I also really like the expansion slot. I had the opportunity to use the preformatted European Cities card. This is the ultimate in simplicity. Just push the card into the slot, and the Palm m500 or Palm m505 springs to life and displays the applications available on the card. It does take several seconds for some of the applications to be transferred into memory, but the trade-off of freeing up memory on the Palm handheld itself makes this well worth it. Everyone I showed the card to was very impressed with the size and functionality. They all felt this was a significant improvement to the larger Springboard modules used by Handspring Visors. I'm very eager to see what other accessories are designed to use this slot in the future.

Version 4.0 of the Palm OS has some interesting improvements. People were very impressed with the clock feature that can be accessed at any time by tapping on the small clock in the upper left-hand corner of the graffiti area. This causes a clock to pop up on the screen for a few seconds regardless of what application you're currently in, so you can check the time or date. Then it disappears and leaves you back where you started. You get the additional options of vibrating alerts and also the option to have the green LED flash as a silent alert.

Conclusion
Overall, I like these new models. Palm has taken several steps in the right direction with them. Faster processing, expansion slots, and easier to read screens are all things people are clamoring for, and Palm delivers. Also, version 4.0 of the Palm OS seems very stable. I didn't have any problems, and that's unusual for any x.0 code.

However, Palm missed the mark in several areas. My biggest disappointment was with the color screen on the Palm m505. After a week I got used to the washed out appearance and have learned to make judicious use of the sidelight feature when I want the colors to be more vibrant, although being able to view colors in sunlight is a big plus. But I still get a good dose of "color envy" when I see how vibrant the colors are on some of the competing devices.

I'm also disappointed that Palm managed to engineer these new devices in such a way that I cannot reuse any of the accessories I currently own. As a loyal Palm handheld user who has already made significant investments in the accessories I currently use, this is an added cost I'd prefer not to incur. Also, Palm may not win brownie points by standardizing on USB when many people with older operating systems still can't take advantage of it. I think it would have made much more sense to include the serial cradle and then allow people to upgrade to the USB cradle if they were in a position to take advantage of this technology.

Life is about tradeoffs, and my ideal Palm handheld does not yet exist. If you have to have the best color screen available for the Palm OS, I advise you to look at investing in another model. If, however, you like the thin size, light weight, and better use outdoors of the Palm m505, and are willing to accept the limitations of the color screen, you should seriously consider this model. This color screen is still far superior to any of the grayscale screens, and I can't imagine having to go back. But I would have to think long and hard about upgrading from my Palm Vx to the Palm m500. When I factor in the cost of replacing all my accessories, I'm not sure the extra features on the Palm m500 make the move worth it, especially when the price difference is so small to get the extra feature of a color screen.

Steve Niles is Senior Editor for ZATZ Publishing. He is also an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. For more information, visit http://www.sn-films.com.