PalmOne IIIxe Personal Handheld Organizer

Rating:
Summary: Palm support sucks
Review: Just got my IIIXE today from Amazon. Palm has to calibrate screen the first time you use it; and it ask me to use the stylus to tap on the target at screen to calibrated it; but nothing happens when I tap on it. I called palm tech support and I have told that I have a defective unit. And because they are so kind they are going to send me a conditional unit(used). So I said thank you very much and returned the unit instead.

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Summary: A great deal for a lot of machine!
Review: The first thing a person has to decide when purchasing a handheld device is whether they want to use the Palm or the Windows CE operating systems. I've found the Palm OS easy to use, very efficient, and well supported by third party developers, as well as by Palm. The number of utilities available for the Palm OS really adds value to the product - particularly the web-enhanced synching utilities offered by everyone from Excite to AvantGo. Using this free service lets you synch with any web page you select, so you always have the most current information available. For example, I bookmarked the movie review page of an online newspaper in Toronto, and always had the most current reviews, times and locations of movies in Toronto, even though the online service wasn't specifically designed to operate with the Palm system. Basically, any web page can reside on your Palm just by selecting it using this software. I provide this as an example of the benefits of owning the industry standard OS rather than the less supported Windows CE. Now that I've mentioned why the Palm operating system is your best choice, I'll focus on the different Palm products available. Having used both the Palm IIIc, the Palm III, and the Palm Vx, I've got to say that the IIIxe really seems to hit the ideal price/feature point. With all the memory of the more expensive models, and all the benefits of built-in synching to Microsoft Outlook and other software, it's a great little machine. It also has an infrared port built in, which I was able to use to keep my home computer and my laptop at work (it has an IR port, too) synched with each other. By the way, the IR port is also great for beaming your electronic business card to another Palm owner, or playing Battleship against another owner head-to-head. You can even set it up to let you write email messages, which will be stored in the Palm, and sent automatically when you next synch with your computer. I mention this because it highlights the ability to personalize your Palm to do what you need it to do. You can easily use it as a standalone device, or it can be as connected as you need it to be. There are three concerns you should be aware of when choosing this model over Palm's other offerings. First, this model has a greyscale screen, not a colour one like the IIIc. If you really want colour, this model isn't your best choice. (You can read my review on the IIIc for more information on that product.) Second, it has a plastic case which is thicker and less attractive than the brushed aluminum case of the V series of Palm organizers, which may be a concern for the more stylish among us. Third, this one isn't rechargeable - it takes AAA batteries. This might not sound like much of a concern, but there's something to be said for being able to drop the device into its cradle for a few minutes to recharge, rather than trying to limit your use of the organizer to conserve battery power. One of my friends had a non-rechargeable model for years and purchased a new one with the rechargeable function. He said he ended up using the organizer nearly twice as much as his old one, so this is probably something you should consider in your purchasing decision. Notwithstanding these limitations, this is a great product with a great operating system, lots of features and third-party support, and is easy to learn and use. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A well balanced device for maximum versatility
Review: Mr. Bits here, coming to you from the capital of reality State. The Palm IIIxe, what can I say, no other handheld better represents Buddha's middle path better. Here you'll get the 8MB you so desperately want. Though alot of you won't need it, it'll come in handy for services like Avantgo.com. You especially need that 8MB when issuing water cooler bragging sessions. It has the darker pixels and high contrast pee-gold back for the ultimate in clarity. It has a built in conduit for Outlook users. The only reason you might get made fun of by those well-todo suckers at the office is that you don't have that nice re-chargable lithium-ion batteries, and sexy 11mm thin body. What do you care? You're no tree hugger and there are plenty of AA batteries to go round. 2 AA will last you about a month. Now that you're looking at this product, I've deduced that you may be dumb enough to watch pro-wrestling, but you at least know better than to toss away your cash on an M100 or IIIe. However this may be just a stop off before you check out the color palm. If you are considering the color palm, then chances are someone had to help you get online. At the color palm's price point you get backlighting, that true, but for what? So you can feel all superior tot hte IIIxe owners because you have a blue border on your schedule. Save your money. If the IIIxe interests you, you may consider the TRGPro. It is a similar palm licensed unit with a built in speaker and a compact flash slot for use of up to a 1GB(via the IBM Microdrive). In closing the only sure fire way to know which is the best is to buy them all, or go with the Palm IIIxe the most well balance unit of all.

Rating:
Summary: Dismayed and Disappointed
Review: I have been told by the technical support people at Palm that I have encountered a rare experience. Therefore, I am going to return my Palm and try a new one. I had my Palm IIIxe for less than ONE day. I went to turn it on the next morning...it didn't turn on. After removing and replacing the batteries 4 times it finally came on, but I lost all of my data. The technical support operator told me that the Palm should withstand some minor physical abuse (he lets his kids play with it). I pick up the top half of the Palm from a half inch off my desk and drop it (that is not even abuse), the whole screen blurs with black dots! Not only have I done a couple of soft resets, but I also had to perform a hard reset. According to the manual, a hard reset will only be required under RARE circumstances. Therefore, it all goes back to my theory and wishful thinking that this horrible experience is a RARE circumstance. Nevertheless, I am disappointed with the quality of this product. The casing seems quite fragile and probably cannot withstand much wear and tear. However, I hope this is a very unique situation. Just my luck.

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Summary: new handheld user
Review: I recently switched from my Franklin planner to my IIIxe...why did I wait so long? Like the rest of my life, I am officially electronic. I spent no more than 2 hours TOTAL setting up my palm, entering my address book and upcoming appointments, and learning the basic functions. I felt so comfortable with it that I went right out and started using my Palm the next day!

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Summary: GREAT economical PDA!
Review: My wife and I decided to start shopping for PDAs about a month ago. We considered the M100 but were concerned about its limited memory capacity. Then Palm came out with the $50 mail in rebate on this model and we were sold! My wife LOVES using a third party software program to create & track her shopping lists. I love how it allows me to carry all of my work contact information with me and only maintain it in one place. It synchronizes excellent with MS Outlook 2000. Plus (and this is sometimes the most important feature) - GAMES! We recommend Traffic & Blocks - again, third party freeware. All in all, the 3XE is a great PDA. It's small size. 8 megs allow for plenty of space. We have NO regrets. Amazon.com also presented EXCELLENT service!

Rating:
Summary: Beware
Review: I bought a palm III before Christmas last year... which I thought was good value at the time. Within 6 weeks the screen broke ( I was running for an emergancy in my hospital and the palm hit off a trolley while in my white coat) It took me a week to find out that it would cost me at least $100 to have it repaired and I would be better off buying a new one. While they may seem like good value at the time - Beware.

Rating:
Summary: Easy on the Pocketbook
Review: I hve had my this product for about 3 months. I will never go without another one. The 8mb is more than anyone will ever use, and the screen is easy on the eyes. I have a friend who has the IIIc and he admits he often gets headaches looking at the color screen. This model has the same ammount of memory, only much easier on the eyes. I recommend this product to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Palm breaks very easily
Review: I had a Palm III and it cracked after dropping on the ground, I tried to call Palm to fix it, however, the technical support folks won't try to fix it without a $100 down payment, he suggested me to buy a new one, which I don't think I will do it again. I suggested getting a real thick plastic protector for the unit.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT PRODUCT with REASONABLE PRICE
Review: I just got my palm IIIxe one week ago. I put everything inside it..from address, appointment, you name it..Palm IIIxe just make my life easier.. It has a higher speed than the old Palm III and has much more memory (8mb compares to 2mb).. It has all the capabilties of Palm Vx (with much cheaper price)... So if you want to buy PDA, put Palm IIIxe into a deep consideration