Great entry level color PalmOS handheld
Written: Jul 22 '02 (Updated Jul 22 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Expansion Slot, easy to use, rechargeable, included software
Cons: Plastic screen, stiff cradle, life between charges
The Bottom Line: This is a good value at $250 if you want a color PalmOS handheld. If you don't care about color, go for a B&W model for less.
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| tabytha77's Full Review: Palm m130 Personal Organizer |
Introduction
The "m" series, like any other product family, has grown. It started with the m105 and has now a total of five PDAs with the m130 as the latest addition to the m1** family.
What's included
Palm m130 device w/ stylus
Palm m series cradle
Palm Desktop Software
Bonus Software CD (which includes AvantGo, Documents To Go, Photo Suite, and more)
Getting Started with m100 series handhelds Guide
Grafitti Stickers
Accessories Guide
Specifications
Size: 4.8” x 3.1” x .9”
Weight: 5.4 oz.
Memory: 8MB
Battery: Rechargeable Built-in Lithium Battery
Display: 65000 + colors
Expansion: Palm Expansion Card Slot / Palm Universal Connector
Palm OS: 4.1
HotSync: USB Cradle
Wireless: need accessories
Requirements
PC running Windows 95/98/NT 4.0/2000/Me/XP or Mac OS 8.6 to 9.x
One available USB port
30MB free hard disk space
16MB RAM for Windows(64MB recommended for Windows 2000 or XP)
6MB free RAM for Macintosh
CD-ROM drive
Overview
It seems as though the m1** series really took off with the u-shaped design. On the m130, the face cover is removable, although the tab seemed to require more force to remove than most people would want to exert on the device after parting with nearly $300! Outside of that, the device is very light and portable, as Palm has always boasted, although the old Palm V series and Palm m500 series are lighter.
The m130 has a plastic casing as well as a plastic screen, which is fine. The display supports up to 65k colors, however with the plastic screen it seems to make the display look grainy in comparison to the Compaq iPaq and the Palm M500 series. The m130 also supports the ever popular Palm Expansion Card slot which supports the MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital (SD), and Bluetooth SDIO cards. This has added a whole array of new and cool technologies that can make your Palm more usable. This includes everything from memory cards to software, to hardware expansions.
As with the m1** series, the m130 has the ability to snap on different covers. This way, you can personalize your Palm like how some cell phone users are doing these days with all the custom plates that seem to be all the craze. One last thing that I am always happy to see is that the m130 is powered by a lithium-ion battery. The only downfall that I can see is for those users that don't have the car adapter or those mobile warriors that may not see an outlet for days. This might be the only time when a Palm powered by replaceable batteries might be handy!
The software bundle that comes included with the m130 is impressive. With applications such as DataViz Documents To Go, MGI Photosuite Mobile Edition, this is a good bundle straight out of the box. The one problem I've always had with bundles is the fact that you would get sub-par software that wouldn't complement the hardware that it was packaged with.
The problem I had was with the cradle release as I thought the connection prongs were going to break. For most users they will try to release the Palm from the same angle it sits on. Even still by tilting the device forward and then lifting it, the device still sounds like it's cracking from the base of the cradle. After removing the device several times from the cradle, the release softened up. It seems as though when you first get the cradle, the release is very tight.
Installation
Palm handhelds have become easier to install now that they offer USB connectivity. The ability to charge the device is done right through the USB cradle. This isn’t such a bad thing considering that most people will have their Palm devices sitting in the cradle at some time or another to synchronize their information between their desktop and their handheld. In either case, with the installation, all it took was a matter of minutes.
Conclusion
If you are new to the world of handhelds and are looking for a good mid-range PalmOS based device, the m130 offers enough functionality for the standard user. The question is, do you really desire color and is it necessary? If your budget isn't constrained, look at the Palm m515 as the device sports a glass face on the screen and improves the quality of the color. If you are looking for a non-color m1** series PDA, I'd also suggest looking at the Palm m125 as it offers almost all the same major features as the m130, except color and the fact that you'll be feeding your Palm AAA batteries if you're a road warrior.
The one great thing that still stays true to the black and white Palm devices is low battery usage in comparison to their siblings, which offer up color. The big difference between color and B&W is how long you can run your PDA before having to recharge. Keep that in mind if you're thinking of buying a PDA!
Regardless, this is a good value at around $240 to $250. You won't be disappointed with the m130.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 240
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Epinions.com ID:
tabytha77
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 4 members
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