A former PDA Virgin tells all and confesses her love for the Palm Pilot M105

Author's Rating:

Pros: Sleek, Light, Powerful, Compact, syncs with your Outlook... dump your planner!

Cons: Not in color

The Bottom Line: 
A truly amazing device. You won't know how you lived without it.

Author's Review
I'm never the first person to possess a new technology; in fact, I'm usually one of the last. Since I just started a new position, which involves regular traveling and is closer to the trendy world of marketing, I've noticed that most of my peers have a PDA. So, I ditched my cumbersome, disorganized, Monarch-size black leather Franklin Planner and went to the store to pick up a celebratory Palm. I ended up with a Palm Pilot M105.

• What is a PDA, anyway?

It stands for Personal Digital Assistant. It's a small, handheld device that most people use in place of a planner book to hold names, addresses, appointments, and notes. You can also play games and download a vast array of applications. Many physicians keep the entire PDR on their PDA's for easy reference and searchability. There are even electronic books that can be downloaded onto PDA's. The amount of free and (non-)useful information available is absolutely astounding.

• Palm Pilot or Handspring Visor?

From what I can tell, these are the two main players in the PDA market. This was my first hurdle... which one should I go with? I decided on a Palm. Why? Because they were more compact. The Visors come in cool colors, but my goal was to get a good first PDA that was compact and had all the features I wanted, and some that I didn't know that I wanted (yet). Not very scientific, but I'm just telling you the truth. I was leaning 60/40 towards a Palm as I entered the store.

• Batteries or Rechargeable?

At first I wanted rechargeable, but when I realized that I would be traveling a bit, I went for the batteries. I did not want to have to carry around another piece of equipment, and I can easily tow along a couple of AAA batteries.

• Why not the Palm Pilot M100?

I wanted the extra memory. When buying a new technological gadget, it always pays to remember the classic Bill Gates' quote: "640K ought to be enough for anyone".

• Why the Palm Pilot M105?

I knew I didn't want Internet access. I already have that on my cell phone and laptop. I knew I didn't want to spend the money for color. In my mind, I wanted to spend about $199 or less. I knew I wasn't going to be downloading big games. I knew I wanted the PDA to sync up with my Outlook at work. I wanted to be able to have plenty of memory to load a dictionary/thesaurus, a trivia game or two, The Magic 8 Ball, and other data in the future. I wanted to be able to have a To Do list and keep names and addresses. I also wanted Tetris.

I did some searching online prior to going to the store, but I was very undecided. I was looking at the Palm Vx. The very helpful guy in the store convinced me that it was more than I needed. He showed me the Palm M105 and I'm glad he did. And, at a price of $199, it came in at my budgeted amount.

• Size Matters

Face it, the reason you want a PDA is to have something very portable, so size really matters. Weighing in at a mere 4.4 ounces with a size of 4.66"x3.12"x.72" this Palm fits the bill. The M105 uses the Palm OS 3.5.

• Memory

To give you an idea of how much information these things can hold, my gastroenterologist brother fits the entire PDR on his with room to spare. The M105 comes with 8MB of memory.

• Sturdy and Well Designed

I can be pretty klutzy. I have dropped my Palm several times with no ill effects. The cover has popped off, but it's made to do this and attaches right back on with no problem. I have not (yet) lost my stylus. It fits very nicely in a special compartment on the Palm. The flip cover is very well designed and folds all the way back against the rear of the Palm. It is metal and protects the screen and buttons of the Palm when closed. I'm very happy with the quality of this unit.

• Beaming

This is what I believe to be the coolest thing. You can beam information from one user to another, as long as you both have the beaming capability, an infrared port. You can even beam to and from nonpalm users (ie: Visors). A great usage is to beam your business card. Also, entire programs can be beamed. My salesman beamed me Tetris and Yoda.

• Downloading

Easy as pie. The Palm Pilot comes with software that easily loads onto your computer. Tons of freeware is available at the Palm website. They can be quickly downloaded in convenient zip files. Installing your new software on your Pilot is simple. Just open the palm program on the computer and instruct it to transfer whatever program you want. On your next hotsync, the program will be installed.

• HotSync

A special "cradle" comes with the M105 that allows you to freely transfer information back and forth between your Palm Pilot and your computer. This is awesome in keeping your Outlook current and updated. Also, it allows you to type in information into your regular computer and easily transfer it onto your palm.

The cradle that comes with the M105 utilizes a serial port. If you have a Mac, or want to use a USB port, you'll need to get an adapter.

• Graffiti

At first, the idea of having to learn a new "language" in order to write things into my Palm was intimidating and put me off the whole idea. Graffiti is very easy to learn, and the M105 even comes with a handy sticker to put on the inside of the cover that has the basic alphanumeric figures that you need to know.

The Palm also comes with a program called "Giraffe" which is a fun little game to play that forces you to learn the correct key strokes.

Foldable plug in keyboards are also available (at $99), but in all honesty, graffiti is kind of fun.

• Alarm

I totally rely on my Outlook setting off an alarm to remind me of appointments. My Palm Pilot does the same thing. Even when it is turned off, if you set the thing to ring an alarm, it does. And you can even choose from a variety of sounds. The alarm is also an effective back up when traveling.

• Time/Date

The M105 has a nice little window on the flip cover with a special button that you can press to see the time and date without even opening your Palm. I always wear a watch, so this is not something I really use, except in meetings where I'm really bored and I don't want anyone to see me desperately checking out my watch. :)

• Connects to the Internet

Although I don't plan to use this feature, the M105 can have Internet connectivity via a Palm modem or your data enabled mobile phone. It just so happens that my cellphone, the wonderful Samsung 3500, is one such phone. Getting your email or "webclipping" (snipping tidbits of info from the web) involves the connection of the phone to the Palm and looks to be very inconvenient. From my limited perspective, I would recommend that if Internet/email access on your PDA is a priority for you, look at a different model.

• Software

This Palm comes with it's own Desktop Software, so if you don't have Outlook you can still use all the organizational features. This model comes with v3.1.1 for Windows and v2.6.1 for Mac.

• Warranty

The Palm M105 is warranted for one full year against defects in workmanship and materials.

• Accessories

There are 19 colorful Snap On Faceplates to personalize your Palm. Tangerine Twist, Bubblegum, Silver Mist, Turbo Red, Leopard, Burl Wood, Blue Boa, Purple Passion, to name but a few. These will set you back $19.95. I'm thinking of going for the Pacific Blue, but I haven't made up my mind yet.

Although not manufactured by Palm, there is a great product that protects your screen called Fellowes WriteRIGHT. This glare reducing, transparent screen overlay can save your writing area from wear and tear.

The HotSync Cable is a nice $19.95 accessory that allows you to hotsync with your laptop (or other computer) without dragging around the cradle. You will have to install the Palm software on the computer, so don't forget to do that before you go on your trip!

• Website

www.Palm.com is a great website with tons of software and information available for Palms.

• In Conclusion

Will a Palm Pilot organize you if you are disorganized? No. You will get what out of it only what you put into it. If you use Outlook, however, the fact that you can hot-sync up your calendar, contacts, notes, and to do list is a huge, huge help.

I am enjoying the incredible mobility of this device. When I travel, I have all my frequent flier numbers, itineraries, contacts, local maps, and my updated calendar of appointments literally at my fingertips. When I go to a meeting, I can easily plan follow-ups and beam information back and forth. I have cute and educational little games to pass the time. I have an alarm clock as a backup where ever I go. And it fits right in my pocket or purse. It takes up less space than my cell phone. It weighs almost nothing. It is a miracle!

This former PDA virgin will never go back to a planner again.


Across vast spans of cubicles
The chirps can be heard
Of the Palm Pilots hot-syncing
All their numbers and words

I rest easy now, dear reader
With my Outlook in tow
All the info I want or need
Is handy where ever I go


Sorry, I must be in love. :)



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