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The Palm Pilot was the first real device to put palmtop computing on the map, so it's no real surprise that Palm would want to push the platform into the colour palmtop market. The question is, how will it fare against its multicolour rivals?
At first sight, the Palm IIIc takes us back to the chunky days before the Palm V series - which immediately puts it at a disadvantage. The question that many people will have to answer for themselves is whether a colour screen is worth sacrificing the small form factor of the Palm V. Not only is the IIIc physically bigger, but at a hefty 193g it also weighs in at almost twice that of its featherweight sibling.
If you are willing to put up with the extra bulk, however, you will find an attractive PDA. Our first thought when we were given the IIIc was why bother putting colour functionality on a device that had gone a long way towards showing us that we didn't need colour? But after a few days of use we really started to appreciate the colour screen, as it makes the navigation of applications far easier, and generally adds a lot to the pleasure of using the device.
On top of this, if the future of handheld devices involves them being used for multimedia applications, then a colour screen will become much more of a necessity.
Input, as with all Palm devices, is via the Graffiti software, and although this is not quite as flexible as some of the newer input methods offered on CE devices, it is still very good. The touch-screen is very smooth and responsive to the use of the stylus. This helps both writing recognition and general navigation around the device's interface.
One of the main concerns with colour PDAs is battery life. However, the IIIc will last for up to two weeks of normal use after a full charge, which should be more than enough for most people's needs.
Like the Palm Vx, the IIIc comes loaded with the brand new Palm OS 3.5. As well as providing a generally better-looking interface for the user, this also includes some improved functionality - such as support for synchronisation via the IrDA port.
This port remains at the very top of the device, which is our favourite place for it. Unfortunately, the screen's plastic protective lid actually flips upwards, and when this is open it obscures the port slightly. This doesn't have any effect on data transfers, but it is rather annoying.
Since Palm OS is a great deal more memory-efficient than Windows CE, the onboard 8Mb of memory is actually pretty generous. It's enough to hold around 10,000 addresses, 3000 notes, five years worth of appointments and a fair few extra applications. There's no way to upgrade the memory, but we doubt whether you would need to. The efficiency of the Palm OS also means that the device feels very responsive when in use ? there's an almost instant response to an application launch or a search.
We put the IIIc through its synchronisation paces by using Outlook as our Personal Information Manager. After installing the Palm software alongside Outlook, we then had to install a program called Pocket Mirror. This is supplied on CDRom with the device and allows the Palm to Hot Sync with Microsoft Outlook.
We were very impressed with how easy it was to set up Pocket Mirror, and once it is running it's as simple as hitting the Hot Sync button on the front of the cradle to have your PDA and PC synchronised. It has to be said that the standalone Palm Desktop software doesn't look as professional as Outlook, but because you can now use Pocket Mirror, this is no longer such a big issue.
However, if you're a Lotus user and you want to synchronise with the company's products, then you'll have to purchase an additional piece of software called Easy Sync.
One of the nicest things about the IIIc is its offline email function. Basically, after writing an email you simply click Send, and the next time you synchronise with your desktop, the message will automatically be loaded into your email package and sent off.
You can buy a separate modem that allows you to send emails while you're on the move, but the offline email function will probably be enough for most users.
On the whole, the Palm IIIc is a good PDA that is easy to use, intuitive and fast. The problem is that it is so much bigger than the Palm V. Given the choice, we can't see that the colour screen is a significant enough advantage at the present to justify both the large size and the high price tag.
Contact Palm Computing 020 7365 9820
See also:
All Palm PDAs
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