Rating: 
Summary: Vx vs. m505
Review: i'm a gadget geek. i'll admit it. so i jumped at the chance to upgrade my Vx to a 505. after three months of use, i'm really wishing i hadn't.1) the color screen. as so many others have noticed, it ain't that great on the m505 if you're not outside in bright light. palm has "fixed" that by offering a backlight utility ..., but the battery drain is a hassle -- especially because... 2) ...-poor planning on the peripherals. you still can't get a travel charger for the m50X series -- according to the website, they won't be shipped until august. not great, since the m50Xs have been on the market since what, may? 3) boneheaded decisions on peripherals. with the Vx, when you order the travel charger, you also get a travel cable for hotsyncing and plug adapters for other countries -- all for $.... with the m50X, the travel charger alone is $...; a cable is an additional $..., and you don't seem to get any plug adapters! also, now that palm has taken over complete marketing of the stowaway keyboard, it's no longer shipped in a neoprene protective case -- you have to buy a case if you want to protect the keyboard. i think palm is playing the game of "shaft the consumer to satisfy the shareholder" or something. 4) poor utilization of the expansion slot. right now, the only available software are a games card (8 games, only one of which is worth the pricetag), city guides, and a dictionary/thesaurus. okay... next? 5) bad product support -- they can't fix it! i would definitely recommend the Vx over the m505.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it.
Review: If you're a person who needs a PDA to keep your schedules, notes, do calculations, etc... This unit is not for you. All you have to do is get the cheapest PDA, I recommend PALM for your simple needs, and use it. Also, for color PDAs, I suggest gettin a Pocket PC, possibly a Philips, Compaq, or HP brand.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible problem with USB HotSync on the 505
Review: I have been a loyal Palm user since the very first Pilot came out. When I replaced my Plam Vx with the 505, I was shocked at the difficulties with the USB HotSync. Granted, I use Lotus Notes v5 with Intellisync, but no matter what I do, including using the "developer's back door," the USB times-out during true synchronization. That means that I can only sync from the PC to the 505 -- not vice versa. Palm at first refused to acknowledge the problem, but now no longer refuses to admit it. But still no fix. This is WAY too much money to spend to have buggy software/hardware. Either wait until it works right, or get a Sony. The Handspring Visor is nice, but extremely bulky.
Rating: 
Summary: I love my 505!!
Review: I just received the 505 yesterday, and I am already in love with it! I don't understand what the fuss is about the color. No, it's not nearly as bright as other color handhelds or pocket pc's, but it's still really good! With the backlight on, I have no problems with the screen. This is the first pda I have owned, so I am very pleased with the fact that after an initial charge of the battery, (about an hour), my palm was up and running. It runs really fast, looks slick, is super light, and feels good in your hand. I tried out several other pda's and pocket pc's before buying this one, (tried the handspring models, the compaq ipaq, the hp jornada). It comes down to this: if what you really need/want is a little pc to tote around with you, then get a compaq. You won't be happy with the palm. But if what you really need is a killer organizer, then this should make you pretty happy. It's worth the extra ... for the color, (the grey-scale 500 was very blah to me). There don't seem to be too many accessories for the 500 series yet, but I am sure that in time, they will hit the shelves. The only problem I have with the 505 is the stylus is a little stiff to remove, but it seems to be loosening up the more I pop it in and out.
Rating:
Summary: Hmmmmmm
Review: I too have owned several palms and frankly I am quite disappointed. Considering the availability of other Palm OS and Windows CE PDAs, I am surprised Palm even bothered coming out with this one. It lacks so many features that other models on the market have had for a while now. As mentioned above, the quality of the color screen is probably THE biggest disappointment. Also, the lack of compatability with older international kits etc is a big bummer. I too will most likely be shifting to a Windows CE PDA after this one unless Palm gets their act together. Memory is a factor but the expansion slot meant nothing to me...
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as expected
Review: I was scared to buy the Palm m505 because I read all the reviews on how the color screen was too dim, there was no contrast, and people had to consistently use the backlight. But I found that the unit's color deficiency is not really that important. Compared to the V unit that I owned previously to this one, I found that both the units display about the same intensity of light (although Palm V had contrast included). Under normal lighting conditions (i.e. in my office), I can see perfectly fine on my unit and the color is discernable. I found that people who are really into getting bright colors should check out something like the new but bulkier Sony Clie products. As for me, the Palm's sleekness, its size and functionality are unbeaten especially for the V, Vx, m500 and m505 series of Palms. The only complaint that I can really offer and the reason I can't give this product 5 stars is the same as I've seen from other users in that Palm really messed up in not making its m500 series backward compatible in terms of cases and accessories. What irritated me more than the color screen was the fact that I can't use any of my old Palm V accessories with this Palm. I have to purchase a new case and keyboard specifically designed for the m500 series (when I know that most users assumed the m500 series was an extension of the V, Vx series of Palms). Because this is the first time Palm has done anything to upset me with their product, I decided to stay becuase the organizer is such a good product. But if Palm decided to do this gimmick again on their next series of Palms, I would seriously consider switching over to another PDA or Pocket PC device.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad as others Said
Review: I own m505 and its screen is surely dim. but i come to like it the more i use. Its kind of product you disappointed first but you love it later on. Not like japanese products or eye-candy-CE that catches your eye and pleases you first and you don't like it much as you did first a few weeks
Rating:
Summary: Horrible experience with M505
Review: I'm getting ready to return my second palm m505, the first incident was dust under the screen which blocked the screen,it was then that I found out that Palm cannot currently service the M505's! I was told that the only option right now is to recieve a refurbished unit as a replacement and that came straight from the mouth of palm service support. Luckily after hassling with the vendor (not amazon.com) I got a new replacement. I just got my new palm a week ago and USB connectivity has ceased to function, after reading up in newsgroups this is a common problem for a lot of M505 users! Other problems are screen resolution and brightness, after purchasing my M505 I got to play with the new color Sony Clie with the high resolution screen and it was MUCH better the the 505's screen. This is my 3rd palm I've owned, and I'd like to think myself as a loyal palm supporter, but I cannot support such a horrible product as this.
Rating:
Summary: Better than expected.
Review: I was worried by the early bad reports of the dim screen and backlighting, but I ordered it anyway, sight unseen. I was pleased to see the device in person, and use if for a couple of days. I have found the M505 very usable, and I congradulate Palm in navigating the razors edge between screen quality and battery life in such a bold, albeit contriversial way. First of all, I will state that I now understand why people have been complaining about the screen brightness. If you compare it to some of the other screens (Visor Prism, Palm IIIc, etc) it is much darker. But there is a reason for this, the palm is genuinely usable WITHOUT the backlight on, a claim that the other Palm systems can not make. The backlight is meant to be used in circumstances where the backlight on a monochrome system would be used: when it is dark! It can be turned on to take the edge off of a dimly lit room (something that the Palm V lost). What I like the best, is that the old Palm batter life is still there. I took my first transcontinental trip a week or so ago, and didn't need to charge the unit once. This included playing ZAP2000 all the way there and back on the plane. I give the M505 two thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Palm m505
Review: Easy to use and lots of options that are user friendly. I am a first time Palm user and it didn't take long to be up and running.
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