Palm Vx
Encyclopedia
The Palm Vx was a personal digital assistant
made by the Palm Computing division of 3Com
. It benefited from the sleek design and low weight of its predecessor, the Palm V, while increasing the available storage to 8 MB. At 114 grams, it was one of the lightest models ever offered by Palm. Retail price at launch was US$299.
Soon after the device's release, Palm Computing was spun off to form Palm, Inc.
. The Palm Vx was the first Palm device to be released without "3Com" branding.
design, with the primary difference between the two being the Vx' 8 megabytes of RAM
compared to the V's 2 megabytes. This was one of the last palm models not to include a memory slot. It was also one of the first to feature interaction with email, AvantGo
, and other online programs.
The Vx is powered by a Motorola Dragonball
processor operating at 20 MHz. It was originally equipped with Palm OS 3.3, but later models came with Palm OS 3.5. An upgrade to Palm OS 4.1 was formerly offered for sale on the Palm Website but is no longer available.
The device has a built in rechargeable battery (not replaceable unless the unit is disassembled), and a button on the top of the screen that permitted access to a contrast menu. It also includes an illumination feature, which causes the screen to be backlit by a green glow. However, the default backlight behaviour was inverted so that the text glowed while the background remained dark. This had the unfortunate side effect of making backlit pictures appear as negative images and made the display hard to read if the ambient lighting was at the same level as the backlight. The screen is very crisp and clear in bright sunlight and total darkness.
Edition" of the Palm Vx. The Palm Vx CSE featured a blue
brushed-metal finish instead of the usual silver color, and came pre-loaded with a HealtheTec diet, exercise, and weight management software package, and Abroad!, a travel organization program. The device was sold exclusively through the supermodel's website, and retailed for US$399.
Palm also released limited edition, colored versions of the Palm Vx without special branding. The special edition was offered in "champagne
" and "millennium blue
".
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
made by the Palm Computing division of 3Com
3Com
3Com was a pioneering digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network infrastructure products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney, Bruce Borden, and Greg Shaw...
. It benefited from the sleek design and low weight of its predecessor, the Palm V, while increasing the available storage to 8 MB. At 114 grams, it was one of the lightest models ever offered by Palm. Retail price at launch was US$299.
Soon after the device's release, Palm Computing was spun off to form Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
. The Palm Vx was the first Palm device to be released without "3Com" branding.
Features
The Vx is based on the Palm VPalm V
The Palm V was a personal digital assistant made by the Palm Computing division of 3Com. While functionally similar to the predecessor Palm III series of PDAs, it distinguished itself by its sleek design, anodized aluminum finish, and built-in rechargeable battery . The Palm V's design was created...
design, with the primary difference between the two being the Vx' 8 megabytes of RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
compared to the V's 2 megabytes. This was one of the last palm models not to include a memory slot. It was also one of the first to feature interaction with email, AvantGo
AvantGo
AvantGo was a Web page / file synchronization service for personal digital assistants and smartphones. The system consisted of a browser client software running on the device, a synchronization server, and an Internet-connected PC to transfer Web pages into the mobile device...
, and other online programs.
The Vx is powered by a Motorola Dragonball
Freescale DragonBall
Motorola/Freescale Semiconductor's DragonBall, or MC68328, is a microcontroller design based on the famous 68000 core, but implemented as an all-in-one low-power solution for handheld computer use...
processor operating at 20 MHz. It was originally equipped with Palm OS 3.3, but later models came with Palm OS 3.5. An upgrade to Palm OS 4.1 was formerly offered for sale on the Palm Website but is no longer available.
The device has a built in rechargeable battery (not replaceable unless the unit is disassembled), and a button on the top of the screen that permitted access to a contrast menu. It also includes an illumination feature, which causes the screen to be backlit by a green glow. However, the default backlight behaviour was inverted so that the text glowed while the background remained dark. This had the unfortunate side effect of making backlit pictures appear as negative images and made the display hard to read if the ambient lighting was at the same level as the backlight. The screen is very crisp and clear in bright sunlight and total darkness.
Special editions
On August 1, 2000, Palm announced the release of a "Claudia SchifferClaudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...
Edition" of the Palm Vx. The Palm Vx CSE featured a blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
brushed-metal finish instead of the usual silver color, and came pre-loaded with a HealtheTec diet, exercise, and weight management software package, and Abroad!, a travel organization program. The device was sold exclusively through the supermodel's website, and retailed for US$399.
Palm also released limited edition, colored versions of the Palm Vx without special branding. The special edition was offered in "champagne
Champagne (color)
The color champagne is a name given for various very pale tints of yellowish-orange that are close to beige. The color's name is derived from the typical color of the beverage champagne.-Champagne:The color champagne is displayed at right....
" and "millennium blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
".
External links
- Palm.com Details
- 3Com Debuts Special Edition Palm Computing Organizers for Holiday Season, 3Com/Palm Press Release, October 4, 1999