This early Palm communicator has some rough edges and it has them what
it was new, too.
But it has also some advantages. Being low-power device with a
(relatively) slow CPU and the GPRS it has an excellent battery life.
Its screen is readable on direct sunlight so backlight can be often
turned off to enlarge battery life even more.
Keyboard is not bad at all. There are some unfinished things like
limited functionality of 4-directional pad (it cannot be used for
movement in texts in the Memos, for example) or inability to control
of some GUI buttons from the keyboard.
Unavailability of unlimited camera software is an another problem (that
software once existed but now it is missing and the author is probably
no longer alive).
It is interesting that the device (with antenna) fits into cases and
pouch designed for older Palm III models.
It is the Palm OS 4 software so it is less prepared for multimedia
(definitively no music on this device - no MP3s, no WaVs, no nothing)
and available wireless services are limited, too. WWW browsing is
possible in text-only mode with no downloads, e-mail has to be
unencrypted and no modern SSH is possible, just the old good telnet
(and the telnet is possible with with unstable software only). FTP is
possible but not as easily as on more modern devices.
Anyway I use the device to browse Gopher, to receive some of my e-mails
and to write gopher phlogs. And for all the usual (off-line) PIM stuff,
too.
I also have found this device to be especially suited for shopping: I
can put a shopping list here (into the stock ToDo program) and to
navigate in it with 4-directional pad (so it can be controlled by one
hand and without stylus). There is also an "Ener" key in the center of
the pad which can be sued to mark the items. Also its backlighted
screen is ideal for terrible light conditions which are usual in local
supermarkets. I still like my Palm III devices more but in this special
situation it allows me to finish shopping much faster (I hate
supermarkets shopping in general so its important to me to leave the
supermarket as soon as possible)
