Customer Reviews

PalmOne III Handheld

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My boyfriend is the king of disorganization and I thought Palm III would be just another toy. I'm very pleased to say that the novelty of the Palm keeps him interested, but it's still very functional.

I have an old school Palm Pilot and I can say that this one has lots of improvements -- the stylus is much nicer and the screen is more sensitive. Also, the hard cover was a great development.

This is definitely somthing to consider that can be found at a reasonable price.

I got a really good deal on my III, and I'm happy I bought it. However, the Palm V would fit my (and most people's) style better due to its size. 2 meg is plenty of memory, unless your outlook contacts measure in the 5 figures and you must have 50 different applications.

Graffitti is fine once you learn it, which isn't hard. But while the recognition is light years ahead of that Apple piece of junk that I was stupid enough to buy a few years ago (I had to have something), you can't write things down on the fly and expect the system to convert to text. Although I don't have one, I believe there are digital ink applications there which allows one to scribble notes in whatever handwriting you have. As long as you can read it, that's fine.

I have no idea whether Palm compares favorably to Windows CE, but if you judge by sales, Palm runs away with it. The battery life is not what I would like, but its adequate. But if you want a shirt pocket PDA, the Palm V is the only solution.

After using my Palm III for approximately 1 year, I can't live without it. It is great for keeping your calander ( I don't even refer to a paper calander anymore ) and name, address, telephone,e-mail, etc. directory. The only major negative is that the screen is very difficult to read under certain light conditions. I don't know why 3Com doesn't focus on this problem. I would recommend that anyone thinking of buying this product be sure and shop the price on the web, as prices can vary a great deal. Also, consider your price after factoring in shipping and sales tax. Some vendors do not charge sales tax and are more competitive on the shipping charges. Look at the bottom line rather than the stated product price.

I'll be the first to say it - I love my pilot. I take it everywhere & it has saved me driving to the office on numerous weekends. I had the Palm Professional too, and have since upgraded to the Palm III. My Palm Professional was dropped numerous times, with minimal damage. I've had my new Palm III for 3 months. I dropped it - for the first time - this morning. It fell a distance of no more than 5 inches to a tile floor and cracked the screen. When I called Support - they informed me that they could a) send out a reconditioned model that I could keep but send my own in return, or b) they would send out an empty box w/a prepaid airbill to return my device for repairs. This would cost me $100 either way. Now, I'm a reasonable person, but paying 25-30% of the original cost for a cracked screen seems a bit high. Seeing as they are the only folks able to repair these things, it looks more like a nice after market than anything else. The support rep mentioned that 60-70% of their calls are for cracked screens. Pilot should re-evaluate the amount of money they charge for repairs of this type - especially if they are so numerous. I haven't decided whether I want to go ahead and spend the money to have it repaired or put that $100 toward another PDA - from another manufacturer. Its a great tool - and if you buy it you'll love it. But be prepared to never, EVER drop it. ;-)

its lightweight property makes it easy to carry even on field assignments requiring mountain trekking. That is why, palm 3 is a good companion.

its sturdy make, affords it to be carried almost in all situations. Easy to access applications further make it more reliable like a good companion.

above all, it is affordable.

I have had the palm 3 for about 3 years. Its great and keeps me where I want to be. I am not interested in the email and other features of more sophisticated palms.... just the basics.

Wow! I really debated whether to make the leap to a PDA. My Franklin planner has practically been attached to me for years. I took it everywhere. I determined that I was only going to replace it with a PDA if I could put everything into it that I was carrying in the Franklin. Even when I bought the Palm IIIx, I wasn't sure. I have had it for just one week and wow! It's fantastic. Everyday I discover something new it can do or some new piece of software available for download--and unlike my Franklin, no matter how much I add, it doesn't get fatter! Being able to access so much information without flipping pages is a dream.

I use Outlook 98 and it synchs with it seamlessly. One push of a button and less than a minute later it's ready to go with both my PC and Palm updated.

It does one more thing that my Franklin never did: it plays! There are tons of games out there that come in handy when waiting in line, traffic, etc. Of course entering data is almost a game in and of itself.

I don't understand the reviewer who mentioned having trouble with the Graffiti software--in a very short time I was able to master all the letters--now I'm learning the symbols. It's easy and it's fun. The "Giraffe" game makes it fun to learn the letters too!

My wife thinks I'm crazy and I have to wrestle it away from my teenagers who love the games. Put your planner on the shelf and get one of these!

Cost efficient, extremely stable, handy and sexy. That's the most fitting description of my Palm III. It has it's weaknesses; a not too good LCD screen (Check out the Psion Series for exactly HOW good an LCD sceen is supposed to be in 1999). And the bundeled sofware isn't too impressive.

But what does that matter? I have a sleek, light, durable portable with batteries that last forever, and I've replaced the email client with Palm Mail and connect cordlessly to the internet through infra red with my Ericsson 888 mobile phone. I installed the IRDA OS patch from the Palm web site in order to make the Palm communicate with other IR devices. I can allso dock it cordlessly with my notebook.

Email works like a charm on the road. I've even been on IRC a few times with my Palm III -- on the road =)

This product is the ONLY PDA I've ever found remotely usable. It's LIGHTYEARS ahead of the Windown CE platform when it comes to usability. Let's face it; If you are going to write pages and pages of text, you need a notebook, not a PDA. On a PDA, you don't NEED a keyboard, and the Graffiti is easy enough to learn and VERY acurate. If you are able to cut through the bull, see beyond the bells & whistles, you don't really WANT a PDA with CE -- or even worse; CE + color display.

If you REALLY want a keyboard, and a superb screen, get a Psion. If you want the most sleek and sexy solution, buy a Palm III. And did I mention the TONS of software available on the internet?

I just ordered a Palm III online a few weeks ago, and so far I like it. It's easy to use, I entered information in the address and date book field immediately and have been expanding to the memo pad and to do list. A few things I don't like, the alarm isn't much of an alarm. It makes a very faint noise once at the time you set it for and if you don't hear it then you're just kinda out of luck, but as soon as you turn your palm on again, that note shows up with the alarm time and date and description. Also, I got a cord with mine, not a cradle, and it won't connect to my computer (I guess the connecting cable is too old for my 2004 laptop?) and I can't find an adapter, so I haven't been able to connect it to the computer or download anything, which sucks for me, but I don't know if that's a common problem or not. I also got a CD with it which I installed, but without a connection it doesn't help much, but atleast the Palm is user-friendly enough that I could figure out the basics without the CD. For the price they're going now, anywhere from $20 used, I definitely think it's a good deal for your money, good means of organization for someone with a busy schedule who needs addresses and dates at their fingertips. I have it in a case and it fits in my purse fine, not too big or bulky.

I bought mine years ago and it's still going strong. You'll have a great PDA even if you buy a used one today.