In addition, some things just work better when you're moving fast. For example, I've noticed a significant increase in graffiti recognition when overclocked a little. Granted, this might be imaginary. Bulky launchers (like Handscape Pro by MobiMate), date books (like DateBk4), and even some games (like PocketChess) run a lot less frustratingly slow with a little more speed.

Disadvantages
There are numerous drawbacks to overclocking, however. The battery life problem is probably the first for most users. When using CPU-heavy applications, the change in your battery life is roughly directly proportional to the change in clock speed. This means that underclocking a 16 Mhz device to 13 Mhz could, if you use the device constantly, increase your battery life by around 20%. Similarly, overclocking a 16 Mhz device to 20 Mhz could reduce your battery life by a quarter. Especially for users of devices running on AAA batteries, this can get expensive. At its peak, when I had my Palm IIIx tuned up to 20 Mhz and in near constant use, I changed batteries weekly.

Since the CPU is running faster and consuming more power, the next drawback should be easy to figure out. Yes, heat. Much like a desktop computer, overclocking your Palm device can cause your CPU to overheat. This is very, very, very bad. The best that will happen is that your device will crash. You might lose some data. The worst that can happen is your device might be destroyed completely. Jeff Kirvin, the highly respected author of "Writing on Your Palm," (at http://www.jeffkirvin.com/writingonyourpalm/) reports that overclocking-related death can be signaled by "a black screen with random vertical streaks." All of a sudden, the device just drops dead. Removing the batteries and leaving it to cool for a while (as in days) could help, as could a hard reset. However, both will cause you to lose all of your data. Moreover, neither is certain to work.

On the bright side, you can probably avoid this with a few simple steps. First of all, do not overclock any Palm device older than the Palm IIIx and do not overclock the Palm VII. The Palm III and earlier devices (as well as the Palm VII) use the older Motorola Dragonball processor. Overclocking this chip isn't nearly as safe. Just don't do it! However, if you do, don't go any higher than around 19 Mhz.

Second, do not overclock the Dragonball EZ devices too high. Clocking a 16 Mhz device at 20 Mhz will produce a significant performance improvement, especially when combined with wait-state tweaks. To the best of my limited knowledge, wait-state tweaks have no measurable impact on power consumption or heating. 20 Mhz should be safe for the EZ processor, since the Palm Vx and Palm IIIc are clocked at 20 Mhz by default.

Please note that I said "should be," not "is." There are no guarantees in this business, and the chips designated for the 16 Mhz Palm IIIx, Palm IIIe, and the like may not be subject to as rigorous testing at the factory. 24 Mhz is also generally considered to be safe for the Dragonball EZ. Anything faster than that, and you're playing with fire. 29 Mhz is considered to be safe by risk-taking types, and many people (most often writers of overclocking applications) claim to go that high on a regular basis without ill effects. There's no excuse to go above 29 Mhz. Except on the latest high-speed Handspring models (the Visor Platinum and Visor Prism), the risk of running your device at something like 30 Mhz is significantly higher than any imaginable gain. So don't do it.