Rating: 
Summary: Not Really Color!
Review: The Palm m505 is not all I expected. Yes, it is a step forward but the color features are not that good. For the basic Palm functions that we all know, very little of it is in color. So little in fact that I call Palm tech support to confirm mine was not defective. The rest of it is "a bit better to have".
Rating: 
Summary: A rare failure from Palm
Review: I am a huge Palm fan and use my VX religiously. But . . . this product is a disaster. The so-called color screen is so dull and lifeless that I couldn't tell that most screens were in color at all. I ordered the game and travel cards. The game card did not work at all. The travel card contained next to no useful information. Just an awful product.
Rating: 
Summary: It is the best Palm ever!
Review: As an avid gadgeteer and a devout Palmer I was excited to hear about a color version of the 5. It was everyting I expected and more. It reacts faster, keeps the charge longer, and it syncs super fast- and its color! When you first turn it on it seems to be darker than the old- and it is. The backlight makes viewing perfect. Leave it to Palm programmers to fix the problem by writing an app to automatically turn on the backlight (Carzy Diamond- a free app- can be downloaded from palgear.com). For those of you who have an older version it is worth the upgrade.And don;t forget the expansion slot...
Rating: 
Summary: Palm m505
Review: I was a Palm V user for almost 2 years and was getting frustrated by the lack of memory (2 mb). I had read reviews of the m505 and was concerned about the comments about the screen. I am really happy with the m505. It is not the brightest color but the back light fills in very nicley indoors. If you keep the idea of a Palm (it's a PDA) it is a great product. Its not a computer nor should it be compared to one. If you need versitile color PDA thisa is the one.
Rating:
Summary: poor screen visability
Review: The new technology for longer battery time has created a screen with poor color and contrast. The overall poor visibility is very disappointing, because it's function capacity and size are wonderful. Posssibly, palm could create a program to improve the m505's color and contrast.
Rating:
Summary: Some comments on the screen
Review: I compared the m505 to my compaq iPAQ and Palm IIIc over the weekend, and had some comments to make (along with everybody else) about the controversial screen issue. I compared the iPAQ and the 505 side-by-side, and without the backlight on the 505 looks to be about the same as the power-save mode on the iPAQ, maybe a little brighter, but I'm not even sure about that. The power-save mode on the iPAQ uses no backlight illumination at all, which basically means that the 505 is no better than the iPAQ's screen on the 5th and lowest power setting. It does look better with the backlight on though. The iPAQ has five different settings for the screen, power-save mode, low, medium, high, and super-high brightness. The 505 looks to be somewhere between the iPAQ's low and medium-intensity modes. If it gets to medium on the iPAQ it's definitely no brighter than that, and the high and super-high settings are very bright. At these settings there's no comparison between the 505 and the iPAQ. On super-high mode the iPAQ looks several times brighter than the 505. If I have any complaint about the iPAQ screen it's that it looks somewhat milky on medium or high intensity, but it's brighter than the 505 even with the 505's backlight on. However, the iPAQ, like the 505, is also visible in direct sunlight due to the partially back-reflective screen capability. I also compared it to my IIIc, which I have had for 18 months and am quite fond of. The screen is so bright at full brightness you can use it for a flashlight in a dark room. (Someone once humorously remarked you could use it to signal alien flying saucers, which it just about is). Anyway, the IIIc is definitely easier to read indoors. I tested it in a Best Buy store under fairly bright office-lighting conditions, and without the backlight on the IIIc is noticeably brighter. The 505 is visible outside in the sun, however, where the IIIc would wash out. However, in the store I looked at them side by side with the screens facing the front of the store where the sunlight was coming in, and even then the IIIc was still easier to see than the 505, even with the backlight on. I tried this test with several other people at the counter who were also interested in the 505, and we all agreed, the IIIc was still the winner. There were 3 or 4 of us there, and we all discussed the pros and cons of the unit, and the overall consensus seemed to be that you would have to use the backlight on all the time. With it on, however, most people felt the screen was tolerable, although not great, and an older woman who I was discussing the unit with decided to buy one right there as the store was having a Memorial Day sale and was offering it at a very attractive price. I don't own a Handspring Prizm, but I've checked out the screen, and even here, there's no comparison between the 505 and the Prizm. The Prizm is much brighter. It's not brighter than the IIIc, as has been claimed; I've compared both screens side by side also, but it's certainly equal to it. So if you're disappointed in the M505, you might want to check out the Prizm. the Prism also offers 64K colors. Using the backlight on all the time does allay many of the criticisms about the screen as it is substantially brighter with it on, but then, that will tap into your power and defeats the supposedly longer-life battery of the 505 compared to the IIIc. The one thing where the M505 was the clear winner, though, was in the speed area. It is noticeably faster than my Palm IIIc, which I find to be perfectly acceptable. The screen refreshes on the M505 are really fast, maybe even faster than my iPAQ, but I wouldn't swear to it. In any case, the greater speed of the 505 is a big improvement over all earlier Palms. It seems to me that the decision to buy or not to buy this particular Palm is going to be a highly individual one. I'm not ready to buy one yet, as I find I still prefer the brighter screen on the IIIc, despite the much greater speed of the M505. But if I the IIIc didn't exist I'd probably buy the 505 if it was the only way to get color.
Rating: 
Summary: Try a Visor Prism Instead
Review: I too have been a long-time Palm user and currently own a IIIc and VIIx. I have been looking for a 65k color screen and waited to see the 505 - I was really disappointed - I agree with most of the negative reviews here - the screen is miserable. I have opted to purchase a Visor Prism instead - plus the Springboard slot in the Visor is much more robust than the Palm card slot.
Rating:
Summary: The m505 color and expansion card capability
Review: I understand why some criticize the color display - I also thought I had bought the mononchrome version at first. If you have used a Palm IIIc with its excellent indoors display and absolutely poor outdoor display, then you will appreciate the m505 color display better. The m505 has incredible outdoor color display [even in the bright sunlight] and good enough indoor color display when working in low light conditions with the backlight on. The postage stamp expansion cards for the m500/505 are so little that it is easy to lose them in your pocket. As a developer, I see the great potential in using the memory cards. The memory card is "preformatted" to use your programs and data. The Palm install tool makes it easy to put programs on the card. The internal PDA program for copying and moving around files is also a plus. A minus - I had to replace my m505 for failure to "hold down" or "lock-in" expansion cards after a few times of swapping out cards! Such a nice and expensive device to "break" at such a critical place as some sort of small metal or plastic lock-in tab ... I just received my replacement m505 and am nervous about using the expansion card slot. I suspect future versions will address this problem - maybe it is just a one time problem.
Rating:
Summary: I gave it a second chance
Review: When I first got my m505, I was so excited! However, when I looked at the screen, then compared it with my V I was extremely upset. I couldn't understand how Palm could even consider putting such a high price tag on a product with a screen so dim (let alone releasing the product), so I immediately boxed it up to return. However, a few people told me to just try it out for a few days before sending it back, and I'm glad I did, because I like it now (but I don't love it). When I compare it with my V, I am glad I have color. True, I have to use the backlight more often than I did with my V, but I don't have to use the light very much when I am at work. I also think that the extra effort required to get it in it's cradle is annoying, but it does stay charged for a long time. I will say this - since my V has only 2MB, I was definately ready for an upgrade. I was lucky enough to get my m505 for [less], however, had I paid full price, I would have taken it back in a heartbeat and either purchased the m500, or waited for the color Clie. Vx users should wait for something better, and Palm should work on improvements.
Rating:
Summary: The size is it's best feature
Review: I purchased my m505 to replace a Handspring Visor Deluxe. What I like: * I love the size/shape - ergonomics in general. When I first saw the m505 I was a little disappointed that Palm didn't do something to differentiate it in appearance from the V/Vx. But after only a few days with my m505, I discovered that Palm pretty much reached perfection with the V/Vx design. If you want a small/sleek PDA (which I do), this is the one to get. * It's expandable with MultiMediaCards and Secure Digital cards. These cards (well, not the SD cards yet!) are readily available and they're fairly cheep - plus they're very small. I considered the Handspring Edge but in my opinion, their expansion approach is terrible - you need that huge plug-in module hanging off the back before you can use the expansion cards. This destroys the ergonomics of the unit. I mainly want expansion to add memory, the approach the m505 (and m500) takes is much better because it gives you all the memory you [probably] want while maintaining the size/shape of the unit. * The new processor seems to be pretty speedy. While I haven't performed any actual benchmark tests, I did put my Visor Deluxe and my m505 side-by-side and tapped the same application at the same time. I tried this with several applications (form Datebook, to Vindigo, to a Acrobat file) - the m505 was the clear winner. However, be advised that several PDAs use the same processor as the m505, so choose wisely. * The battery life seems to be pretty good - even with the backlight on all the time. What I don't like: * Like many people, I'm disappointed with the screen - it is rather dim. The backlight improves it to acceptable. The Handspring Prism clearly has a superior screen - but you pay for it in terms of size. Since I use the backlight almost all of the time, it would be nice if the unit would default to using the light whenever it's turned on (without having to hold the power button for a second or two or doing the swipe on the screen). * Memory management for data stored on MultiMediaCards. Applications will not run directly from the expansion card. That is, if you run an application on the card it will first copy itself to the system memory and run from there. This clearly has limitation both in terms of size of applications and your usage of the system memory. It also seems like some applications can't be transferred to the card (e.g., Vindigo). But on the positive note, you can store read-only databases on the card (and access them directly from the card). Of course you'll need software to accomplish this (I use MSMount). * The price is a little high for the improvements over the Vx. Why I bought the m505 instead of something else: Before purchasing my m505 I also considered: Visor Edge, m500, iPaq and Sony Clie PEG-N710C. I quickly passed on the iPaq because of it's larger size and because it was geared more towards entertainment -- and that's not what I want a PDA for. Also, I really didn't care for the Windows operating system. I then passed on the Edge because it's small/sleek size is destroyed when you use expansion cards. I considered the new Sony Clie until I read more specs - particularly its size. Also, the Sony is more of an entertainment handheld - with it's mp3 capabilities (I have no interest in an mp3 player). So I was left with the m500 and m505 - I chose the m505 because of its color screen. Despite the m505's marginal color performance, I'd probably make the same choice. While not great, I believe it is slightly better than the m500's monochrome display. For my wants and needs in a PDA, I don't believe there is a perfect one out there - currently, I believe the m505 is as close as I'm going to get.
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