Palm M505 review

[@tyta1]

I loved those aluminum Palm models - so stylish, and well built.

[@HandheldComputing]

I think so, they are so sleek and sit well in the hand!

[@7-Aniya]

I got an M505 from early 2000 and just recently found it in my garage in a forgotten pile. I used your videos to change the dead battery i purchased from Amazon. It is still in pristine condition. I don't like the back lighting limitations. But, I have decided to put it to good use.

[@HandheldComputing]

So glad you found my video useful and have brough new life to your M505! Just be careful or you might start buying more PDAs and end up like me 🤣😂🤣😂

[@7-Aniya]

@HandheldComputing Thanks for your advice. I have a good plan for this one. I always wanted a device that won't connect to the internet so that I could keep my documents out of preying eyes.

[@HandheldComputing]

@@7-Aniya Then ths M505 will work well, you are right about the display light though, its not great. Its a reflective TFT so it has a front light - n the plus side you don't need the light on in sunlight

[@cpcnw]

Was just about to ask about screen brightness and you covered it :)

[@HandheldComputing]

The M515 is twice as bright, still a front lit screen so not as good as the later transreflective TFTs

[@cpcnw]

@@HandheldComputing Have an Tungsten E now and its quite nice. Battery doesn't last long though. Maybe it needs replacing?

[@HandheldComputing]

@@cpcnw Sounds like it is just a battery issue, It's a nice device the Tungsten E 😉 I wouldn't think replacing the battery would be too difficult

[@VeritasVelez]

Love the channel, and so thankful that someone is making content about this neat little device still. I picked one up at a yard sale about two years ago for just one dollar. Came with the charging cradle, a hard silver case, and a foldable palm keyboard. It all sat in my electronics box until a few months ago when I decided to buy it a new battery and play around with it. Unfortunately, the keyboard uses software that must be installed on the pda, and I am having a hard time finding the software for it. Where do you find your software for your m505? Thanks!

[@HandheldComputing]

$1 that's ace! Should have the driver here palmdb.net/search/keyboard The palm foldaway keyboards are nice to use

[@VeritasVelez]

@@HandheldComputing thanks so much! I'll be downloading a few neat apps and using this cool little piece of tech. Making shopping lists, databases, fortune cookies, there are a ton of things that never go out of style. And yes, there are android versions that do all the same things most of these apps do, and faster... But the battery life, the foldout keyboard, the fact that this device won't spy on me and sell my data, idk, I love it! I would've loved this thing growing up when they were big in the early 2000s, but stoked to have it now. 😁👍

[@HandheldComputing]

@@VeritasVelez yeah its a great device with battery life that a phone can only dream of! True that, no data lost to the cloud and nobody spying on it!

[@yeety1208]

Recently picked up an IBM Workpad C500 (rebranded M500), I still prefer it over this due to the monochrome screen and probably better battery life, unfortunately with the flip case on the logo on the front has started to peel off a bit.

[@HandheldComputing]

Nice, I much prefer the M500 to the 505 and the 515 because it is thinner, battery life is dramatically better and the colour screen on the M505/515 is awful to use due to the low pixel density and the fat you can easily see the lines between the pixels which I find causes eye strain

[@helifynoe9930]

The stylus is NOT too long. If you push it in, it then locks in place, thus not to possibly fall out and be lost. My m505 is still working after almost 21 years. I have had to replace the battery, once.

[@HandheldComputing]

I mean the Palm V/Vx stylus is too long for the M505, sorry if thats not clear

[@helifynoe9930]

@@HandheldComputing Nice try.

[@MrElectronicFan]

Hmm have a 505 too but seems No Backlight. Is it possible that the backlight only works If the battery works too? Seems my battery is dead. If i Put it into Docking Station there is No Backlight too

[@HandheldComputing]

Sounds like the backlight isnt working - could be a cracked ribbon cable as the become incredibly brittle over time 🤔

[@cpcnw]

Would you say the glare / reflections off the screen are worse or better than the Vx?

[@HandheldComputing]

Its the same. Both have a hard coat (similar to spectacle lenses) to try and reduce scratches. Advantage less scratches so longer lasting touch screen. Disadvantage very reflective surface causing glare. The issue (only real issue since it is very efficient) with Graffiti is you are constantly dragging the stylus over a single point so the hard coat is very important unlike if you use transcriber on a Pocket PC which like a modern SSD effectively introduces wear levelling on the screen 😉

[@larrylarry1368]

You should do a review of handspring as well.

[@HandheldComputing]

Its on the list... but the list is getting pretty long..... The handspring showed what the palm OS was capable of once released from the constraints of palm even with OS3! But for me the rea driving force for palm OS was Sony the Clie were constantly ground breaking with Hi-res, MP3 and card sot long before palm

[@larrylarry1368]

@@HandheldComputing I bought so many accessories from Handspring but now they are collecting dust.

[@HandheldComputing]

@@larrylarry1368 Thats the thing, I am trying to get a module or 2 before I do a video on the handspring as the springboard modules is their thing! What is interesting is the guys who created handspring were part of the team that created palm, they just wanted to make it better

[@gregwhates5948]

Just got one of these and waiting for a M500 to arrive. I think the mono screen is much better - OS4 really gains nothing from the colour screen

[@HandheldComputing]

So true, I have an M505 but always use the M500 as the contrast is better and the battery life is soooooooooo much better than on the M505! I personally like the inverted backlight too for reading at night, I know a lot of people hate it though ;-)

[@gregwhates5948]

@@HandheldComputing the night light was inverted so that it has less impact on your night vision. There is so much clever product design in the V based devices. My personal favourite is the concave buttons so the stylus can push them easier!

[@HandheldComputing]

@@gregwhates5948 The concave buttons are a nice touch I just wish on the M5xx they had made the side slots the same size so you could put the cover on either side!

[@gregwhates5948]

@@HandheldComputing it was definitely a strange change!

[@yeety1208]

@@HandheldComputing Indeed, it would also have been nice to allow the stylus to fit in the left side for left handed people too, but then the OS itself wasn't even designed for lefties

[@kevinpatrickcarey3741]

this was 500 when it first came out

[@HandheldComputing]

Yes the 500 is the black and white version, 505 colour but otherwise similar spec. The 505 is a little thicker to accommodate a larger battery and the colour screen

[@kevinpatrickcarey3741]

@@HandheldComputing oh sorry lol I mean it was $500 Canadian...but yes on the naming convention and I also had before the 505 the big thick black C model with the color screen

[@HandheldComputing]

@@kevinpatrickcarey3741 It was £450 over here so that sounds right. The 3C was the 1st colour Palm OS device and was massive in comparison to the 505! Thankfully the colour screens got better too as the 505 screen isn't nice to use! Have you still got your 3C? They are pretty rare now

[@davidwilliamson2115]

Where can you get one of these?

[@HandheldComputing]

Gotta be ebay! Make sure you get a cradle or charging cable and a new battery they are 20 years old so the batteries are always dead

[@stephenkerner4953]

You may remember in your jornada 680e You said you won’t be watching any movies I finally did it I put a 2 movies on it

[@HandheldComputing]

Nice one Stephen, I just find the screen lag makes action movies difficult to watch. I think back in the day it would have been super cool watching films on the Jornada though!!!

[@stephenkerner4953]

Thanks but you can solve it using a different codec or a change of resolution

[@klauspetermann2373]

I hate Palm Grafitty! I don´t want to learn writing new ...for a palmtop. take the T3, the best palm ever!

[@HandheldComputing]

Agreed! The handwriting recognition on the pocket PC is pretty good too