Palm, Inc. has adopted a radical change in branding, dubbing its new handheld device, the Palm m100 (and yes, the "M" is lower case). If it sounds more like a sports car than a PDA, the association is doubtless intentional. With a completely new design, the Palm m100's sleek design is extremely fashion-conscious and nothing like any Palm device you've seen before. This ain't your Daddy's PalmPilot. Judge for yourself in Figure A.

FIGURE A

The Palm m100 introduces a curvier, more fashion-conscious design. Click picture for a larger image.

A big complaint Palm had been receiving about its organizers was they're too expensive. At around $149, the Palm m100 is the company's attempt to provide a more economical alternative that's also easier to use. Palm's devices have hit $149 before, but only when the models were near their end-of-life.

The device uses version 3.5 of the Palm OS and includes old standbys like 2MB of memory, a backlit display, an infrared port, and Address and Date Book applications. However, the m100 has a whole host of new features, both on the inside and on the outside. Let's take a look at them.

A matter of size
The most immediately apparent change to the form factor and the aspect that may draw the most criticism is the size. The m100 weighs only 4.4 ounces, measures 8 cm across at its widest point, and stands 11.5 cm tall, making it comparable in weight to the Palm V. However, the Palm m100 measures nearly twice as thick as the Palm V. The screen, meanwhile, is noticeably smaller than the typical Palm handheld, measuring only 5 cm by 5 cm, ignoring the silk screen. This is compared to the Palm V's 5.75 cm by 5.75 cm screen.

The extra thickness and shrunken screen are accounted for by the fact that the m100 is constructed out of thicker plastic, designed to make the device more rugged and customizable. We'll look at how you can customize the m100 later.

The cover and the clock
One of the most interesting aspects of the new device is its unique, double-hinged flip cover. Both opened and closed, the cover adds almost no weight or bulk, and when opened, it flips completely around to lie flat against the back of the device and out of the way. This is reminiscent of the old Newton MessagePad 2000, which also had a notepad-like flipping cover.