Handheld Reviews

I am a former owner of the original T|T. After a little over a year of T|T use, the power button became much less responsive. After several calls to PalmOne's customer service and speaking to several nice Indian folks (Note: PalmOne customer service is obviously outsourced overseas), I was told that it would be $125 to have the unit repaired. This was too much to invest in old hardware. I enjoyed the small form factor of that device so much, I decided to buy a T2 (depite PalmOne's abysmal customer service).

The appeal of the screen has been mentioned several times. I would agree tremendously! I thought the original screen was pretty good. However, the 320x320 display on this unit makes the original T|T look like someone put window tint on it. I also enjoyed the extra internal memory. The subtle changes with the Palm OS were nice too: like hitting the 5 way button to the right when in your address book to look a name up and the color themes.

One aspect that I just could not bring myselft to do was to adopt Graffiti 2. I have used the original Graffiti for so long that using anything else is heresy. For those that are like me, simply grab your old handheld with Graffiti 1 and get a file manager program. Search the ROM for the following two files: Graffiti Library.prc, and Graffiti Library_enUS.prc. Now beam them to your new handheld. Do a Soft Reset on your new handheld and PRESTO, you now have Graffiti 1 again.

If I had any advice, it would be to buy PalmOne products with a credit card that doubles the manufacture's warranty because their customer service is terrible and they will deny warranty service if your handheld is 1yr and 1day old.

Having owned the original Tungsten T for just over a month, I have to say that the original is a great Palm device. Compact, quick and very useful. The Tungsten T2 primarily refines the great features already present on the original T.

So why buy? Why upgrade? If you are a casual user of a Palm that primarily uses the device for occassional reference, stick with the original T. There is some great pricing available right now. But if you use your Palm frequently, the screen and additional memory are worth the upgrade.

The original screen is fine, and until I compared the two devices side by side, I was completely content with it, but a transflective screen is a lot easier to look at for quick glances or extended work sessions. It requires less time to focus on the information you need and while it is completely subjective, I find that has value for me.

If you like to read, ebooks on this device are absolutely incredible, and totally accessible while the device is in closed position.

The additional memory means you won't have to spend any valuable time trying to shoehorn even more programs into the 16mb memory space. 16 megs is plenty, but 32 megs is better.

There are more refinements, all the Tungsten patches are now incorporated into the OS upgrade, the graffiti input has been upgraded to Graffiti 2, which should be easier for new users. But there are text input utilities to customize character recognition anyway you want.

Hunt for a good bargain and jump in. An additional Tungsten model (the T3) will be available before Christmas with some nice specs reported, but when a Palm is this good, there is no compelling reason to wait. This device will still have a good resale value if you can't resist the new model. Something that can't be said for the original T with it's reflective screen.

My 1 month old orignal Tungsten T? My co-worker was still using a M100, I don't think he'll be disappointed with the replacement.

Somebody's got to test these new units.

I absolubtely love my Tungsten T2. I've had no problems and, unlike a reviewer below, I've never had a 'fatal error' or had to do a hard restart and lose any data. I'v also never run out of batteries or had any other sort annoyance. This is just an all around great palm, and makes life a heck of a lot more organized. Two great uses: 1. I cook a lot and when I find a recipe I want to ty online, I just immediately type in the ingredients onto my desktop software's to do list, do a hotsync, and go to the grocery store w/ everything on a neat checklist. 2. I also travel a lot. When I am preparing for a trip, I can search for restaurant reviews, store locations, museum exhibit details, and then just copy them and paste them onto my memo pad on my desktop software, hotsync, and then I have full articles and reviews at my fingertips. Those are some awesome bonuses to an already highly useful little device.

I bought the slim leather case about 5 days ago. Here is what I think about it:

Pros: professional looking, quality leather, card slots nice addition

Con: case makes the Palm bulky, stylus is difficult to reach once Palm is fastened to the case, the location of the snap(leather strip)on the right is awkward. It hangs over the screen of the palm and can be anoying. Might be better if snap was locatd on the left.

This case is the BEST investment for your Palm you'll ever make. I am a neat freak and was worried about finding something that I would like that wasn't clumsy or bulkly for my new Palm m100 and I found it. It is real leather! Soft foam padding protects the Palm and love the slots for the credit cards/business cards. It is real professional looking. I always get comments. Definately a wise investment.

I am acutely aware of how fragile a small electronic device can be having dropped my cell phone on numerous occasions, I have found that a protective cover isn't just sylish, but a complete necessity if you want your items to last -- and with what they cost, I need to squeeze as much use out of mine as possible.

I looked around for quite awhile before I purchased mine, and I went with this particular model mostly because it was designed specifically for the entire m-class of Palm Pilots (I personally have the m125). I love the look of this carrying case, and yes, it IS made of real leather. It has now entirely replaced my wallet thanks to the pockets inside which can hold my credit cards, drivers license and cash (if I'm ever fortunate enough to actually GET some from the missus...). Because of the Palm inside I don't feel comfortable putting it in my back pocket like I did my old wallet, and since mine did not come with a belt clip, I bought the same model I use for my cell phone and it works like a charm (now if I can only remember to take it off before I sit down on it in the car...). The velcro snap on my particular model has worked perfectly since the moment I opened it up, and see no future problem resulting since it seems to be well stitched on in the back.

All in all, if you have an m-class Palm product, don't just rely on the semi-rubber flip cover that it comes with, buy one of these slim leather carrying cases and you will increase the life & reduce the wear of your product significantly -- especially if you fumble with your pilot as much as I do. There are many different types of cases available, and I would imagine most do a great job of protecting your Pilot...but for this specific model, I can honestly say mine was 100% worth the cost.

I am person who hates to confrom and in todays world, everyone does. It seems like everyone who owns a cell phone owns a Nokia, and everyone who owns a pda owns a handspring or palm. That is why I own a Ericsson and a VTECH HELIO!. The V-tech stands out compared to other PDA's. It has a built in voice recorder and everything else you need to keep organized. It is very stable, and does not have a cheap feeling like some other PDA's. For the price I bought it for (50 dollars), it was a steal. I know they discontinued making helios, and that is why stores in Europe and America are clearing them out by selling it for 50 dollars. But, the helio was originally 199 dollars (upper quality device),and now its for 50 dollars..it is a great deal. I use my Helio for everything, and it has never failed on me. Yes, their are a limited number of programs, but with all I see, many third party people are still producing new programs for the helio. There is this new program out for Helio's called Grey Scale, and its a must have. Because Helio has a 16 color grey screen (palm has a 4 color grey screen), you can download any picture online and view them on your Helio! For 50 bucks, it is the best deal for a PDA out thier. You won't be disapointed!

The Helio is just fine for most data storage needs like phonebook, notes and a calc with metric converter. I like the LARGE FONT mode and the screen is of a descent size. I just returned a Clie' Sj22 because the fonts and screen are too small.

JOT hand writing recognition works GREAT... better than graphiti.

On the bad side, the batteries are killing me. 2-"AAA" are needed and on average last only a week. I am a light user. The Duracell Ultra (recommended) may last 2 or more weeks. Rechargeable are lower in voltage (1.2 volts / cell as opposed to 1.5 volts with alkaline) and cause the battery indicator to appear low, even after a fresh charge. This was a bad choice of power supply. Yes, there is a backlight, but I never dare to use it.

I keep my fingers crossed each time I sync because the software (Helio Desktop) can act buggy because it is slow. Once you get a grip on syncing a few you should do OK.

I have spent a lot of time researching the PDA market. The choice was between the eBookman (not yet available) and the Helio. The Helio won on price and availibility. It does everything the other PDA's do, just a little differently and much less costly. I caused a few (Helio) problems on my own, yet I must say VTech customer service was 1) Live, 2) Knowledgeble, and 3) Courteous. Things worth noting: There are some games and applications out there for the Helio. The voice recorder is handy for those who can utilize it. You can sync with Microsoft Outlook seamlessly. There is an ebook reader. The apps with the Helio are user friendly and intuitive as is the Jot handwriting recogntion program. I have found only one flaw-when using the Helio in low/no light situations, the backlight is great except the "Exit" button is not lit. Having to dig that deep to find a flaw should speak as to this writer's opinion of the VTech Helio. Give it a try, you'll like it.

I am person who hates to confrom and in todays world, everyone does. It seems like everyone who owns a cell phone owns a Nokia, and everyone who owns a pda owns a handspring or palm. That is why I own a Ericsson and a VTECH HELIO!. The V-tech stands out compared to other PDA's. It has a built in voice recorder and everything else you need to keep organized. It is very stable, and does not have a cheap feeling like some other PDA's. For the price I bought it for (50 dollars), it was a steal. I know they discontinued making helios, and that is why stores in Europe and America are clearing them out by selling it for 50 dollars. But, the helio was originally 199 dollars (upper quality device),and now its for 50 dollars..it is a great deal. I use my Helio for everything, and it has never failed on me. Yes, their are a limited number of programs, but with all I see, many third party people are still producing new programs for the helio. There is this new program out for Helio's called Grey Scale, and its a must have. Because Helio has a 16 color grey screen (palm has a 4 color grey screen), you can download any picture online and view them on your Helio! For 50 bucks, it is the best deal for a PDA out thier. You won't be disapointed!

The Helio is just fine for most data storage needs like phonebook, notes and a calc with metric converter. I like the LARGE FONT mode and the screen is of a descent size. I just returned a Clie' Sj22 because the fonts and screen are too small.

JOT hand writing recognition works GREAT... better than graphiti.

On the bad side, the batteries are killing me. 2-"AAA" are needed and on average last only a week. I am a light user. The Duracell Ultra (recommended) may last 2 or more weeks. Rechargeable are lower in voltage (1.2 volts / cell as opposed to 1.5 volts with alkaline) and cause the battery indicator to appear low, even after a fresh charge. This was a bad choice of power supply. Yes, there is a backlight, but I never dare to use it.

I keep my fingers crossed each time I sync because the software (Helio Desktop) can act buggy because it is slow. Once you get a grip on syncing a few you should do OK.

I have spent a lot of time researching the PDA market. The choice was between the eBookman (not yet available) and the Helio. The Helio won on price and availibility. It does everything the other PDA's do, just a little differently and much less costly. I caused a few (Helio) problems on my own, yet I must say VTech customer service was 1) Live, 2) Knowledgeble, and 3) Courteous. Things worth noting: There are some games and applications out there for the Helio. The voice recorder is handy for those who can utilize it. You can sync with Microsoft Outlook seamlessly. There is an ebook reader. The apps with the Helio are user friendly and intuitive as is the Jot handwriting recogntion program. I have found only one flaw-when using the Helio in low/no light situations, the backlight is great except the "Exit" button is not lit. Having to dig that deep to find a flaw should speak as to this writer's opinion of the VTech Helio. Give it a try, you'll like it.

I am person who hates to confrom and in todays world, everyone does. It seems like everyone who owns a cell phone owns a Nokia, and everyone who owns a pda owns a handspring or palm. That is why I own a Ericsson and a VTECH HELIO!. The V-tech stands out compared to other PDA's. It has a built in voice recorder and everything else you need to keep organized. It is very stable, and does not have a cheap feeling like some other PDA's. For the price I bought it for (50 dollars), it was a steal. I know they discontinued making helios, and that is why stores in Europe and America are clearing them out by selling it for 50 dollars. But, the helio was originally 199 dollars (upper quality device),and now its for 50 dollars..it is a great deal. I use my Helio for everything, and it has never failed on me. Yes, their are a limited number of programs, but with all I see, many third party people are still producing new programs for the helio. There is this new program out for Helio's called Grey Scale, and its a must have. Because Helio has a 16 color grey screen (palm has a 4 color grey screen), you can download any picture online and view them on your Helio! For 50 bucks, it is the best deal for a PDA out thier. You won't be disapointed!

The Helio is just fine for most data storage needs like phonebook, notes and a calc with metric converter. I like the LARGE FONT mode and the screen is of a descent size. I just returned a Clie' Sj22 because the fonts and screen are too small.

JOT hand writing recognition works GREAT... better than graphiti.

On the bad side, the batteries are killing me. 2-"AAA" are needed and on average last only a week. I am a light user. The Duracell Ultra (recommended) may last 2 or more weeks. Rechargeable are lower in voltage (1.2 volts / cell as opposed to 1.5 volts with alkaline) and cause the battery indicator to appear low, even after a fresh charge. This was a bad choice of power supply. Yes, there is a backlight, but I never dare to use it.

I keep my fingers crossed each time I sync because the software (Helio Desktop) can act buggy because it is slow. Once you get a grip on syncing a few you should do OK.

I have spent a lot of time researching the PDA market. The choice was between the eBookman (not yet available) and the Helio. The Helio won on price and availibility. It does everything the other PDA's do, just a little differently and much less costly. I caused a few (Helio) problems on my own, yet I must say VTech customer service was 1) Live, 2) Knowledgeble, and 3) Courteous. Things worth noting: There are some games and applications out there for the Helio. The voice recorder is handy for those who can utilize it. You can sync with Microsoft Outlook seamlessly. There is an ebook reader. The apps with the Helio are user friendly and intuitive as is the Jot handwriting recogntion program. I have found only one flaw-when using the Helio in low/no light situations, the backlight is great except the "Exit" button is not lit. Having to dig that deep to find a flaw should speak as to this writer's opinion of the VTech Helio. Give it a try, you'll like it.

I am person who hates to confrom and in todays world, everyone does. It seems like everyone who owns a cell phone owns a Nokia, and everyone who owns a pda owns a handspring or palm. That is why I own a Ericsson and a VTECH HELIO!. The V-tech stands out compared to other PDA's. It has a built in voice recorder and everything else you need to keep organized. It is very stable, and does not have a cheap feeling like some other PDA's. For the price I bought it for (50 dollars), it was a steal. I know they discontinued making helios, and that is why stores in Europe and America are clearing them out by selling it for 50 dollars. But, the helio was originally 199 dollars (upper quality device),and now its for 50 dollars..it is a great deal. I use my Helio for everything, and it has never failed on me. Yes, their are a limited number of programs, but with all I see, many third party people are still producing new programs for the helio. There is this new program out for Helio's called Grey Scale, and its a must have. Because Helio has a 16 color grey screen (palm has a 4 color grey screen), you can download any picture online and view them on your Helio! For 50 bucks, it is the best deal for a PDA out thier. You won't be disapointed!

The Helio is just fine for most data storage needs like phonebook, notes and a calc with metric converter. I like the LARGE FONT mode and the screen is of a descent size. I just returned a Clie' Sj22 because the fonts and screen are too small.

JOT hand writing recognition works GREAT... better than graphiti.

On the bad side, the batteries are killing me. 2-"AAA" are needed and on average last only a week. I am a light user. The Duracell Ultra (recommended) may last 2 or more weeks. Rechargeable are lower in voltage (1.2 volts / cell as opposed to 1.5 volts with alkaline) and cause the battery indicator to appear low, even after a fresh charge. This was a bad choice of power supply. Yes, there is a backlight, but I never dare to use it.

I keep my fingers crossed each time I sync because the software (Helio Desktop) can act buggy because it is slow. Once you get a grip on syncing a few you should do OK.

I have spent a lot of time researching the PDA market. The choice was between the eBookman (not yet available) and the Helio. The Helio won on price and availibility. It does everything the other PDA's do, just a little differently and much less costly. I caused a few (Helio) problems on my own, yet I must say VTech customer service was 1) Live, 2) Knowledgeble, and 3) Courteous. Things worth noting: There are some games and applications out there for the Helio. The voice recorder is handy for those who can utilize it. You can sync with Microsoft Outlook seamlessly. There is an ebook reader. The apps with the Helio are user friendly and intuitive as is the Jot handwriting recogntion program. I have found only one flaw-when using the Helio in low/no light situations, the backlight is great except the "Exit" button is not lit. Having to dig that deep to find a flaw should speak as to this writer's opinion of the VTech Helio. Give it a try, you'll like it.

I am a LONG time PDA user and have owned several models- spent WAY too much money in this area, but that is a different story!

The Zire 72 is a decent device for the average user. 'Power users' or business users may want the increased memory and slightly more stable operating system of the PalmOne Tungsten T3, and WiFi users may want to consider the Sony TH55 or something, but the average user will love the Z72.

Still camera, movie camera, MP3 player, voice memos, AND the entire suite of Palm OS features in one package for under $300? Wow! Bonus- GREAT controls! Much better than the Zire 71 joystick!

OK, the thing is a little buggy. SOME programs (both new and old) don't run well on it. There is a bug or glitch if you use the 'quick unlock' AND 'lock at a pre-set time' features together. There are not a lot of accessories out yet (and with the proliferation of new devices, this is becoming a real problem for manufacturers!), and the non-standard connectors mean all of your old Palm Universal Connector stuff will not work (but this is only a problem if you have any of it!)

I would rate this a 5 IF it was more stable/less bugs, had a better battery life, and was not quite so... 'toylike' in the color and design. A perfect 5 would also have included a larger software package and a better case (the nylon/Velcro pouch is nice and well made, but to dig a PDA out of a pocket or bag, then dig it out of a pouch is a violation of the 'Zen' of Palms!)

The basic Palm functions are familiar and run fine on this machine. The processing speed is much faster than earlier Palms and Sony Clies I've owned. Walt Bilofsky's excellent Tide Tool freeware runs dramatically faster. Sync to a Mac under OSX 10.3.4 is fast and reliable. Palm finally has given Mac users some support.

The camera is the poorest excuse for a digicam I've used. Pictures are extremely contrasty, and color balance is usually way off. The lens vignettes, causing severe shift toward green at the corners of the frame. The Zire 71 camera, although lower resolution, had better color balance and more manageable contrast.

The audio player quality is not nearly as clean as an iPod, but good enough to be listenable. The output jack has surprisingly high gain. There's no equalizer, i.e. no tone control. The voice memo recording feature works well, and its audio quality, while not hi-fi, is good enough for guitar practice.

Downloading audio files to the Zire 72 via USB hotsync is unacceptably slow-- several minutes per MP3 track (this is acknowledged in the manual). I bought a $20 SD card reader and copied the files to the card directly. This is many times faster.

The case supplied by Palm for the Zire 72 is a bad joke. It's bulky, and the fit is overly tight. Earlier Palm models had convenient flip lids that attached directly to the machine. I don't know why Palm has retreated to this Mickey-Mouse approach. Also, the case supplied with my unit, when taken out of its plastic bag, had a powerful chemical or solvent smell (some sort of artifact of the manufacturing process?).

All in all, a powerful machine, a reasonable value, but not a masterpiece.

well i currently got this for x-mas and love it! i was skepitical to get it because i read reviews about the paint coming off but they fixed the problem!but it is extremly hard to figure out how to download music since i use wmp and you can only use this with real one player but i figured it out and it was worth it! however this is expensive but i like having the camera with me at all times i got mine with a rebate and got 4 free games! If you are looking for a pda this is is pretty good but look around for a good deal on the price!;)

I bought this with my first PDA...a Visor Pro...and didn't give a the design of the case a lot of thought as I was caught up in the excitement of ordering my new toy.

When my items arrived, I found the cover for the PDA can't be used with this case. That wouldn't bother me, but without the cover, the buttons on the PDA get pushed, or something, with normal usage (just carrying it around my office). I found I lost data--the dreaded re-set--and had to restore the PDA every couple of days.

At first, I thought something was wrong with the PDA but I found that if I keep the cover on it, everything's fine. So I purchased a soft sport case, keep the cover on the Visor, and voila...life is good! My 7 year old now carries this case with "her" PDA (a ($$$) calculator) inside and it seems to work fine for that.

I bought this case several months ago, but I wanted to give it some use before I submitted a review. I required a well-made and stylish leather case that added as *little* bulk as possible to my (original) Visor, while providing some basic protection. I didn't want a case that used hook & pile fastener to attach the Handspring - I wanted a case that took advantage of Handsprings unique top-and-bottom cover attachment system.

DESCRIPTION: This is a black leather fold-over case with a leather strap (2 1/2-in long, 3/4-in wide) that wraps from the back edge and fastens to the front (when closed) using a quality hook & pile fastener (probably Velcro). The pile is sewn into the full length of the leather strap, and a 1-in by 3/4-in hook pad is sewn onto the front. There is a small Handspring logo (about 3/4-in square) stamp-embossed on the lower right-hand corner of the front. Closed and containing the Visor only, it measures 5 1/8-in tall, 3 3/8-in wide and 1 1/8-in thick (not including the extra width of the attached strap). The front and back panels contain sewn-in cardboard for form and added protection. It's a tight-fitting case.

POCKETS: There are four pockets on the inside left. Three are credit card sized and will leave exposed the top 1/8-in of any credit cards you have inserted. These pockets are snug but can stretch to fit about three credit cards each (and maybe more). Each "end" about 3 1/4-in deep, so you won't lose any cards in the pockets. Be careful if you stretch out the pockets with more than just a couple of cards - although cards normally fit snugly, there's not much that will stop a card from slipping out of a loose pocket. The side pocket (still on the inside left, under the credit card pockets) is bigger and "ends" at 2 3/8-in deep. It's 4 3/4-in wide, and items placed inside will be somewhat protected (by the strap) from falling out.

QUALITY: This case seems very well made. The leather is free from scars and the stitching is practically perfect. After months of daily use, all stitches remain very tight, and there are no dangling threads, fraying edges or anything of the sort. Stitching and cuts are very uniform and beginning and ending points (of stitches) are well reinforced. There are no places where the stitches have "missed" their intended target - for example, the stitches around the edges and corners never miss the folded edges they intend to fasten. To hold the Visor in place, there is a hard plastic cover that is both tightly stitched and glued into place under a thin layer of leather on the right-hand side. This holds my Visor in place very snugly.

PROTECTION: When the visor is in the case, there's about a 1/8-in leather "edge" around it for a bit of protection. For a leather case, it provides good protection, but I certainly wouldn't go drop kicking it across the living room. I've accidentally dropped the Visor a couple of times (onto hard airport floors), and the case has successfully protected it (though the stylus flew out once). There are about three layers of leather a couple layers of sewn-in thin cloth (for the pockets) and a sewn-in piece of cardboard that protect the front of the visor. There are two layers of leather, the hard plastic holder, and a piece of sewn-in cardboard protecting the back. It's a good SOFT case, providing basic protection - don't play football with it or step on it and you'll probably be okay.

USABILITY: The strap tends to get in the way - it tends to curl right on top of the screen when you open the case up. Also, the open-like-a-book design requires a little more manipulation than a flip-top design, but with a little practice, you'll be able to open it quite quickly with one hand. I tend to pull the strap to the back, and then fold the front cover to the back as well. The cover then re-fastens onto the strap on the back of the case (a good side-effect of the strap design) and the Visor is exposed and very easy to use - just don't drop it now, because it's not well protected. I basically use the pockets for frequent flyer cards and for the ProxCard that gets me into the parking structure at work. (I can just wave the Visor case in front of the sensor and the gate opens up.)

WEAR & TEAR: The case has held up very well so far - probably because of the durability of the leather and the quality construction. The hook & pile fastener used in construction seems to be of high quality. The pile sewn onto the strap has not buckled or separated, and the fabric shows little sign of wear. The hook part of the fastener is still very firm and effective. The only place the case really shows wear is on the strap - close to where it goes into the back edge of the case. This is probably due mostly to the way I fold the strap to the back. Otherwise the case is still in excellent condition.

OVERALL RATING: I rate this product with four stars mainly because of the sometimes-annoying strap, but I can't think of a way they could have remedied the annoyance. And, though the hook and pile fastener has some positive side effects, I bet it'll be the first to wear out, and when it does it'll basically render the case useless. That said I'm extremely satisfied with the quality, style and lack of bulk, which were my initial requirements. It's probably the smallest quality case you can get for the Visor.

If you want a good balance of bulk, protection, style and quality, than this is the case for you. If you're clumsy or work around heave machinery all day, you might opt for a hard case instead.

Hope this was helpful!

I ordered this case at the same time I ordered my Visor.

I have workmates that use Visors, and seeing them slip the Visor in and out of those slip covers that come with the Visor, and then pop off that plastic face shield every time they use their Visor just looked awful. Looks awkward, and knowing me, I'd end up droping the thing one day just getting it out of the case.

So, onto this case. I like how it's made specifically for the Visor. It clips into the case very easily, and is very secure. But, at the same time, it also comes out easy enough when you want to sync.

The leather is not cheap, but rather very nice. It's soft, black, and does not look tacky at all. And I'm really into product design stuff. It's easy to hold in your hand, and even fits in your pocket, should you find the need.

The Velcro strap worries me a little, because I'm sure it'll wear out eventually, but at that point, the case itself will probably be beat up as well. I figure if the case lasts a year or so, you're in good shape.

The strap does kind get in my way when I have the case open and I'm tapping away. But, I've found that I can just tuck the strap under the Visor and it's out of my way.

I do not put any credit cards in the slots. I think cards would scratch the screen. I don't use this as a wallet, but of course, you're free to use your own judgement.

The Visor is a little exposed in this case (on the edges), and I'm not sure how much protection you'd get in a fall, but I guess it would be more than if you had no case at all, or even if you used the case that comes w/ the Visor.

Also, the stylus is a little hard to get to with this case, but it's not that big a deal.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this case. I ordered it based on the picture and the reviews written here. I am a tough customer when it comes to stuff like this . . . stuff I use everyday, and expect good fucationality out of, and this product does not disapoint.

If you need a case, or are just now buying a Visor, I think this is the first add-on you should buy.

I suppose this might be a cool device if it actually functioned properly. Almost from the second I unwrapped it there were problems - it freezes every other day. I don't know how much data I've lost cumulatively. I don't even want a replacement, I want a different model. I'll even take a "lesser" model. If Palm support fails me (which I hear is likely) I'm going back to handspring.

As a blackberry user for over a year and a half and a hard-core Palm junkie, I was eager to have a shot at carrying an all-in-one device rather than two devices which don't talk to each other. Plus, for the same price, the Palm.net service offers more (web clipping and web browsing without usage quota) than just always-on email.

I have been very pleased with the device itself in the month plus I've used it. It has the merely adequate grayscale palm display we're all used to by now, but rewards you with phenomenal battery life (20 minutes on the cradle a day keep it charged, even with wireless usage) and an eminently light and pocketable form factor. It is really quite amazing what they fit into such a slim little package, with an SD/MMC slot to boot!

If you haven't used a wireless device like a blackberry, you really don't know what you're missing. Instead of having to take time out of your routine to check your email a dozen times to see if an important message came through, you just go about your business until you either get beeped, buzzed, or flashed (your choice of nothing or any combo of the three). During a heated game of scrabble, just fire up the 705 with the Merriam Webster PQA (a sort of web shortcut to their site which avoids slow graphics/ads....see palm.com for details) and use their dictionary, which is far larger than what will fit on any PDA, to solve the dispute. Wondering what the population of Brazil is? Go to brittanica.com with their PQA and have the answer in 30 seconds. It makes firing a computer up seem like a waste of time.

The main shortcomings of the device center around the screen, but the battery life vs. full-time sidelit screen (like the Clie 760c) debate has been beaten to death. But the bottom line is that until the battery and screen technology progresses further (the organic LEDs, perhaps?), you're not going to have a wireless PDA and a dynamite screen in this kind of form factor. And I really don't think that I could go back to a Clie after getting used to full-time wireless access.

The other issue is that of the network the device uses. While the Mobitex network doesn't set any speed records, it is a) fairly responsive, b) rock-solid reliable (Sept. 11 didn't cause so much of a hiccough in the NYC area network), c) has better coverage than GPRS or 3G will have for quite a while to come. And since Voicestream's throughput-based data fees are not attractive (what's the fun of a wireless toy if you've got to watch the clock?) to the average user, Mobitex wins in my mind.

It is so nice to combine the functionality of my old Palm (I am a fan of the Palm OS) and Blackberry. I got my i705 two days ago, came home, quickly got it set up and also got the palm.net set up. I was very surprised that AOL's AIM (Instant Messenger) is included and you can also download the Yahoo Instant Messenger from their web site. How nice to be able to Instant Message when I am away from my PC!! My husband and I tried this out from our home computer to the Palm with the instant messaging and emails and they appeared to and from my Palm instantly. The other internet features such as news, etc. is equal to or better than my Blackberry and the always on email is AWESOME. I was tired of carrying around two devices and couldn't give up the always on email the Blackberry offered, but the Blackberry fell short as far as the PDA functionality my old Palm offered. My husband has a compaq IPAQ with the wireless module and aircard and the i705 is so sleek and is SO much more light weight and smaller than his IPAQ. Also the color display on his IPAC EATS the battery in hours, whereas I have had my i705 on since I got it and the batter is no where near close to having to be recharged. I can give up color for that!!! Needless to say, after using my i705, hubbie just put in an order for one for himself.

Having a screen protector on your PPC is a great idea, I wholeheartedly recommend getting one to keep the screen scratch-free. However, with the HP protectors, they could have done a better job with designing them. They aren't flexible sheets of film that adhere to the screen, but instead are more rigid sheets of plastic. I found that when freshly installed, the protector had a tendency to move around on the screen when I tried to write on it. Any dust under it actually scratched the underside of the protector. The PPC screen itself seems like it's still scratch-free. After rubbing my fingers across the top of it a few times, then wiping off the smudges with a soft cloth (don't press too hard), the resistance went away and it seemed to stay put when writing on it. HP should have designed them to fit a little more snuggly on the screen so they don't give me the impression that they could scratch the screen by their own movement.

All I can say is that I am more than satisfied with the HP Jornada screen protectors. I ordered them here on Amazon, I peeled off BOTH sides of the green tinted plastic sheets that protect the hard plastic screen protector and installed my first screen protector. I used the first one up in a few days, and was really disappointed, but with the second one (it's been on for a month) I used a different stylus....this has made all the difference!! There are many styli on the market, and I now own three...I have found that these don't scratch the screen protector as much as the original stylus.

I do not see what everyone is having a problem with. I have never had the protectors move on me, they stay in place very well. I will continue to use these protectors as long as they are available.