Product Description

Designed to help you meet the demands of life, the affordable Palm m105 handheld allows you to replace your paper-based organizer and stay connected. Keep track of all your appointments, addresses; express your personality with colorful snap-on faceplates, even synchronize and download content from the Internet for offline viewing. All you need is a modem or compatible, data-enabled mobile phone, connectivity software and ISP account. The included HotSync cradle helps safeguard your data with one-touch data exchange and backup between your handheld and PC or Macintosh. Manage your professional and personal life with the Palm m105 handheld.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12116 in Consumer Electronics
• Size: m105
• Brand: Palm
• Model: P80701U
• Platform: Mac OS 9 and below
• Dimensions: .70" h x 3.12" w x 4.66" l, .60 pounds
• Memory: 8MB
• Native resolution: 160 x 160
• Display size: 3.2

Features

• 8 MB memory--stores thousands of addresses, phone numbers, appointments, and to-do items
• Includes HotSync serial cradle to back up data to your PC or Macintosh
• Comes with e-mail and Mobile Internet Kit software and desktop software for both PC and Mac
• Link to Microsoft Outlook (Windows only)
• Customizable with optional snap-on faceplates

Amazon.com Review
Palm handhelds have succeeded because they're small and lightweight but hold a surprisingly large amount of personal data. The Palm m105 handheld expands on those essential features by offering an organizer that's smaller and lighter (4.4 ounces) than most others while remaining packed with 8 MB of memory, so it can do much more than just store your calendar or addresses. The m105 is also one of the most comfortable Palm devices we've held--its distinctive curved bottom rests comfortably in the palm.

Like other Palm devices, the m105 includes an infrared port for beaming data to other handhelds, and it features a high-contrast screen with optional backlighting for low-light situations. At 2 inches square, the screen is slightly smaller than those on most Palm organizers. We noticed the difference since we've been using Palm handhelds for some time, but the m105 retains the same 160-by-160-pixel resolution, so this probably won't be a distraction for most users.

However, unlike other Palm handhelds, the m100 series includes two special applications. The Clock displays the date and time if you simply push the top scroll button on the front, even when the device is off. (It can also be viewed through a window in the cover.) And with the Note Pad, we could write notes or draw pictures directly on the screen without having to write in Graffiti, Palm's character-recognition language.

With more memory, the m105 can now hold more software--and Palm has provided a range of possibilities on the accompanying CD-ROM. Palm's Mobile Internet Kit, normally sold separately, is a software collection that allows the m105 to communicate via infrared link with a GSM cellular phone (such as the Nokia 8290). The kit includes MultiMail Pro software for managing e-mail, programs for SMS text messaging and WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) browsing, and software for accessing Web Clipping data over the Palm.net network (the same service used for the wireless Palm VIIx). Also included on the CD-ROM is the AvantGo Web browser and a client for connecting to AOL.

The Palm m105 includes a HotSync cradle (the m100 handheld shipped with just a cable) for synchronizing data between the handheld and a desktop or laptop computer. Macintosh owners (like ourselves) or anyone wishing to use a USB port on a Windows system will need to purchase the USB serial adapter, though the Mac version of the Palm Desktop software is included in the box.

We were disappointed to find that the Windows version of Palm Desktop included on the CD-ROM is one generation behind the latest release. However, you can download Palm Desktop 4.0 for free from Palm's Web site, making this only a one-time nuisance. Additionally, the m105 is not flash upgradable, so you won't be able to update to a newer version of the operating system later on (the m105 comes with Palm OS 3.5).

With the addition of more memory and Internet access software, plus its comfortable, lightweight design, the Palm m105 is an entry-level handheld that doesn't feel like the new kid on the block. --Jeff Carlson

Pros:

• Smaller and lighter than most handhelds, fitting comfortably in hand
• 8 MB memory stores more data
• Includes Palm Mobile Internet Kit and other software for online access

Cons:

• Slightly smaller screen
• Operating system not upgradable
• Doesn't ship with latest Palm Desktop software for Windows

Amazon.com Product Description
With 8 MB of memory, a HotSync cradle, and the bundled Mobile Internet Kit software, the sleek, rounded Palm m105 handheld offers lots of computing power and versatility. The m105 handheld allows you to use powerful applications and store hundreds of memos, appointments, addresses, and to-do items. You can back up data with your PC or Macintosh in seconds with the included HotSync cradle. And it works with all the same accessories as the Palm m100 handheld--including keyboard, digital camera, and an array of color faceplates.

The Palm m105 handheld comes with Palm's classic information management applications, including Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad. You can also jot down notes quickly using the Notepad feature, which works like an electronic sticky note. It is equipped with an infrared beam to instantly exchange and store information--such as business card data--at the touch of a button. It has a backlit display for easy readability.

The Mobile Internet Kit is also included, allowing you to use your Palm handheld in combination with a mobile phone or modem to wirelessly access the Internet and check e-mail. You can also access AOL Mail and Messenger accounts. To connect, you must have a data-enabled mobile phone or modem using a cable or infrared. To see a list of compatible phones, see www.palm.com/software/mik/phone.html.

The Palm m105 handheld ships with desktop and HotSync software for both PC and Macintosh systems. The HotSync cradle connects to your PC's serial port. To connect to a PC or Mac using USB, you will need to order the optional Palm PalmConnect USB Kit. Additionally, if you have an older Mac with a modem or printer port connection, you will need to order the optional PalmConnect Serial Kit.

The Palm m105 comes with a serial HotSync cradle, a stylus, a protective flip-cover, two AAA alkaline batteries, and a CD-ROM with Palm Desktop and AvantGo software and a link to Microsoft Outlook.

What's in the box

• Palm m105
• Stylus
• 2 AAA batteries
• HotSync serial cradle
• Protective flip cover
• Palm Desktop Software (Windows and Mac), Mobile Internet Kit, link to Microsoft Outlook, TCP/IP software
• Getting Started guide
• Handbook

Customer Reviews

Good Product
I recived my order a little before I expected it and it has worked woderfully.

I Love My Palm M105
I see a lot of negative comments about the M105 here, so I decided to share my experiences with it. When I first got it, I had some problems too, gettting the HotSync to work, and changing the batteries. I eventually figured out the HotSync. The batteries are an interesting problem. They don't explain the procedure for replacing them very well, but after trial and error, much swearing and lots of time spent on internet tech forums, I finally figured it out. When you replace them, take one battery out fast, and put the new one in. Now here's the important part. Wait a few minutes. The gizmo that retains your data has a small charge, that gets used up when you take out the first battery. It needs a few minutes to recharge. After a couple of minutes, replace the second battery, again, fairly quickly. I have found that this way I nearly always retain my data, and then the Palm just restarts. A few times I've been impatient and not waited long enough, and I lost everything. Even so, I always back it up with the HotSync just before a battery swap, so I can easily restore everything, it's just a minor nuisance.

Recently I had been thinking of getting a new Palm. I am really interested in the Palm TX, but I absolutely hate the new Graffiti 2. There used to be a hack for replacing it with Graffiti 1, but PalmOne has changed the innards of the TX deliberately, to prevent the hack from working in new TX units. After much agonizing about it, I installed a few new programs on my Palm M105 instead, including a hack that lets me write capital letters in the center line on the digitizer, just like in the new Palms, only I get to still do it in Graffiti 1. I love my Palm M105, and am sticking with it.

I also have a Palm M130 and a Palm Tungsten T3. The color is nice, especially on the T3, but I got sick of constantly having to recharge them. I actually lost data a couple of times with them, as I didn't get back home to recharge them soon enough. The rechargeable batteries of the time, weren't as good as the newer ones, so they didn't last long. I can go from about 5 to 8 weeks with my Palm M105 before I need to replace the batteries, depending on how much I use it.

Great if you enjoy an element of chance.
I got the m105 and the very expensive portable keyboard so that I could do lots of text entry when I was away from my computer at home, then upload what I'd written later. I was unemployed at the time and didn't want to spend the money on a laptop. I thought I was being clever and thrifty.

Serial connectivity was already on its way out when I bought the m105, but I wasn't worried because my shiny new (bought just before the layoff) no-serial iMac had an IR port, and the m105 was supposed to be able to hotsync via IR. In fact, this turned out to be an iffy procedure at best.

I thought I'd improve my odds of getting a proper hotsync if I bought a serial/USB converter, but I was wrong, and I was out some more money.

Soon, I was unable to hotsync at all, and the m105 started losing its memory every time I had to change the batteries (contrary to what it said in the manual). And believe me, I changed them quickly, but I still lost a LOT of data.

All of this nonsense began shortly after the warranty ran out. I called Palm for advice. They didn't try to troubleshoot the hotsyncing problem, offer to tell me where I could send the device for evaluation, or even recommend a similar model I might like. I was very surprised to read another review here that mentioned a class action lawsuit. I never heard anything about it.

It's too bad, because when this PDA worked, I loved it. If the ability to hotsync, retain data across battery swaps, and receive courteous service from the manufacturer aren't important to you, a used m1xx-series Palm could be a pretty sweet deal, maybe as an organizer for your kids. I certainly won't ever buy a NEW Palm-brand PDA again after the way they treated me; but if you're looking for something cheap, easy to use, and NOT for critical data (appointments you can't afford to miss, etc.), this could be just what you need.