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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/30/2001
- Updated on: 04/01/2003
Sophisticated looks
With its elegant, brushed-aluminum case, the m500 looks nearly identical to the Vx, although it's a hair shorter and wider. Inside is a 33MHz Dragonball VZ processor. On the Quartus benchmark test, the m500 did not fare well. However, that may be due to an incompatibility between the application and the new Palm OS 4. The m500 is as fast as or faster than the Handspring Visor Edge when searching for words and playing the first level of the game Dreadling. But Dreadling, too, is incompatible with OS 4 and crashes after one level.
Along the top of the m500, there's a slot that accepts either MultiMedia Cards or Secure Digital cards, though Palm includes only a dummy card in the package. These cards are a handy way to bring big databases with you, including city guides or the Physician's Desk Reference. But many people will find that the provided 8MB of internal storage is more than enough room for contacts, calendar, and some extra applications. For many apps, you won't even notice that the PDA automatically copies the file from the card to the RAM to run, then automatically deletes the file when you close it. In addition to the card slot, we have seen prototype wireless modems and digital cameras that attach to the connector on the bottom of the m500. If such prototypes become real products, the ability to simultaneously attach both an add-on and a card could be useful.
The m500's monochrome screen is less green than that of the Vx and has a digitizer made of plastic instead of glass (the digitizer sits on top of the LCD and recognizes the taps of the stylus). According to Palm, the plastic version is more flexible and less likely to crack if you accidentally drop your Palm.
A new buzz
Our favorite new feature on the m500 is the vibrating and flashing alarm. If you're in a meeting and want a silent alarm, you can choose to be notified by setting the power button on top of the device to flash green or have the whole PDA shake. However, the built-in speaker is quite a bit louder than that of the old Vx, so you can use this handheld as an alarm clock while you're on the road. Its rechargeable lithium-polymer battery should last close to a month between charges, so you won't need to bring a charger on trips.
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