PDA Reviews

First the plusses:

1. Prevents your organiser from being accidentally switched on. (Some cases leave the on/off key exposed.)
2. There's a little pocket inside which can take a small mobile phone too, if you're happy with the resulting bulge. (I keep my Sony T68i in there.)
3. There's a belt attachment and loop on the reverse of the case.

And the minuses:
4. You have to remove your organiser from the case to use it.
5. Though the case is tough, there isn't a rigid plate inside to protect your PDA screen from cracks due to crush and point impacts. If your PDA came with a clip-on screen protector, you'll be advised to keep it clipped on inside the case.

I have to admit that I don't own a Clie. I use the case for my Palm Tungsten T2, which fits nicely inside. Oh well, it's the same OS ...

Ever since changing from a paper planner to a PDA, I'd been scouring the web for a cool case to carry it in. I found one I liked pretty well, it had room for credit cards and my palm but not really anyplace to store cash. Okay, if you wadded the bills up carefully they could go in this one pocket, but because they were folded a couple of times this quickly got bulky and besides, there was still no where to put my change. So I'd wind up carrying my pda case inside a purse, so I could still have access to my wallet and checkbook. There went the convenience of having such a small and smart planner-- with the purse I was carrying around something bigger and bulkier than my old paper planner!

I was very excited when I finally came across this item at Amazon. It's got room for almost everything, plenty of pockets to put things in, lots of credit card slots and a nice, big zippered compartment behind the checkbook holder that was perfect for un-folded bills and even spare change! It's all in a sturdy backpack-like material and closes smartly with a zipper. What more could a girl ask for?

Just one thing. It needs to have some sort of a pocket on the outside for my cell phone, and then it will truely have everything on my wish list. For now, I am clipping my phone to the outside flat pocket, but I'd like something that protects the face of my phone better, and it makes me nervous to rely soley on the clip for the safety of my phone.

Still, it was an excellent choice and one I would make again, I still haven't seen anything I like better. With the exception of the cell phone issue, it really is a smart, stylish all-in-one organizer for all your stuff in one place, and it keeps everything beautifully organized.

This soft, touchable leather case will accept the 500/505. The Palm V rail won't work, but add a patch of velcro to the right hand side and you'll have a tailored case for your new Palm. Not perfect, but close until the "real" 500/505 cases debut. The added matching business card case is just pure gravy! You can leave it tucked in place or carry seperately. This case is put together well, the contrasting stitching adds interest and at this price it's a true bargain.

I like this case very much. It provided everything I was looking for with an added bonus of having a removeable business card holder. My only gripe is that the color is misleading. I was expecting a dark burgundy/wine. The color is more of a reddish brown.

This little thing is organized and feels great! I just wish the phone and PDA pouches had velcro closures so the items couldn't slide out while you're carrying the portfolio. At least it zips shut so they don't fall on the floor...

This is a very nice investment for the Palm. I recently bought it at Amazon and I really don't think I can find a shield like this that can beat the price. It's quite hard to stick on the Palm, but after that, you'll never be scared of scratches on your screen. Just think, buy a shield now and don't wait for your Palm to need a replacement screen that will cost hundreds. This is definitely a must-buy.

The first time I try to use it, I failed as I paste with wrong position. Then I took it off and tried to paste it again.
But unfortunately, I found that it is impossible to do it twice. Because the overlay sticked on the screen tightly and the overlay has been bended after I took it off sucessfully.

So I took another new overlay and try again. This time I paste it on very carefully. After I pasted it on, it is very good. The screen is sharp and writing on the screen is smooth too.
There were two very small bubbles between the overlay and screen(I don't want to waste an overlay again), but after one day, the bubbles disappeared!

This product is good but don't think you can wash it and use it again.

I like this new trend of collapsing stylus - takes a few seconds to get used to, but pulling them out of the device or the portfolio elastic naturally extracts and "locks" them for use, and saves space otherwise. A bit pricey, but good quality - more likely to lose than break.

Check out more info on Viewsonic PDA products at the Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ViewSonic/

This cradle seems quite nice. However I had to return it when it arrived because it doesn't include a power adapter. So I thought I'd add a note here just to let others know.

I've been waiting for the new Palm m505 for the longest time. Imagine, a color Palm the size of the Palm V? It's what every Palm V owner dreamed of. Well, that dream became a reality, but in the process, some issues ultimately downgrade my rating to 4 stars.

First, the good: the shape of the unit is nice. You have the slightly altered shape of the Palm V (it's shorter in height, but a tad deeper, most likely to accomodate for the color screen) that just looks so cool... It's a little heavier than the old Palm V, but that's expected. It fits very well in your hand.

The new Secure Digital (SD) and MulitMedia Card (MMC) expansion is welcome. Granted, there are only a few cards out there, but at least Palm finally noticed that this kind of expansion was necessary.

I like the fact that Palm added a vibrating alarm to the unit. Granted, it's not earth shaking, but it's a great alternative to an incessant beep.

Speedwise, the Palm is fast with the new 33 MHz processor. It's a tad faster than the Palm V.

Now onto the bad: Well, it's not exactly bad, but these are issues that will be a problem to some people, and it's only fair that I bring them up so you can make a smart purchasing decision.

The screen: The screen is a TFT reflective screen. This means that with direct sunlight, the screen gets brighter. So if you're in a dark room, you'll need the sidelight (yep, sidelight, not a backlight). Without the sidelight in a dimly lit room, you couldn't tell if this unit was color or not.

I have no problem with using the sidelight, and with the sidelight on it gives, to me, a clear view of the screen. Yep, it does drain battery life, but without the sidelight on, the Palm has an impressive battery life, so I take it as a good trade-off. The problem I have with the whole screen issue is that there's no way for me to adjust the brightness of it. Some people like bright screens, but if the sidelight isn't bright for you, you're not going to like this unit. I hope Palm makes a software update so that users can adjust the brightness of the sidelight to accomodate people who like bright and vivid colors. It just makes sense to me.

The "universal connector": You'll understand why I put that phrase in quotes in a bit. Palm had to redesign their connector to accomodate true USB support, so they make a new "universal connector." Bad news is none of your old Palm peripherals will work with this thing. You see the irony right now?

The stylus holder: If you're left handed, you might want to turn away right now. Palm had to make the Stylus Holder on the left side slimmer (to accomodate the new hardware), so you can't put the stylus on the left hand side. You can put the flip cover on, but not the stylus. As of this review, Palm hasn't made plans for creating a left handed stylus.

That's about it. It's a good unit, don't get me wrong, but there are just a couple of issues there that doesn't warrant a perfect review. My suggestion: If you've always wanted a color PDA with an expansion slot, and have not been introduced to a Handspring Prism or Palm IIIc, get this unit. Hey, you others might like it, but don't say I didn't warn you...

Yes people, its true about the screen. Ive been loyal to Palm since the first PDA they introduced when it was 3Com, have owned 4 Palms, .... and was very excited to hear about the color m505. I bought it sight unseen over the net, and received it a couple of days ago. But I will NOT return it for many reasons...even though the display is ridiculously dim looking in mixed office lighting (flourescent lighting with sunlight through the windows ) and the color is sometimes there, and sometimes not...( depending on the ambient lighting )

The first thing you must know is the Palm m505 publicity photo is pure propaganda, the screen in no way resembles it. The screen is not able to produce a white background even while backlit under ideal circumstances. You will be using the backlit feature alot of the time while indoors, but read on to the pros of this unit.

Why am I rating the m505 with 4 stars then?

The most obvious aspect to this Palm is durablity in the field, and battery life. The screen problems everyone touts as the main reason to NOT buy is actually one of the reasons Im keeping it. After all, what good is a PDA if theres no electricity to power it? Palm knows this and gave us a color screen that can last up to two weeks of use before recharge. The battery life to me is more important than an insanely beautiful screen at this point of time with the technology available to Palm. AND, they have given us a REFLECTIVE screen, it actually is in full color and VERY bright in the sunlight or outdoors.

With the Palm 4.0 OS, everything syncs perfect and FAST via the native USB cable, although not much new stuff in the OS. The software included is very valuable... deduct that off the sales price The palm cradle feels solid (although it has a plastic case).

The m505 is a solid unit, buttons and case are incredible, feel good and the unit is FAST, moving through the interface is FAST.

The bottom line here is that the color of this unit is a frill, not a great feature for anyone who is really interested in a super display. I personally dont have any problems reading the display... yes it appears washed out, but still its more fun to look at than a monochrome display... the unit functions perfectly, has a vibrator alarm, as well as better and louder sounds....the unit is trick but the display is not perfect. Just remember when deciding about buying it whether battery life is important, and that the reflective display is a different type of technology that views indoors differently.

The Palm M505 is a neat little PDA. It's features are perfect for students to business people. There are many positive elements to this little Palm.

The Palm M505 is the perfect companion for a student. It's small size and low price makes it perfect for somebody on the run and someone in need of a durable, compact Palm Pilot. In it's life, my Palm has been dropped numerous times, gotten soaked in water, and gotten thrown into the bottom of a backpack countless times. Again, it is perfect for anyone in need of durable database.