Customer Reviews

PalmOne Vx Handheld

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

The time arrived for me to upgrade from my trusty old Palm V. I was running short on memory, so that left the Palm IIIc, Vx and Jornada 540 for consideration.

I tried the IIIc for a month. Found the color screen a pleasure to work with. There are not that many 3rd party apps in color yet, but that appears to be changing fast. I liked the TinySheet Excel compatible spreadsheet in color. The black on white screen is very readable for e-books. Battery life was acceptable. On a 3 week business trip I had to recharge it only once. The downside for me is size, the comfort factor. You can NOT comfortably carry a Palm in a shirt pocket. I carry it in my pants pocket, with the V I would forget I had it until I needed it. The IIIc, it was just always 'there'. The only other gripe I have is that it's almost impossible to read the screen outside. Something I took for granted on the monochrome V. Bright daylight however fully washes out color screens. I REALLY like the small updates to the new PalmOS. Eg. the little shortcut bar that appears at the bottom of the screen for menu shortcuts is an excellent innovation. It makes cutting and pasting as fast as with the PC using the keyboard.

I used the Jornada for 2 weeks before I returned it. As my expectations weren't that high from my previous exposure to the platform I can't say that I was dissappointed. However, I still don't think MS is up to par. On the balance still more 'clicks' are needed than on a Palm. I couldn't find those easy to use 3rd party freeware apps such as the NY crossstreet finder, on PocketPC. On face value I liked Excel, but I found it's small differences with the PC version annoying. Knowing one, I made assumption about the other that didn't always pan out. The high resolution of the screen is nice. For e-books the Jornada would be good, if not for the poor passive matrix screen. For example, on the plane, I could put the IIIc on the tray in front of me, and read at an angle. This is impossible with the Jornada screen. For basic PDA functions it is adequate. I feel the apps still are a bit sluggish. Playing MP3's is fun, but with 2 songs at CD quality, memory is depleted which makes it impracticle for multimedia, unless you spend more to expand memory. Forget playing MP3's in the background while doing other work, the device slows down to a crawl. Size wise, the Jornada is a bit bigger and heavier than the IIIc, which to me is a problem as I already explained. Battery life seemed shorter than the IIIc, though it may be subjective because it was on a lot, while learning the PocketPC platform.

The Palm Vx is basically a faster Palm V with more memory. Just got it yesterday and I already love it. This is the one I'm keeping. I suppose that after getting used to the size and weight of the Palm V, there is no going back. However, I'm glad that I went through the hassles of trying out the other 2 models. I learned a few things:

1) Size matters.

2) Until technology for multimedia matures, color screens do not add significant value to justify their impact on size and battery life.

3) PocketPC looked good on face value, but didn't go the distance, however, I do believe that as technology advances, multimedia such as MP3 playback will be great to have. I hope that by that time Palm will have the capability.

4) 3rd party apps add tremendous value. Something I forgot until I couldn't find my favourite little add-ons that make life easy, such as AccountManager, cross street finder etc.

All in all, the best favor you can do yourself is getting one. Got my parents a Palm V 2 months ago, now I have to get them another one so they stop fighting over it.

About a month ago, I started looking at Palms and was undecided as to whether I should get the beefier IIIx or the elegant V (the Windows CE handhelds were not even in the running). The Palm V was going to be the winner because of the sleek looks. I wanted the Vx, but I didn't think Circuit City carried it (I work at Circuit City and wanted that discount, ya know?). When I went in to purchase the Palm V, lo and behold, they had the Palm Vx for sale also. I special ordered it and had to wait about 10 days for it, but it was worth the wait. Please don't be jealous, I got it for $375 including tax.

I've had the Palm Vx for about a couple weeks now and I don't know how I did without it. I know everyone says that, but it is so handy. It's light and compact so I can carry it with me and I always know what I need to do that day. The 8 mb Ram is invaluable. I've already used over 3 mb. I've loaded books, some games, algebraic calculators, German translators, Pocket Quicken, and a whole lot more. $449 might be steep for most, but for the peace of mind in knowing that this PDA will be useful for AT LEAST 4-5 years, (you can't say that about computers now) you really can't beat it. I know I PROBABLY won't need any more RAM, the looks of this machine is very elegant, it fits comfortably in my hand (I'm female), and you get that "OOOOh, cool" look also, at least that's what my boyfriend said when he took his to work. Yeah, once he found out I was getting one, he had to have one also, said something about boys and their toys, and he showed his friends at work his new toy, of course.

Anyways, if you have the money, get one. It's got the wow factor, it's light, compact, comfortable, easy to use, and you will use it because it IS easy to use and carry. The screen is very clear also. The words are easy to read. People complain about the new backlight, but there is a shortcut to change it to the way the old backlights used to light up.

There are numerous sites on the internet for free and low-cost software. Make sure you get another case though, the case that comes with it is disappointing, it isn't very protective. It's one-sided and only protects the screen, so I bought the slim case from Palm. It's nice and fits in my back pocket comfortably, but I'm going to get the molded aluminum one from Rhinoskin. I need to have full protection because of my job environment. Other than that, you can get started immediately with what's in the box.

Another helpful thing to get is the book by David Pogue called Palm Pilot: The Ultimate Guide. It's not necessary, but it's handy because of the shortcuts and insightful way Pogue has of breaking things down that the manual Palm includes with the Vx just doesn't have. He writes about that backlight fix also.

Enjoy.

To be honest, for an average-income employee, this sucker causes an arm and a leg, and it is a bit hard to justify the purchase ... at first. I did a lot of research, and I wanted to buy a useful and powerful PDA that I would be able to use constantly and consistently. I am aware of products like Palm IIIx, Palm V, Handspring Visor, or even Casio Cassiopeia. Based on the speed, memory, design, size, weight, software expandability, reputation, and usability, I have decided Palm Vx is the choice for me. If I had to choose between IIIx or V, I would have picked IIIx, simply because 2MB of RAM is just too little. Vx encapsulates the fortes of V and IIIx, and then some (e.g. Faster processor - 20 vs 16, more memory - 8MB vs 4MB vs 2MB.) Window CE PDAs are handheld computers, not pocket-size organizers which you can easily fit it in your shirts', jackets' or trousers' pockets. It tries to do too much. If I want to play with Windows, I have my home PC, work PC, and my laptop available. Of course, if you like to use Excel and Words on a device so small that looking at a file which has more than 5 columns will give you a excruciating headache, though in color, sure, get the Casio Cassiopeia.

I just attended a business Christmas party, and I carried my brand-new Palm Vx with me so I could enter all these new acquaintances' contact information and filed them probably in seconds instead of writing it onto a napkin. I looked trendy and professional. Can't beat that! The sleek style would have been a bit more difficult to accomplish with larger size PDAs. (You don't know the difference 2 ounces can make to the overall design of your evening-wear until you tried it.)

Palm Vx has everything I need. I really enjoy downloading my contacts, meeting notes, emails, and WebPages (AventGo is a very nice feature) onto my Vx and read it on my car ride home without killing a forest. Additionally, I can easily backup all the information on different computers that I have access to (you can't trust anything these days.) The lithium ion rechargeable battery is truly a blessing too.

My bank account is running low after the purchase, but my personal well-being is certainly going up.

If you decide to get it, the traveler kit is a must. You can use it at work or when you are away without carrying the cradle around with you. Size does matter!

Due to bumbling on the part of Palm, the Palm Vx is still the standard in small, easy to use, full-functioning PDAs. Sporting a full-size screen (compared to the puny screens on the m100, m105 and m125) and a lithium rechargeable battery, the Palm Vx remains the sleekest, lightest PDA on the market. It fits easily into your hand or your shirt pocket. Now that its price appears to be coming down, it is a great buy, especially compared to the overpriced m125.

Palm's newest high-end models, the m500 and m505, are a bit better than the Vx, mainly because of a new card slot and a slightly more tactile feel. The m505 also offers some rather anemic color. But Palm's software hasn't really improved much since the Palm Vx came out, IMHO, and the expansion slot is not so compelling to me that it would be worth paying the additional dough.

Also, as an aside, make sure that you download three free add-ons for Palm OS: Avantgo, a service that downloads articles from the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, CNN and others every time you sync your Palm; Vindigo, a city guide with restaurant and movie reviews; and Mapopolis, which has street maps that are keyword searchable.

Enjoy!

I've owned a few palm pilots over the past several years. I switched to the Palm Vx because my Palm III gave out after months of abuse riding in my back pocket. The Vx is solidly built, very reliable and never needs batteries. I use mine heavily and sometimes forget to recharge it in the cradle. I've found that the battery lasts about three weeks with heavy use as long as you don't use the backlight. I now use my Palm Vx with my laptop running Windows 2000 and synchronize my data using the infrared port. The cradle is just a charge stand for me! If you're nervous about buying this product... relax! I teach computer skills to executives in the Chicago area. The learning curve for Palm devices is about 20 minutes. There is a shorthand called "graffiti" that you will need to learn to write in your information, but you can also use your computer or a separately available keyboard to enter in your data. Newer and more powerful palm devices have been introduced since I bought mine, but the Vx is an excellent value now that the price has dropped. And it's still the smallest! If you're looking for a PDA to handle your personal and business information and do not need to display color photos, videos or play MP3s, the Palm Vx is perfect.

While looking for a PDA, I was torn as to which one to get. Below are the choices I looked at and why, ultimately I didn't get them:

Palm IIIc - Color is nifty, but only a luxury. The only times I see a real need for color are in graphics programs, something that I don't know if I would appreciate working on a PDA.

Palm VII - Thinking of wireless communication is certainly neat, but I take the Baltimore Metro into work, and wouldn't have a connection half of the time I use the PDA

Handspring Visor - It's not very professional looking, but more than that, the operating system is not upgradeable. If a "need to have" upgrade is developed sometime in the future, you're simply out of luck. Yeah, hardware might be faster than software, but who is going to notice?

Psion 5mX - the neatest thing about the PDA, I think, is the ability to open it up and work anywhere. The miniature keyboard on these models won't let me do that while standing on a train.

Windows CE Models - dislike for the Microsoft name simply ruled these out, but the HP Jordana 545 certainly looks nice.

Palm V - 2MB of memory just doesn't meet my needs.

I went with the Palm Vx because it has everything that I needed in it. I've got the entire Bible, whatever novel I'm reading, about 200 contacts, office and home e-mail, a slew of games, and a detailed appointment calendar, and I'm barely at half of my storage capacity. Basically, it is serving as an entertainment device between home and work. I get work done, but if I don't have any work to do, I'm never bored taking mass transit. Of course, rechargeable batteries are also a plus - never have to worry about running about and finding some AA or AAA batteries and then trying to remember what device you stole them from when you finally get around to buying more. The amount of synchronization that I perform (e-mails written on the train and such) ensures that I don't forget to charge it nightly (although I think you can last a good week or so without recharging and normal usage).

The only feature I would like is an MP3 player add-on, but a cheap MP3 player is more than adequate. Yes, this is an expensive device, but I think each PDA is expensive, and this one is worth the amount of money added over any of the other models.

I have looked long (about 2 years) and hard for the "perfect" PDA and finally decided to get a PalmVx. As most first time buyers do some research on a purchase this expensive (for a PDA), I looked and read tons of reviews, newsgroup messages, etc.. to try to figure out what is out there and what will still be there few years from now.

I first thought about the user population and the kinds of things I will be able to do. Palm is the dominating PDA device and a bit of research told me that I could do much more than what I needed to do. There are literally thousands of software for the Palm and the hard part is deciding which software to use for a particular task. The decision came down to Palm IIIxe, IIIc and Vx (all had 8MB of RAM). Most of the features are about the same in all three devices. I discarded the IIIc since it was the first color model (my experience told me not to trust first models of anything computer related), it is more expensive, and because of the color, it is slower. Some people have reported pixel problems with their IIIc. I thought about expandability which is better on IIIxe but thought if I wanted expandability, I would've gotten a Visor. Also, their are no current upgrades for any Palm device that will expand the memory past 8MBs.

The thing that got me about the Vx was the design. I went to the local CompUSA to compare them side by side. There was no match! I also liked the fact that the Vx has a rechargeable battery. This might not seem much, but after the initial charge of 4+ hours, I only have to leave the unit in the cradle for a few minutes each day to get it fully charged which I do anyway to hotsync (I found out in a lot of newsgroup posts, that the III series drain battery when left on the cradle even if it is off). The Vx also has a faster processor which is rated at 20mhz instead of 16 for the other models. The Vx ships with the latest version of Palm's OS - v3.5.

I have been using this for about a month now and am VERY happy with it. It is a lot of money I know, but I don't think I would have been satisfied with any other model. You just have to hold it in your hand to realize this.

If (it) is too (expensive), looks and weight are not important and having to buy AAA batteries don't bother you, I suggest going for the IIIxe. If not, you won't regret getting a Vx, that is, if you can get one (most places are out of stock).

Good luck on your purchase.

Joon (one happy camper :)

Palm Vx is a perfect companion that is essential in keeping my busy schedule, contacts and todo lists. Before the Palm Vx,I had many PDAs starting from Apple Message Pad 120, Boss, Sharp Zaurus 5800, Sharp Mobilon CE computers. All were fine, but they were bulky to carry around all the time. Initially, I was struggling to decide whether to purchase a Palm IIIx(4MB) or Palm V(2MB, but thinner), but Palm Vx was the perfect solution giving me 8MB of memory in a slim Palm V package. The Palm Vx is thin and small enough to carry it anywhere. If you can't take it with you, you won't use it very much. Synching up with outlook was very easy. I usually, enter all my meetings and todos on my desktop PC at work and I synch them up to my Palm Vx. Furthermore, I have all my contacts, notes and mail with me. I carry a lap top with an IR port. Hotsynching through the IR works great and convenient! No cables to carry. I especially like the Avantgo.com hotsynch capability. Through it I get all the news, stocks, relevent info from the web sites that I choose. Recently, I read all the down loaded news while I was waiting for my son's haircut. Great time saver. Easy a touching a button. I also carry vital information on my Palm Vx using freeware/shareware DOC readers that you can down load from a web site. You can easily convert MS word documents into Palm's DOC format. The Graffiti hand writing recognition works pretty well. Much better than my old Message pad 120. I have even the map of Boston's Transit system down loaded into my Palm Vx. You can scroll the map with your Stylus. There are thousands of things you can down load to make the Palm Vx as useful as you want it to be. The only drawback I see is the price. Need to go through a tough justification process before deciding to buy it, but I think it's worth it. Now I cannot go anywhere without it. It's always by my side.

I outgrew my spiral-bound DayTimer books after 22 years -- the need to keep notes from month to month, place extra pages on busy days, and keep "project note" folders became overwhelming. So late last year I got a DayTimer ring binder that was also pocket size. It fixed the problems with keeping notes, but I still had the problem of finding specific notes, getting info from previous months, and remembering appointments. I also discovered, at age 42, I have ADD -- and I'm trying to better compensate for it now that I'm aware.

Many in my company use Franklin-Covey products, and I went looking for one of their planners. I was offered a 64MB color Cassiopeia, but turned it down because I needed a planner, not a pocket toy. Returning to my desk, I found a colleague had left a Franklin-Covey catalog open to the Palm section. Hmmm...

The plan was to put the Palm on the left of the daybook, with paper pages to the right. I spent some money getting that binder, but in the end, all I use is my Palm. I do have the Franklin-Covey desktop software, as I prefer their style and philosophy to others (check them out), but the Palm itself does the work. And I've found other software that has really helped me get my life, both business and personal (like those are that well separated!), into better shape.

Learning Graffiti writing hasn't been that hard, but I'm still having trouble with R, B, D and P after a couple of months. But my handwriting has always been nearly unreadable, so I suppose the little Palm deserves credit!

I don't have Doom on my Palm, as does a colleague on his WinCE brick. I gladly trade that and the ability to do "cool" stuff like play MP3 files for the ability to carry this thing wherever I go. There's a fine belt clip in which the Palm Vx fits. I strongly recommend this or a hard case as one fix to the problem of the Palm's buttons getting pressed in your pocket, turning on the unit and wearing down the battery. The belt case is very secure, and protects the unit well.

The Palm Vx is the way to go, in my opinion. I expect this unit to serve me for several years, quite a stretch for any electronic device. The 8MB memory is worth the cost up from the Palm V's 2MB, as I've already used almost 3MB (though a meg of that is documents and books). This unit is SO much smaller than a Cassiopeia, half or less the thickness, and smaller in both length and width! It's quite visible in bright daylight or very dim light, only giving me trouble in "twilight" such as when the wife's watching TV. I don't know how long a battery charge lasts, but it got low after 4 days with about 4hrs/day use and an evening of the kids playing with the backlight on. The Vx has rechargable non-replaceable batteries, so if you're on the road get a charger cable rather than travelling with the chunky cradle.

The things I wouldn't give up: WriteRIGHT screen overlays protect from scratches. HandyShop freeware for shopping lists (I always forgot something). PocketQuicken, so the receipts don't build up in my wallet anymore waiting for me to enter them (just a HotSync now). BigClock freeware, great clock/timer. iSilo Free doc reader. I'm trying Vindigo, an interesting 500k NY city guide.

Things I'm still looking for/evaluating: A better handwriting system than Graffiti, though I've learned to take acceptable notes with that. A secure (encrypted) notepad. Louder/longer alarms. All of these exist, it's just to sort out which is best.

If you're looking for the coolest gadget with games and surfing the net while driving and talking on your cellphone (eek!), I can't help you. If you need something better than the paper dayplanner you've used for years, then check out the Palm Vx for a tiny, powerful tool that'll do more than you expected.

I bought my Palm Vx almost a month ago. In that time, I've come to depend on it to manage my day to day life. I've always had problems remembering appointments, and now my Palm Vx reminds me of everything that I used to forget.

The Palm Vx itself is very light and very small (it fits easily in my hand, but I have big hands). The screen is crystal clear and crisp. It is really easy to see the screen even in less than optimal lighting. The backlight is also easy to read in very little light or in no light at all. In all other conditions, if the screen is too hard to read normally, I've found that holding the screen at a slightly different angle helped, depending on the lighting.

Battery life is stated at about a month. I think that is battery life if you don't use it at all. I usually end up using my Palm about an hour or two a day, and at that rate, a full charge will last for about 7-8 days before the battery needs to recharge. For most people, this won't be a problem, since putting the Palm into the sync cradle charges the battery. If you charge it everyday, it will only take 5-10 minutes, but if you charge once a week like I do, it will take an hour or two.

Overall, I am very happy with my Palm Vx and wouldn't trade it in for a Windows CE device even if someone paid me. It only took an hour or two to become proficient in Graffitti, and all of the included applications are extremely easy and intuitive. I would have to give this three thumbs up.