http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/m100-review.html

I wasn't sure what else to say about the colored face plates. Basically they just change the color of the face :-)

Maybe people will created metal ones... now that would be nice.

Les:
I don't have a case for the m100 yet so I can't tell you how much bigger that it will make it. But, since there is a flip cover you really don't need a case... FYI: The m100 is the thickest Palm device yet.

I must say that I would NOT be caught dead using it in the office environment. That's like using your kid's Pokemon crayons :-)

The cover doesn't add much thickness since it's very thin, but the place where it joins to the body is ugly and feels flimsy. I expect that to break if you're not careful.

I'll pass. A Visor or even a IIIe might be a better bet.

The one thing I give the nod to Palm for is the inclusion of the Note Pad app. I've become so acclimated to Grafitti that the utility of such a program seems small; but I've talked to a *lot* of new Palm users who are looking for this very application.

It's interesting to compare it's UI to BugMe! or DiddleBug -- they did a number of things in Note Pad to make it simpler and easier to use, I think.

Julie's final comment was, IMHO, the most insightful: "I think that the m100 would be more attractive if it was priced at $100. To me, it feels more like a $100 device than a $150 device."

Exactly. And you know what? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the m100 is selling for $100 within a few short months. In order to truly make a PDA that appeals to the masses, Palm will have to crack the $100 mark. The m100 looks like it was designed to do just that.

As for its "toylike" appearance, the m100 reminds me of nothing as much as it does a cell phone or pager. The m100 is no more a toy than any of these devices. Palm is set on making handheld computers as ubiquitous as cell phones and pagers. The m100 is one more step towards making that a reality.

(Sorry my question wasn't clear)

SIZE:
The M100 is thicker than the other Palms, but not by much when you count the covers. Also, it's smaller in height and width and feels as comfortable in my pocket as my PalmV due to the curved edges (which also make it more comforatble to hold than my PalmV). However, don't buy an M100 until you've played with one since many people are complaining about the small screen (though it doesn't bother me).

BETTER BACKLIGHTING:
It's a well known limitation with "newer" Palm backlighting that the screen harder is harder to read under certain lighting and it can only be used when it's really dark. The M100 fixes this somewhat. It doesn't use the old PalmPilot type backlighting, but is much better than my PalmV in dim lighting (Is this true for you Julie? Maybe my PalmV is defective...)

TODOS IN DATEBOOK:
I haven't bothered installing OS3.5 on my PalmV, so I don't know if that has this... but the M100 has a screen for viewing Todos in the Datebook. It's about time. I wouldn't have bothered buying Datebk3 if I had that with the built in software a couple years.

APPEARANCE
I'm indifferent to the toylike appearence. Sure it's not as professional as the PalmV, but I bought the PalmV because of its size and weight, not its sleek look.

SPEED:
Afterburner runs it at 29 MHz with no problems.

PRICE:
I was surprised the Visor was recommended as a better deal since the M100 comes with a hotsync cable and the basic Visor does not.

OTHER COMMENTS:
The M100 is very functional. I'm psyched there is a device that weighs 4 oz and uses regular batteries. I like the convenience of charging my PalmV in the cradle, but I hate having to worry about it running down when I'm away from the cradle (yes, there are various options for this, but they are all more expensive and less convenient than AAAs).

I'm selling my PalmV for $225 and buying an M100 for $130 (you can get them for that with coupons at various online sites), which I'm going to upgrade to 8MB. I've wanted more memory in my PalmV for a while, but didn't want to pay $100 for it and didn't want to mess around with melting the case glue.

Although the flip lid,(reminiscent of the PiLid for the old Palm Pro), will protect the screen when it's covering it, I think this device still needs a case for protection. It felt cheap to me as well. And like you said, there was nothing to hold the lid down. Just imagine how thick this would be with a case around it!

I would bet that some savvy entrepreneur out there will be designing a flashy aluminum replacement flip cover that also clips to something on the bottom of the unit to keep it closed. In fact, that's probably why Palm has the flip lid 3d model on their M100 developer's page.

As for the lightweight feel of the M100, I wonder how much of that is due to the plastic vs glass screen? I think that Palm should be applauded for making such a light PDA. But to me, in many ways lighter feels weaker or cheaper. Which is too bad, because unless people start to find that they break easily, there isn't any real data to say that they are in fact cheap or weak.

I just like to know would they be releasing anything else, for the "M" Series?
"Basically, it's a Palm IIIe in a new casing. As a matter of fact, the m100 is the replacement for the Palm IIIe."
Now there should also be a replacement for the Palm IIIx sooner or later, because they have already done it to IIIe.
I am now saving up for a palm and like to buy one, but I am not really interested in expensive ones like the Palm V, and the outdated ones (as mentioned above). So is there gonna be another M series Palm that is better than M100 that i can wait for or is there gonna be no other fish to catch? If there is going to be another one, how long will it be released? (hopefully not over 2 months) Should the next one be released, do you think they will lower the prices down?

Second, 2MB, is that enough? I dont have a palm device, and you know 2MB on a PC means its useless, so about how many programs i can install? (Not to-dos, memos, e.t.c. I will never have thousands of appointments).

Third, the size seems huge compared to the others, any opinions?
If you were to choose between cases of a M100 or Palm III, which one would you choose if all features would be the same?
Consider gripping, storing, and appearance, e.t.c..
Personally, I will only test one out when i have saved up enough to buy one, that may be in a months time.

Lastly, if you can, when you write these reviews, try and include metric systems (CM, MM, g, e.t.c.) so i dont have to convert all the time.

The biggest complaint I have with the Visor and Handspring in general is that the expansion slot is a crap shoot. It's a great idea but if it was just a normal CF flash slot I would have been using it already.

The promised list of cards sounds great but there are very few out there. Some of the neater ones also disappeared from the list (802.11b wireless ethernet to be specific).

Watching how fast the battery dies when using the backlight or a busy USB sync I don't really think the Visor (and most likely Palm products) will really work well with too many add on cards.

http://www.eblong.com/zarf/zcatalog.html

FYI: I found that the app is REALLY slow on my IIIc.

1) The target audience is high-school seniors and university students, people who have some money to spend and like cool-looking high-tech gadgets. (If there had been a $150 Palm in the bookstore when I was a freshman, I definitely would have picked one up!)

2) It's lighter than any other battery-equiped Palm, but not smaller. However, it doesn't need a protective case while all other Palms do. This pretty much makes up for the size difference. Add to that that at $150 its almost a disposable unit compared to the $400 Palm Vx or IIIc.

3) The smaller screen area gives the screen a higher DPI and a higher resolution look, and the backlight is brighter (probably due to the higher DPI).

4) It comes with a hotsync cable, but no cradle -- and it only syncs serial, no USB.

5) The mail app is missing -- a strange decision on Palm's part. I can understand removing the Expense app (it's about time, since it's basically useless in its current form), but I thought the mail app would be great for the target audience.

6) The serial port is compatable with the III-series, but the case design makes interoperability with III-series attachments impossible. Some devices, like keyboards and cables work, though.

7) Good application and scroll buttons, lousy power button.

8) Flip cover is well designed but ought to snap closed, like that on a Newton.

9) The M100 comes with PocketMirror -- combined with the absence of the mail app, this one really twists my noodle: the IIIe came with Expense and Mail, but not with PocketMirror... why, Palm?

Its round bottom and smaller shape fits in my pocket better then the PalmV or IIIs.
I think it will have less of a damaging effect on the threads of my jeans as I wear it.

Has changed in functionally? You opened your review with this note, and it sounded to me like a put down? In my point of View this is a BIG PLUS! It becomes one less thing I have to worry about, "different screen size", different number of buttons, different ram configuration. This makes software easier to produce, and test. The consumer again, comes out a winner since it is a device adjusted to their needs but, maintains a stable configuration for developers.

Harder On button: Nice again, unless you have arthritis. It is less prone to come on in my pocket, and I can toss the always-on hack.

Replaceable bezel: I think this can be easly over-looked. Any young customer will ask, does it come in blue? green? My school colors?... This has proven to be a very successful features, (cell phones can attest to this) while at the same time, simplifying manufacturing, and packaging. Once again, lowering the cost of the device, while improving what is delivered to the customer.

Julie, did you take it apart? In order to lower costs, I would assume they simplified the assembly. It would be interesting to look at this. Reliability should be improved if they did this.

The cost is a big issue. If you draw a chart
Palm has cut the cost in Half. Maybe doubling the number of people that might buy Palm.

The bigest negative I see is the fact that it is not FLASHABLE! Like the boo-boo handspring did, was to give the poor customer a fixed OS. Ir was improved between PlamOS 3.3 and 3.5, as I am sure networking. But the poor sap that buys either of these will never get the improvements. Don't let Palm forget, that we want devices to live, till we are done with them!

While there are patches that can't be applied (like the 3.x > 3.3 update), you can install the minor updates (like the 3.5.x > 3.5.2). Also, the updates really aren't THAT important (for most people anyway). It's not like Windows where there are thousands of bugs and you're asking for trouble if you don't apply the newest patches.

Other manufacturers wished
they had done that since shortages
have made their units unavailable and/or
more expensive.

Was the ROM was all filled up?

Did Palm not want to cannibalise their
business sales?

quote:

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Originally posted by tritan:
If you use todo's,calender,memo and avantgo is the 2meg of the m100 enough?? [...] I think if you are going to use it as a address,todo list, memos, it should have enough memory or am i wrong.. [...] input????

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From my own experience with an 8MB Visor, I think that if you're just using the 4 main Palm OS apps (and maybe DateBk4 -- but that eats up a chunk of memory there), you'd generally be fine with 2 MB. AvantGo is questionable -- depends what you're downloading.

For the last 4 months, between AvantGo, Datebk4, etc., I've been around ~40% full, so probably at 3MB. But I have a fair amount of crap that I never use, and AvantGo takes a big chunk out as well.

In short, I think you're right -- just the ToDo, Address book and Calendar and Memos should be OK with 2MB, unless you're running an entire business with lots of contacts out of it.

Weight: Lighter* than the Palm V!!!

Battery: AAA Batts, but saves the cradle and the price for a Lith Batt.

Features: Basically the same, no mail and no expense. But there is a Notepad, which I think is quite nice. Also there is a clock.

HotSync: Using Cable, which is kind of easy.
Looks:
M100: Black and sort of easy to hold. (Plastic)
Palm V: Silver but not neccessary for a student like me. And designed for a student like me! It has a cover so I wont break my screen or something like that. Although the M100 feels cheap, it is supposed to (for such a low price). The Palm V however, is not an exception. Although when I feel it in my hands, it feels fragile. Not good for a student like me!

Cover: Plastic Screen, Flip over, easy to use, not annoying. Able to change faceplates.

Conclusion: Really, this is a good buy for students, and I think that the M100 will make the Palm V a rip-off. (Not the Vx). The price here in South Africa are:
Palm M100: R1599.00
Paml V: R2999.00
That is almost R1400.00 difference! With R1400.00, I can actually buy another M100 or even a TV for my bedroom!!
Note: Exchange rate is US$1.00=R7.00, and for interest sakes, R stands for Rand in SA. And for all those people who thinks South Africa has no technology and rides elephants to school, you are WRONG!

Okay, you might all be complaining about the memory, and I am only a student (who cannot buy a HP). Now, I was thinking because that warranty is 1 year, and just before the end of that year, if I think I need extra warranty, I get. But if I dont have any space left by the end of the 1 year warranty, I would actually install a 3rd party memory extension. In any case, warranty is only for 1 year, and by the time I get the 3rd party memory, my warranty will be void. So doesnt matter if they say that I cannot have warranty because I installed an extra memory slot.

Anyway, I havent got it yet, but hoping to get a m100 in the next 14 days!
Julie, would you agree with me that M100 is almost the same as the Palm V ---- or is there any other differences that we as consumers don't know yet............

Anyway, here in South Africa, all handhelds are imported, but for Palm themselves, there is at least a 3COM office that I can go to should my Palm break down. But so far, there are no Handsprings and they are very rare. (Probably imported). And I doubt that they will have expansion cards for those slots.

Still, it is quite a lot of money and there is the pen and paper method.
How long would a Palm last for on average?

quote:

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Originally posted by Julie:

... Actually all Palm OS devices are the 'same' as far as the OS goes... But, I think I would be more likely to buy the lower priced Handspring Visor because it also gives you a springboard slot for future expansion.

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