Manufacturer: Palm Model#: 3C8080 Weight: .25lbs Height: .40"     Width: 3.10" Length: 4.50" Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars	Retail Price: $199.99 Online Sale Price:
Features: Built-in 8 MB memory stores thousands of contacts, appointments, to-do items, and notes New, advanced monochrome LCD screen makes it easier to see in dim light and in bright sunlight New Secure Digital Card/MultiMediaCard expansion slot for additional memory and functionality such as a dictionary/thesaurus, games, and more Native USB cradle allows faster HotSync operations Windows and Macintosh compatible--includes desktop software for both platforms

User Submitted PalmOne m500 Handheld Reviews (cont...)

I am deducting one star because beaming from another PALM stole information I never intended to share and because the stylus does not work at the outer edges of the screen.

Overall, this is a good buy. You won't be disappointed.

Date: 2003-02-10
Palm m500 review
This is very usefull as it holds a great deal of medical PDA software. I just upgraded from a Palm VX. The expandable memory and price on this makes it a good buy. I didn't want a color PDA as I find color distracting and a bit unprofessional.
This PDA is not as well built as the Palm VX but has the advantage of more memory and the added notepad feature which can store hand written scribble.
I purchased mine directly from Palm as Amazon was out of them for a while. The price here on Amazon is much better.
The Palm brand hard shell case for this PDA is very poorly made when contrasted with the hard shell case for the Palm VX.
I purchased my Palm m500 with a 16mb expansion card so that I could add the PDR software which is available free to physicians. So far this PDA is running smoothly.
Although the palm m500 looks a great deal like the Palm VX, it is designed so that NONE of the peripherals that go with the Palm VX will fit this palm ie the keyboard and hot sync apparatus.
As one upgrades to this it requires the repurchase of EVERYTHING. This was disturbing.

Date: 2003-02-09
Use it every day
My only regret with the 500 is that it's not color, but when I bought it I didn't feel like spending extra for the color screen. There have been very few times when I missed a color screen; as I use mine for work rather than photos and games, a monochrome screen is fine. Otherwise I have no regrets - I literally use the Palm every day in many different settings. There is an abundance of excellent software (if you're in healthcare as I am, Epocrates (www.epocrates.com) is a must have, and it's free) available at sites like www.palm.com and www.download.com for either low prices or for free. Even my 67 year old father who still regrets the passing of ink and quill uses one!

Some criticism has been written about the battery life. I have never had the battery die on me and I use mine a lot. It recharges in under an hour, usually by the time I'm done HotSynching.

One really neat feature of the whole Palm concept is that many programs (such as Epocrates, a medication reference guide) will access the Internet and update themselves everytime you Hotsynch. You always have the most current information available, and it's automatic. AvantGo is another program I use which does the same thing.

I am certain that you will find these devices more useful than you expect, and in ways that you can't imagine.

Date: 2003-02-08
it's pretty good, but
Although I like the Palm products (started with the m100, graduated to the m500 when the m100 crapped out after 2 years), I'm finding this palm nice but with a few problems. The screen is harder to read than the old m100 or other Palms that I've seen (the text seems dimmer or something; it's not as sharp and clear, and the backlighting can only be read in *complete* darkness).

Also I dislike the rechargeable batteries because it's a hassle when I travel (so I not only have the cradle charger that it came with but I had to buy a separate charger/hot sync cable that was smaller, and which is not very reliable and only works when the computer is *on*, and I will have to buy a straight charger for trips on which I don't have my computer with me -- yes, that's *three* cables I will have). I *much* preferred buying AAA batteries and simply keeping spare ones in my bag or desk. Also now I'm having a problem in which the battery is drained after 1 day in which I *didn't* use it. Hopefully Palm will be able to fix this soon/efficiently but in the meantime, and not choose to replace it with a reconditioned one, but this Palm is only 4 months old.

Overall I really like the Palms and the m series -- they are great, and I get lots of use out of them (my whole LIFE is on it!) but the fact that the screen is harder to read and the problems with the battery and charging just make me wonder whether it's time to try another brand.