As we sift through the PalmPower mail bag this month, we find two letters arguing against certain criticisms made last issue about the HandEra 330. A PalmPower mobile channel reader is disappointed when one article gets cut short, and another reader wonders how he can display his Date Book calendar on the Web for others to see.

Praise for the HandEra 330 form factor
The following two letters were written in response to the article, "HandEra 330 brings innovations to the Palm OS," by Steve Niles in the May 2001 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200105/handera001.html.

I liked your preview article, but I disagree about the form factor. The Palm III form factor is a huge advantage for an existing Palm III owner, since it's compatible with the accessories I already own. It's also a big advantage for a new buyer, with a wide range of Palm III series compatible accessories already available.

Most other new Palm devices would require me to buy a new modem, new keyboard, new case, etc. That's at least a $200 penalty for switching away from my Palm IIIxe, aside from the device itself.

I also think your concern about the "dated" styling is misplaced. I understand this focus on fashion is normal, as the Palm market expands, but I don't think HandEra is going for that end of the market. This is not a device for the "average, non-techie consumer." It's for advanced users who want all the cool features and aren't really driven by fashion.

I'm looking forward to your full review. I didn't think I'd replace my Palm IIIxe so soon, but the HandEra 330 might just convince me. I'm especially interested in how well existing applications (like MultiMail) work with the new screen.

Michael Graff

HandEra's focus
Enjoyed your review of the HandEra 330. I also agree wholeheartedly with your opinion of the front casing... It's not the prettiest; wish it was all black.

Anyway, HandEra has stated that they're not marketing the 330 primarily at the consumer market, but rather mainly to professionals who need/desire access to large amounts of data in the Palm handheld form-factor.

They also, to their credit, paid close attention to the gripes of Palm OS device users about various usability factors, hence most of the design decisions that they made. And the decision to stick with the serial port was made on the basis of business and professional users wanting to maintain compatibility with their existing stack of Palm III peripherals, not to mention that most businesses aren't rushing out to buy new blazing-fast gigahertz PCs with USB; they're sticking to their one to two year-old desktops with serial ports.