The Palm m500 series of handheld
personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a handheld PC, is a variety mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. PDAs have been mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of highly capable smartphones, in part ...
s consisted of three devices: the Palm m500, Palm m505, and Palm m515. The series was a follow-up to the popular
Palm V
Palm V is a personal digital assistant (PDA) by 3Com.
Released in 1999 by 3Com, the PDA has an aluminum enclosure containing a Dragonball EZ central processing unit (capable of overclocking to 39 MHz) and 2MB of memory. The 16-shade gray ...
series with a similar, though slightly shorter, footprint and form factor.
Like the Palm V, the series had metal cases (although the m500 had a plastic back plate) and a 160x160
resolution screen. The distinguishing features common to all in the series are a
SD/
MMC expansion slot, faster processor, new faster USB sync interface, new software functionality, new vibrating alarms, new indicator light, and a mechanical fastener vs. hot-glue case construction. Later models introduced an improved version of the color display and more memory.
Palm m500 series
The Palm m500 series of Palm Pilot
PDAs was released on March 6, 2001. Based on a poll conducted by
Palm Computing (formerly a division of
3Com
3Com Corporation was an American digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney and others. Bill Krause joined as President in 1981. Metcalfe e ...
), it was determined that the
Palm V
Palm V is a personal digital assistant (PDA) by 3Com.
Released in 1999 by 3Com, the PDA has an aluminum enclosure containing a Dragonball EZ central processing unit (capable of overclocking to 39 MHz) and 2MB of memory. The 16-shade gray ...
had the "definitive look" of the ideal PDA.
Common traits
All of the Palm m500 models were based on the Palm V form factor. They had the same slim case with the slight curvature to its left and right edges. The power button lit up green when in its docking
cradle or when an important message was available. Input included four programmable buttons, two scrolling buttons, and a touch-sensitive 2-1/4" x 3" screen (including the 2-1/4" x 3/4" input area). As with most other Palm devices, data was input with a
stylus pen using a
Graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
method.
Each of the m500 series models featured a
Secure Digital
Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices.
The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanD ...
(SD) or
Multi Media Card (MMC) expansion slot. The SD/MMC slot allowed for additional memory upgrades for the devices, as well an expandable platform for add-on devices. The m500 series was also the first of Palm's devices to incorporate the new
Universal Connector, which was only "universal" until the Palm T3 after which it was abandoned. It allowed for additional add-on devices and common
HotSync cradles.
Palm m500
The m500 was the entry-level model of the m500 series. With 8 MB of on-board memory, it featured a monochrome screen and all of the features common to the m500 series devices. It was released on March 6, 2001, as part of the original rollout for the series.
Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.0 (upgrade to 4.1)
Processor: 33 MHz
Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB
Display: 160x160 pixel B&W display, 4-bit (16 shades of gray)
Size: 4.49 x 3.02 x .46 in. (11.41 x 7.67 x 1.17 cm)
Weight:
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120 V 60 Hz 10 W, Output: 5.0 VDC 1.0 A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
Palm m505
The m505 was, at the time of the series rollout, the top-of-the-line model of all Palm devices. It also had 8 MB of on-board memory. In addition to standard m500 series features, it also featured a
16-bit color frontlit screen. It was released on March 6, 2001, as part of the original rollout for the series.
Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.0 (upgrade to 4.1)
Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB (4MB Flash + 8MB RAM)
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight:
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60 Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
Palm m515
On March 4, 2002, Palm released the m515. Based on consumer reviews and surveys conducted by the company, the m515 was developed as an improved version of, and replacement for, the m505. Notable enhancements include 16 MB of on-board memory and an enhanced
backlight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). As LCDs do not produce light by themselves—unlike, for example, cathode ray tube (CRT), plasma (PDP) or OLED displays—they need illumination ( ambient light or a ...
ing system. There was much criticism about the m505 that, even with the backlight on, it was dim and difficult to read in some environments. The m515 added an additional setting allowing the backlight to be put on "high", which was considerably brighter than its predecessor.
Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.1
Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 16 MB RAM + 4 MB Flash
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight:
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60 Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
References
New Sleek Palm m500 and m505 Handhelds Add Expansion, Mobile Connectivity and Vibrant Color Palm Press Release, March 19, 2001
March 4, 2002
*Niles, Steve,
, September, 2002. ''PalmPower Magazine Enterprise Edition'', Issue 2002–09.
Palm m515 Comparison Pictures 2 March 2002. ''Palm Infocenter''.
See also
*
Palm (PDA)
Palm was a line of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones developed by California-based Palm, Inc., originally called Palm Computing, Inc. Palm devices are often remembered as "the first wildly popular handheld computers," respon ...
*
Palm OS
Palm OS (also known as Garnet OS) was a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants (PDAs) in 1996. Palm OS was designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is pro ...
*
PalmSource, Inc.
*
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. was an American company that specialized in manufacturing personal digital assistants (PDAs) and various other electronics. They were the designer of the PalmPilot, the first PDA successfully marketed worldwide, as well as the Treo 6 ...
*
Graffiti (Palm OS)
Graffiti is an essentially single-stroke shorthand handwriting recognition system used in PDAs based on the Palm OS. Graffiti was originally written by Palm, Inc. as the recognition system for GEOS-based devices such as HP's OmniGo 100 and 120 ...
{{Palm Devices
Palm OS devices
68k-based mobile devices