Rumor: Palm Preparing m125 with SD Slot

Two independent sources have sent information that Palm is close to releasing a new handheld model. The Palm m125 is going to be part of the m100 series but will bear little in common with the m100 and m105.

It will be a monochrome model with an SD/MMC slot on its left side, finally meeting Palm's promise last year that all Palm models would have the expansion slot. It will also abandon the m100 form factor to instead use the Universal Connector from the m500 series, fulfilling another promise. However, it will have a different-sized stylus that only it can use. One of the sources described its redesigned faceplate as being "more classy".

It will come a USB cradle, though, like the m500 series, it can also use a serial cradle. It will also run off regular batteries, not internal rechargeables.

It will run some flavor of OS 4 and will have new functions in its NotePad app and added security functions, too.

There are still a great deal about this new handheld we don't yet know:

  • Does it have the m100 series' smaller screen?
  • Does it have a flash ROM?
  • What will it cost?
  • When will it be available?
If you have any of the answers to these questions or, better yet, a picture of the m125 please send it to Ed@PalmInfoCenter.com.

The m100 is almost exactly a year old, having been announced August 7, 2000. It has been a very successful model for Palm, especially amoung students. The m105, basically the same handheld except with more memory, was released in March.

Update: Far more information on the m125 is now available here, including answers to most of the questions raised in this article.

Related Articles:

Article Comments

 (45 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down View Full Comment Thread

Sony S320

Ed @ 8/9/2001 10:07:41 AM #
This is rank speculation, which is why I didn't include it in the article. I think the m125 will be positioned to compete with the Sony S320 and will cost about $200.

The m100 will be discontinued but not the m105. The m125 is the new mid-range model many have been predicting for months, though I suspect it won't have a flash ROM.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: Sony S320
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:24:04 AM #
Wouldn't it kill off the m500 market though?

RE: Sony S320
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:25:17 AM #
I agree. I own an S320 and I think this niche (quality monochrome display, lightweight package, expandability, latest OS, faster processer, otherwise no frills) will be key. Sony is going after students with the S320, though I think they'll also sell a lot to Palm vets who want a "classic" device without the color, headphones, movies, etc.

The S320 is rechargable, so that's a difference. Previously I was not a fan of rechargable devices, but this is monochrome and battery life is good. Clie also has the jog wheel which is fab espec with Datebk4 and the way the developer has supported jog control of the app.

Cheers.

RE: Sony S320
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:27:57 AM #
there is hardly an m500 market anyways. its too expensive

RE: Sony S320
mikecane @ 8/9/2001 10:32:39 AM #
So, Palm competes with another licensee directly, eh? So now SD/MMC will compete on the low end with the Sony S320 and MemStick. Let's see which unit looks better!

RE: Sony S320
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 1:45:40 PM #
What are you talking about no m500 market? You're kidding right?

RE: Sony S320
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 2:58:31 PM #
We're not talking about the m505 market, those are selling well. But interest has been weak in the m500 (the monochrome one).

MAN!

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:19:31 AM #
PIC always has the newest info. Are you going to be able to keep this up once you're gainfully employed?

RE: MAN!
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:28:52 AM #
dont worry about ed. as long as i keep having connections to the info, i'll keep dropping him tips

RE: MAN!
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 10:29:46 AM #
Thanks, Carl Y. You're a Peach.

RE: MAN!
mikecane @ 8/9/2001 10:32:12 AM #
That's not Carl! That's Jeff! Hah!

Classy? Slot on side? We've seen this.

Moosecat @ 8/9/2001 10:39:20 AM #
It sounds to me like the m125 may have the form factor we've previously seen on the "leaked" m700 pix. Maybe that's the look of the future.

RE: Classy? Slot on side? We've seen this.
mikecane @ 8/9/2001 10:45:53 AM #
You just might be right. That'd make sense.

m700 Pix
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 11:13:07 AM #
RE: Classy? Slot on side? We've seen this.
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 1:09:07 PM #
I want a Jordan M125. Any release date on those?

RE: Classy? Slot on side? We've seen this.
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 1:33:05 PM #
Whatever happened to the Jordan Palms? They were supposed to be on the Palm site at http://jordan.palm.com at the end of June...

Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 1:27:01 PM #
How come we never see rumors about new Handspring or Sony handhelds?

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
EdwardGreen @ 8/9/2001 1:41:18 PM #
Fine.

Sony are working on n8x0c series. These will run OS 4, and have the main features of the n710c - 320x320 screen and MP3 playback. However they will be running on the new SuperVZ at 66Mhz, which Sony hopes should give them enough omph to run the new version of TealMovie or GMovie with a high compression level in 16bit color and MP3 sound.

Release will be in time for the Christmas buying season, and will be strongly advertised.

Handspring meanwhile are considering a replacement for the Visor Deluxe. Running on the standard VZ cpu and coming with OS3.5H2 the new device will be available early fall, with modified styling and different case colours. They are also planning a color edge, although are strugling with getting a decent screen. Expect some new high end models from Handspring before Christmas with 16Mb of RAM.

Okay I just made that all up :)

-
kHiTeDev

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 2:44:53 PM #
^%$#@! I nearly passed out over the N8xx rumor! And then I saw it wasn't true. But guess what? It probably is...

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 4:20:53 PM #
How about this rapidly growing discussion on VisorCentral? Handspring gots an ACE up their sleeve ;)

http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17506&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:20:18 PM #
This is on PalmStation today:
    I work at Staples as a summer job and found some interesting news in a company memo. On a "Handheld Update" two new visor models are mentioned, the Handspring Ace and Columbia. Both prices are listed as to be determined. The Ace is listed as replacing the Deluxe and having 8 MB. The Columbia is listed with 16 MB, 45 mhz processor.


RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 8:00:21 PM #
And that was posted by a non-anonymous user! What a moron. Retailers sign NDA's. He's breached that for his company, opening it up to litigation! I'm sure he'll be flavour of the week! Makes me laugh...

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/10/2001 1:13:47 AM #
Sounds good!

RE: Handspring Rumors? Sony Rumors?
EdwardGreen @ 8/10/2001 1:31:45 PM #
So i post some made up rumors about Handspring, and some real rumors pop up saying the same thing.

If they are right that makes me a prophet, and also puts me in danger of messing up my H/S NDA.

However I made up my rumors by looking at were Handspring has USP's and how they can compete with new devices already available from Sony and Palm. It makes me a Palm Pundit.

I like that :o)

-
kHiTeDev

The Replacement for the III Series

mashby @ 8/9/2001 2:54:06 PM #
Although the numbering system isn't matching. This sounds like the successor to the Palm III series. The III was the workhorse of the Palm line a year or so ago and with the new 100 and 500 series, there's been a bit of a gap. Sounds like the 125 is the filler. My only hope is that the screen is larger than the 100 because most think it's too small.

Also, the 700 (aka Skywalker) should be coming soon to, which will round out the product categories back to what they were last year a la the III, V, and VII.

RE: The Replacement for the III Series
twizza @ 8/9/2001 3:58:42 PM #
now wouldnt it be nice if the replacement to the III series was the skywalker. If priced around 300-350, and we could choose which ISP, and manageable plans that would sell like hotcakes.

Irresponsible

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:32:04 PM #
Again PIC show's just how irresponsible it is by posting rumours like this. Now anyone who was going to buy a m10x will sit a wait a few months to see if this rumour comes true. Thereby putting a dent in sales. I don't work for Palm, but if I did I be fuming over this. If people started posting rumours about upcoming products from my company I'd had them hung, drawn, quartered - than I 'd take delight in jumping up and down on the little bits left behind!

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:39:20 PM #
Supposing Palminfocenter didn't say anything about this and I went out and bought a 105 today. 31 days later, Palm puts out the replacement thats lots better and I get screwed. Palm ought to be able to take care of itself. I'm glad sites like this are looking out for us.

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:44:21 PM #
Moron. That's a rubbish response. You hardly get screwed if they release a new unit. It still does what it did when you bought it. It's not like upon the release of a new one all old ones stop working for christ's sake!

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:52:17 PM #
So, do you work for PALM or another PDA company???

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 7:55:11 PM #
Nope. I'm just putting myself in their place and thinking how pissed I'd be if it were the case. How would YOU feel if rubbish about YOUR company was being sprayed all over a web site??!?!?

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 9:23:19 PM #
If people are willing to wait a few months for a gadget, they didn't really need a replacement anyway.

Besides, it's pretty clear that Palm needs to come out with new models fast: their current lineup is aging (although an m125 sounds like it would be too little too late).

RE: Irresponsible
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/12/2001 12:16:24 AM #
Just before the M500 series came out I bought a Palm Vx. 3 weeks later, the M500/M505 comes out, (nobody at Best Buy bothered to inform me me of the pending release of the M500-505, by the way. Thanks a lot, Best Buy.....) the price of the Palm Vx goes from $399 to $299. Thanks a lot, Palm. Yeah, for a hundred bucks, I could've used my paper day planner 3 more lousy weeks. Thank God I discovered Palminfocenter.Com.
Next time I buy a PDA, (Years from now, I assure you), at least I'll be informed... I just hope no Jerks out there, who are not consumer conscious, knock your site off!
Thanks, Palminfocenter...


M300?

kevdo @ 8/9/2001 7:50:50 PM #
I could have sworn I saw a page here about an m300 rather than m125.

m300 seems like a better numbering scheme -- esp. if the unit has a universal connector (e.g. peripherals for m100 series wouldn't have to say "m100 series, except m125").



RUMOUR: PIC to be sued over posting of Palm rumours!

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 8:12:43 PM #
I just spoke to someone who's been sleeping with this girl whose 2nd cousin works for the company that empties the rubbish at the company who are next-door to Palm's legal council. And he said that she said her cousin read in a memo that floated over the fence that Palm are suing PIC and other sites. To confirm I rang Palm's council however they refused to comment formally, saying only "we hope this will teach those rumour sites a lesson".

What say you PIC?

RE: RUMOUR: PIC to be sued over posting of Palm rumours!
Ed @ 8/9/2001 8:38:44 PM #
I'd say I'm glad I kept the e-mail I got from Michael Mace, a Palm VP, in which he said,


I'm sure some Palm folks are pissed when product leaks get published, but my attitude is that you're a journalist and are providing a public service, and it's our responsibility to keep our stuff secret.

If you were paying people for secret info, that would be a different story, but I'm sure you're not.

Keep up the great work!



I'm aware that publishing information on non-announced products is controversial and not everyone is going to agree with the decision. I believe it helps more than it hurts. It helps buyers make informed decisions. It helps by feeding the need for news among the Palm faithful. It helps keep competition stiff between the handheld makers.

While it has the potential to reduce demand for currently shipping products, I don't flatter myself to believe that a large percentage of potential Palm buyers read this site so I think the impact is probably small. While Palm was hurt by giving out information on the m500 series, Palm itself was giving this information to mainstream news sites like Cnet, ZDnet, and the WSJ. Heck, Yankowski had been giving speeches for months in which he mentioned a color Vx replacement. Any info we published was a drop in the bucket.

We don't publish every rumor we hear, or even most of them. I actually first heard about the m125 several days ago and held off saying anything about it until I had it verified by a second source.

I think we have a pretty good track record with the leaks we've published. With the exception of the rumors of the Visor Twist, I think close to everything we're put out has turned out to be on the mark, including advanced info on the m105 and the Visor Edge.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: RUMOUR: PIC to be sued over posting of Palm rumours!
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 9:22:15 PM #
It might help you get more readers and ad clicks - but it must hurt Palm as a company, surely. How can it not? And I'm sure Michael Mace's comments would not reflect the majority of Palm employees. Also Carl making vague statements about upcoming developments is fine, but posting photo's and specs obtained illegally is a whole different ball-game my friend. Whoever provides you with the info has broken a legally binding non-disclouse document. By propogating the story you are an accessory after the fact to that illegal activity. Are you not? Just like the kid from Staples who posted about this on another site - Palm can now legally take action against Staples for a breach of the NDA they would've signed. Your tipsters are anonymous at the moment - but they would be in the same boat if they were found out.

Anyway, enough of this. I've made my point and am just happy it's not my commercial secrets that are being plastered all your web site...

RE: RUMOUR: PIC to be sued ...the rubbish at the...
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/9/2001 11:06:31 PM #
You said "...the rubbish at the..."
With lingo like that, I can sure tell that you're not from the States. So, with all respect you wouldn't know about the "Bill of Rights" and our "First Amendment"; which is, Freedom of Speech.
I commend PIC to have the nads to run their site the way they do.

MM

RE: RUMOUR: PIC to be sued over posting of Palm rumours!
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/10/2001 3:58:57 AM #
First of all, well done PIC...

Second of all... If I hear a rumour that a new product is coming up.. then yes, I will usually wait before buying it... However I will still end up buying.. unless someone else comes up with an even better product in the meantime.. (Like Sony did with the Clie)

However if Palm is on the ball, they should expect some leaks to occur and for sales to drop off at the end of a product's life cycle and plan production accordingly..

In the end, though, if Palm's product is the best I will buy a Palm product... and if it isn't the best they need to get their corporate act together.

It doesn't matter whether I buy the product tomorrow or whether I wait 3 weeks.. OK it messes up the quarterly figures, but I am still going to buy it...



Who cares

Rob @ 8/9/2001 10:16:33 PM #
With the crap palm has put out latley I could care less about a m125, a m700 or even a m300. What has impressed me is Sony the n710c raised the bar on colur then the 610c raises it even more. Dont let me forget the s3200. So unless this m125 has the new chip technolgy or they sell it for $50 then it will not make a ripple and just sit on the shelves like the m500 series. The only company I see doing anything about this is Handspring
Top View Full Comment Thread

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: