Colorful Handhelds Lead Palm’s New Lineup
Palm, Inc. revitalized its line of handhelds by introducing three new models: the new consumer-aimed Palm m100, the updated wireless Palm VIIx, and two Limited Edition Palm Vx models with colorful metal casings. The new $150 Palm m100 introduces a new case style (though with a physically smaller screen than its predecessors), a new Note Pad application that stores handwritten notes and sketches, and features an on-screen clock. Going up against Handspring’s multicolored Visor line, the m100 adds colorful snap-on faceplates in muted, non-fruitlike colors. The Limited Edition model of the Palm Vx, offered exclusively through Palm’s online store for $400, is available in Millennium Blue and Champagne colored aluminum casings. The wireless Palm VIIx, an update to the Palm VII, includes 8 MB of memory instead of 2 MB, and is available for $450.
All three models feature Palm OS 3.5. For the first time, the Macintosh Palm Desktop software is available with the m100 and Limited Edition Palm Vx out of the box instead of as a separate purchase or online download (Palm’s Web site implies that the Palm VIIx doesn’t offer the same software); however, Mac users still require a USB or serial cable adapter. Palm also lowered estimated street prices on its existing color Palm IIIc and wireless Palm VII handhelds to $400.