Color Palm IIIc in February

Mike Cane beamed me the news that C|Net has an article on the next Palm devices headed our way in February, coinciding with the IPO. The Palm IIIc will feature a 256 color display, the 33mhz dragonball VZ and OS 3.5. The article goes on to discuss the challenges of incorporating a color display, such as battery life and cost, but mentions that Palm may have found some compromises they could live with. Palm will also release the Palm IIIxe, an 8meg IIIx. I personally would rather wait for a color unit in the V series, I love my Vx, and I don't want to have to give it up yet! How do you feel about the color issue?

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Color Palm IIIc

mboni @ 12/22/1999 9:23:23 AM #
I don't really care about the color, but I would love to upgrade my Palm V to 8megs and the 33mhz dragonball VZ. :)

Mike

RE: Color Palm IIIc
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/5/2000 10:20:48 PM #
i agree about upgrading palm v to 8mb. had i know you can't upgrade, i would have bought handsprings.
I disgree - color rules
bing @ 3/25/2000 7:24:01 PM #
I have waited and waited for a color Palm. There is no comparison between the readability of the best b/w screens and the Windows CEs with color. I won't go with Microsoft, so a color Palm is my holy grail of pdas. Bring it on...

Color

drjamesh @ 12/22/1999 9:46:40 AM #
I love the crispness of the text on the V/Vx series. I have no eyestrain at all with considerable reading times. When color comes, I hope that a "paper like" screen (as on the Vx) is implemented
RE: Color
Frank Grady @ 3/2/2000 5:44:09 PM #
Color is GREAT news for me, since it presumably means a bright paper-white display readable in low light (haven't seen one actually running yet). ALL Palms to date are difficult to read in many indoor situations where bright light is not falling directly on the screen. I've tried several WinCE's just for the color, but could not live with their bulkier size and over-complex operating system, so inferior to Palm's OS.

not care aboout color... only Memory

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/22/1999 11:20:39 AM #
yup... i also want to upgrade the Memory size to 8M or even more....

ionly want a Palm which have Palm V size, more Ram and can onsert CF cards

RE: not care aboout color... only Memory
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/4/2000 12:01:45 AM #
Have you seen the TRGPro? What do you think of it?

no mention of the memory stick????

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/22/1999 11:38:07 AM #
Hmm maybe I will go buy a TRGPRO after all
I want the sound, the flash card, and 8meg
color would be nice but not required.

color

denise @ 12/22/1999 12:14:30 PM #
choices choices. I love my IIIX . i do like the Vx . Don't know if I really need color as I go through batteries at the speed of light already. But as my daughter has a palm pro I could justify the purchase to myself by giving her my husbands pro with the mb upgrade, giving hime the IIX and getting either the VX or color. However the more I think about it I'll stick with what I have. After sarching for the perfect case and finally buying the teleputer case from levengers. I could get into an endless round of palm buying
RE: color
Sandokan @ 4/18/2000 3:44:06 PM #
I was in the same dilemma as you. I needed more RAM and I needed to integrate a modem at some point. I looked at the V but I figured I would need the Vx for 8 megs of RAM. After doing the math for a month, I decided on the IIIc. Believe it or not, I was able to do everything I wanted for less money than upgrading a III or going with a Vx. Plus it doesn't kill my eyes to read.

PalmOS

Mike Kondratov @ 12/22/1999 5:15:24 PM #
The palm's biggest problem is that the resolution will still be 160x160. I think it is way to small for color screens. I would buy a palm with a higher res. not the color screen.

I think, this is where palm will start to loose to CE.

I just bought Aero 1520 and I have to say that it is a great PDA. It is the best CE device I've seen. It would be nearly perfect if the CPU was clocked at 150MHz (not 70MHz). It is kind of slow.

RE: PalmOS
Chris Arndt @ 12/22/1999 6:39:00 PM #
Palm is way off base with the color isuue. I agree they need better resolution and more memeory not color. The addition of CF suffort by TRG was a plus, but they forgot the mic.
I suggest that should be very catious about entering the colort market. O by the way will move to requires Palm OS 3.5 (with color) or above, or will we be able to use our old Palm III or Palm IIIx's with the new software? I really think Palm should reconsider the color issue at this point. I have a Palm IIIx, and my bigest complaint is the use of a pot for the contrast, they should have gone with the same sofwre contrast scheme they used with the Palm V.
Well enough rambling, as though it will do much good considering they have already made an unoffical anouncement about the Palm IIIc.
RE: PalmOS
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/22/1999 8:31:08 PM #
Palm's screen has always been smaller than that of CE devices; it hasn't hurt them so far. Incidentally, CE would have to go on one helluva miraculous selling spree to even begin to close the gap with Palm in terms of market share, never mind something significant enough for Palm to "start to loose [sic]."
RE: PalmOS
Bruce @ 12/24/1999 1:37:36 PM #
I am a Palm user,I used Palm III at 1998, and I bought a IIIx recently as Ineed more space.
I have tried many win-ce base PDA. to me, the value of Win-CE pda is to show how good
PALM-os is.because compare the speed,price, qualrity,...Palm is much better than Win-CE.
I tried Casio's recently, once when I and my friends saw the icon of "clock" when we want to change
program to another one, my friend said:I am not interested in it anymore, it is too slow!!!

color is not every thing, I buy a Palm as I like its convenience,If I really want a colour dvice,
I will rather use a laptop.anyway,both of the Win-CE and Win-9x are both very slow.
take many ram and not....so effecient as Palm.

I will recommand you to try Palm, because after trying it, you will realise that it is the best PDA in the market for now

RE: PalmOS
G Gray @ 1/4/2000 11:09:16 AM #
The 160x160, while small, is not a problem for color. The Nintendo GameBoy Color has a somewhat smaller resolution (160x140, I believe) and looks great. I welcome color. Not only does color make displays more pleasing to the eye, it has a few good uses, for example:
making text standout-I would like to be able to color certain calendar entries (for, say, importance)
color the icons-after awhile, they all seem to run together
user interface enhancement-buttons that really look like 3d buttons;
RE: PalmOS Color and CE
Jim @ 3/5/2000 12:45:08 PM #
Of course you would like the clock speed up to 150 Mhz. You are running MS CE - pay particular attention to the MS. Just as with the PC, MS requires more power to do not much more than the palm.
RE: PalmOS Color and CE
Jim @ 3/5/2000 12:45:08 PM #
Of course you would like the clock speed up to 150 Mhz. You are running MS CE - pay particular attention to the MS. Just as with the PC, MS requires more power to do not much more than the palm.
RE: PalmOS
Sandokan @ 4/18/2000 3:23:55 PM #
What I'm hearing, are poeple using PDAs as toys, not tools. When you think of how much of the actual system you use for business, you're only using about 10% on an average. Since the induction of the color Palm, even with the hinderance of most external software, I have been able to effectively run my business scheduling and information through a wireless connection. This is with a IIc mind you, not a VII. CE, and I do support Microsoft, is an afterthought product. There are too many things that are not usable and it's clunky. Transference rates may be faster in clock speed, but it has to do more to synchronize information. If you are looking for a business tool that can help you manage your time, Palm Craftsman of PDAs.

Color isn't even an issue!

Chris Arndt @ 12/22/1999 6:46:35 PM #
Palm is way off base with the color isuue. I agree they need better resolution and more memeory not color. The addition of CF suffort by TRG was a plus, but they forgot the mic.
I suggest that should be very catious about entering the colort market. O by the way will move to requires Palm OS 3.5 (with color) or above, or will we be able to use our old Palm III or Palm IIIx's with the new software? I really think Palm should reconsider the color issue at this point. I have a Palm IIIx, and my bigest complaint is the use of a pot for the contrast, they should have gone with the same sofwre contrast scheme they used with the Palm V.
Well enough rambling, as though it will do much good considering they have already made an unoffical anouncement about the Palm IIIc.

Color?? no way

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/23/1999 10:09:51 AM #
How could they be adding color when they haven't yet gone over 8 MB of storage space? What are they nuts? Why would you need color in a Palm?? That will just drain the batteries, make the unit heavier, and it will not be easy to see in sunlight. I would rather have more ram instead of useless color. Palms are already expensive, how high will color ones cost??
RE: Color?? no way
Sandokan @ 4/18/2000 3:33:14 PM #
I have a question. How will color drain battery power (lithium ion) faster than 2 AAA batteries?

Color? 320x320 would be better.

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/23/1999 10:32:55 AM #
I would consider buying a color unit
if it has the form factor of the V and a higher resolution and 8 megs of memory.
Until then i will use my Palm V with
8 meg with pleasure. Color is nice, but i love the V case, and i think memory and higher resolution would be better. If i must choose between IIIc and Vx 320x320 pixels, i would go for the Vx.

Colour...Hmmm

Mark Wickens @ 12/24/1999 10:53:03 PM #
Colour would not be a good moove; Palm need to listen to the sorts of comments being made above...more memory. I will not be rushing to buy a colour model, but I suspect I will seriously consider a Sony unit if and when they show. I have the Extra Extra Pro memory board installed on my IIIx and still have about 3.5 Megs of storage space free. However, as always, I can alwys use more storage space!

Color... :)

Aaron Ardiri @ 12/25/1999 1:15:37 PM #
hi!

color shall only be useful as a mechanism to make
the displaying of data an easier task. writing
grayscale programs for the palm pilot has been
very tediuos. the good news is that there will be
an os 3.5 flash upgrade (like 3.3) for older devices.
as a developer, i know there is more to 3.5 than just
color. color is not such an important issue, but the
only programs that will use it are:

- games

- paint programs

- html viewers

- palm sized guides

limited to 256 color, the introduction of color may
be useful - but not for the type of applications that
exist today :)

// az.

ardiri@palmgear.com

http://www.hig.se/~ardiri/" CLASS=NEWS>http://www.hig.se/~ardiri/

RE: Color... :)
Mark Wickens @ 12/27/1999 1:01:49 AM #
...why is writing programs for a greyscale-only capable unit tedious?

I (still) do not understand why Palm beleives colour is so important! I am glad Palm have held off until now; Win CE is paying the price of incorporating immature technology too soon....I hope we don't do exactly the same!

BTH, thanks for the reply!

RE: Color... :)
Aaron Ardiri @ 12/27/1999 4:05:37 AM #
hi :)

Grayscale is tedious because there is no technical support for grayscale :) there never will be in reality and this means that developers must hack their way into the PalmOS in order to get grayscale programs. When a new device comes out, these grayscale programs tend to require modifications to work on the new devices (just look at games like Froggy and Galax). Thats why my games are in black and white - they will always be compatable :)

// az
ardiri@palmgear.com

more info on grayscale:
http://palm.3com.com/devzone/docs/seeinggray.html" CLASS=NEWS>http://palm.3com.com/devzone/docs/seeinggray.html

Color

Tim Hodges @ 12/26/1999 9:46:59 PM #
The biggest mistake Palm is about to make is limiting the number of colors to 256. I had a Compaq 2110 with 256 colors, and images were terrible. Lets face it, you're probably going to use color images to show pictures of friends and family. That's why Compaq, Casio and HP all offer 64k color on their WinCE devices.
RE: Color
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/20/2000 1:05:48 AM #
Yo, yo, yo - Making it any more then 256 colors will make the device bigger and bigger. I think the whole point of making a color device was to make it bright and easy to read. I personally love my IIIc - the screen is SO MUCH EASIER to read.

B&W vs. Color

Tim Berkesch @ 12/28/1999 9:26:05 AM #
I recently purchased a IIIx and have not even had the
thought run through my head "this is not in color".
When I watch black and white movies on television I
rarely even miss the color, either. I guess my brain
is programmed to assume that the color is there even
when it is not.

In summary, I do not see the need for color on my Palm.
Most of the information is text.

Colour

Gary @ 2/2/2000 3:17:00 PM #
There is a certain dignity to monochrome apps on
the palm. Lets face it most palm developers have
no grounding in color theory or ui design nor
are they likely to be sensitive to color schemes
to use that won't affect usability for colorblind people
for example.

If we start getting all sorts of funky, gaudy colored
apps I will be pining for the days when at least the
color scheme of every app had some dignity to it (ie
monocrome).

Gary

Is color really necessary?

Mother Boyakasha @ 2/29/2000 3:20:24 PM #
I agree with the majority, color is not needed. I own a PalmIIIe which has a pretty long battery life, but I find it a hassle having to get so many batteries. Color will not help and i would be ripping through batteries.

It would be nice to see higher resolution and more memory.

color

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/13/2000 10:05:09 AM #
COLOR is here to stay. I thought like some of you naysayers, but now I know better. And, soon, you will too. Progress == no monochrome devices;
RE: color
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/25/2000 7:19:39 PM #
I agree completely. Many of the folks above were probably Unix people who swore that a color computer monitor would be useless. B/W is fine when you don't need color, but color has a lot of uses, not the least of which is to enhance readability and to highlight important elements. In 5 years, I guarantee no one will believe color is unwanted.

Palm Pilot III color

GGHulme@aol.com @ 3/19/2000 12:24:55 PM #
I bought my daughter a Palm Pilot III color. It seems OK but we have lost the instructions. Would anyone be good enough to E-mail me a copy.
Geoffrey Hulme

Palm IIIc & 256 colors

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/22/2000 9:18:18 AM #
I wondered if the lack of colors would be a problem. After owning a IIIc for the past week, I'll NEVER go back to black and white.

Everything looks better. The screen is more visible in most conditions (excepting bright sunlight). Reading books for extended periods without eyestrain is now a reality. I've even put a couple of pictures on it, and they're better quality that most Polaroids.

Buy a IIIc. You will not regret it.

RE: Palm IIIc & 256 colors
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/23/2000 12:32:46 AM #
I couldn't agree more. I had a Palm V and got the IIIc to try it out. I will never go back to b&w either. The screen is MUCH better. I know I hate to tell all the othe rb&w owners out there this but this color screen is absolutely the future of Palm

Palm IIIc vs. Palm V

classyceo@aol.com @ 4/27/2000 11:23:34 PM #
I absolutely love the design (i.e., form and weight) of the Palm V; however, now that I have experienced the bright, crisp, and vivid colors of the Palm IIIc (except in bright outdoor lighting), my eyes will not allow me to accept going back to black & white. I use my Palm IIIc extensively (e.g., daily journal, sports/news/books, multiple task lists with extensive notes, email, etc., etc., etc. - I purchased the unit with the Franklin Covey software already integrated); although not necessary, I charge my unit every evening (along side my cell phone)- it's now just a daily habit. Thus, the issue of battery life has never been an issue with me. Now the best solution for a Palm user would be a Palm V that is both wireless (like the VII) and in COLOR! I guess we'll just have to see what's next on the horizon; in the interim, I'm content to just continue enjoying the color and functionality of my Palm IIIc.
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