Dictionaries, translators, ebooks, games…what typical high school student wouldn't want all that functionality stowed conveniently in the front pocket of his or her knapsack? If you were to ask the typical student his number one complaint about school, right behind homework and cafeteria food, you'd no doubt hear how tired he is of lugging around thirty pounds of textbooks. Now imagine a day when those same textbooks can be crammed down into tiny SD cards, able to be accessed at will, without taking up any additional space on the student's Palm handheld.

Universal Connector
The Universal Connector was another innovation introduced as part of the m500 line, with the promise that it would become the standard across all future Palm products. With the release of the Palm m125, the doubters can now be silenced. A universal standard for connecting Palm handhelds to cradles and accessories is a major innovation.

No longer will you have to start from scratch, buying a whole new set of accessories when you upgrade to a newer model of Palm handheld. This is a real plus for the cost-conscious members of the market segments Palm is reaching out to with this device.

The Universal Connector is a valuable change for families in particular. More and more, we're hearing about multiple Palm handheld families. Mom, Dad, and Junior are all carrying their own handhelds. But suppose there's only one PC in the house. Now Ma and Pa can synchronize their Palm m500 series devices using the same cradle Junior uses to synchronize his more rugged Palm m125. Schedules can be easily coordinated, and perhaps one day all three may actually sit down to a meal together.

The Universal Connector not only provides USB (Universal Serial Bus) or serial synchronization, but it also enables users to attach add-on products, such as Kodak's PalmPix camera (at http://www.kodak.com/cgi-bin/webCatalog.pl?product=KODAK+PalmPix+Camera+for+the+m100+Handheld+Series) and Novatel's Minstrel wireless modem (at http://www.novatelwireless.com/palmtop/index.html).

The Palm m125 handheld comes with a USB cradle to allow you to easily back up and transfer your data via HotSync operation to a PC or Mac. However, a HotSync cable, pictured in Figure E, is also available. This can be extremely handy for synchronizing your Palm m125 to your laptop while on the go.

FIGURE E

Travelers will love the HotSync cable for the Palm m125. Click picture for a larger image.

Bundled software solutions
Nine applications have been bundled with the Palm m125 handheld. They're stored on disk in the box, making it your option to install them or not. Read on to find out more about these applications.

DataViz Documents To Go 3.0
With DataViz Documents To Go 3.0 (at http://www.dataviz.com), you can view and edit most documents and spreadsheets, including Microsoft Word and Excel. Palm announced that customers who purchase a Palm m125 handheld can download Dataviz's Documents To Go 4.0 with support for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint free of charge up to 30 days from the date of purchase.