PDAs

• Sleek, stylish handheld with 128 MB of flash memory and big 320x480 screen
• Easily manage email on the road or access files on your office desktop PC
• Palm Desktop Software for Windows and Mac

• 320x320 Transflective TFT color display with touchscreen, supports more than 65,000 colors
• Powerful, yet affordable, with 32 MB of memory (26 MB actual storage capacity)
• Supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCard expansion-cards to add extra memory, features or content

• Palm organization and style at an affordable price
• Mini-USB connector allows easy transfer and backup to computer
• What's in the box: Palm m515 handheld, USB HotSync cradle with built-in battery charger, Getting started manual, Palm Desktop software and bonus software, Complete documentation, Protective flip cover

The expansion card slot is a dual-purpose slot that can hold Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard (MMC) memory cards. Both types of cards are small, inexpensive, and easy to plug in. Much like computer diskettes, they hold information for upload or download onto a handheld. With them, you can instantly add software programs, e-books, large databases, graphics, or even video files to your handheld without sacrificing memory space. The Palm Universal Connector (at the base of the m515) enables you to add peripherals such as a keyboard, GPS receiver, and more.

In addition to Palm's built-in organization applications in Palm OS 4.1--including Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, and Note Pad--the Palm m515 also features the following bonus software: Documents To Go by DataViz (for synchronizing Microsoft Word and Excel documents), Pocket Mirror (for linking to Microsoft Outlook), MultiMail SE, MGI PhotoSuite, AvantGo, Palm Reader, and Palm Mobile Connectivity software.

The native USB HotSync cradle allows you to quickly back up and exchange information between your handheld and your PC or Mac. The Palm m515 handheld comes equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery, which is charged using the HotSync cradle. Palm Desktop software is compatible with Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP, and Mac OS 8.6 through 9.x. Note that for connecting to Windows 95 and NT you will need an optional serial cradle or cable.

The Palm m515 comes with a stylus, USB HotSync cradle with 120 VAC/60 Hz charger, internal rechargeable battery, Palm OS 4.1, and an infrared port. It is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the box

Palm m515 handheld with bonus software
• USB HotSync cradle with built-in battery charger
• Getting started manual
• CD-ROM with: Palm Desktop software and bonus software
• Complete documentation
• Protective flip cover

• Bright 320x320 transflective color screen
• Built-in Wi-Fi and keyboard
• What's in the box: Tungsten C Handheld, Stylus, Flip Cover, USB HotSync Cradle, Power Supply, Desktop Installation CD, Software Essentials CD

Compact and powerful

The hardware looks very much like that of the Tungsten W. There is no antenna like the W has, but there is a keypad where the Graffiti area traditionally sits on a Palm. A new version of Graffiti, called rather unimaginatively Graffiti2, is provided, and you can use this to write text direct to the screen should you desire to.

Palm provides a whole slew of applications including Documents To Go, for working with Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. This is in ROM along with email software VersaMail and software to set up the wireless networking features and run VPN (Virtual Private Networking) sessions. Connecting to an existing 802.11b network is easy as pie -- and a separate manual walks you though the process if required. Once connected, you can use another ROM-based application, Web, to browse the Web using your wireless modem.

Though designed with professional users in mind Palm has not lost sight of the fact that the Tungsten C will appeal to a wider audience. They provide the Kinoma player for watching movies and Photos for looking at digital images. A key notable absence is any kind of MP3 player.

Palm's addition to the range of PDAs with built in 802.11b is a very impressive one. It has the processing power to cope with wireless activity and the memory to deal with the data you'll download and share while using wireless.--Sandra Vogel

Product Description:
For the ultimate in performance, Palm delivers its most powerful and robust handheld yet, the Palm Tungsten C handheld. Running on an ultra-fast processor, the latest Palm OS and plenty of memory, it handles your complex business files with ease.Need to check your email for an urgent message or quickly browse the web? Don't want the hassle and the wait of booting up your laptop? The Tungsten C handheld's built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b) technology lets you access your business and personal networks, send email and attachments and browse the Internet with blazing efficiency. You're connected anywhere you have Wi-Fi access - at your office, at home, in airports, hotels, cafes and more - with the number of access points and HotSpots continually growing.Plus, it features a new high-resolution 320x320 color screen, a built-in keyboard, a 5-way navigator button for one handed access to information, dual expansion capabilities and all the tools you need to stay productive.

• Palm’s new breakthrough Stretch Display
• Ultra-fast 400MHz Intel XScale processor and 64MB of internal memory
• What's in the box: Handheld device; Palm Desktop software, including Documents To Go and Adobe Acrobat for Palm OS; all basic utilities such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks., etc.

First, just the technical facts:

• Palm OS 5.2.1
• 32-bit, 400 MHz Intel XScale processor
• 64 MB internal RAM, with 52 MB usable for applications and file storage (an improvement over the T2's 29 MB usable RAM)
• Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• Secure Digital memory card expansion slot
• 4.3 (closed) x 3.0 x 0.66 inches, 5.5 ounces

Overall, the Tungsten T3 isn't that much smaller than the Zire 71, but it does feel nicely compact in the hand and its larger navigation button is easier to manipulate with just your thumb. However, the "wow factor" comes into full force when you slide down the bottom of the T3's case to reveal the full screen mode. And it gets even better. The standard "silkscreened" Graffiti input area (so-called because its icons and borders are printed onto the screen's glass) is now replaced by a digital version, which can be hidden to reveal an even larger screen. We found this useful when writing long notes in Memos and viewing an expanded daily calendar view.

You don't actually need the Graffiti writing area to input data into notes or Calendar items. With the Full-Screen Writing preference turned on, you can write Graffiti characters anywhere on the screen (you'll even see an outline traced on the screen as you write). But the crowning display enhancement is the ability to rotate the screen to landscape view, which was especially handy when viewing downloaded movie trailers (using the included Kinoma video player). If you're left-handed, you can change the orientation in landscape view so that the status bar and Graffiti input area are more accessible to your own orientation.

The T3 includes the familiar suite of Palm applications (Calendar, Contacts, Memos, and Tasks) as well as a number of third-party software title (ranging from Acrobat Reader to RealOne Player for listening to digital audio). Calendar has been given an Outlook-friendly makeover, adding an Agenda view that consolidates all of today's appointments, tasks, and new e-mails. With full-screen mode on, Calendar's month view now displays smaller calendars for the previous and next months.

Bluetooth wireless functionality is built in, and the Tungsten T3 still includes the BlueBoard and BlueChat for sharing information with other Tungsten users. For Web communication, Palm includes VersaMail and WebBrowser Pro, both of which can be used along with a Bluetooth phone. Additionally, VersaMail can access a corporate e-mail account, including Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino servers.

Java has also now entered the Palm OS arena, expanding the application development opportunities. The T3 comes with a few sample applets (including a periodic table that would be handy at our local pub's trivia night), but we'll have to wait for more development before Java becomes a full Palm OS tool.

Our only complaint, design-wise, is the placement of the Voice Memo button, which as been placed toward the top of the left side of the case, below the on/off button on the top panel. When turning on the device, our left hand's thumb continually triggered the Voice Memo app when attempting to turn on the T3. Note that you can also turn the T3 on by pressing one of the application buttons surrounding the Navigator, or by sliding the bottom case open. Overall, the Tungsten T3 is a Palm powerhouse, blending its traditional information management strength with new multimedia and connectivity functionality (both wired and wireless). It's about as perfect a personal productivity agent for professional settings as it gets. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Crisp, bright color screen
• Fast processor, ample internal memory, and expansion slot to boot
• Digital Graffiti input area can be hidden for full screen display
• Screen can be rotated to landscape view
• Access to corporate e-mail and Bluetooth wireless connectivity

Cons:

• Voice Memo button gets in the way of turning on and off

• Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth wireless support so you can easily carry all the essentials of your busy life
• Support for POP, IMAP, and Exchange e-mail accounts helps you stay on top of your e-mail at WiFi hotspots around the world
• Also includes a voice recorder, MP3 player, and photo viewer

• Sleek, stylish handheld with groundbreaking 256 MB internal flash memory
• Expansion slot that supports MMC, SD, and SDIO memory cards
• Bluetooth enabled

See a detailed diagram of the PalmOne Tungsten T5's features

Internal Flash Memory Built for today's mobile professional, the Tungsten T5's 256 MB of memory actually provides 215 MB of user-available memory (55 MB for built-in applications and 160 MB of internal flash drive memory). Connect it to your PC or Mac and use it as you would a USB flash memory drive to transfer data and multimedia files from work to home. To access files stored on the handheld, simply select Drive Mode on the handheld and plug the included HotSync cable into a USB port. To add files, just drag and drop them from your PC desktop to the new File Transfer application (installed with Palm Desktop; Windows only). A live desktop window gives you instant access to data and information stored on the handheld's internal drive--without the need for synchronizing the handheld to move files.

Multimedia
The included RealPlayer for Palm OS enables you to listen to MP3s stored on optional expansion cards via the built-in speaker on the Tungsten T5 or, for stereo sound, on optional stereo headphones or ear buds. The updated Media application lets you view (and show off) transferred photos and videos.

Display
Unlike the Tungsten T3, which required you to slide the handheld's bottom open to activate the screen's landscape mode, the Tungsten T5's screen offers widescreen viewing at all times. The bright 320 x 480 transreflective TFT color display supports more than 65,000 colors. You can easily switch between portrait and landscape view, as well as open an active input area at the bottom of the screen.

Connectivity and Expansion
With built-in wireless Bluetooth connectivity, you can synchronize the Tungsten T5 with a Bluetooth-enabled computer from across the room (within a range of 10 meters, or approximately 30 feet). But that's just the start. Using a compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can send and receive e-mail and connect to the Web, send multimedia (MMS) or text (SMS) messages, and even automatically dial any number in your handheld's Contact's application. You can also synchronize data the "old-fashioned" way via the USB connection at the base of the handheld.

The Tungsten T5 uses MultiMedia Card and Secure Digital expansion cards, which instantly add software applications, additional memory, large databases, and more without taking up built-in memory space.

Operating System and Software
Veteran Palm OS handheld users will immediately notice the new Favorites view, which provides easy access to applications, files, and folders. The installed Palm OS 5.4 also introduces the Files application, which enables easy navigation among folders and files. It uses the intuitive and easy-to-learn Graffiti 2 writing software to input data into the handheld (as well as an on-screen keyboard). Windows users can synchronize their calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes with Microsoft Outlook. The Palm OS features the following organizer applications:

• Contacts: Lets you store several addresses for each contact, and with new fields for more phone numbers, multiple e-mail addresses, instant messenger IDs, and Web sites.
• Calendar: Use the new Agenda view to see upcoming calendar events, tasks due, and important e-mail, and color-code your events to provide an easy way to reference your calendar in the Agenda, Day, Week, and Month views. Take more notes, or synchronize more details from your desktop, in the larger Memos and Notes fields.
• Tasks: Use tasks with alarms and repeating tasks to set reminders for important commients.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Tungsten T5 handheld, a built-in rechargeable battery, a carrying case, a USB HotSync cable, a power cable, a stylus, a CD-ROM with Palm Desktop 4.1 software for Windows and Mac (as well as bonus software), and a printed Getting Started guide.

Tech Talk: Flash Memory
Flash memory, a form of electronic memory, is used for easy and safe information storage. Its low power consumption and light weight make flash memory ideal for mobile devices. In addition, flash memory holds information without a charge or power, just like a memory card saves pictures when not connected to a digital camera. The flash memory in the Tungsten T5 handheld will maintain its data even when power is exhausted. Simply charge the handheld again and the data is there.

Tech Talk: Macintosh Users
While the Tungsten T5's new File Transfer application is a Windows-only feature, Mac users can simply mount the handheld as an external drive, and then proceed to drag and drop files from the Finder to the handheld. Note, however, that the Tungsten T5's Palm OS environment is unavailable when connected in this mode.

• Bright and easy-to-read color screen with support for 58,621 colors
• Expandable via Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards--add memory, applications, and content
• What's in the box: Palm OS 4.1, USB cradle, rechargeable battery, and add-on applications including Documents to Go, powerone Personal Calculator, MultiMail, and Palm Reader

It also boasts an 8 MB memory with an expansion slot that accepts both MultiMediaCard (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) cards for adding both memory and special applications. The SD card slot will also connect to SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) devices, including Bluetooth cards for wireless connectivity, and upcoming peripherals like digital cameras and bar code scanners.

You can also attach peripherals to the base of the unit via the Palm Universal Connector, which enables you to use the m130 with keyboards, modems, and GPS receivers that are also compatible with the i700 and m500 series handhelds.

The universal connector is where the handheld meets up with its USB cradle, which not only serves to sync up the m130, but to recharge its lithium-ion battery as well. On the highest setting (you can drop it down a notch in well-lit environments), the display backlight sucks juice at a moderate rate. But since the battery recharges at each sync-up, it's not much of an issue. Even if you run out of battery life and your m130 shuts down, you have about a week to recharge it before you lose the data on your Palm.

Nicely contoured, with an attachable faceplate that flips up (letting you play Captain Kirk and Dr. Spock, if you're so inclined), the 5.4-ounce m130 rests solidly in your left hand with the right manipulating its standard buttons and screen with the stylus. One complaint we did have with the m130: at the edges, the screen doesn't appear to be as sensitive as in the middle and it can sometimes require a repeat tap with the stylus before it registers.

In addition to the standard Palm Desktop software, the m130's impressive handheld software bundle includes Palm Reader (for taking e-books along with your Palm), DataViz's Documents To Go (for viewing and editing Word and Excel files; Windows users can also view and edit PowerPoint documents), and MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition (for viewing images and videos on the full-color screen).

An IR port on the top of the m130 lets you beam contact information, such as your business card, or even an application, to another similarly equipped handheld.

An inexpensive color handheld with a decent amount of memory and lots of room for growth, the m130 makes a great PDA for users looking to add color to their portable world. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Inexpensive, full-featured color PDA
• 58,621-color display looks great
• Loaded with software extras
• Rechargeable battery

• Stylus doesn't register, at times, around the edges

• Built-in 8 MB memory stores thousands of contacts, appointments, to-do items, and notes
• SecureDigital/MultiMediaCard expansion slot for additional memory and functionality such as a dictionary/thesaurus, games, and more
• Windows and Macintosh compatible--includes desktop software for both platforms

Turning it on for the first time, we wondered if we had received the monochrome version Palm m500 handheld--the screen was dark and barely visible in our moderately lit office. We fumbled around for the contrast preference, but couldn't find it. In fact, the Palm m505 has no way to adjust contrast other than to turn on the backlight. Only with the backlight activated could we actually discern the icon and screen colors, and even then the LCD screen seemed muted.

On side-by-side tests with the Handspring Visor Prism, its main color competition, the Palm m505 was lacking in brightness and crispness--despite both handhelds' having 16-bit display support that can show up to 65,000 colors.

The reason for this seems to be that Palm has sacrificed brilliance for energy efficiency. The Palm m505's rechargeable battery does, indeed, keep its charge with "normal" usage (estimated by Palm at 40 minutes per day) for about three weeks. However, with the mandatory use of the m505's backlight, we found the battery needed more frequent charging. Luckily, charge time in the included HotSync cradle/recharger is quite short.

The basic Palm applications in OS version 4.0--Address, Date Book, Memo Pad, and To Do List--remain largely unchanged, with a few tweaks here and there. For instance, the Date Book application now includes a screen view with a list of the appointments and to-do items for a particular date. And like the m100 series, the Note Pad has been added for doodling and scribbling handwritten notes (instead of writing longer tomes in the Memo Pad using the Palm's Graffiti alphabet).

Palm has collected a number of bonus software titles that you can easily add to the m505 without denting much of the 8 MB of memory, including AvantGo, which downloads Web news and content from a variety of sources (enabling us to keep up with Aussie Rules Football scores). The biggest test for the color screen came with PhotoSuite, an image viewing app that displays a range of image-file formats downloaded from your PC. We found the color depth to be quite good, but the screen's lack of brightness made the images look rather muddy.

Additionally, several connectivity applications from Palm's Mobile Internet Kit are provided, including the Web Clipping app for viewing Web content built specifically for Palm viewing and MultiMail SE for accessing e-mail. And, of course, there's the highly touted expansion slot for SecureDigital cards and MultiMediaCards, allowing you to add memory, content, and functionality. Unfortunately, at the time of this review, we were unable to test any of the cards offered by Palm.

With its curved angles, thin design, and light weight, the Palm m505 closely resembles its predecessor, the Palm V series handheld. And like that model, the m505 feels very comfortable both in the palm of your hand and resting in your pocket. Also, with the Palm m505's new 33 MHz Dragonball VZ processor, switching applications seemed much more immediate.

The siren song of the new m500 series is indeed seductive, and Palm has done well to streamline its basic repertoire and add some tasty new notes to the mix. However, the Palm m505 is ultimately a disappointment due to its underwhelming color display. If you're having trouble getting this song out of your head, the Palm m500 handheld (with all the functions of the Palm m505 but with a monochrome screen) should keep your toes tapping just fine. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Faster processor
• Classic Palm styling--contoured design is comfortable to hold
• Good range of additional software, from Internet connectivity to e-book reader
• New expansion slot takes industry standard SecureDigital cards and MultiMediaCards

Cons:

• Color screen is rather dim and ultimately disappointing
• Backlighting must be turned on to see the color screen, wearing down the rechargeable battery
• Expandability via SecureDigital and MMC cards limited by current offerings

• Bright, 320x320 transflective TFT color display supports more than 65,000 colors
• Integrated 1.2 MP digital camera that also shoots video
• Palm Desktop Software for Windows and Mac and Software Essentials CD included

Upgrade Features
The Zire 72 offers the following improvements to the Zire 71:

• 1-megapixel image resolution (1280 x 960 pixels); the Zire 71 had a maximum 640 x 480 resolution.
• 32 MB of memory (24.7 MB user available); the Zire 71 had only a 16 MB memory
• Video capture with sound; the Zire 71 only shot still images.
• Digital zoom for closer image capture and in-handheld editing.
• Voice recording capability.
• Wireless Bluetooth connectivity (the Zire 71 connected to your PC only via the HotSync cable)
• At 4.8 ounces, it's 10-percent less weighty than the 5.3-ounce Zire 71.
• Palm OS 5.2.8 (versus 5.2.1 for the Zire 71).

For still photography, it features a 1.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with a fixed focus range of about five feet and a 2x digital zoom. It captures up to 1280 x 960 pixel images, as well as 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 resolution modes. The camera also offers such customized image setting controls as white balance, brightness, saturation, contrast, and sharpness. You can also add date stamp or effects like sepia, black and white, and blue.

Audio
The included RealPlayer for Palm OS enables you to listen to MP3 music files stored on optional expansion cards via the built-in speaker on the Zire 72 or, for stereo sound, using optional stereo headphones or ear buds.

With the built-in digital voice recorder, you can create voice memos, then synchronize them to your desktop PC and email them to friends and colleagues.

Display
The Palm Zire 72 features a 16-bit, 320 x 320 bright transflective TFT color display, which supports more than 65,000 colors.

Connectivity and Expansion
With the built-in wireless Bluetooth connectivity, you can synchronize the Zire 72 with Bluetooth-enabled computer from across the room (within a range of 10 meters, or approximately 30 feet). But that's just the start. Using a compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can send and receive email and connect to the web, send multimedia (MMS) or text (SMS) messages, and even automatically dial any number in your handheld's Contact's application. You can also synchronize data the "old-fashioned" way via the mini-USB connection at the base of the handheld.

The Zire 72 uses Multimedia Card and Secure Digital expansion cards, which instantly add software applications, additional memory, large databases, and more without taking up built-in memory space.

Operating System and Software
The Zire 72 is powered by Palm OS 5.2.8, which provides higher performance, enhanced multimedia features, support for Bluetooth connectivity and networking, and enterprise-class security. It useses the intuitive and easy-to-learn Graffiti 2 writing software to input data into the handheld (as well as an on-screen keyboard). Windows users can synchronize calendar, contacts, tasks and notes with Microsoft Outlook. The Palm OS features the following organizer applications:

• Contacts: Lets you store several addresses for each contact, and it adds new contact fields for more phone numbers, multiple email addresses, instant messenger IDs, and a website for your contacts.
• Calendar: Use the new Agenda view to see upcoming calendar events, tasks due and important email, and color-code your events to provide an easy way to reference your Calendar in the Agenda, Day, Week, and Month views. Take more notes, or synchronize more details from your desktop, into the larger Memos and Notes fields on the handheld.
• Tasks: Use tasks with alarms and repeating tasks to set reminders for important commitments.

Along with the standard Palm software, you'll receive a Software Essentials CD-ROM containing PalmOne's VersaMail, Web Pro, Messages (SMS/MMS), Palm Reader, Documents To Go Standard Edition, Acrobat Reader, Solitaire, powerOne Personal Calculator, and Audible Player for palmOne handhelds (Windows only).

Compatibility
The Palm Zire 72 is compatible with PCs running Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP, and with Macs running Mac OS 9, version 9.1 or higher, or Mac OS X, version 10.2 or 10.3.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Zire 72 Silver Edition handheld, built-in rechargeable battery, carrying case, mini-USB HotSync cable, power cable, stylus, CD-ROM with Palm Desktop 4.1 software for Windows and Macs (as well as bonus software), and printed Getting Started guide. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery that has a battery life of between 3 and 4.5 hours depending on screen brightness settings and usage.