Rating: 
Summary: Put a Palm in your hand!
Review: I just got rid of that bulky 4 pound Franklin Covey type organizer that I have lugged around since 1994. This Palm does it all and more! I now keep all sorts of "interesting" information that I had not the capicity to haul around before. The new Avantgo.com feature is alot of fun too. I get news, sports and other info from all over the world whenever I sync.
Rating:
Summary: Better Than Expected
Review: I resisted the coolness of a Palm, trying to convince myself that a notepad did the same thing and I'd save a couple hundred bucks. I had been burned years ago by being the first on my block with an Apple Newton. So, I finally gave in to the Palm and consider me converted. I can see nothing it does wrong. Its simple yet elegant look and interface do something most gadgets dont - deliver every bit of its promise. Do you NEED it? No, you can probably live without it, but once you have one, you won't think you could again.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Product
Review: I got a Palm IIIxe for my birthday a year ago and I can say it truly is the best gift I have ever recieved. I can't imagine life without it now. It's a great tool for keeping track of personal information and homework assignments. It's also the best gaming platform that I can carry into chemistry class!It is a very reliable product. I have only had one problem with the unit, and it was replaced promptly. The 8MB of memory insures you will almost never run out of room: I have 37 applications on mine, and still have 5MB free. It is very well priced for its power. In short, this is an incredible product that everyone should have.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I have had numerous planners before (both paper and electronic) and by far this the is best planner I have had. I bought a franklin planner last fall and thought I would stay will paper planners. Once I started up my PalmIIIXE I did not go back. It is wonderful being able to access my outlook at work and take names dates and memos with me to meetings. I have had it for two weeks now and have not had the opportunity to use any additional software that came with it, but from the reviews I have read, I am sure I will enjoy it. For anyone looking to try a handheld I reccommend getting the PalmIIIXE A.S.A.P. before the rebate expires.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: I have been using my Pilot for approximately 4 months now. This is probably one of the best purchases I have ever made. It provides with a large number of convenient features. The only problem I have with it relates to the connectivity problem betwen the PDA and my PowerBook. Having spent a whole Sunday trying to set up the seriell connection (not USB) between the Palm and the PowerBook, I gave in and set up the connection with my Wintel; this works superbly. So basically, if you are an Apple user, you will run into problems in synchronizing your calender and other functions that require PDA-PC connectivity. I have to add that the PALM customer serice people were extremely helpful; unfortunately they were not very succesful. Obviously Palm knows about this connectivity problem, but does not seem to be willing to effectively resolve it.
Rating:
Summary: First Time PDA Owner's Two Cents
Review: There it was under the Christmas tree, my very own Palm Pilot! Santa had taken advantage of the wildly popular $50 rebate/amazon coupon combo! Having owned the Palm for a few weeks now, I thought that I'd write a review, from one first time Palm owner to those who might be considering it. First and foremost, it's FUN. It's just a nifty little toy that comes in extremely handy on a daily basis. Secondly, it's _really_ easy to use. I kept reading the word "intuitive" in reviews when I was shopping around, and that's definitely true. I was thinking about getting a Visor because of the Springboard capabilities, but I decided, as another reviewer, that it'd be better to, say, buy a seperate MP3 player, of better quality no doubt, if I ever felt the strong urge for one, rather than add on to my PDA. The Palm IIIxe's large memory really does increase your possibilities for use, if you're a little proactive and sniff around on the web for some neat third party software. I've got AvantGo on mine, which is a must. News, weather, movies, stocks, you name it, updated every time you HotSync with your desktop when it's online. I live in a large city, so I also got Vindigo, which is a great little program that lets you search for restaurants, movies, stores, and the like close to your location. I recommend their web site -- they have a demo that's just like the real thing. I also got CSpotRun, a free doc reader that I use to read ebooks. There's a lot of free ones out there -- mostly older works that aren't copyrighted. I also have a city map from Mapopolis, and some games, of course, to pass the time. As far as the stuff that's included in the Palm, it's all pretty self explanatory. It's great to not have phone numbers on the backs of envelopes scattered around the house any more. Graffiti, the handwriting software that Palms use, is extremely easy to learn, and there's stickies included with the characters to stick inside your case should you forget something. It's obviously not as fast as typing, though, so the ability to type stuff in at your computer and then HotSync it to the Palm is very helpful. The infrared beaming is a neat little feature -- my boyfriend also has a Palm so we've beamed one another shopping lists, etc. Soooo, I've only owned the product for a few weeks, so I haven't encountered any long term problems yet, should they arise, but overall I'm extremely pleased. It's fun, it's compact, it's easy to use, it's helpful, it's a way to get organized from addresses to shopping lists to to do lists. I like my Palm. So sue me.
Rating:
Summary: Best electronic organizer bar none!
Review: I decided about a year ago that I wanted a PDA. I did the comparisons and shopped around, and this is what I discovered: 1. I didn't need a complete computer in a shirt pocket. 2. Most if not all of the Windows CE machines (and they are good machines, make no mistake) try to be a complete computer in a shirt pocket. 3. The Palm series tries to be a Day-Timer, with some extra bells and whistles. 4. I needed the electronic equivalent of a Day-Timer. The Graffiti handwriting software is quite powerful and very good; the only caveat here is that if you are by nature a scrawler (as I am), the Graffiti system will not be happy. It prefers people who use large letters, filling up the handwriting area so as to provide the best chance of character recognition. The other factor is that the Palm is easy to expand as regards software. There is a ton and a half of stuff out there; commercial, shareware, freeware, and most of it quite good. Windows CE, by comparison, seems over-engineered and somewhat finicky. I purchased a Palm IIIxe, and have found only three flaws and one quibble. These are the only reason I feel I can't give it the full 5 stars; otherwise, it would merit the extra star. The flaws seem to stem from the design, the quibble is a quality-control issue. Flaw #1: The built-in software is remarkably complete, with one glaring ommission: Why isn't there some sort of HotSync-able sketch/paint utility! I downloaded TealPaint, which does very nicely, but such a program should be part of the basic software. Flaw #2: The mail handling system on the Palm Desktop software doesn't know that Netscape exists. Not everyone uses Outlook, cc:Mail or Eudora. Some of us use Netscape's integrated email software. I asked Palm about this and I was told that they can't comment on possible future software releases. So, I may be able to award an extra 1/3rd star if this is fixed. Flaw #3: The Palm IIIc comes with a lithium battery pack that can be recharged via the cradle. Why is there no such capability for the Palm IIIxe, which shares the same physical case? On the other hand, a Palm IIIc which is away from its cradle is going to have problems, too. The solution (to me) would be to make a lithium pack with the same form factor as the 2 x AAA batteries, together with a connector that allows the pack (in place) to charge through the cradle. Then, if the pack is completely discharged, you can remove it and use regular AAA batteries until you get home (or wherever your cradle is). Quibble: Every so often, my Palm IIIxe locks up for no apparent reason. I thought it might be a software conflict, so I cleared the device, and ran it for a week with nothing but the built-in stuff. It locked up once during that week. The solution is simply to pop the back and remove one battery and quickly re-insert it. No data is lost, but it forces the machine to realize the world is still there, so to speak. Even given these three flaws and the quibble, I would still, without hesitation, recommend the Palm series of organizers to someone who needs this sort of thing. The chief attraction of the Palms is that they are simple and easy to use. Get a Palm if you want to replace notebooks, datebooks and addressbooks. Get a Windows CE machine if you want to put your desktop in your pocket.
Rating: 
Summary: Palm service terrible (nice people - policy bad)
Review: Received Palm IIIxe December 13. Would not turn-on out of box. Batteries good. Had to hard reset to get it to turn-on. This problem still persists. Everytime turned off for several hours must hard reset. Contacted customer service on December 20 (traveling in mean time). They indicated that they would repair the unit by sending me a ship-box not an exchange unit! Box did not arrive until I called again on December 28. Box finally arrived by December 29. Now must wait until January 2 to return due to holidays. In the meantime contacted e-mail "Customer Service" which did not even come close to helping me solve the problem. After a detailed description of the problem - they sent me something about reading the manual (which I already did) and battery care. In addition to the bad service experience, I had to pay for the telephone call! Now debating whether to return for repair or just return to .... Not a nice experience for a 10 year user of other brands of PDAs.
Rating: 
Summary: Had to be replaced
Review: It's seems like a good PDA although my XE just didn't last very long. Palm sent me a new unit after mine died within the first year. They were very quick replacing the broken unit and the new XE is working fine.
Rating:
Summary: Best PDA Value
Review: I have only owned my IIIxe for five days, but I have been researching PDAs for a few weeks. A few thoughts: * PalmOS PDAs are simple, efficient, fast and flexible, with the heart of an electronic organizer. Pocket PCs are mini-Windows computers, with all of the associated benefits and problems. Buy to suit your needs. * If you intend to use your PalmOS PDA to its full potential, you need 8 megabytes of memory. I have already used up 5 megabytes. Newer applications such as AvantGo (included) and Vindigo can be very useful but they eat memory. * Handspring Visors are very tempting, but their OS is not upgradeable, the practicality of their Springboard modules is questionable, and the company doesn't have the experience that Palm does. * Palm VII is only for serious business-travelling power-users. Palm Vx is a glorified Palm IIIxe -- very attractive, but same functionality and much more cost. * Plan on buying two accessories for your Palm right off the bat: a pack of better styli and a protective case. Before you buy a Palm brand case, though, check out Incase cases. * The included Microsoft Outlook conduit works great. I synch with MS Outlook on my computer at work and Palm Desktop (included) on my computer at home, no problems. * I use MS Money on my home computer. After researching the available financial apps, I bought Ultrasoft Money for my Palm as a companion for MS Money. The two sync up directly and work beautifully together, making my IIIxe a powerful tool for staying on top of my finances, especially when travelling. * Native USB support and a bundled world time app, like the Visors have, would be really nice (hence 4 stars instead of 5). * Don't be afraid to look like a geek! It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of the Palm and using a PDA to organize yourself, you'll soon be whipping it out several times a day without a second thought. It's great to have all your personal information available in one compact package that you can take anywhere. Overall I am very satisfied with my decision to purchase a Palm IIIxe. I am finding new uses for it every day. It can be fun, it can be a geeky toy (plenty of games available), but it can also be a handy tool that honestly helps you keep on top of all the details in your life -- who couldn't use some help with that?
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