Organizer Reviews

You have sent the wrong cradle. you sent a palm v series cradle and we ordered a cradle for the palm lllc. The one that was sent
is incompatible with the palm lllc pda. We will be returning this cradle. The seried v has a curved base, and a female connector, the palm lllc base should be straight and have a male connector in the base to fit into the female connector of the pda unit.

this cradle does include the AC Adapter/Power Supply to recharge the Palm in the cradle. It duplicates the one shipped with the Palm IIIc, including the 9 to 25 pin serial adapter. If they would have included a USB adapter, I would have rated it 5 stars.

Just as with the other items, on time as promise and in a sealed
box. Price also was good.

If I had to buy it again, I would have opted for the more expensive rugged connection. I don't know how long this cheap little plug will. Other than the card is excellent - and seems to have a low power consumption.

Worked correctly on my Sharp Zaurus with no configuration required. I just plug it in (or unplug it) and the built-in software does the rest.

This is an excellent product. I have used it successfully to connect to 2 networks, I have also installed a thin client and used it to connect to a Citrix server. A lot of people complain that it is difficult to remove from the Jornada. My response to that is, once you have it in, why in the world would you ever want to remove it. Does this sound like a review for the Jornada?

I HAD Franklin Covey software. No more.

All told, I lost 24 hours trying to find data/contact knowledgeable tech support reps. Franklin Covey finally agreed upon a $150 voucher for all my trouble.

Hot syncs: create too many appointment repeats, for no seeming or predictable reason. (3 on one day? All-year repeats that were supposed to be one week?)

How do Palm and Franklin Covey work together? Not well. Palm offers so much that you cannot access via FC.

I've been so pleased since I figured out, with not much help from Franklin Covey, how to transfer all my Franklin Covey data to just plain old Palm. Please beware.

At first I thought it would be too hard to get used to it, but after 3 or 4 days using it I really took advantage from the Palm V.

I deal with so many different meetings and such that this is the product that has made all the difference

This system is only compatible with Nokia 5190 and 6190 cell phones. All other 5000 and 6000 series phones are not compatible. I would suggest contacting your wireless carrier and/or the manufacturer before purchasing this product to get any compatibility issues resolved.

I use this product to surf the net on my Jornada 680. I can get 9800 bps, this is fine if you don't load graphics. I find that a site like Yahoo.com which is fast and has low-bandwidth requirements is loads up surprisingly fast.

You probably have to subscribe to your mobile phone provider's data service.

I feel compelled to write an enthusiastic review of the Socket DPC because currently there is only one review on-line, and it is a negative one for the simple reason that the customer's phone happens not to be compatible with this product---well, who said it was? Not the manufacturer!

I was recently on vacation in Chicago and a severe storm knocked out our power for two days. But thanks to my Compaq Aero 1550 Pocket PC, my Socket DPC, and my Nokia 6190, the one thing I could happily do in the dark was send e-mail and surf the Internet!

this refers to using this product with sprintpcs samsung 8500 phone.

I keep getting "no carrier detected" with this thing, and the phone does not show any message, on its screeen. The phone is samsung 8500.

The palm pc that I have connects with no problem at all with the normal modem, to the same ISP, same number.

Do you need to enable data on the phone through sprint? Do you need to pay for the wireless web from sprint to get this to work

I've written very few 'negitive' reviews but unfortunately this is one. I bought this to connect my 'Handspring Visor' to my 'Sprint PCS Samsung 3500'. Not only am I dissappointed that I could not get it to work, but after many attempts to get assistance from Socket, I gave up. So, my advice... from the previous reviews, I'm guessing that this thing works great for some people. But, if your not sure what your doing and you may need help from the company, don't count on getting it...

A wonderful tool for road warriors and IT support personnel if used within its limitations. Understanding those limitations will make the difference between your liking or hating this card, and will also set your expectations for what you should use this card for.

Limitations: this is a relatively low-speed communications device that is constrained by digital phone network capabilities and not the engineering behind the device itself. I use Verizon and have gotten reasonably good results in both speed and communications reliability when using this with a laptop. What is "reasonably good results"? I view it as communication speed in the 14.4-19.6kpbs range, which is much slower than we are used to for web browsing and downloading dozens of e-mail messages, some with massive attachments. If you are expecting the same speed as you get from your laptop modem, home DSL or office LAN you will be sorely disappointed. If you want a solution to getting last minute e-mail before getting on a plane and are using a web-based e-mail system (like Microsoft Outlook's web-based option or a mail service like Yahoo or Hotmail) this is an excellent tool. The difference between POP (post office protocol) mail that most of us use and the web-based variety is you have no control over the message download process with POP - it steams into your system until all messages have been downloaded. You get the spam and low priority stuff with the important messages. Web-based mail allows you to preview the messages and selectively download and read them. If you do not have web-based e-mail and expect to use this card with POP mail, you might be in for a disappointment. It takes forever to download mail at the relatively low speed at which this device operates.

Other issues include the cell site strength of your provider. I use Verizon and live in Southern California. My area has great service and coverage, except for in the late afternoon when the network seems to congest and calls drop. If you have problems with dropped calls with your provider this might not be the device for you.

How IT professionals can use this device. If you have a laptop or palmtop computer and get paged that is triggered by an event, such as a file system at 80% or, say, a database problem, you can hook this device into your phone/laptop and initiate a telnet session once you get into your network - regardless of where you are, troubleshoot and possible resolve the problem.

As an IT professional I personally view this device as an emergency tool, much like the jumper cables I carry in my trunk. I do not use it often, but when I need it I know I have a tool that will connect me to where I need to connect. Surfing the net with it, on the other hand, is not only agonizing, but expensive.

It installs easily and works right out of the box. You be the judge and make an informed decision based on limitations and utility. If you can live with the limitations and see the same potential for utility as I, then this is a 5 star device, which is how I'm rating it.

I had this particular case and after leaving the case in my car part part of the case stuck to my CD's and ruined a few of them. I know you shouldn't leave CD's in a hot car, but I never thought the case would melt onto the CD's.

I own two of these, and they are very lightweight and easy to carry around. The only major problem is that after awhile, white marks start to appear on the sleeves. They look similar to chalk marks. This doesn't appear on the actual CD, but it doesn't look very good. Still, if you own a lot of CDs and carry them around a lot, this is a good buy. I am a dance teacher and have to lug around a ton of CDs. With these cases I can carry up to 72 CDs with almost no weight. I'd definately recommend this!

I bought my two cases when Case Logic still used the white sleeves, so keep in mind that my opinions on the sleeves may not apply with the black sleeves. Anyways, like another reviewer has already said, these are awesome for me because I am a dance teacher. I have to bring a ton of CDs each day with me to class, because I get tired of some of them or I have multiple style classes on the same day. Well, I bring these two faithfully with me to class every day. They work very well! The slots don't stick to the CDs, the CDs don't get scratched, etc. They are lightweight, which is another bonus. And the pages are very easy to flip quickly, which is useful when you are looking for that one CD you need. I also have a really big case that holds 120, and some smaller ones that hold 12 or 24, but those are really inconvenient sizes. This is really the perfect size. I'd recommend this to anyone who has a lot of CDs. It's worth it.

Please do not buy this case. While the leather is cushioned and nice to hold, the case does not offer any protection for the corners at all. The case does not seem to fit the Palm against the spine either, warping and twisting. The case is also bulkier than I had anticipated.

I am going to buy the aluminum RhinoSkin case for a better fit and more protection. I strongly suggest it.

The thing I like most about this case is that it's not too bulky like some other cases. When it's folded out it looks almost like a men's wallet, it also holds credit cards and has a clear slot for a driver's lisence or photo ID. The leather is all right. I wouldn't say it's the best, but for the money it's not bad at all. ...

I'll admit it. The Palm Slim Wallet Case is a little larger than Palm's Slim Leather Case (which was my previous Palm protectant). And the tongue loop, which is also a little longer and narrower, is also just a tad more cumbersome to use.

But the case still holds my business cards and the doctor's appointment reminders for my kids; and its padded exterior still protects my Palm from possible bumps and bruises in case I drop it (which still happens on occasion, I hate to say).

The most significant improvement (in addition to the wallet feature), however, is that the attachment rail is now suspended from the case by a durable leather strip -- which is much stronger than the flexible TPE rubber strip used on the slim leather case, which was always the first portion on this carrier to wear out.

But, best of all, the full-length (wallet-style) pocket -- which is great for holding cash, checks or receipts -- is virtually invisible (the two cases being almost indistinguishable from one another, except for the slight difference in size), so no one needs to know that my Palm case is also a billfold. I can now stash some extra cash -- that is easily accessible, since my Palm is always with me -- in a place where my wife won't discover it, particularly when she goes riffling through my wallet looking for lunch money for the kids. (Whew!)

The larger size of the wallet case (versus the slim case) does make for a slightly larger bulge in my front pocket when I carry it (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially for one's ego). But the convenience of having a little extra legal tender with me (hidden with my Palm) more than makes up for it.

As my new personal "teller machine," my Palm -- esconced within my new slim wallet case -- continues to become more and more versatile.

It's not bad when it works. I have had the 500 series now for just over 1 year. It broke the first time half way through the warrentee and the second right after it ran out. With only an MMC slot the expandibility stinks as well. On the plus side, the screen is very bright and nice, battery life was good, and the price is now almost half what I originally paid.

Just got a EM-500 and I love it. But I was shocked to learn that no one makes a keyboard for the system - folding or otherwise. I've even called the manfacturers, and they say they have no plans to make one. So if you want to add something along those lines, look for a different pocket PC.

I love PDA's (and computers in general, for that matter) and this is an excellent device. There was a time when I swore by Palm's pda's, but while Windows CE (now known as Pocket PC) has evolved to near-desktop power, the Palm has remained virtually unchanged. Of the Pocket PC's available, this unit is the best compromise of size and power. It packs a 150mhz cpu (more powerful than the HP Jornada, less than the Ipaq), 16mb of ram, and an amazing screen capable of displaying 16bit color. The Ipaq and HP Jornada can both only do 12-bit color at best. All of that is packed in a comfortable, small device that feels extremely solid in the hand.

While I do believe the EM-500 is probably the best unit available, it does have a few draw-backs. The miserly 16mb of ram is hardly enough... if you buy this make sure to get a 32mb or 64mb memory card to go with it. My other complaints are minimal: lack of hardware volume control, location of IRDA port... but none of these minor issues really impact the usefulness of the unit.

Definitely a great PDA, and well worth the money

This is billed as being able to sync with your PC. This is true, but it ONLY synchronizes with the software that comes with it. So, it won't sync with Outlook or anything else, but what is worse in my mind is that there is NO import/export functions whatsoever (except to the unit itself). That mease the ONLY way to get addresses and so forth into the PC program is to manually type it all, tediously, through an inefficiently designed interface. It's very strange because the program and the attractive handheld unit are quite capable otherwise.

The Amazon site states that this unit comes with the cable and pc-link software. It does NOT. I have sent 3 emails to the help desk with NO replies. No phone number to call anyone. I believe I will not order from them again.

The unit seems ok for the price tho.

This organiser are very useful, for students, teachers, salespeople, etc. (check it, is wonderful)

I tried this thing out for two weeks.
4 weak points:

1. It takes soo long to transfer music to it.
30 minutes per 1 hour of music. This is a drain on the batteries and your time.

2.It's buggy. It Hard-Reset (losing everything on my handspring) my Handspring twice, the thing soft-resets my Handspring soo often, either by taking it out of the springboard slot before it's good and ready, or it just freezes. The User-interface could be much better.

3.It sucks batteries like you won't believe.
It suggests you get special "NiMH" batteries that are $$$ for two, plus you have to get a recharger, so that it can play longer. Using normal Alkaline batteries, you need to stop listening every bit of time so the batteries don't kill too fast. Otherwise it'll die without warning.

4. Serious design compromises. Not being able to put the cover back on the handspring sucks. Also, it really adds to the size and weight of the Handspring.

There is one minor element: Compact Flash cards are still very expensive, although the price will down with time.

To sum it up: it's not a bad little player, just disappointing in almost every way! Get yourself a stand alone module with more memory.

I'm returning my InnoGear module. What a disappointment. I listened to music for about 10 minutes and wiped out almost a third of my battery. The file transfer can only access the 2 MB section of the module, not the removable (and expensive!) media. Data transfer is slow and I'd recommend no less that 128 MB storage for reasonable listening. I had planned to keep this module in all the time but when it is in you can't put on the protective cover. The photos in the photo album are awful on my b/w screen-- not worth the time it takes to load them.

It simply doesn't live up to the hype.

I just got a MiniJam and attached it to my old handheld (Prism) for workouts at the gym. When I got the new Treo, my Prism threatened to become excess. Repurposing it for entertainment seemed to be the thing to do.

Intuitive Operation / Reasonable Setup
This is only the second Springboard module that I have used (Eyemodule was the first). I was pleased to find that MiniJam works intuitively. I am typically put off by set up procedures involving disks and devices, but it was painless. I would have been less daunted by set up if the instructions were printed as a simple 1, 2, 3 on the outside of the box instead of the junky graphics. The unit is a lot less junky than the pictures on the packaging seems to indicate. Once it was set up, it couldn't be easier to use. It is intuitive, taking advantage of the familiar icons of traditional products like a cassette tape player and (browser-style)juke box.

Function in the Gym Environment
OK, I wouldn't say that the earphones would never fall out; running on the treadmill would require a different listening apparatus. For my workouts, though, the MiniJam worked great. I am substituting it for a Walkman tape player, so the key benefits were being able to switch to songs that I felt like hearing without winding and longer battery life -- no more droning tape. The drawbacks were losing the earphones once during weightlifting and initially getting the Prism situated on me so that I didn't inadvertently bump the buttons.

Key Observation
When I got my first handheld, I didn't feel compelled to use module expansion. However, it's amazing how when I have two of them the primary one does all the calendaring and traditional functions and -- with the Springboard platform -- the second one gets used more as I imagine Handspring had intended: sort of a Swiss Army Knife of electronic products. I would have still kept the Prism for playing games (any Wordlet enthusiasts?), but it has a lot more life left in it than that.

I recommend the MiniJam. It's just what you'd expect your Springboard MP3 player to be.