| 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.  | | 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. | WHAT PALM AND MOM HAVE TO SAY | | DESIGN | | Sleeker design, rounded bottom gives the m100 a look that appeals to consumers. | | It looks classy. | | DURABILITY | | Thicker frame lets users take the m100 anywhere without worrying about breakage. | | The casing seems pretty sturdy. | | CUSTOMIZABLE FACEPLATES | | Colorful snap-on faceplates (sold separately) let users have fun personalizing their Palm. | | Why would I want to change the color? The black looks fine. | | NEW BUTTON | | 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? | | CLOCK APPLICATION | | 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. | | MAC COMPATIBILITY | | 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. | | I use Windows. (My mother is dead to me.) | | ON-DEVICE TUTORIAL | | 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. | | PRICE | | $149 | | I’d pay $60. But I wish it cost $20. |
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