Palm product cycle

[Adcadet]

hey crew,
my trusty Palm m125 is getting a bit long in the tooth. With internal memory it can hold only a single program (Micromedex), and it runs it painfully slow. Not to mention the horrible 160x160 black and white screen. After this last week in the ICU I knew that I needed a new Palm sometime in the coming year. The only question is when. I start mini-rotations after Christmas, so that is the latest I'm willing to wait. Anybody know when new models tend to get introduced? It seems the current line up has been around for nearly a year (is this a good thing in terms of working out bugs and letting the prices drop?) I'm looking at lower-mid end models (Tungsten E in particular, maybe a Zire 72), so even if I don't go with a newer model hopefully the older ones will get pushed down in price. Comments?

 

[Fushigi]

I don't know that Palm follows a specific n month product cycle. I think their development & release schedule tends to follow market demand. They also like to do minor revisions between major releases. Finally, it seems that the prices on models don't fall much if at all over their lifecycle. As such, it seems best to evaluate your needs and take the plunge whenever you'r ready.

The minimum specs I'd recommend would be:

- Color, better than 160x160
- 32MB RAM
- Palm OS 5 or higher
- SD, CF, or other expansion slot
- Headphone jack or decent internal speaker
- CPU minimum 100MHz; 300MHz+ preferred

That's based on my usage of Palm products since around 1997 or so. My original IIIx (B&W, 4MB, OS 3.2, no expansion or headphone) lasted for several years and was replaced by a Handspring Treo 300 (color, 16MB, OS 3.4, headphone, no expansion). I now use the Treo 600 (color, 32MB, OS 5.2, SD, headphone & decent speaker, cel phone). PalmOne bought Handspring so Treo's are now Palm devices. Here's a list of some things I've extended my T600 with:

- LauncherX is a better app launcher and can run apps off of the SD card
- Pocket Tunes for MP3/OGG playback
- Mergic VPN for secure LAN access
- Mochasoft Telnet
- DDH Software's Mobile Terminal Services client for accessing Windows machines
- Various games
- Mapopolis's Text-to-Speech
- BackupMan to auto-backup RAM to SD (better backup/restore than HotSyncing)
- PDAReach lets me control the PDA from my PC
- pEdit for editing large memos
- MovieRec for recording A/V streams through the Treo's camera
- Acrobat reader
- GrxView for viewing JPG/GIF/TIFF/etc.
- SofTick Card Export II to use the T600 as a USB flash drive (using sync cable)
- Retractable charge-n-sync cable charges off the PC USB port

One thing I'm considering adding is Mapopolis' GPS solution.

So, things I'd do above the minimum spec would be:

- More RAM
- Faster CPU
- OS 6 (once released)
- Camera; 1MP or better; flash would be nice
- Cel phone integration (convergence is a wonderful thing)
- Bluetooth and/or WiFi
- Internet access (via bluetooth, WiFi, or cel phone)
- If accessing Internet over cel phone, use PDANet to let your PC/laptop use that connection (great when there's no Ethernet port or other access means or to replace a dialup ISP)

Other tips:

- Check for firmware upgrades on occasion.
- Use a screen protector to lengthen the life of the screen.
- If the model you buy doesn't have a flip-lid, get a good case.

I love my Treo, but it's not perfect. The nice thing about Palm products is that there are so many software helpers available that many deficiencies in the device can be overcome via small, sometimes free, 3rd party apps. There are also things like SD-based WiFi/Bluetooth cards to grant 'net access if the device doesn't have native capabilities.

 

[Adcadet]

I love the idea of a PDA/cell phone, but right now it's not an option for me. First, cell phones aren't allowed on most wards and definitely not in the (intensive care) unit. Even if I turned the phone off, attendings wouldn't know that and would probably still get irked. And there are phones all over the hospital. I've got a phone I'm perfectly happy with already.

I'm interested in OS6 and the rumored Tungsten E2. Since I'll have this Palm for 3 years most likely, I'd prefer to get the most modern technology.

Anybody see a pressing reason for a med student to get a Tungsten T3 or C over an E? How's the speed of the Zire 72's vs. teh Tungsten E?

 

[Adcadet]

anybody know the difference between the $399 Tungsten C and $299 Tungsten C at Newegg? International vs. US version?

http://www.newegg.com/app/SearchProductResult.asp?Submit=Go&DEPA=0