PalmOne m130 Handheld
by Palm

List Price: $199.99
Our Price: $12.00
You Save: $187.99 (94%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details

• Bright and easy-to-read color screen with support for 58,621 colors
• Built-in 8 MB memory stores thousands of contacts, appointments, to-do items, and notes
• Expandable via Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards--add memory, applications, and content
• Windows and Macintosh compatible--includes desktop software for both platforms
• Box: Palm OS 4.1, USB cradle, rechargeable battery, and add-on applications,alculator, MultiMail, and Palm Reader

• Targus CH071 Tri-Fold Universal PDA Case - Nylon
• PalmOne HotSync Serial Cradle (m125, m130, i705, Tungsten & m500 series)
• Veo SD Photo Traveler for Palm Handhelds
• PalmOne m100 Series Slim Leather Carrying Case
• RhinoSkin Universal PDA Tri-Fold Leather Case (Black)

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PalmOne m130 Handheld

Customer Review: For the price, easily one of the BEST hand held's available
Summary: 5 Stars

I have had the opportunity to use several different Palm devices ranging from the Visor Platinum, the Visor Pro, the Visor Edge, Palm m125 and now the brand new Palm m130. While I consider myself an electronic junkie, I however do NOT have the income that would allow me the opportunity to buy all of the devices that strike me as 'Cool'...but I have been very fortunate to have wealthy friends who have either loaned me theirs, or outright gave me their old ones after they found the next-best thing...consequently, I have had the chance to compare quite a few of these neat little hand held's with actual practical use.

Without boring you with how I got ahold of an m130, I CAN tell you that Palm definitely has produced the finest color hand held device available -- for the money. If money is no object, go for the new Palm m515, but let me explain why the m130 is really worth the money:

The m130 includes Palm OS 4.1 (over the m125's 4.0), an amazing color screen with incredible clarity & last-but-not-least: rechargeable batteries. Just think about it, depending upon how often you use your Palm, if you get one that uses standard batteries, after a while the m130 will have paid for the extra cost over an m125 in batteries alone.

The amazon reviewers noted a small annoyance with the outer edges of the touch screen being not as sensitive, and I made a point of testing this specifically to see if this was an on-going problem or just an isolated glitch with the model they happened to test, and I am happy to say mine works just fine. I have noticed that every once in a while a *bad* product lands on somebody's lap, but for every *poor* model manufactured, there are many more that work perfectly. So I guess ultimately it depends on luck to some extent. Even Mercedes makes a lemon every now and then, so you can't expect every single electrical device to work flawlessly from a manufacturing plant that produces these things by the thousands.

One more thing, the opportunity to upgrade this item with the expansion slot definitely IS something to take into account when you are thinking of buying a hand held. From expandable memory cards to cards with games, maps, books, dictionaries even language translations, it is important to have this option if you plan on putting yours to good use and are worried you might exceed the standard 8mb memory. I haven't had to use mine -- yet, but I am fairly certain I will at some point. Also, if you have yet to put your infra-red port to good use, I urge you to take advantage of this exceptional ability that most hand helds come standard with these days. Other than the operation systems that come with your Palm, you can *beam* almost anything else you can download to your Palm to another one in a very short amount of time. I have shared games with friends, books, resumes and even my business card with some friends of mine and business partners in the blink of an eye. Wirelessly, seamlessly you can transmit this information, and I kid you not when I say this is largely an untapped resource that makes owning a hand held almost invaluable in the business world today--especially if you work or come into contact with many people who use one as well. Give it a try, if you haven't already you will soon discover how convenient this really can be. Ultimately, like I said earlier, for the price, the m130 is easily one of the BEST devices available today. Give one a shot and good luck.

Description of PalmOne m130 Handheld

It also boasts an 8 MB memory with an expansion slot that accepts both MultiMediaCard (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) cards for adding both memory and special applications. The SD card slot will also connect to SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) devices, including Bluetooth cards for wireless connectivity, and upcoming peripherals like digital cameras and bar code scanners.

You can also attach peripherals to the base of the unit via the Palm Universal Connector, which enables you to use the m130 with keyboards, modems, and GPS receivers that are also compatible with the i700 and m500 series handhelds.

The universal connector is where the handheld meets up with its USB cradle, which not only serves to sync up the m130, but to recharge its lithium-ion battery as well. On the highest setting (you can drop it down a notch in well-lit environments), the display backlight sucks juice at a moderate rate. But since the battery recharges at each sync-up, it's not much of an issue. Even if you run out of battery life and your m130 shuts down, you have about a week to recharge it before you lose the data on your Palm.

Nicely contoured, with an attachable faceplate that flips up (letting you play Captain Kirk and Dr. Spock, if you're so inclined), the 5.4-ounce m130 rests solidly in your left hand with the right manipulating its standard buttons and screen with the stylus. One complaint we did have with the m130: at the edges, the screen doesn't appear to be as sensitive as in the middle and it can sometimes require a repeat tap with the stylus before it registers.

In addition to the standard Palm Desktop software, the m130's impressive handheld software bundle includes Palm Reader (for taking e-books along with your Palm), DataViz's Documents To Go (for viewing and editing Word and Excel files; Windows users can also view and edit PowerPoint documents), and MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition (for viewing images and videos on the full-color screen).

An IR port on the top of the m130 lets you beam contact information, such as your business card, or even an application, to another similarly equipped handheld.

An inexpensive color handheld with a decent amount of memory and lots of room for growth, the m130 makes a great PDA for users looking to add color to their portable world. --J. Curtis

Pros:

• Inexpensive, full-featured color PDA
• 58,621-color display looks great
• Loaded with software extras
• Rechargeable battery

• Stylus doesn't register, at times, around the edges

The expansion card slot is a dual-purpose slot that can hold Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard (MMC) memory cards. Both types of cards are small, inexpensive, and easy to plug in. Much like computer diskettes, they hold information for upload or download onto a handheld. With them, you can instantly add software programs, e-books, large databases, graphics, or even video files to your handheld without sacrificing memory space. The Palm Universal Connector (at the base of the m130) enables you to add peripherals such as a keyboard, GPS receiver, and more.

In addition to Palm's built-in organization applications in Palm OS 4.1--including Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, and Note Pad--the Palm m130 also features the following bonus software: Documents To Go by DataViz (for synchronizing Microsoft Word and Excel documents), Pocket Mirror (for linking to Microsoft Outlook), MultiMail SE, MGI PhotoSuite, AvantGo, powerOne Personal Calculator, Palm Reader, and Palm Mobile Connectivity software.

The native USB HotSync cradle allows you to quickly back up and exchange information between your handheld and your PC or Mac. The Palm m130 handheld comes equipped with a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery, which is charged using the HotSync cradle. Palm Desktop software is compatible with Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP and Mac OS 8.6 through 9.x. Note that for connecting to Windows 95 and NT, you will need an optional serial cradle or cable.

The Palm m130 comes with a stylus, USB HotSync cradle with 120 VAC/60 Hz charger, internal rechargeable battery, Palm OS 4.1, and an infrared port. It is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the box

• Palm m130 handheld
• USB HotSync cradle
• Getting Started manual
• CD-ROM with Palm Desktop software, bonus software, and complete documentation