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Palm has won the hearts of techies with its self-named personal digital assistant (PDA). Now the company has its sights set on a new market–consumers who have yet to jump on the handheld-organizer bandwagon.
But can Palm hold its own against my mother?
Palm thinks it can with the m100, its first device aimed at folks who don’t know a PDA from their elbow. The m100 boasts a retooled design, an easy-to-use Note Pad application, and even customizable faceplates.
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| Mom was alternately delighted and unimpressed by features available on the new Palm m100. |
It sounds as if Palm is targeting people like Mom. She finally gave that newfangled audio-CD technology a try last year. She thinks DVD is something you treat with penicillin shots.
But Mom has heard of Palm, and she wanted to give the new PDA a try. “I’ve seen that commercial where the woman’s in the train, and she sees the good-looking man,” Mom says. “So she uses her Palm to send over her address. I’d like to be able to do that.”
My father was unavailable for comment.
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WHAT
PALM
AND
MOM
HAVE TO SAY
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DESIGN
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| Sleeker design, rounded bottom gives the m100 a look that appeals to consumers. |
| It looks classy. |
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DURABILITY
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| Thicker frame lets users take the m100 anywhere without worrying about breakage. |
| The casing seems pretty sturdy. |
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CUSTOMIZABLE FACEPLATES
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| Colorful snap-on faceplates (sold separately) let users have fun personalizing their Palm. |
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Why would I want to change the color?
The black looks fine.
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NEW BUTTON
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| A Note Pad button has replaced the traditional Memo Pad one, making it easier for users to scribble notes in their own handwriting. |
| How do you turn it on? |
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CLOCK APPLICATION
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| Pressing the Scroll Up button lets users see the time and date through the window of the m100’s flip cover. |
| Oooooh. That’s handy. |
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MAC COMPATIBILITY
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| The m100 offers out-of-box support with Mac software included on the dual-platform CD-ROM. A free adapter is available via the Web. |
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I use Windows.
(My mother is dead to me.)
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ON-DEVICE TUTORIAL
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| The m100 offers a tutorial to users after they set the time and date. |
| This is good, because otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do. |
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PRICE
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| $149 |
| I’d pay $60. But I wish it cost $20. |
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