Comments on: Palm M100 Pictures and Palm VIIx details

Palm M100ZDNET has pictures and new details on the Palm M100 and the Palm VIIx. The M100 is the first Palm to deviate from the Roman numeral naming convention. It is the successor to the entry level IIIe and will retail at $149. The model will also come with a flip cover with a small window that displays the date and time, as well as reminder notices (ala BugMe?).

The case will be a thicker plastic than previous generations and it will have dimensions similar to the Palm V, sources said.

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25% smaller screen

bodhi @ 7/20/2000 7:13:04 PM #
what are they thinking!!! i don't know about you guys but i want more realistate not less! i don't know what kind of crack those guys at palm are smoking but they really need to lay off. one of the things that is attractive about the pocket pc's are their larger screen size and what is palm doing, but shrinking theirs. i really hope that this is limited to this line and it doesn't extend to whatever the replacement for the V will be.
RE: 25% smaller screen
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/20/2000 8:33:55 PM #
What people don't seem to realize is that this isn't for people who have Palms already, or are interested in high-tech specs. This is for high-school and college students and such who want a low-cost PDA that looks really cool and does the basic things. It's for a whole new market, so of course most people here won't like it
RE: 25% smaller screen
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/20/2000 9:01:21 PM #
Unbelievable. Palm is really out of touch. if anything new Palm users would be even less likely to want a smaller harder to read screen. What are they thinking at Palm?????
RE: 25% smaller screen
Cyborg3000 @ 7/20/2000 10:49:37 PM #
I totally agree with the first replay: this isn't made for existing palm users. It's an entirely new market. As for the second reply, Palm doesn't think that most kids who buy this will be interested in reading novels or anything from Avantgo. I mean, really, how much space do you need for memopad?
RE: 25% smaller screen
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/20/2000 11:06:25 PM #
Just because the screen is smaller doesn't necessarily mean that there'll be less screen real estate. Maybe the pixels will be smaller too?
RE: 25% smaller screen
Paul P. @ 7/21/2000 1:22:36 AM #
Very likely they will further reduce the spaces between pixels like they did between the Palm III and Palm V. This will result in a smaller yet sharper screen. Remember, the teenaged demographic Palm is targeting have younger, stronger eyes, unlike us older, cranky hardcore Palm users. ;)
RE: 25% smaller screen
bodhi @ 7/21/2000 3:04:34 AM #
while i agree that this unit is probably targeted at new users, screen size is one thing that attracts new users as well as current users. a newbie may look at this and say, "wow, look at this dinky screen... what's this visor thing... same price, bigger screen....." when you approach screen sizes this small, i don't care how good they are, they get hard to read (trust me, i use a sony picturebook c1x and the screen is small but comfortable, if it were smaller though, it would be unreadable). besides the screen, there is also the case. current palm cases are classy, much like ibm's thinkpads. this new case looks more like a vtech helio and other cheaper (not less usefull necessarily) pda's. everyone knows about palm, there is no need for this tripe to gain market share, they already have it. lets get even more substance and keep that market share.

sorry this is probably too long but oh well.

ps. i'm only 23... who you callin' old?

Style and Colors
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/21/2000 8:05:49 AM #
Two comments:

1. although the new style is radical compared to other Palms/PPCs, I don't really care for it. Still like my Palm V styling the best of any PDA.

2. if they are going to have colors, why such boring ones (black, silver, blue, light blue...why not red, purple, etc. (not that I'd want those colors).

RE: 25% smaller screen
Matt @ 7/21/2000 9:05:49 AM #
I have never heard my kids complain about the size of their gameboy screens. They will not even think about it for the M100. Of course I would rather by them a Palm OS cart for the gameboy than buy more hardware.

my thoughts

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/21/2000 8:08:51 AM #
well palm is marketing to the student which is smart (Like Apple) to get the ˙usiness but with pocketPC they better get serious with the business user soon or they will lose the race!
RE: my thoughts
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/18/2000 10:49:26 PM #
m100? Yes! Yes! Yes! The device may be a little smaller, but, then this is VERY appealing to a student (like me) in, say, middle or high school. I have one friend with an m100, and I am purchasing one soon.

OK, so the screen is small. That doesn't matter, the resolution is the same, and actually looks *crisper* then my Palm Pilot Pro. Style is good, but is a little overemphasised in the m100.

25% Smaller Device

Ed@PalmInfoCenter.com @ 7/21/2000 9:18:19 AM #
My first thought when I read this was "That's it; no one will ever develop any new hardware for the III series again". Then I got to thinking about the poor companies that make add-on products. Every time Palm comes out with a new handheld, they have to redesign their products. That has to be hell on the bottom line.

I have a suggestion for Palm: standardize on two sizes. One can be small and easy to carry. Call it the M series and have the M100 be the low-end and make a Palm Vx replacement high end version in the same enclosure as but with much more memory .

Then make a second enclosure for the people who want features that just won't fit into the small enclosure. This can be the replacement for the IIIc, the VIIx, and even the IIIx. They all might not have the exact same body (the wireless version's antennae is a problem) but they should all be able to use the same add-ons that just attach to the bottom.

This way, add-on vendor don't have to make five different versions of their products or leave some Palm users high and dry.

This may already be Palm's plan. I certainly hope so.

RE: 25% Smaller Device
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/27/2000 3:14:49 AM #
The handsprin visor line of PDA's allready has that problem solve with it's springboard expansion slot
VBox

Smaller screen size

Ryan @ 7/21/2000 10:30:55 AM #
The 25% smaller screen size comment in the ZDNet article *HAS* to be in error. What they must have meant is that the unit itself is 25% smaller, which would explain why they compare it to the size of a Palm V. Besides, just looking at the larger picture the screen looks the same. Why would Palm want to render 5,000+ apps incompatible with a different screen size. And as far as I know OS 3.5 does not support different screen sizes and resolutions.

As for hardware add-ons, this is just another adapter for the fine folks at http://www.palmdock.com" class=news>Palmdock to come up with :) Hopefully Palm will be converting that serial port to USB as well..

RE: Smaller screen size
Jeff @ 7/24/2000 5:41:37 PM #
The smaller screen size probably wasn't an error - and it certainly doesn't mean 3rd party apps won't work. The resolution is most likely the same (200 x 200?), but each pixel is a little smaller, hence the smaller screen size. All the apps will still work.

UGLY

DomArch @ 7/21/2000 10:35:48 AM #
What more can I say about this design....it is hideous! The proportions look awful, and the rounded end, although I'm sure it's "pocket-friendly" is just bizarre. It isn't retro, and it isn't high-tech. What a dissapointment after the V, which is an awesome piece of industrial design.

It's a dissapointment that these new devices are just new cosmetics and not new technology....

RE: UGLY
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/27/2000 12:56:49 PM #
pinhead

New naming convention

Tim @ 7/21/2000 11:56:44 AM #
No more Roman numerials!

Wonder if Palm will start naming the new products by:
M for monochrome, C for color, numeric for model numbers with higher values for better models

M100 mono Palm IIIe replacement
C100 color Palm IIIc replacment

and so on ...

RE: New naming convention
Ryan @ 8/11/2000 3:45:33 PM #
That sounds very logical to me.
We might also see the W100 as the VII replacement.

V7

Never mind @ 7/21/2000 4:06:12 PM #
Are they crazy? Palm must upgrade the 7 to compete! The current screen _____! It's terrible.The casing is OUTDATED to say the least. 2mb ram? That is not even worth a remark. This unit was always a Test unit! Color sceen a must, 8mb ram minimum and new updated case! I will buy 5 plus

Please respond PALM before POCKET PC or the HAndspring guys do!

RE: V7
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2000 9:50:51 PM #
Palm is nothing without jeff. Now jeff is with us guyz here on the handspring side. i'll make you a bet that a) HS will dominate the market bettween the entry and the high end, usualy where all the money is made. #2 he will like always pull thorugh and make products that ppl just want to buy. he did that with the V and the III, and started with the ppro and the original pilot 1000,and 5000.

palm has no idea what they need to do without jeff. just like M$ will never have a clue what to do @ all.

and the guyz on the TGR side. good luck with those units. mine is compleatly useless. one CF crd will kill the life out of it within the day. duno whats the point anymore. besides MMC is smaler and much better, and is only about $10 more than CF! In a market of smaller better faster MMC is the right choice.

RE: V7
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/27/2000 3:24:45 AM #
I completely agree Jeff hawkins is a ledgend he created this industry and palm doesn't know what they are doing handspring is the best.

Sigh

Thomas Keekley @ 8/3/2000 5:48:42 PM #
As a long-time Palm fan, I have to admit they continue to disappoint on every level. The only positive step they've taken in the last two years was the Palm V, and even with that they didn't carry throughout the line. The Palm VII *IS* a test unit and looks like the Palm equivalent of the wooden Apple I Wozniak threw together in the garage.

The OS is outdated. Simple, yes. But as users become more savvy, the OS needs to grow to support it. No excuse for non-color screens, too. My new Nokia phone could practically replace my Palm nowadays. . .

I'll continue my ranting offline.

RE: Sigh
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/12/2000 1:51:26 AM #
Let's face it: as much as us nerds would like to beleive we can sink Palm as a company, we can't. I know several people who bought the m100 for it's price, and they are addicted. After using it, I have to say it's pretty impressive. The reason Handspring isn't as popular is the fact that it doesn't fit in well with a corporate environement and it creates confusion among the consumer. Palm is the brand, no way around it.

M100

Knight2K @ 8/11/2000 1:37:16 PM #
I have searched far and wide, and for those of you who want the new palm m100, I can tell you where to get it. I was skeptical at first, but now I'm conviced. Seeing that palm had it backordered, i was wondering where i could get the m100. I searched everywhere. I found that http://www.circuitcity.com has it. I called to make sure they have it in stock. The rep assured me they did. I even told him that it was backordered everywhere. So i went ahead and placed the order, afterall if it was backordered I could cancel it. So I ordered it, and about 1 hour later, I checked the account and low and behold the product has been shipped and I have a trackin number from fed ex. So if you want it now and you dont wanna wait for everyone else to get it. Go to http://www.circuitcity.com . Happy shopping" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.circuitcity.com has it. I called to make sure they have it in stock. The rep assured me they did. I even told him that it was backordered everywhere. So i went ahead and placed the order, afterall if it was backordered I could cancel it. So I ordered it, and about 1 hour later, I checked the account and low and behold the product has been shipped and I have a trackin number from fed ex. So if you want it now and you dont wanna wait for everyone else to get it. Go to http://www.circuitcity.com . Happy shopping!

M100 continued

knight2k @ 8/11/2000 1:42:24 PM #
whoa, i didnt think the link thing would work like that.
maybe this will work

http://www.circuitcity.com" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.circuitcity.com

m100? it's good cause I'm not rich for V like U

Z @ 8/16/2000 4:48:15 PM #
I have the m100 and to address some issues.

Yes the screen is SMALLER, but so are the pixels. I have used the III and V's before and I don't really notice a difference. However if you read ebooks on your palm I suggest not going with the m100 and buy the IIIe. Your eyes will thank you for that.

As for the body. The design isn't all that cool. It's ok, it ain't ugly but not that good compared to the V. However the body is very tough. And if I accidently droped it (God I hope not!) it won't break as easily.

All in all it's a great palm for 150 compared to the handspring which you have to pay around another 30 bucks for the hotsync cradle.

However the V is the ultimate PALM! But for around 300 bucks? Nah, too expensive for me. I'm a college student and I got to pay my tuition so for me the m100 is great. Much better than the IIIe cause the OS is 3.5 compared to the 3.1 IIIe.

The two bad thing I found is that the power button is placed in a cruddy place. I wished they at least they placed it in the upper sides and not the middle like the V so I can easily turn it off or on when I'm just using one arm. The other bad thing is there is NO EMAIL CONDUIT! I asked palm about this and they recommend I buy Multimail Pro. HELLO!?!?! Marketing Gimmik? Get us to dish out another 40 bucks for ao program? And multimail is owned by palm. Bah! That's the only annoying thing.

All in all it's great! I don't like the new colored face plates so I just take mine off get some Good High Quality Chrome Paint and spray it. =)

Looks nice.

Z

RE: m100? it's good cause I'm not rich for V like U
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/24/2000 12:03:37 AM #
haha, spray paint, good idea :)

RE: m100? it's good cause I'm not rich for V like U
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/24/2000 3:28:19 PM #
Spraypaint!!! Now why didnt I think of that??!!! Good idea and it'll save me some money. 5 bucks for spray paint, or 20 bucks for cheap colored plastic... hmm you be the judge :-)

REMEMBER CLEAR COAT!
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/8/2000 2:07:19 PM #
remember to spray a few coats of clear coat over that metallic spray paint, nothing's worse than seeing that ugly black peaking through.

FYI i have a IIIx and I'm tired of my Palm breaking, every few months I have to buy a new one and return the old one in it's place. I'm not really rough with it, the screen doesn't break or anything, just hardware craps out. I REALLY REALLY wish they would have thought a little bit and looked at the rugginess of similar sized electronic components: cd players, calculators, watches, etc. All of these can take tons of abuse, how come the Palm hardware (not the screen, i understand why a glass screen would break) is not more rugged?? I don't want to be fragile with it like a laptop or something, if I had known it would have been this bad I would have bought a crappy electronic organizer.

That's why I'm getting a m100, since I think Palm finally got their head outta their a$$ and they're making something that can withstand daily use. I'm upgrading to 8 megs (12 with flash) for only $80 more, so $240 spent and i have a 8 meg Palm that can take anything, well as much as your average calculator hopefully.

I've seen the screen, and yes while it is much smaller I don't think it'll be too much a problem, I can increase the size of the text when reading books.

Words from an M100 owner...

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/17/2000 11:01:33 AM #
About the screen: the slight decrease in size results in crisper, more clear graphics. It's also made
of plexiglass so it's more durable. The case is more rugged than other PDA's I've used, although I
wish they wouldn't use the interchangeable face plate. I broke the screen on my $250 hp48gx, so
I appreciate the new screen and flip cover. I've owned two PalmPC's which didn't have flip covers
and I was always paranoid that I was going to break the screen. I can easily fit it into my pocket
and I feel comfortable carrying it around. AvantGo looks good on the screen, and when using
ApportisDoc I can change the font size so that it's easily viewed. And the most important factor
everyone is ignoring: BATTERY LIFE. This is the reason I switched from Windows CE devices. I've
used quite a few, including $1000 handheld PC's, and they suck batteries like a vampire with an
eating disorder. I measure my battery life now in weeks, not hours. Until MS can resolve this
issue, they're going to continue to lose valuable customers like myself. I don't even really mind
that the m100 doesn't have a rechargeable battery that charges in the cradle because my m100 is
only plugged in long enough to download AvantGo and update my AnyDay calendar, to do list, and
address book. I did the rechargeable thing with the PalmPC's and it's a pain in the butt - you
always have to keep a spare set available. And while we're on the topic of batteries, the color
devices suck juice too. My boss has a new IIIc and it's battery life is considerably less than mine.
To sum it up: the m100 is a spartan, road-warrior PC companion, and the only Palm can do to
improve it is sell with 8mb on board so I don't have to do it myself. And to all you whiners: Do you
have major stock in Palm or something?

Palm M100, A misunderstood Tool

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/19/2000 6:54:37 PM #
After Reading previously posted comments and replys, It seems as if every one was expecting the M100 to be the next generation of computing. Please allow me to let you all on a little secret. Palm plans on much better products being released in the future. These products, along with the competition will be more expensive and tailored to the computer savie. The M-100 was developed, thick case and all, for the "Entry Level" user at a price that would not initiate sticker shock. In addition, It would accept the bare minimums of software, naturally requiring the newly initiated Palm computing convert, to "upgrade" to the more expensive models, utilizing more sophisticated software programs.

This is not an unusual marketing strategem. Most of us did not buy our Beamers right out of high school. We started modest and worked our way up. If all cars were made and priced in the 60,000 range, few of us would have gotten our first ticket before we were 30. Think about it.... Then accept the M100 for what it is. A simple, versatile, rugged platform made for the beginner.... And from what I have read, most of you who commented, are way past the M100.

Palm M100, A misunderstood Tool

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/19/2000 6:54:37 PM #
After Reading previously posted comments and replys, It seems as if every one was expecting the M100 to be the next generation of computing. Please allow me to let you all on a little secret. Palm plans on much better products being released in the future. These products, along with the competition will be more expensive and tailored to the computer savie. The M-100 was developed, thick case and all, for the "Entry Level" user at a price that would not initiate sticker shock. In addition, It would accept the bare minimums of software, naturally requiring the newly initiated Palm computing convert, to "upgrade" to the more expensive models, utilizing more sophisticated software programs.

This is not an unusual marketing strategem. Most of us did not buy our Beamers right out of high school. We started modest and worked our way up. If all cars were made and priced in the 60,000 range, few of us would have gotten our first ticket before we were 30. Think about it.... Then accept the M100 for what it is. A simple, versatile, rugged platform made for the beginner.... And from what I have read, most of you who commented, are way past the M100.

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