Palm m500 series
Encyclopedia
The Palm m500 series of handheld personal digital assistant
s consisted of three devices: the Palm m500, Palm m505, and Palm m515. The series was a follow-up to the popular Palm V
series with a similar, though slightly shorter, footprint and form factor.
Like the Palm V, the series had metal cases (although the m500 had a plastic back plate) and a 160x160 resolution
screen. The distinguishing features common to all in the series are a SD
/MMC expansion slot, faster processor, new faster USB sync interface, new software functionality, new vibrating alarms, new indicator light, and a mechanical fastener vs. hot-glue case construction. Later models introduced an improved version of the color display and more memory.
The Palm m500 series of Palm Pilot PDAs
was released on March 6, 2001. Based on a poll conducted by Palm Computing (formerly a division of 3Com
), it was determined that the Palm V
had the "definitive look" of the ideal PDA.
or when an important message was available. Input included four programmable buttons, two scrolling buttons, and a touch-sensitive 2-1/4" x 3" screen (including the 2-1/4" x 3/4" input area). As with most other Palm devices, data was input with a stylus
pen using a Graffiti
method.
Each of the m500 series models featured a Secure Digital
(SD) or Multi Media Card (MMC) expansion slot. The SD/MMC slot allowed for additional memory upgrades for the devices, as well an expandable platform for add-on devices. The m500 series was also the first of Palm's devices to incorporate the new Universal Connector
, which was only "universal" until the Palm T3 after which it was abandoned. It allowed for additional add-on devices and common HotSync cradles.
Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB
Display: 160x160 pixel B&W display, 4-bit (16 shades of gray)
Size: 4.49 x 3.02 x .46 in. (11.41 x 7.67 x 1.17 cm)
Weight: 4.162 oz (118g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120V 60Hz 10W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
color frontlit screen. It was released on March 6, 2001 as part of the original rollout for the series.
Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB (4MB Flash + 8MB RAM)
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight: 4.8 oz (136g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
ing system. There was much criticism about the m505 that, even with the backlight on, it was dim and difficult to read in some environments. The m515 added an additional setting allowing the backlight to be put on "high", which was considerably brighter than its predecessor.
Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 16 MB RAM + 4 MB Flash
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight: 4.8 oz (139g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
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...
s consisted of three devices: the Palm m500, Palm m505, and Palm m515. The series was a follow-up to the popular Palm V
Palm 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...
series with a similar, though slightly shorter, footprint and form factor.
Like the Palm V, the series had metal cases (although the m500 had a plastic back plate) and a 160x160 resolution
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
screen. The distinguishing features common to all in the series are a SD
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
/MMC expansion slot, faster processor, new faster USB sync interface, new software functionality, new vibrating alarms, new indicator light, and a mechanical fastener vs. hot-glue case construction. Later models introduced an improved version of the color display and more memory.
Palm m500 series
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...
was released on March 6, 2001. Based on a poll conducted by Palm Computing (formerly a 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 was determined that the Palm V
Palm 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...
had the "definitive look" of the ideal PDA.
Common traits
All of the Palm m500 models were based on the Palm V form factor. They had the same slim case with the slight curvature to its left and right edges. The power button lit up green when in its docking cradleCradle
Cradle may refer to:Mechanical devices:*Bassinet, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep* Ship cradle, supports a ship that is dry docked...
or when an important message was available. Input included four programmable buttons, two scrolling buttons, and a touch-sensitive 2-1/4" x 3" screen (including the 2-1/4" x 3/4" input area). As with most other Palm devices, data was input with a stylus
Stylus (computing)
In computing, a stylus is a small pen-shaped instrument that is used to input commands to a computer screen, mobile device or graphics tablet...
pen using a Graffiti
Graffiti (Palm OS)
Graffiti is an essentially single-stroke shorthand handwriting recognition system used in PDAs based on the Palm OS. Graffiti was originally written by Palm, Inc...
method.
Each of the m500 series models featured a Secure Digital
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
(SD) or Multi Media Card (MMC) expansion slot. The SD/MMC slot allowed for additional memory upgrades for the devices, as well an expandable platform for add-on devices. The m500 series was also the first of Palm's devices to incorporate the new Universal Connector
Palm Universal Connector
The Universal Connector was a standard port fitted to the bottom of many Palm PDA's from 2001 to 2004 and on units from other manufacturers that licensed Palm technology, including Garmin....
, which was only "universal" until the Palm T3 after which it was abandoned. It allowed for additional add-on devices and common HotSync cradles.
Palm m500
The m500 was the entry-level model of the m500 series. With 8 MB of on-board memory, it featured a monochrome screen and all of the features common to the m500 series devices. It was released on March 6, 2001, as part of the original rollout for the series.Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.0 (upgrade to 4.1)Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB
Display: 160x160 pixel B&W display, 4-bit (16 shades of gray)
Size: 4.49 x 3.02 x .46 in. (11.41 x 7.67 x 1.17 cm)
Weight: 4.162 oz (118g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120V 60Hz 10W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
Palm m505
The m505 was, at the time of the series rollout, the top-of-the-line model of all Palm devices. It also had 8 MB of on-board memory. In addition to standard m500 series features, it also featured a 16-bit16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
color frontlit screen. It was released on March 6, 2001 as part of the original rollout for the series.
Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.0 (upgrade to 4.1)Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 8 MB (4MB Flash + 8MB RAM)
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight: 4.8 oz (136g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable; 2hr recharge time when empty
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
Palm m515
On March 4, 2002, Palm released the m515. Based on consumer reviews and surveys conducted by the company, the m515 was developed as an improved version of, and replacement for, the m505. Notable enhancements include 16 MB of on-board memory and an enhanced backlightBacklight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays . As LCDs do not produce light themselves , they need illumination to produce a visible image...
ing system. There was much criticism about the m505 that, even with the backlight on, it was dim and difficult to read in some environments. The m515 added an additional setting allowing the backlight to be put on "high", which was considerably brighter than its predecessor.
Details
Operating System: Palm OS version 4.1Processor: 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
Memory: 16 MB RAM + 4 MB Flash
Display: 160x160 pixel color display (65,000+ colors)
Size: 4.48 x 3.03 x 0.50 in. (11.38 x 7.70 x 1.27 cm)
Weight: 4.8 oz (139g)
Battery: Internal Lithium Polymer Rechargeable
AC Adapter: Input: 120VAC 60Hz 11W, Output: 5.0VDC 1.0A
IrDA port
Expansion Slot compatible with SD and MMC cards
See also
- Palm (PDA)Palm (PDA)Palm handhelds were Personal Digital Assistants which ran the Palm OS. Palm devices have evolved from handhelds to smartphones which run Palm OS, WebOS, and Windows Mobile...
- Palm OSPalm OSPalm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
- PalmSource, Inc.
- 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...
- Graffiti (Palm OS)Graffiti (Palm OS)Graffiti is an essentially single-stroke shorthand handwriting recognition system used in PDAs based on the Palm OS. Graffiti was originally written by Palm, Inc...