bought one at all?

Well in short I am still very pleased with my purchase. In my pocket my whole life sits, in a slimline silver case. This is pretty daunting I can tell you. No loose bits of paper. No searching around for my diary...It's all still there. I have put all my research records in there, all my addresses, I have downloaded medical software from the net and for fun there's a restaurant, film, and nightlife guides that I regularly update from the web.

Also I am thinking of buying a road map and expanding the memory by 16MB. Not bad for a relative amateur!

Would I still buy it again. Yes and no. I was lucky that I managed to get the colour version quite cheaply but if I couldn't I would probably go for the black and white version which is cheaper. There's the Sony PDA which is supposed to be quite nifty as well as Handspring models which use the same operating system, I don't really think the colour is worth the money. I would certainly buy a PDA again. I find more and more use for it literally each day. The only big rpoblem is you are effectively putting all your eggs in one basket. I am not worried about it crashing, because all the data is on my pc too, but if I lost it or it was stolen that would really mess things up for me. If you can live with on
e little machine holding all your life's information then I would recommend getting a PDA especially if you are disorganised like me.(or like I was!), but I don't reckon you need to go with the colour option.
Feel free to read my full review following this update....
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I am totally new to handheld computers and I thought a review from a technophobe might be beneficial to others just like me.

<br>I plead for forgiveness from all the computer experts who I am sure will be able to appreciate and explain the subtelties of these devices, but this review is from a relative ignoramus, and reflects the value of the palm m505 to people like me.

I have divided my review into:
i)FIRST IMPRESSIONS
ii) EASE OF MASTERY
iii) WEB SUPPORT
iv) FINAL VERDICT

My first impressions were good. The Palm m505 is a cute machine, slimline which pleased me, and came in simple packaging without a huge manual to wade through. I was disappointed with a flimsy leather flap that was provided as protection and the lack of in depth explanation of the functions. Otherwise I was generally pleased with what I saw.

Ease of mastery. There's a graffiti language to learn which is quite straightforward. There is very little in terms of a physical manual to read regarding the functions of the machine. There is web support and text manuals on the Palm m505, but I couldn't help feeling that I was learning by trial and error for some of the time. One real joy is the 'sync' function which allows you to share info with your desktop pc via a cable that plugs into the USB port on the bacl of your computer. This is simply fantastic. In about 30 seconds to a minute you have your email, all your appointments and any web sites you have chosen downloaded onto your palm. This is a terrific function allowing you to 'sync' before you go to work and reading the results at your leisu
re later on. I was very impressed.

Web Support. This is what tipped me in favour of the Palm. The vast majority of web software for handhelds is for the Palm. This is where I have found the machine to come into its own. As a doctor I have downloaded tons of useful stuff from patient log software to textbooks, to drug listings and log book software. Also there are some handy devices such as a going-out piece of software. This provided me with listings and reviews of restaurants, clubs, bars and cinema listings and I can even search from my present location and find the nearest ones to me. Even better, each day I synchronise with my computer, this is updated via the interet. Extremely useful. But whatever walk of life, you will be able to find software useful to you. So, my message is, when you consider how much a handheld is going to cost you, take into account that out of the box, there's some basic functions, but not much else. You will need to spend some money downloading software from the net that is really going to bring your handheld into its own.

FINAL CONCLUSION. The truth is, you do not need this machine. However, it will definitely streamline your life and save you time. No longer will you have to carry bits of paper, diaries or filofaxes around. You can get all the functions of this machine elsewhere but the Palm m505 brings it all together into one place. The other point to mention is potential. There is so much you could do with this machine. A friend of mine has textbooks, medical calculator, restaurant guides, regular receives film reviews, games and even digital pictures of his wife and child on his. Also you can expand the memory and add on different devices in a card form. The potential is the real selling point in my view.

So would I recommend one? Yes. I am a disorganized person who constantly forgets appointments and is always carrying loose bits of paper which I invariably lose. Now everytime I have an appointment
or something to remember I can put it onto my Palm. A final point, if you already have a Palm Vx, the general consensus is that it is not worth buying this one, as several friends of mine have said. The colour screen is cute but I would probably say not worth the extra money. It would also have been nice if a decent case had been included. Minor quibbles aside, I am very pleased with my accusition and would recommend it if you are thinking of buying a handheld.

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