The Palm IIIc, shown in Figure A, offers a few surprises -- black and white and in color. The Palm IIIc's silk-screen buttons are white, contrasting nicely with the mirrored black screen (although this makes them tougher to see in the dark). When powered on, the launcher screen displays the familiar Palm OS icons in color.

FIGURE A

Now you can live a more colorful life with the Palm IIIc.

Basic hardware changes
The 8MB RAM, 2MB flash memory Palm IIIc is based on the 20 Mhz Motorola Dragonball EZ. The Palm IIIc lists for $449, and is available in stores now.

Although it looks like a Palm III series device, the Palm IIIc shares some features with the Palm V series. Like the Palm V series, the Palm IIIc has a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery. To charge, just drop the Palm IIIc into its cradle. Also like the Palm V series, the Palm IIIc has concave Big Four buttons. The up and down arrow buttons are back to being separate buttons, rather than a rocker switch, similar to the original Pilot and PalmPilot models or Handspring's Visor. And, like the Palm V series, the IR window is on the top of the Palm IIIc.

Recharging your Palm IIIc
Although you can HotSync a Palm IIIc in any Palm III-series cradle, you'll still need the Palm IIIc cradle or one of two optional recharger kits to replenish the battery. The battery charge control circuitry is located in the Palm IIIc's cradle. The Palm IIIc Recharger Kit is similar to the Palm V Travel Kit, containing an AC charger, various adapters for different countries' electrical outlets, and a carrying bag.

The Palm IIIc Auto/Air Recharger Kit allows you to get a charge into your Palm IIIc through a car cigarette lighter or by plugging into the DC outlet built into many seats in commercial airliners. Palm, Inc. rates the Palm IIIc's battery life at "two weeks of normal usage" -- this is definitely a "your mileage may vary" issue.

Multiple Palm device households may be a little disappointed -- the power connector for the Palm IIIc's cradle is shaped differently from that of the Palm V series, so you'll a need little more desk space for the Palm IIIc cradle and another outlet for its transformer. There are some technical reasons for this, but the design team should have thought a little harder about keeping the two series compatible. Perhaps somebody like Gary Mayhak of Tech Center Labs will put together an emergency charger that can charge both the Palm IIIc and Palm V series Palm devices. If one of you enterprising developers builds something like this, let us know at news@palmpower.com and we'll tell readers about it.