Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I was an extremely loyal Palm V user, craving more "real estate" to load applications and more speed. I got both with this, but the color is EXTREMELY disappointing. Also, one reason I got the Palm instead of migrating to the Compaq Ipaq was all my software and hardware investments in the Palm V which I stupidly thought would be preserved by sticking with Palm. Wrong. I need a new travel charger, a new travel synchronization cable (why this can't be one item is beyond me, but there you are), and a new GPS connector for my Earthmate from DeLorme. Not only do the connectors not fit the new device, there seems to be no adapter to use the old peripherals on the new device AND Delorme does not yet make a cable for the Earthmate to interface with this Palm, so I can't even make it work. That pretty much makes the software I bought for the GPS useless as well. The backlight is still not much light and when it is off, the screen is horribly dim. The Photosuite software to show off pictures of your dog or whatever cannot overcome the muddy colors of the unit itself.Next irritation: The old Palm V cradle had a little hole to put your stylus in while you were not using it. They have left this feature out and now I am always either unprying the stylus from the unit itself or searching thru the paper on my desk to find the stylus. (By the way, if you bought something for the Palm V that was a cover using the left stylus slot, it will not fit in the M505. The left slot of the M505 does not hold a spare stylus, either.) Finally, the 16 meg expansion card did not come with the unit. You have to send away for it. Since my unit did not come from Amazon (it was a gift, sorry Amazon), it came from Palm itself, this was pretty stupid. After all, they had the address and the serial number when they shipped the thing. Why make us supply it again? They also got the same info when I registered. Just another pain in the you-know-what.
Rating:
Summary: Incremental upgrade to the Palm V/Vx
Review: The m505 is best summarized as an incremental product for Palm, not revolutionary. It is certainly not the "wow" product the original Palm V was, but merely ok. Here is a quick snapshot: Pros:
1. Display - Yes, a Pro and a Con, depending on whether you compare it to the Palm V or Sony Clie/Compaq iPaq. Despite it's shortcomings, I still feel it is better in most lighting conditions than my "green screen" Palm V. It is easier on the eyes, and the backlight is more useable in transitional lighting.
2. Performance - Faster than the Palm V on all accounts and display performance (screen draws) is better than m500, which is why I choose the m505 over the m500, not because of color.
3. Palm OS - Stable, easy, and thousands of simple yet powerful applications. And if you don't think it has breadth beyond a date book, look harder: Office apps, project plans, Pocket Quicken, photos, Access databases, etc. All on my little Palm.
4. Size - Small and light. It is a true "pocket pc!" 5. Expansion - Supports tiny SD and MMC cards. Why I choose m505 over the better display on Sony Clie. I did not want to be committed to "Sony only" memory stick versus more industry standard SD. Even new iPaq supports SD cards. If you already have Sony memory stick devices, by all means check out the Clie!
6. Memory - Relative to us Palm V users with only 2MB memory. For me extra 6MB in the m505 (and bigger flash memory too) was a huge incentive to upgrade now rather than wait for what will hopefully be a much improved display on next Palm.
7. Battery Life - Without the backlight, weeks, not hours, and even with much needed backlight, I have gone days without cradling it to recharge. (Your mileage may vary :) Cons:
1. Display - Disappointing. I think Palm should have worked harder on getting resolution and brightness/contrast right rather than worrying about 65k washed out colors. It could have been a wow product! And don't tell me they couldn't have done it without huge sacrifices to size and battery life. Sony came closer! Palm clearly focused on making it "better than the Palm V/Vx" rather than focusing on the competitive Pocket PC threat, particularly the iPaq. Yes, the m505 is smaller and battery life is better, but when people put the iPaq next to the m505, Palm loses sales. Period.
2. Universal Connector - Two accessories I connect to this device so far, the USB cradle and travel synch cable, fit the connector horribly. The m505 is difficult to seat in the cradle no matter how much I use it, and the travel synch cable is an extremely loose connection.
3. Availability of Accessories - Not very many even though m505 has been out since May, and what few are out are still hard to find at many retailers. Recommendation: If you need the expansion, more memory (coming from a Palm V like me), and small size is a big plus for you (versus a m125), this is still a worthy upgrade. But do not switch based solely on color display. You will be disappointed. I even considered moving to the dark side for a better display, and I have been a loyal Palm user since the Pilot 1000. What kept me? There are still key Palm advantages: simple/stable Palm OS, selection of applications, and size/battery life. However, consider a "discounted" purchase, as this device may move quickly to the clearance rack if Palm comes out with a much improved color model anytime soon.
Rating: 
Summary: The color could be better . . .
Review: The screen gives me a headache--literally. The color is okay with the backlight on but it drains on the battery. Other than that, it is a good gadget. Still, I'm probably not going to keep mine.
Rating:
Summary: Less than expected....but does the job.
Review: The m505 is my first PDA. I actually researched all PDA's before making the purchase 5+ months ago and felt for the money and for what I would be using it for this would be the best choice. What I can say from my experience is it is a great organizer for addresses and numbers and a good choice for keeping important dates and scheduling in line. I don't care for the graffiti application and having to constantly backspace to correct mistakes. Also, it seems that you have to touch the screen 3-4 times with the stylis for it to recognize. I also don't care for the screen darkness (even with the lighted display) as it is hard to see even in decent light. I rate it a 3 overall. As prices of other color PDA's come down in the coming 12 months I will probably look to upgrade.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but...
Review: Overall quite a nice little gadget. More stable and faster than my previous Visor Deluxe. Yes the colours are nice/vivid but you have to have the backlight on because it is not that bright. One of my biggest problems with it is the fact the buttons (4 of them below the screen) are not recessed which means that when in your pocket, and when the cover is pushed, it activates the Palm. Not only does it make the iritating "beep" sound but also keeps it on for a while. Do it a few times and it'll drain the batteries. A few flaws but overall not too bad!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Product
Review: Hi,
I just wanted to say that this is the best hand held that I have ever owned. Granted the screen is not that of a laptop, but it's not supposed to be. And in response to the problem with the cradle, it is only a problem with the cradle, not the Palm itself. My experience with this Palm has been very positive.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best!!!!
Review: I've owned almost every Palm OS device out there beggining with the Palmpilot Pro., and for my money the M505 is up there with the best of them. The M505 is by far the slickest looking of all the Palm Os devices. Its made very well and has a very good feel to it. The display, while not as crisp as the Sony Clie devices is perfectly readable in all kinds of lighting conditions. I do wish Palm would of made the backlight adjustable but I understand they were looking at battery life as a primary concern.The LED and vibrating alarms are also a nice touch. Palm OS 4.0 is really fast and the new addition of a clock and note pad are long overdue. The SD expansion slot is a great addition especially if you use spread sheets or play games on the device. Although I wish Palm would of included a SD card with the unit like Sony does with certain units (although Palm does have a promo going on where you get a free sd card by mail). The cradle is nice but docking it takes a little practice. The included software is also a big plus (Docs-to-Go and mobile internet Kit). The included screen cover is just so-so, I payed an extra $20.00 and got the slim leather case. The M505 is a really good device if you are concerned with functionality as well as looks. If games or graphics are your thing then you should look at the Sony Clie line.
Rating: 
Summary: Do not buy this, fatal design flaw
Review: I cannot believe that a company like Palm would let this happen. I have owned others (III & V) which work fine. The problem with the m505 is that the buttons below the screen (calendar, phone, etc) are not recessed, so when you close the cover with the slightest pressure, the buttons get pressed, the Palm gets turned on again. Once it is on any pressure on the scroll key keeps it running (you can hear it clicking away) and in no time the battery is dead. I got one for a friend who spent hours entering his 200 names & addresses etc while we were on a trip. Then he recharged it, put it in his suitcase and one week later when he opened it up again the battery was dead and all the memory had been erased. Totally unacceptable! I think the whole m505 line should be recalled.
Rating:
Summary: Known defect
Review: Review of the bulletin boards and the amazon reviews reveals that product has a known defect with the cradle. Like some of the other reviewers, my cradled worked fine for a few days, then just quit. Customer support is virtually impossible to obtain and Palm's web-site makes no mention of this known defect. After 45 minutes on hold, on a long-distance call, I finally talked to a customer support rep who admitted there was a problem and offered to send a "refurbished" cradle. Unacceptable,--I paid for a new one and they want to give me a used one. There are many web-sites which discuss this flaw, ...
Rating:
Summary: Color Screen Dissappointing
Review: The palm m505 was very dissappointing when I recieved it and I even thought about taking it back, until I saw all the other handhelds that had color screens. The compaq Ipaq has a weak screen just like the palm without the backlight on, and it's battery only lasts about 4 hours. It is also a lot bulkier and costs almost twice as much. The handspring visor prism does have a better screen, but it is huge compared to the palm m505. I don't think the screen is very bad considering it's size. If you really want a good color screen handheld with the palm os format and don't care about price, get the sony clie. It's screen is much better then the palm m505, the handspring e]visor prism, and the compaq ipaq
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