Sold separately, the m100 faceplates will at first be available in five creatively named colors: silver, gold, blue mist, green mist, and pacific blue metallic. Some of the faceplates are pictured in Figure D.

FIGURE D

You can match your Palm m100 to your wardrobe with these customizable faceplates.

We certainly expect to see enterprising third party developers create new faceplates to fit every taste.

To remove a faceplate, you first have to disconnect the flip cover. This is done by grabbing the base firmly and pulling the connecting prongs up and out of the two small slots. The device's power button is located in the top, center, and the faceplate clips on over it. You have to lift the faceplate's plastic tab and ease it over the power button. Once the tab is clear of the power button, the faceplate slips off relatively easily.

This process didn't work as smoothly as I'd like, however. Each time I disconnected the flip cover, I worried the small, plastic tabs, pictured in Figure E, would snap off. They showed no signs of weakening, however.

FIGURE E

These small tabs attach the flip cover to the Palm m100. Click picture for a larger image.

The tab for the faceplate itself, on the other hand, proved problematic. It tended to catch on the back of the power button, and I was afraid it would pull the button right off. You have to be careful putting the faceplate back on as well. On one occasion I failed to line it up properly, and the device started making a machine-gun tapping sound. It turned out the faceplate had overlapped one of the application buttons, pressing it down and causing it to tap repeatedly.

Overall, though, I'm a big fan of the interchangeable faceplate concept. I'm the kind of person who's always changing the wallpaper on my desktop, so I can appreciate the ability to add a fresh look once in awhile.

HotSync cable
In an effort to conserve desk space and increase portability (and, ok, reduce Palm's cost of goods sold), the cradle has been replaced with a HotSync cable. It works just like the old HotSync cradle, except you have to be content to let your device lay flat, since there's nothing to help it stand up.

If you miss the cradle, Palm is offering one, sold separately. It's been redesigned to match the contours of the Palm m100, as you can see in Figure F.

FIGURE F

The Palm m100 HotSync cradle is sold separately. Click picture for a larger image.

Take note, the Palm m100 won't work in cradles designed for any other Palm handhelds (and, presumably, this means that other attachments won't work in the m100's HotSync slot as well). Also, neither the cradle nor the cable will recharge the Palm m100 since the handheld runs on two AAA batteries, much like the older Palm devices.

Macintosh compatible
The Palm m100 marks a major improvement in that it supports the Macintosh platform right out of the box. The dual-platform CD-ROM that comes with each device has the Mac software ready to go. To connect your HotSync cable to a Macintosh, however, you need a special adaptor not included in the box (another cost-saving measure). The good news: it's available for free at http://www.palm.com.