The Palm Graveyard

Welcome to the Palm Graveyard, the Internet's special resting place for desceased PDA's. This page was founded and inspired by the death of my first Palm III, and has grown into a haunted digital wasteland of broken handheld devices. Rumors abound that the ghost of Windows CE frequents these very grounds.

Have a horror story or a picture of your dead Palm or PDA to share? Submit your tombstone to: The Palm Infocenter Webmaster Images are encouraged but not required. The latest 5 gruesome deaths are listed below. The tombs of the Palm Graveyard is always open to browse.

TombStone

Palm III Resurrection

Victim: Lodragan Draoidh
Date added: 3/16/2007

 

Palm III Resurrection This story begins with a Palm Pilot that I bought the year it originally came out (1997 I believe). It served me for many happy years (3). In 2000 I got a Palm M100 - and passed on the Pilot to my wife for her use. Shortly thereafter it fell out of her purse in the mall onto concrete! (I was there and saw it happen - I nearly had a nervous breakdown).

I put it back together, but it would not start after that - and I resigned myself to its death. I was too attached to it to give it a proper burial, and slid it into its leather case and stowed it in my desk drawer - just until I could get up the nerve to put it down for good.

For many years I was in a funk - never quite happy with the M100 or later the Casio I got for cheap to revisit the 'big screen' days of my youth - I finally eschewed PDAs. Nevertheless time heals all wounds, and so I found myself revisiting the idea of writing my own applications to capture ideas on the fly on a portable device - so I dug out the old PDAs, including the old Casio that I had for a short time. The Casio was not suitable for what I intended, the M100 ran fine - but the Palm Pilot was still dead - so I thought, "what the heck? I can't make it any more dead than it already is..."

A thunderstorm descended at the same time that I began the operation. I took the case completely apart, and noticed flakes of corrosion as sheets of rain began falling outside. I cleaned it carefully with canned air, a clean toothbrush, and a pencil with an eraser. After all the corrosion was removed and conductive material shined to remove all traces, I carefully reconnected its parts and closed the case over its brain for the final time. Lightening lit up the room.

I placed new AAA batteries in the compartment and sealed it up. The moment was at hand! I hit the power button - and it came alive. It was alive - resurrected from the dead! It forced me to go through its setup program - which I did with dread; would it barf and fly off the handle? Could I trust it with my data?

Happily it is still running fine and is the centerpiece of my Linux/Palm system today. I am thinking about putting embedded Linux on the M100 -- still in research mode atm to see if it is feasible. I am going to leave palmOS on the Palm Pilot - perhaps write an app or two for it in its native tongue and help it continue to be a useful partner rather than a curiosity of a bygone era.


TombStone

Unknown Rattling Symptomatic

Victim: Mark Trozzi
Date added: 3/16/2007

 

Unknown Rattling Symptomatic Unknown rattling sounds may be symptomatic of bigger problems, that and if the screen doesn't work right!

So, as the story goes, I acquired a used Palm IIIe for free from a friend whom said he "never knew why it stopped working." When I put in batteries and turned it on it only showed a filled screen with every pixel on/black, as well it made a very quiet whining sound, similar to my Tungsten|E actually. It also had a rattling sound, which meant something was loose inside the hand-held.

So, I diligently took it apart, quite easily actually, with only 4 screws and a wide flat head to pry it open. Once open I carefully examined it and discovered that the insides appeared in perfect condition except for one thing. What I believe is the culprit of the problem is the small object on the main-board I highlighted in my pictures that appears to have it's top edge partially chipped apart. I discovered these small chips were what was rattling around on the inside. AHA! There is also an identical part like this about 3/4 inch nearer the battery slots and it's not damaged as far as I can tell.

I think these are voltage transformer's of some type, based on my rudimentary knowledge of electronics parts, and if the broken one is not properly changing the power level it's supposed to then that may be why the Palm doesn't work right. I think that the problem is only with the screen functioning properly, and I believe that it is working fine otherwise since it makes a proper "tap" sound when I tap the screen indicating that the digitizer works, I think...

I have highlighted the areas of interest with a red box.

It seems to be in near-perfect condition other than this problem. But at this stage of the game, it's mostly useless except for parts....A shame....anyone want it?


TombStone

Hotsync with a Broken Screen

Victim: sorceror171
Date added: 3/15/2007 9:01:17 PM

 

Hotsync with a Broken Screen A couple days ago a guy on Usenet was saying he had a Tungsten E with a dead screen; since it just uses a mini-USB connector, there was no way to start a HotSync and rescue the data stuck on it.

So I coded up a tiny utility that you can put on a memory card as /Palm/start.prc; when you insert the card, it'll trigger a HotSync.

So, if the Palm has a memory card interface and a dead screen *and* you can't initiate a HoySync any other way, this little program might come in handy.

I call it Seance. ( :-> ) It's free, under the GPL, and available here: http://ingles.homeunix.org/software/seance/

Just thought it might be worth mentioning in the Graveyard since people with dead screens would tend to find your site, and there's a dim chance maybe one person a year would find it useful.


TombStone

Palm marinading in hair lacquer

Victim: Winston Smith
Date added: 3/15/2007 9:01:17 PM

 

Palm marinading in hair lacquer Having had some success at repairing Palm's (two Visor Edges, a Tungsten T and a Tungsten E live on thanks to my efforts), I felt rather confident about repairing my sisters T3. "Is the screen broken?" I said. No. "Okay, so what does it do?". Nothing, she replied. It won't turn on. "And how long has it been broken?". Oh, about two weeks. Since I last visted New York. "Fine. Bring it round and I'll take a look."

The poor thing was soaking. It had been marinading in hair lacquer for a fortnight. The noxious liquid has seeped behind the digitiser and, when I dismantled it, I discovered that the circuit boards were covered in a thick fur of green and white corrosion. Palm T3? Rest In Peace.

Her iPod Mini was similarly soaked and damaged. As with the Palm, I tried to turn it on before dismantling it. Remarkably, it fired up briefly before shutting down with a hard disk fault. Further investigation revealed that the hard disk was fine - but that the hard disk controller was irrevocably broken. iPod Mini? Also RIP.

She wants to get an iPod Nano now. Should be okay if she keeps it in a condom to protect it from the noxious substances that it'll be sharing her handbag with. As for the Palm, apparently that'll be replaced with a Blackberry. Blegh. As for me, I'll be sticking with my Tungsten T (aka m550) - I brought it back from the dead, and it's now my faithful servant. Must be gratitude.


TombStone

Never turned on again

Victim: Anonymous
Date added: 3/14/2007 12:17:27 PM

 

I was really happy when I bought my first Palm handheld on my birthday. I got just enough money for a Palm Z22. I enjoyed Palm OS Garnet and all the apps I had on the installation cd and those that I downloaded from the Internet. I bought it at Circuit City with 90 day warranty. And guess what? On 88 day of my warranty I downloaded an app from PalmSouce. Right after I HotSynced my Z22, I decided to open the app. All I could see is some wierd screens and suddenly my Palm turned off. I tried to turn it on, but no luck. I read everything I could find on the Internet about what just happened to my hanheld, but unfortunatlly, nothing solved my problem.

I tried everything. Reset, charging, waiting and periodacally checking if it works. On 89 day of my warranty I went to Circuit City trying to get my money back (I wanted to buy something else this time). They asked me some questions about what and how it happend, so I told them. After calling Palm and doing something, they gave me a brand new Z22. RIP my old Palm.

I didn't use the new Palm for a very long time, I traded it for a 5-year old Sony Clie PEG T-615C. I'm pretty happy with it, but I still miss Palm OS 5 and Graffiti 2 =).


Palm Graveyard Archives

It came back from the dead -CyPicture The story of my Dead Dell -Steve BellPicture
Windows Mobile 2003 Drowning -Shalom OutmezguinePicture What will happen will happen .... -unix_guidePicture
Don’t Drink and Organize -James HollePicture Something that you'd probably rather not see -Brian WagstaffPicture
It keeps on giving.... -Mona BPicture Slipcase lives up to its name -Jim Jurena
Too thick a thing for my pocket... -ScottPicture Canadian Carpet Bomb -Troy FontainePicture
Phoenix Rising -Tony DelAguila Supper Happy Clie N710 Reincarnation! -George Biastre Jr.Picture
Attempted Zaurus 5500 Murder -Chad CarterPicture Oh, it's just the pipes creaking -Bruce Clark
Casio Pocket Viewer - Clean and Still Working -David Chick Visor on the Farm -Shawn Hoefer
So this clie failed my "butt test" -Min-yi ShenPicture 60 mph Mistake at the border.... -David PabstPicture
The Great Train Escape -DavidPicture My Zaurus 5500 Cheats Death -Chad Carter, Italy
A Narrow Escape, not a Creaking Pipe -Bruce Clark 5-Wood meets Clie -Colin DukePicture
A Sad Tale -Aria Wenda OngPicture I figured it won't matter, WRONG! -Andrew Azzariti
The LCD Curse -FSPDeeJayPicture Slipped into the Abyss -J PattersonPicture
The Palm That Went Thru Batteries in Just 2 or 3 minutes -Scott Shultis I lost my mind, regained it only to lose it again!!! -Rrjam3
Strong Replacement IIIc Cases -Sean Dalgety Beautiful Impression of a Tire Track -Jim Bezdan
The Lawn Mower Killer -Sharon Batteries In Backwards -Rrjam3@cs.com
Death by Dog Bowl -MICHAEL A. ASSID, Major, USAF Falling into a Cement Pit -Michael Powell, Esq.
I Love My Hardwood Floor, Really -Jeffrey S. RussellPicture Never drink with you handheld -Matt Clouse
Cold Alone! -Dimitri Gerebtzoff A Tale of Two Taxis -Ian Darwin
Another Death by Toilet -Andrew Knox Desk Squeeze Disaster -Darren RPicture
Be Careful with the Windex! -Mike Longhurst Spidey-Palm -Quiller
Deep Fried m505 -A Martz Animal Chase Catastrophe -Sean SettersPicture
PC Mouse Smack Attack -Richard De GuzmanPicture Beware of Evil Tables... -Bernard EsterhuysenPicture
Tail of a Faithful m500 -Josh Carlson Lost and Found on the Highway -Mad Scribbler
A Stupid Computer Table -RobervalPicture A Cushion Between My Hip and the Cement -Paul ConwayPicture
On Palms and Skateboarding -Matt Lacey PalmIIIx back from the grave -Frank Leaver
As It Described an Arc... -James McNalleyPicture Like a Greased Watermelon Seed -Joe H.
Reincarnation times 10 -Brian Satzinger Well, at least it's clean! -Benjamin HalePicture
Sudden And Massive Covert Battery Drainage -Rich Anderson 3rd time's a charm -Leigh Ferguson
These Pants are Cursed! -Derek CunninghamPicture Demise of the Unused IIIe -Cheryl Nicole LeePicture
The Swamp Purse -Tina RathbonePicture Cleanup on Aisle Seven! -Ellen GaynorPicture
The Slippery Pocket Strikes Again -Troy Fontaine The Palm IIIc that got rained on -James Cross
The Dog Ate My Homework! -Theresa O'DonnellPicture Don't mess with other people's Palms! (a cautionary tale) -Luis Alvarez
She went with a whimper - not a bang -Jim GorskiPicture My palm mysteriously committed suicide -Alex GoodwinPicture
Check Those Pockets! -Chris Olson Thougher than a nokia 6110? -Luca ReginatoPicture
For some unfortunate reason, I stepped on it -Enrico PanganPicture Hammer Time? -AndrewPicture
m100 taken over by Demons! -Darius Thomas The Backpack boogie -Noah JaehnertPicture
My Visor had an acid flashback! -Mike MoorePicture Muscle Machine Mishap -Michael AndersonPicture
Ohhhh, my Dear Visor Deluxe -Brynjar Stefansson Thougher than my old Nokia 6110? -Luca ReginatoPicture
Tried to catch it with my foot -Tibor LoveyPicture His Palm died, mine revived -Juan Xavier Larrea
My Palm III Would Not Turn On -Andy FusPicture Salem Witch Curse Killed My Palm -HegamyerPicture
The Elevator Shaft Miracle -Mark Eric Zeitzer If all things were like my Palm III -Tjalling
A Good Idea Gone Bad -Chris MancePicture Soccer talents gone wrong -J. PeperkampPicture
The crack mysteriously appeared -braydenPicture My beloved PDA drowned in my backpack -Antony SitPicture
A rush and a push and my Palm was repaired -Peter van EijkPicture Here we go again -The JunkmanPicture
It eventually killed itself! -Chris Johnson A Visor's double death! -Nick Carlson
FrankenPalm -Jim Weller and John FieldPicture Carpet Crack -Jake ReynoldsPicture
Spending too much time with your gadgets... -Christian B. SassPicture When dogs attack! -Cindy BurnsPicture
Flushed at 30,000 feet -Nick TrevethanPicture RIP after 1 day -OverAchievePicture
Across a four lane highway -Randall Cone The gods were not smiling on me -Gus SimpsonPicture
I jumped high -Kurt M. SangerPicture Landed on my back(pack), palm first -Scott F. Crosby
Skidding across wet pavement -Cray DryguPicture PalmPilot all-too-Personal -Hoffsieu@aol.com
Visor Passes Flight Test, Fails Landing -Sergeant Major Bill Russell Calculator Heaven -StealthPicture
My Palm just ran out of lives -Peter TanPicture Top of the car syndrome -Andrew HatField
Cockroach killed my palm! -Leonardo CarvalhoPicture My Palm Took A Bullet For Me! -Steve LynchPicture
A perfect 10 Greg Louganis belly flop -Lawrence SotoPicture Little kid crash -Andymr
Driving over the visor is not good for the screen -Cameron ClarkPicture Survivor of a 50mph crash -Craig Schoenthaler
Unfortunate bowling ball accident -Gary Watch out for hungry old ladies -RsxPicture
It went airborn -Alexander Schrab Life after watery death -Clym Escudero
PalmPix case damage -Gordon CatoPicture Ended in the toilet bowl -Sharp A520
Learning to Fly -Timothy Lutero Death With Dignity? -Bill Rhodes
It was declared brain dead -David Ellison After my first step I knew life would be different -BLAKEWELCH
Maybe I killed the little guy -Kaveer Domestic Chores + Pergo Floors = Death -Paul Brown
Palm Picture Frame -David WeaverPicture A Crime that Cries out to Heaven for Vengence -Michael Engelbrecht
Palm suicide -Toni Riss Resurrection or E Pluribus Unum -Kevin Bersell
Palms do not handle deceleration trauma well -Joe TomasonePicture Hit and run OJ style -Shawn CallahanPicture
For the all the Palms I loved before -matika PDA bike accident -John Records
Psychedelic displays and Fatal Exceptions -David Siederer Motorcycle Emptiness -Andrew Grupp
Don't phone with a PALM near the Wire! -Christian BauerPicture The original Slim Leather Case -Joe SmithPicture
Don't get too confident -Dany AsselinPicture Do *NOT* follow that stupid rabbit! -Brett ProfittPicture
Shop till it drops -Timothy McCartyPicture Flashing black screen -greglis@surfree.comPicture
Don't carry Palm in pant pocket -Ron Webb Another Reason Not To Use Belt Pouches -Mario Camou
Watch that anger -Robert StephensPicture Its life was too short -Russell HowellPicture
Rolling down the stairs -MitchelPicture Ibby-Jibbys take over.. -Samuel F. GutierrezPicture
Guns and Palm do go together -Noam Sheffer Precious Palmie gets cracked -Matthew JolleyPicture
Watch where you sit -Ahmed MaarabaPicture Don't belt clip on the right side! -Joel Wasinger
I'm crushed, my Palm is crushed -Ron Good Nasty metal detector -KMBroome@aol.com
Watch cases with metal parts -Jeff The Riffer Cracked Pilot 1000 -Paul DrobnyPicture
The PDA Curse -Jesse Kirkpatrick The first dead Visor -BDPicture
DIY Palm III repair -Peter Dikhoff Choose Your Bathroom Reading Material Carefully -Chris Swanson
A watered Palm can be repaired! -Ivo Burkart Don't beam near the ball -Tyler SmithPicture
Battery Meltdown -Ernie Goyette Life Ends ... Not 2 hours old -Phil Tormanen
Crushed in my Pocket -Ray LarabiePicture Un día, tenía un accidente y caído le y lo rompí. -Jimmy G Baxter
Beware of washing machines -Hakan LennestalPicture Wrecked at Sea -William George
Juggling in the air -Chris Hoover Walked into a desk -Jonathan Allen
Palm V Hip Protector -Justin Don't take Palmie Drinking -elbertc@yahoo.com
Pilot or Child -Larry Odom A Flushing Experience -Doug
Palms are not Backpack protectors -Anders GregowPicture Left at the Gas station -Ben Durrant
Sat on my Rex -Philip MarienPicture Palm in a deep Freeze -Dan Kirkpatrick
Kickin' the Cradle -Roland Abandoned on the Metro -Chad Taylor
Bicycle Mistransportation -someone?Picture Crushed in a fall -Jake BerryPicture
The only good CE device is a dead CE device... -Tex JonesPicture WOW! The PalmPilot is durable! -Brian Findlay
Slipped out of my Pocket -Robert NeilsonPicture Beware of the Dog! -Jeff LipsmanPicture
Winter Wonder where the hell your pilot went? -Will Dobbins

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