Get a better life.

How a Palm V will save the day:

Let's face it, if you don't have a pda you're living in the dark ages, you might as well be carrying tablets and chisels around - not very convenient.

The palm V has not only saved me tons of time, but has increased my I.Q., raised my standard of living, and increased my quality of life for just a few hundred dollars. That deserves at least 5 stars. The only downside is the 2 mb. At first this didn't bother me, but if i were to do it all over again, i would save up for the Vx, use a nice internet coupon, because i would like to use Avantgo, and maybe have a couple of books on my palm. Oh well.

The smallest of the Palm Products, the Palm V's smooth aluminum cover and curved corners is pleasing to the eye and touch, and a great way to show off your data. But what i love most is what it does for me. The palm V screen is sharper than Palm IIIxe, slightly sharper than Visor, Larger than M100. Sturdier than the IIIxe and Visor by a long shot, not as sturdy as Palm m100. Cuter than all of them, hands down.

1. Addresses. Easily inputed and never lost, my address book is with me wherever i go. No more, "sh#t, i left it at home, at my desk, whatever." I no longer have to re-input every year on paper. I no longer have to search for addresses come holiday/b-day time. Thank you palm. I now have more friends and never forget their birthdays. When i call greyhound or an airport, or a take out restaurant, i input their phone immediately. I save tons of time RE-looking up info. They are inputed under "services".

2. Todo. I am a listmaker. I used to be a RE-list maker. Spending tons of time making, losing, and redoing lists all the time. And when i finally found the list, did i really do it? Nope. Outta site outta mind? Not anymore. Now i have my things to do when i'm bored list, cd's i want list, projects list, housechores, things to buy at my fingertips ALL OF THE TIME. So when i'm bored i don't watch tv, i actually get something done, like learn a little spanish, or "call people who are feeling down". Thanks Palm. I speak spanish better and my friends appreciate my time'

3. Memos. Wow. I am an ideas person. I have an idea, i write it down somewhere. Then it's gone and i start all over again. Now i start a memo and everytime i think of more i can do with the idea, i add to it. By the time i have the time to read through all i've written i'm actually suprised how far i've taken it! Having a brain is great, but if you don't keep progressing with your ideas, you might as well never have them. I feel smarter by the day. My short story ideas, travel ideas, project idea all with me all the time. Lists of "recommended websites, products, places to visit or restaurants" means i save time, eat better and have a better life. NICE. And man do i love beaming my qausi-resume to people, i just wish more people had them.

4. Date book. What can i say. Palm OS is genius. All my gym classes are in here, i press repeat weekly...until date that my membership runs out, and walla. Never look for a class list again. Doctors appointments, check up reminders, friends b-days, dates that are way in advance and i can't lose the info, as well as my regular functions, b/c it's been synced at home and at work. I save so much time, and forget fewer events. What a life enhancer! p.s. Hit repeat for common occurances and never rewrite an appt. again!

Even with only 2 megs, all the extra apps i can use are amazing. LIKE VINDIGO. Movie times on my palm??? Holy Sh... All the restaurants in NYC? My checkbook has never been so orgazined. Actually, i never used to even write down check i had written because that little book they give me goes straight in the garbage where it belongs. My checkbook is always balanced and i always know exactly how much is on my Visa. Perfect. My datebk 3 is awesome, and my portapimp is always fed and my finances are tucked away in my QuickSheet spreadsheet. I also love the search key, it is so much faster than flipping through hundreds of pieces of paper to find what you KNOW you wrote down.

People freak out when i go on an audition and i'm memorizing my monologue from my palm pilot. They just freak out, then i look and their crinkled papers and sigh out of pity. Silly rabits, trick are for kids.

Other helpful things you can do with your Palm: The calculator, draft emails, (better with the keyboard), write a journal, play games, (Zap2000 rules), beam sexy notes to current or perspective lover, use pop-up sticky note application to have spontanious affirmations, keep a copy of the bible on hand, flashcards, world clock, keep track of books/cd/dvds you own, your ever growing wish list (beam it to everyone during the holidays/birthday/wedding), pass notes during boring meetings, and much much more.

I chose the Palm V because it was on sale for $275 a year ago. There was NO WAY i was going to buy something that took regular batteries and the palm V has the info lith battery and i couldn't exsit any other way. (It charges fast. A full charge takes less than 45 mins.) Also it just plain looks HOT.

The Palm IIIxe might seem like a better deal, 8 megs for $100 less, but you will be spending $3 a month on batteries ($36 a year) and will not have as good a screen. I had the Handspring Visor Deluxe at first and did not like the unsymmetry of the thing. Ugly. Plus the battery thing was just not going to work for me. Then i dropped it from 2 feet and the screen shattered. Bye bye visor. Then i got the palm V. The thing about having a V series palm is that once you've used it, you can't go big (III or visor).

Did i mention that i drop my palm V at least once a week. I am just that kind of person. Well let me tell you my screen has never broken, and my palm has never crashed or broken.

It is true, my life has actually changed since i got a PDA. I can't imagine life without it now, it is very dear to me.

Other Details: Of course i could go on forever and describe that is 4.5"x3.1"x.4", and weighs 4.0 oz, etc, but we've all seen it and know that. The Reverse backlight is cool, i don't have a problem with it, but some people prefer the Palm III. I prefer the Palm V's. The Palm V has a 16mhz processor that can be sped up with some free utilities, but it is still pretty fast. It also has Flash Rom which will allow you to upgrade the operating system and Handspring does not.

I am not a fan of the stylus that comes with the product, so i always have the Chameleon, a metal stylus, with a pen on the other end. I also have the Keyboard, which practically turns my Palm into a very mini laptop.

Overall the Palm V screen is Gorgeous, sharp as they come. The casing is way sleek, it is definitely the sexiest PDA around. The rechargeable lithium battery life is great, about 10 days out of the cradle. Yes i only have 2 megs, and have used 80% in 1 year. If you plan on going application crazy, or want info services like avantgo, then get the palm Vx. (don't forget to use an internet coupon and save $50 or so) Other wise I recommend getting this one IMMEDIATELY if you want to have a better life.

Enjoy,

Loren.