Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful for a Registered Nurse
Review: I have to admit that I am in love with this gadget. I bought the palm m130 on a whim after reading these reviews, researching medical palm websites, and just wanting a palm to replace carrying around heavy medical books.I downloaded the free drug book from ePocrates.com, bought a Tabers medical dictionary, and various other useful med books to load onto my palm (with a 64MB expansion card)and have gotten more efficient on the floor at the hospital (not to mention more knowledgable)
I am addicted to playing the card games at home (or while stuck in a patients room infusing a med to an unconscious patient!), and downloaded an ebook which I have yet to read, but am intrigued by the concept. It seems that I will have no trouble reading it with the font options. I bought a palm glove for protection at the workplace, and have been satisfied with the size and weight carrying it around in my uniform pocket. It truly is a world of information in your palm and cuts down time when finding an answer to your patients question...all at the bedside! I am not pleased with the docking station, as it is somewhat difficult to sit in the flimsy cradle.
I also have had HotSync problems, but that is nothing unusual giving my history of making computers crash. Love it love it love it! This is my first PDA and am thrilled with my purchase!
Rating:
Summary: Big improvement from m125, but still a compromise
Review: I've slammed the earlier version of this device (the m125) for its SMALL SCREEN, but adding color (and TFT at that) and rechargeable lithium battery are significant improvements that puts this unit into the realm of contenders. However, keep in mind that this is still a compromise unit, with several drawbacks relative to the higher-priced m515 or Tungsten T, or to the color Clie models. The m130 is functionally identical to the discontinued m105, with the exception of an expansion slot that you will probably never use, a faster processor, a fast USB cradle,a couple of software doodads, and now the color screen and rechargeable battery.
If you want the cheapest PALM-branded model with color and expansion capabilities, then the m125 is it. (You can get a used color IIIc model for a lot less, check around). This model is still plagued by a small screen, and it's low-res at that.
With the built-in difficulty of pointing and clicking on a Palm device, size matters. But the color makes it far easier to see, so it's a trade-off.
The color Visor Prism has significantly greater screen real estate.
If you want to stay with Palm, consider the Palm m515. It comes in a super-slim package with a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery and a full-size screen (although low-res). The Tungsten T is even more gorgeous, with built-in bluetooth, a drop-down graffiti pad and a high-res screen and the latest Palm 5.0 software.
In that price range, however, a Pocket PC might make more sense (Palm still can't compete with the gorgeous iPaq active color screens).
Here's a basic product guide:
Palm m100/Handspring Visor/Palm Zire -- Bargain basement models with 2 MB of Ram. Good starter models for the price. Distinguishing characteristics: Visor has significantly larger screen/expansion slot and fast USB cradle. m100 has slower serial. Zire has rechargeable battery. Skimpy memory can not be upgraded on these Palm models.
Palm m105/Visor Deluxe/Visor Neo (hard to find) -- Workhorse models with 8 MB of Ram (plenty for monochrome models). Visor has bigger screen/USB/expansion slot. Neo has faster processor.
Palm m125/Visor Platinum/Visor Pro -- Upper middle class models. Visor has larger screen. Both have USB/expansion slot.
Palm m500 -- Classic. Smallest full-function PDA with lithium rechargeable battery. Sharp, full-size mono screen and expansion slot.
Visor Edge/Clie slimline -- ultraslim mono models sell at a premium. Edge is nearly discontinued and has a reputation for breaking. Sony models, while the new leader in price/performance, have a reputation for less-stellar customer service.
Palm m130 -- Fills consumer color niche. Compare to color Clie models, new color Handspring models (some with phones), Visor Prism. Small, bright screen, rechargeable battery, expandable.
Palm m515 -- the old top of the line. Screen is now brighter, 16 mb included, now we want higher resolution. Still, a great improvement over the horrible washed-out color on the Palm m505. Tungsten T -- The new top of the line. Triple Aces design, with top notch screen, bluetooth and drop-down graffiti pad. But no phone? Compare with top Sony models/iPaq.
Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Reliable, but inconvenient for travelers
Review: I bought this Palm model after losing my m100 during a business trip. Instead of purchasing the same old model, I went for an upgrade with the m130, since it looked identical to my old unit plus it had color. The process of migrating the old data from my PC to the new unit was very simple (Fortunately, I kept my data synchronized in my PC on a frequent basis). The m130 works exactly the same as my old m100, making the learning curve minimal. I also noticed that the stylus graffiti recognition is more effective than in my m100, reducing the backspacing and correcting. The unit includes a HotSync cradle which is not only used for synchronizing but also to recharge the batteries. Obviously the cradle requires electric power.
I found the cradle a bit heavy and bulky and difficult to store in a notebook's briefcase. The engineers at Palm should have considered, for those of us who travel, making the cradle more compact and lightweight. You have no choice but to bring it with you everywhere since it is required to recharge the unit's short-lasting internal battery. Now, a bit about battery life. In my opinion, I consider the m130's battery life to be very short. My m100 used 2 AAA batteries that lasted more than a month. The m130's last a day or two and possibly less with heavy use. You need to get used to recharging it daily. Fortunately you can reduce the screen brightness by lightly tapping the power button while the unit is on to save battery life. In summary, Pros: Palm's reliability and reputation, ease of use, upgradeable, enough basic memory (8MB), clear display with good colors. Cons: Heavy and bulky HotSync cradle, very short battery life If you use your Palm for personal purposes and/or do not travel a lot with it, then you may disregard the Cons. If you do a lot of traveling you should consider obtaining a unit with a longer-lasting battery and a more compact cradle/recharger. 3 stars
Rating: 
Summary: tap tap tap
Review: There seem to be insensitive sections of the diplay, particularly where the 'done' button is, even after using welcome again to re-calibrate. This baby is getting returned today.
Rating: 
Summary: Great thing to keep around
Review: I got this as an Anniversary present this year. I think it's the best thing he ever got me. I keep my bead list of what I have, my DMC floss list, my grocery list, everyone's birthdays and social schedules. I can play games, so I never have to remember to take something to do while waiting for the dr. and being able to sync with the computer makes this a plus! I don't know how much paper I wasted until this gadget came along. Get one today!!!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing product
Review: I just purchased the Palm m130 a couple of days ago and I absolutely love it. It is a great product. I am a first time palm user and this product is simple, and easy to figure out.
The color screen is amazing, especially for the price. I got this palm for the same price I could have gotten a sony non-colored screen. The hotsync is a great feature, allowing me to download any games, or programs on to my palm. I use my palm for so many things, ranging from school to buisness. I use my palm to write down all my assignments for school, or any other projects. Overall this is an amazing buy. I would recomend it to any type of palm user
Definetly 2 thumbs up!
Rating: 
Summary: So much ado about nothing
Review: Must say that I'm very disappointed in this product. A stupid rush decision based on reading other reviews (normally a great way to choose) -- prompted by deadline for a rebate. Ironically, I'm far happier with my much cheaper Zire. CONS:
1. BATTERY AND CRADLE
Poor battery life is an understatement -- you can practically watch the battery drain. After about a half hour of use, I noticed the battery had already depleted by about one-third. What makes this particularly annoying is the physical means to charge. The large, heavy power-adapter, must be connected to the cradle, which in turn is connected to the USB connector.
WHAT A MESS of Cables and doodads to deal with. Not something I care to keep about near my CPU, let alone travel with. I need to spend more bucks just to remedy this situation. 2. HOT- SYNC headaches
Besides the physical nuisance, HotSyncing (using the Default software) failed frequently (3 out of 4 times) while attempting to Sync via a Powered USB hub (a hub that works fine with all other devices I've connected). So I broke down and attached it to the CPU -- something I loath to do given that Palms Website warns that it's likely I'll need to plug/unplug regularly should I upgrade to Desktop 4.
•• IMHO this is unaceptable wear and tear on a built-in port. • Not Mac friendly -- too many special problems, limitations for Mac users. Pros: the screens ok and fairly readable (much better than the Zire in poor light, since it's backlit . but there's no real means to lower the brightness, which is probably why the battery drains instantaneously (you can adjust "contrast" but I doubt that this will have much effect on the battery). In full light, the Zire is just as readable. OVERVIEW: I bought this model (even tho I'd didn't care about color) assuming the Zire might be very limited given it's low RAM (which turned out to be a non-issue). I wish there was a high-end greyscale alternative -- but the manufacturer's all seem to be moving to color. I wish Apple (who seems to know how to design things) would get into this market.
I gave this 2 stars instead of one, cause the device functions. Sadly, this is case where I should've gone down to a brick and mortor store first, even if I'd opted to buy online later. aleigh
Rating:
Summary: this is the greatest thing
Review: I just got mine two days ago. now, loading everything into my computer crashed it several times but otherwise I LOVE IT! I have most of my addresses in there already. I have consolidated all my calendars. I use the to-do list for my business, home business, church and other activities. I have downloaded several books and am now putting in recipes so I can get the groceries I need when at the store, instead of running out at the last minute. I wish there were better helps than the same screen over and over...clearly I've gotten the basics, now advance. but all in all a great item. great price, good rebates! fast shipping - came two days earlier than they said! I love color, so I'm ok with the smaller screen but you might want the 515 if you want a larger screen. only issue, its practically impossible to read my excel docs in here...but I'll keep trying.
Rating:
Summary: Palmtastic
Review: This is the first PDA that I have purchased and I am telling you I love it. I have handled "other versions" but they do not compare. The color screen is truly amazing. I say purchase one for home and another for the office. The worst thing about it is that I feel as if I am without my right arm when I do leave it at the office.
Rating:
Summary: Love it! AND I'm a first time PDA user. SIMPLE
Review: I have found no problems with the Palm M130. I have a hectic schedule as a nursing student AND working nights at the hospital. I find the M130 ideal for storing drug info and the color screen (which is crystal clear) is easy to read even when you've been awake for 24 hours!
The Palm was easy to use from the start. I only scanned the manual and immediately starting importing files/ data to it.
I set the alarm for appointments and they actually woke me up when I overslept! I do strongly reccommend a case for the item though. I can see that it could be a very fragile piece of equipment. If you are going to be using it in a hospital setting--I would suggest the Palm Glove. It protects from fluids AND shock. Plus, it isn't a bulky case so you can easily carry it in your scrubs pocket. A definate thumbs up!
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