Average Rating: 
Rating: - Want to hear about the Palm software?
I always thought I was a paper-planner person, until the New Years day came, and I hadn't bought my refills and they were backordered on the web at Franklin Covey. I don't know why I freaked out about it because I was never good at writing things down. Interestingly enough, I work in IT, but didn't think I'd want to organize my life electronically. Anyway, I started using the Task and Calendar feature in Outlook religiously. For a week I was more organized than I'd ever been at work. My personal life was still a mess. Gee, wouldn't it be nice if I could take my Outlook home with me every night. Hence, I decided I needed a Palm. I ordered the 515 because it had a decent sized memory, and was upgradable. It had a color screen. It was small and light. Most importantly, I read a review that said it would easily export/import to Microsoft Outlook. It met all my HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the SOFTWARE. Mainly, it annoyed me that the Palm software either is entirely synced with Outlook, forcing you to use Outlook's task and calendar OR you can use Palm's planning software but your contacts are not automatically synced. I love the simplicity of Palm planning software but wanted it to have an email function. But hey, I'm still pretty happy and VERY PRODUCTIVE. The Palm views are simple, customizable to a reasonable degree, and easy to navigate for pretty much anyone. Another thing I've REALLY enjoyed is the Document-to-Go software that came with my Palm. For example, say you're reading a document or a webpage that explains something step by step. Simply save it as a word doc., add it to the document-to-go window (very easy, self-explanatory), Hot-sync, and you can read that document from your Palm and follow along with the directions as you're doing it. I maintain a list of usernames, passwords, account numbers on my Palm in the event that (knock on wood) our server dies one night and we lose a bunch of data. That same incredibly valuable list is backed up everytime I hotsync at home and work (in a password protected folder of course). Honestly, I sleep better! Hope you've enjoyed my review of Palm's software. Few people ever review it, so I hope I was of some help.
Rating:  - Just An Outstanding Palm
I have had my new Palm m515 for just over a week now and it is truly outstanding and a significant improvement over my old Palm Vx (this is my third palm). It handles the basics with the classic Palm efficiency and as a business professional, my ability to access a 3000 plus contact list as well as schedule is my top priority. I was concerned about the screen visibility based upon reviews I read but these proved baseless in my opinion. In all lighting conditions (office, car, outdoors...) the screen is clearly legible, although I do set mine to high brightness. Noticeable is the considerably increased speed over the Vx. I am also using the Dictionary-Thesaurus Expansion Card that is a welcome addition and is already getting significant use. The only draw back is with the color display, battery time has decreased substantially and it needs to spend more time in the cradle, a hassle when traveling. Note to Palm: increase the battery capacity!All in all the m515 maintains Palms position as near and dear to my heart as the best PDA out there.
Rating: - Great Product
I'm a huge fan of the m500 series. Despite the reprehensible screen of the m505 after a few weeks of use, it really isn't that bad. Many people don't realize that the m505 stayed true to the PALM philosophy of mobility and battery life. Being a former Vx user I was spoiled with low battery consumption. Crossing over to color with the Clie N760 the first thing I noticed (after the absolutely amazing screen) was that I had to re-charge a little more often then I was use to. Although it wasn't a daily activity, recharging happened more frequently then before. Similarly that was also the case for the Clie T615. It's really no big deal for me, and to many people but I can see how it can be disconcerting. Expectedly the m515 inherits the long battery life of the m505. Fortunately for PALM they finally found a winner in the m515, unfortunately, the m515 was what the m505 should have been.The only real reason why anyone would pick the m505 over the m515 is the price. The M515 has a better, brighter screen, and twice as much memory. If you were particular about bundled software the m515 naturally has a better selection. ... With all things considered the real rival of the m515 is the CLIE T615C. Many real fans of PDA's will tell you that there is no clear winner when comparing the m515 and the T615C. It's a virtual deadlock. To the untrained eye the T615 may be the winner with its dazzling screen but one really has to consider many things, not just the screen when it comes to PDA's. Other then the screen when you consider price, battery life, form factor, and even accessories it's really a VIRTUALLY deadlock. It really comes down to preference. Many times reviews are written with preferences in mind not an objective overview. Generalizations like, "The m515 is the BEST, or the T615 is BEST!" is simply not true. It really comes down to personal preference. Although I value battery life tremendously, I still prefer a better screen and at the end of the day at the very last possible second of the last hour, I would pick the T615 over the m515. I still think the m515 is a great product and would highly recommend it. I guess the best way to determine what is best for you is really to read a lot of reviews. Read reviews of many different units to get a general overview of what is available. Amazon has a great selection of PALM OS units, read about all of them!! Also go to down to your electronics store and compare the units side by side to get a first hand look. Bottom line is, there is a GREAT selection of PDA's which appeal to practically everyone. Gone are the days when PDA's were merely toys for computer super geeks (like myself). Everyone gets a PDA and that's the best part of it all.
|
