To Buy a Zire or M130

[Jmix]

I am looking into a Palm to organize my life:
Zire is light weight and convenient, but the M130 is color and expandable? I do not know which one to buy and
I like the Zire but fear there is no breathing room
with it-
How does the Zire handle with the Mac?
How does it handle Graffiti software?
Is the screen easy to read?
Can you use the Password keeper software to organize all those annoying passwords we must have for everything?
Is there a world clock on it?
Calculator?
Thanks-
Just rying to figure out if I need a bigger palm-

[ebisix]

First of all, the Zire shouldn't even be one of your options. The m105 is the same price and much better. Let me explain.

The Zire connects to your computer using a cable. The m105 uses a USB cradle.

The Zire has 2MB of memory. The m105 has 8MB.

The Zire cannot change faceplates. The m105 can.

The Zire has only 2 hard keys. The m105 has 4.

The Zire doesn't have a backlit screen. The m105 does.

The only advantage of looking into a Zire is that it has a rechargeable battery. However, I don't think it is absolutely necessary considering the Zire has no color screen. Standard batteries last fairly long on a monochrome device.

Now, I think the real comparison is between the m105 and the m130 for you. Here are the only differences.

The m105 has no SD/MMC expansion slot. The m130 does.

The m105 has doesn't have a color screen. The m130 does.

The m105 doesn't have a rechargeable battery. The m130 does.

The m105 costs about $100. The m130 costs about $200 with a rebate.

For an extra hundred dollars for the m130, you get an expansion slot, color screen and rechargeable battery. I'd say it is a very good deal.

However, this all depends on how you will be using your device. Ask yourself if you really need a color screen. Will the applications you use be that much better with color? Is battery life very important? Will you be using the expansion slot or will it just be sitting there? Think about how much money you have and want to spend.

You had some other general questions about Palm PDAs.

Both PDAs should work fine on a Mac. You can use the Palm Desktop software and install a conduit for iSync.

On the m1xx series, a major complaint is that the screen size is too small. However, I think that it is fine. You can read the text very clearly. Images look especially good on a color screen like the m130's.

Both PDAs handle Graffiti and the rest of Palm OS fine. You should have no trouble with this because the operating system is very user-friendly.

There are many programs out there to keep passwords. There are also applications for a world clock. Palm OS comes with a decent calculator and you can download better ones. Many applications for anything you can think of are available.

Good luck with your decision. A PDA is a great tool and you will definitely like having one.

[Jmix]

Thanks Eric-
Thank to everyone who gave me the scoop on the palms.
I am heading to the store to look at the M130 and 105
to see which I like better as in terms of size and weight.

[ebisix]

You're welcome. It is always good to go see the PDA you want to get before you actually buy it. When you go to the store, you may see that the m105 and m130 are almost identical in terms of design. The weight is probably different, however. See which one you like the best.

[Jmix]

Hey- What about the M500
how is this hold up against the M130.
I know the M130 has a colored screen-
but I hear some complaints on the M500 and am
wondering how well this one holds to the others.

[ebisix]

There are a few differences between the m500 and the m130.

The m130 has a color screen and the m500 does not.

The m130 is a thicker handheld. It fits better in your palm than in your pocket. The m500 is very thin. It fits better in your pocket than your hand.

The m130 has a smaller screen than the m500.

The m130 allows you to change faceplates. The m500 does not.

The m130 costs about $200 with a rebate. The m500 is listed at $179 on Palm's web site. However, I'm sure you can get a new m500 for less.

Once again, you will have to decide whether a color screen is very important to you. A color screen is very nice for things such as pictures and videos on your Palm. However, it will cost you. If you will just be using the main Palm features such as the calendar and address book, I don't think that a color screen is necessarily needed.

Changing faceplates should not be important to think about at all. At $20, I personally think that they are not worth bothering with.

Think about which style of handheld you like the most. I have used an m125 and it fits great in your palm. However, I'm sure that a m500 would make my pocket less bulky because it is so thin.

Think about how important screen size is to you. If you have bad eyesight, definitely go with the m500. Many people complain that the m1xx series has a very small screen. Personally, I think that it is fine for what most people are doing.

Note that the m500 has the SD/MMC expansion slot on the top. The m130 has it on the side. If you will be using the Palm Bluetooth Card, it is better to use the m500. This is because the card sticks out of the slot. With the m500, the card won't get in the way of a carrying case. It may and probably will with the m130.

Most wireless modems are made for the m5xx series. If you want to use one, get the m500.

If you like the style of the m1xx series, the SD/MMC expansion slot but don't want a color screen, look into the m125. It is just like the m130 but without the color display and rechargeable battery.

Hope this helps you with your decision.

[Jmix]

Hey Eric-
Do you know if you can lock the Palms?
I am afraid of carrying them around and bumping them on- then the battery will drain.
Someone said you can't lock the M500- Is this true?

[ebisix]

I don't believe there is a way to actually lock the hard keys. However, you can enable an auto-off feature. This will turn the Palm off after 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes of inactivity. The option for this is in the preferences application.

I don't think the hard buttons get bumped on very often. I don't think I've ever noticed it happen on my m125. Don't worry about it too much.

[palm boy]

There is a program that turns the hard keys off. But I forgot the name. The flip cover on the m130 blocks the hard keys.

[ebisix]

If you ever remember the name, I'd like to try it. Sounds like something I could use. Thanks.

[palm boy]

It is somthing like hard lock, hard key block. I will try to remember the name.

[streetblader51]

m130 is much better!

[ebisix]

Thanks. I'll do a search for it sometime.

[reaganlion]

I forget the name of it but it was a hack and I didn't personally like it, just one more thing to go thru to get my data....

I love my m500 for the size and battery life (since it's lithium, I simply top it off every night). Fits in my pocket very nicely, even with my bumper case.

However the color display and shape of the m130 is catching my attention....I'm happy for now with my m500 but in a year or so when I get ready for a new gadget it will probably be a hard choice between an m130 palm or a treo 90 (with a keyboard....oooohhh!!!) I love the way both of those feel in my hand, like you would never drop them....

BTW, I will never go back to alkaline batteries again!


Happy PDA'ing!

[xcetyl]

i would prefer palm m130

Zire's 2MB would be insuffient for future apps.
bigger MB better.

m500, opt for it if you like to view ur world in B&W

[allstarpalm2k]

I dont know wht some of you people are downing the Zire. For a person that uses it to get organized and download a few apps i believe 2 mb is enough. Now i cant say the same if your a buisness person that needs to be on the road a lot, but if your just starting out or just looking for a little organization or fun the zires great.

[ebisix]

We are not saying that the Zire is a bad PDA. We're just saying that you can get a better one for the same price.

[palm boy]

Originally posted by allstarpalm2k
I dont know wht some of you people are downing the Zire. For a person that uses it to get organized and download a few apps i believe 2 mb is enough.

The Zire is not a bad PDA. In the year of 1998. There are much better products out there for your money.

[ebisix]

I would rather have a cradle, 6 megabytes more of memory, two more hard buttons, the option to change faceplates and a backlight instead of just a rechargeable battery.

[palm boy]

I agree.

[v0gu3b0y]

Get a m130. Although you may not think so at first, a color screen makes a BIG difference.

And the Zire sucks, in my opinion. It is more of an electronic agenda than a 'true' handheld.

[slowly_learning]

A 'true' handheld? They're all basically the same. I have I Zire and I think it's great, for my needs anyway. I just need something to keep organized with and download a few apps. too.

[kjman10]

i am speaking from experince:
i have had a zire for about 6 months and it is okay for what i need it for, games, hehe.

my cusin just got the M130 and boy is it better, i won't even name all of the things that it has, at plam.com they have comparisans.

[scriptwriter]

Zire's 2Mb
Hello, I'm new here...


Everybody here is talking about the poor Zire with 2 Mb. that you can't do nothing with.

Well, I can do a lot of things. I have the following installed in my Zire:

WordToGo 4.0
WordView 4.0 (to view PalmDoc files)
SheetToGo 4.0
SlideShowToGo 4.0
24 Office Documents(Mainly Word and Excel and 1 Powerpoint)
An app called RJ45
Frobnitz and Zork I (I like to play Interactive Fiction)
MineHunt
ImagerX and 4 photos of my children (16 greyscale)
All the basic apps that comes with the handheld (I deleted Graffiti and some other I don't remember now).
I store my address book, notes, tasks and appointments there and I still have 490k of free memory.

That's enough for me.

Of course I don't need color or mp3 and I don't play fast action games...

By the way... What do YOU have installed in your handheld? (I'm very curious!!!)


Bye