• $370

• Fast Connection
• Very Long Battery Life
• Almost no disconnects
• 16-bit Color Internet

• Pricey
• No Case

Design:
Cost/benefit:
Coolness:
Overall:

Installation
The modem arrived in a brightly colored box containing the modem itself in bubble wrap, a tiny AC adaptor, and the installation CD with two slips of paper on "Getting Starting". There was no modem case included.

I popped the CD into my Mac's CD drive, only to discover it didn't have any Macintosh software on it. Fortunately, the only file you install I found hidden in the 'Palm' folder of the CD. I installed the 67k file, and popped the modem on the back of my m505. Attaching involves sticking the bottom of the m505 into the modem and then pressing up on a switch, attaching the modem fully, and releasing the switch.

I plugged in the charger (which conveniently charges both the m505 and the modem) and let it sit for a little while. During this time, I contacted AT+T Wireless and signed up for an unlimited service plan for it, costing only $30 a month. (Note: Service plans vary from place to place. Do some research in your area before you purchase the modem. -Ed)

After entering the information they gave me (telling the modem where to look for service) into the Minstrel Control Application, the modem was installed.

First Impression
I fired up Handspring's 16-bit Blazer Browser (v 1.1), and began to use the Web. It fired up right away and didn't require any extra configuration. I visited palminfocenter.com, cnn.com, espn.com, and many other sites just to check on the speed. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast they loaded.The Web pages looked great, especially in color, and I was very happy about my purchase thus far.

Connection
I was quite surprised by the speed I got. Loading a full page with images (around 50k) often took 20 seconds or less, and had text up in less than 2 seconds almost every time (Maybe the Universal Connector is a step in the right direction).

The modem goes the fastest when downloading one big image, around 2-3k a second. Although it's advertised at 19.2 kps, I found the speed to be higher than that.

The modem worked everywhere I went, which wasn't a huge surprise since I live in the world's technology capital, Silicon Valley. The only time I found the performance to slow was when in a high speed moving object. The modem would continue to work when cruising around in a car going 20-30 mph (me not being the person driving, mind you) but when we got on a highway it would slow significantly and sometimes disconnect.

Many people found the Vx modem to have lots of disconnects, even just standing around, but I can assure you this doesn't happen nearly ever with the m500 Minstrel. I never had a disconnect anywhere (except going 60 mph on a highway). The service was always excellent, and the connection was rock-solid.

Unit Impressions
People tend to compare the Vx modem to the m500 one so I'll just do that for a little while since I own both. The m500, with the modem, is the tiniest bit thicker than the Vx one. They are almost identical width-wise, except for the antennae. The m500's one is taller, but doesn't extend, and is also on the right side. The Vx's antenna is shorter, but it extends, attached to a flimsy rail. I think the m500 is more durable because of this as the Vx antennae feels very delicate compared to the m500's modem.

In terms of battery life, the m500 modem dominates the Vx. My Vx modem's battery life is very short, and requires constant recharging. It also has no pass-through charging feature, so it's a common occurrence to sometimes have a charged modem with a dead Palm, and vice-versa. The m500 modem's battery is huge. I've never come close to draining it, even with heavy use. My m505's battery dries out sooner than the modem's, and my m505 has about a 10 hour battery life.

Both of these modems are still very svelte so you can still comfortably hold the Internet in your hand. If you have big pockets, you can still carry the Palm in it, just don't plan on using it with tight jeans.  

Uses
Many people don't know what they can do with a wireless modem so they don't purchase one based on the fact they think they wouldn't use them. If you share this opinion, I'd advise you to check one out.

You can use AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, many kinds of online e-mail accounts, and all types of POP3 e-mail. It can download 16-bit color pictures, and can even download software programs straight from the web using PalmGear's PQA.

You can buy plane tickets, look up movie show times, you can even send a fax. Unless you've used one you wouldn't know how cool this can be.

Conclusion
Once you get past the high initial price, you have yourself a very cool Internet surfing machine. The modem is worth every penny, and if you get a decent service plan you'll actually save money over a year compared to the Omnisky Vx pricing scheme. If the modem was cheaper I'd give it 5 stars in every category, but because of the cost, I have to mark it down for cost-benefits. Other than that, the modem is the best way to get on the Internet of any PDA device with fast connections, no disconnects, and the ability to go days without recharging. If you can spare the expense, do yourself a favor and purchase this modem. You won't regret it.