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The new Palm VIIx
Several readers wrote in about the new Palm VIIx. It looks really nice and all, but I've got to say that the Handspring looks good too. If anyone's had a chance to use a prerelease of the new VIIx, please post your experiences below.
you know, I don't want to hear about the "experiences with palms" that people WILL post.
Bad things often happen to good people,
It is up to them to see that they remain good.
I've been using the 'deluxe' aka 8MB version of Handspring's Visor now for about three months, and it has been great. It does what I want, since it runs the PalmOS it has plenty of apps available for it, etc. And I do happen to like the springboard module idea - I think of it as a way to customize my handheld (I want to turn it into a GPS unit). My Visor cost $250, direct from the retailer. A GPS unit would run about $150-$-200. Modems for the Visor run $120-$150.
The new Palm VIIx is probably nice (I'm still looking at the stats and I'm not too impressed), but I want to know what makes it cost $150 more.
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I've been using a VII and a V+OmniSky service (via Novatel CDPD modem) for work recently and I think that the Omnisky is the way to go. For $49 (I think) a month we get unlimited service on the Omnisky at 19.2k, whereas the Palm VII is limited to a much smaller amount of data for $39 a month at a much lower BW (although it seems to have a lower latency).
The cool thing about the OmniSky is that you can pull the modem off of the Palm V when you decide you don't want wireless access and the thing is much smaller. Also, I get the feeling the Palm VII is doomed because it's tied to an older packet radio network compared to the OmniSky.
The m100, also on Palm's web site came out today. It has 2MB of RAM and is designed to replace the Palm IIIe, and compete with the Handspring Visor. Despite not having the Visor's SpringBoard slot, the m100 sports a cover with a special hole so that you can see the clock through it, and changeable faceplates. It also allegedly has flash memory for OS upgrades, something the Visor lacks.
Also today, the Vx debuted in two limited-edition colors: champagne and "millennium blue." Kind of a shame that there wasn't any other innovation attached.
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If you're comparing the III series to the Visor, they have roughly the same BF - e.g. how stupid you look wearing them on your belt. So, all other things equal, I'd have to say hands down the visor whoops the pants off the IIIseries, especially since you can get nifties like modules to do I/O, hopefully bluetooth, maybe even 802.11 someday.
Now, the Palm V series are the pinnacle of handheld engineering right now IMHO due to the incredibly low batman factor. The belt clip-on case doesn't make you look like a tool, and it's actually light enough that you can just put it in your pocket. The WinCE devices and other's just can't win due to the high BF: You can't carry them EVERYWHERE. Which, I think is the point of a handheld device..
Batman factor is especially important if you've already got one or two things on your belt; I usually have my startac and a leatherman, so my BF is pretty high. :)
For the record; I own a Palm Pro, 1 Meg, use it every day, and don't wear it on my belt. I can't decide between a visor and a Palm V, but since I have a vaio already for I/O, I'll probably end up with a V. They're sweeeet. I can't seem to kill my old US Robotics Pro though, despite not bothering to put it in a case, not bothering with screen protectors, etc etc, it won't die. Damnit. :)
..don't panic