November 26 - December 03

The Palm V by Alessandro Cancian Smaller than your wallet, as elegant as your wallet, maybe slightly heavier than your wallet. If you havent guessed, its the new Palm V. Initially I wondered why one should have an electronic organizer and especially why a Palm V. Several years have passed since the original Palm Pilot and many changes have been made, but the one thing that has never changed is its easy use. The Palm V is very elegant, with a sophisticated design that makes it fit every situation, from a work appointment to a friendly brunch. Common characteristics are the stylus (resembling a pen) for inputting text through a recognition system, called Graffiti, based on screen areas. The stylus can also be used on the notably improved display in order to highlight text, press buttons, drag sliders and interact with applications. Graffiti is a peculiar text recognition system that requires you to compose letters according to a special scheme. Youll think youre back at the school desk where you first learned your alphabet, but dont worry, it took me the best part of five minutes to learn! And even if you feel uneasy, youll always have the possibility to operate a virtual keyboard that also comes in handy for particular signs such as @, &, %, etc. The characteristic element, not just for Palm V but for other versions as well, is the HotSync Cradle, i.e. a device that makes it possible for you to connect your organiser to your computer, in order to synchronise meetings, important notes, addresses, and load software. And I found out that software really abounds, from web browsers for Internet navigation to spreadsheets and databases to GPS (Global Positioning System). I managed to test an e-mail program that handled several accounts. Installing it on a Palm was a breeze, since the program only had to be copied in a specific directory. Synchronisation took care of the rest. Other features of the Palm V include long-life lithium ion batteries, which recharge in the HotSync Cradle in just minutes and can boast a very good duration. The organiser comes equipped with a 2MB RAM, enough to load more information than you can imagine, and the only defect is the impossibility to upgrade to higher capacities. A real pity. Going back to the first question I wondered about, I must say that after one month of using it I cant do without it. The Palm V has become my diary, where I file addresses, meetings, important notes, but at the same time I check my e-mail, send a fax or an urgent message even when Im away from my office. Palm V is a product youll surely fall in love with, thanks to its simplicity, flexibility and usefulness. In Canada the suggested retail price is of $579, slightly excessive in my opinion. The only note of disappointment is due to my being a Mac user (as well as a PC user): I dont understand why you have to pay more ($9US) to connect the Palm V to an Apple product, nor why you have to download software from the Web instead of finding it on the bundled CD. To get more info, visit http://www.palm.com

 

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