Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Recommended Palm for use with a Mac?

Y

Yvan256

macrumors 603
Original poster
I'd like to know which Palm you guys would recommend, which one you have (if any), and why.

Typing "palm color mac" in Google led me to the Zire 31 and Zire 72 from PalmOne.

Are they any good? They indicate on the page that they're compatible with iPhoto, iCal, Address Book, iSync... Seems good enough, is it? Does it really integrate as nicely with a Mac as the iPod does with iTunes?
 
Yvan256 said:
I'd like to know which Palm you guys would recommend, which one you have (if any), and why.

Typing "palm color mac" in Google led me to the Zire 31 and Zire 72 from PalmOne.

Are they any good? They indicate on the page that they're compatible with iPhoto, iCal, Address Book, iSync... Seems good enough, is it? Does it really integrate as nicely with a Mac as the iPod does with iTunes?
Click to expand...


I got a Pocket PC and Mark/Space's software (link can be found on the iSync website under the compatable devices page). When i actually get it, i'll let you know how it works out... hopefully better than Palm, because i needed bluetooth and wireless w/o adding on some special card and it seems that they didn't offer quite what i wanted...
 
I now own a palm Zire71. Just recently i entered the OS X-age and hooked the palm on my new mini. I am using iSync to sync it with iCal and fellow apps.
It works great for me!
I don't even want to think about carying windows around with me all day 😛 .

I guess u will just have to decide on having a colour screen or not 🙂, personally i do advise to go for the colour. Before the 71 i owned a Handspring Visor. Colours are much nicer 😉.

be sure to check out this app: shadow plan . It has served me well for years and support is awsome.

Hope to have been of some help.
 
My wife has the Palm T 3, she uses it to store medical data. She has subscriptions that allows to stay update on the latest information.
The only problem is with using the wireless iSync function.
 
The Clies are good.

I don't have a Sony Clie, but my friend has one and I've used it a bit- very nice! Clear, vibrant screen and seems to work very well.

I have a Dell X50v; I haven't hooked it up to a Mac but I know it's possible through a program called Missing Link (I believe it's called that). Anyways, I really love my Dell Pocket PC; the VGA screen is amazing. Highly recommended!
 
If you want to use the palm os over windows ce definately buy Sony Clie PEG-TH55 if you can find it. Sony have pulled out of the PDA market, but you can still get your hands on these 'new' in the UK if you look hard enough, not sure about stocks in Canada though. You could try picking up a second hand one through e bay etc. For me this is still the best Palm OS pda ever made. It has wifi built in, so unlike palms new palm T5 you dont need to add an extra card that sticks out of the top.

Personaly I'm leaving the palm os, I just dont feel palm are making devices that I'd find useful/meet my needs. The disconected pda (for me) is dead, so i'm buying an imate jam. I so know I'm going to hate windows ce, but I'm hoping I'll get used to it. I know I can add a wifi card to a palm handheld but I need gprs and dont want the hastle of syncing with a phone, or I can can buy the treo and use gprs, but I just hate those stupid thumb keyboards. I so wish they'd either drop the thumb keyboards or at least give us the option of buying a model that uses Graffiti instead.

Also I belive there is a haxie that you can use to get the sony clie to use palms original Graffiti, as opposed to the modified version they moved to in os5.

Hope this helps

Jason
 
i have a tungsten t5 and i like it quite a bit. it's not perfect, but it suits my needs pretty well at the moment. i'd suggest you focus on what you NEED out of a PDA as you look for one. although i've had several pda's over the years (palm v, sony clie n710c, clie nx70v, treo 600, zodiac 2), i made a mistake in purchasing a zodiac 2 before getting my t5, somehow ignoring what i really needed and going for something that seemed cool. so, what will you use your pda for? just a data keeper for your addresses, calendar, etc.? are you in a profession (e.g., medecine) where a pda will be an important reference tool? think of these things first and then determine what features you really need (screen size, memory, wireless capabilities, etc.).

to get back to your question, i would recommend the t5 with a mac. i sync my t5 to ical and address book through isync, and have no problems with a wired or wireless (via bluetooth) sync. for the moment, i do not need any 3rd party software (e.g., missing sync by mark/space) to sync it with my mac. but note that palmsource (the now-separate software entity for the palm OS) has stated that they will not support the mac OS in the future, so i expect that future palm OS's will need 3rd party software to sync.

happy pda hunting!

marianne
 
Tungsten | T with the Microsoft conduits enabled so that I can sync to Entourage. It is a Bluetooth sync, BTW. Handy for out and about kind of stuff.
 
jrv3034 said:
Treo, baby, Treo...

www.palmone.com

Actually, I'm looking at the Samsung SPH-i500 Palm Phone.

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/P...USER<>ATR_cartState=group&bmUID=1109570125816

I've played with it in person, and it's niiiiice, but I don't know how well it syncs with the Mac. So don't listen to me.

If you don't want a phone, then the Zire 71 looks cool. So does the Tungsten E.
Click to expand...

I actually told a friend of mine to buy the treo and he loves it, but i still hate that stupid thumb keyboard. Ok reason for the extra post, that samsung phone looks excellent. I have to admit if it was available in the uk id really really really think hard about buying it. it has the graffiti option and its a phone. I dont really want my pda to be a phone, i just want it to be able to take a sim card for gprs data and have wifi capabilites for when im near a hotspot or a wifi network, but that phone sure does look like an excellent idea. shame it will probably never be available in the uk though.

But great link! glad you posted it

jason
 
jrv3034 said:
Treo, baby, Treo...

www.palmone.com

Actually, I'm looking at the Samsung SPH-i500 Palm Phone.

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/P...USER<>ATR_cartState=group&bmUID=1109570125816

I've played with it in person, and it's niiiiice, but I don't know how well it syncs with the Mac. So don't listen to me.

If you don't want a phone, then the Zire 71 looks cool. So does the Tungsten E.
Click to expand...

I just ordered a treo instead of the Samsung-- solely because of battery life. Apparently you are very lucky to get two hours on the Samsung. (I know a couple of people who have them). I would much rather have the clamshell form factor and the graffiti input (there is none on the treo).

I love the palm OS, but I'm afraid it is dying.
 
rosalindavenue said:
I would much rather have the clamshell form factor
Click to expand...
Same here, to bad that appart from battery, the samsung only sports Palm OS 4.x
rosalindavenue said:
and the graffiti input (there is none on the treo).
Click to expand...
You can use graffiti on the screen itself, i do totaly agree on the keyboard.
rosalindavenue said:
I love the palm OS
Click to expand...
So do i! 😀
rosalindavenue said:
but I'm afraid it is dying.
Click to expand...
So am i 🙁
 
j_maddison said:
I actually told a friend of mine to buy the treo and he loves it, but i still hate that stupid thumb keyboard. Ok reason for the extra post, that samsung phone looks excellent. I have to admit if it was available in the uk id really really really think hard about buying it. it has the graffiti option and its a phone. I dont really want my pda to be a phone, i just want it to be able to take a sim card for gprs data and have wifi capabilites for when im near a hotspot or a wifi network, but that phone sure does look like an excellent idea. shame it will probably never be available in the uk though.
Click to expand...

I have the Treo 300, and while it's certainly much better than my previous Kyocera 6035, I'm a big fan of Graffiti, and I love the "real" phone buttons on the i500. Too bad it doesn't have an expansion card slot.

I was at the Samsung Experience Store in Manhattan the other day, and they had on display the i500... as well as the i550!!! An incredible new version of the i500, but with Palm 5.x, hi-res screen, cool photo/video camera, and Graffiti 2 input directly on the screen, plus an expansion card and, I believe bluetooth also... It looked like the perfect PDA phone, except it's apparently NOT AVAILABLE, AND NEVER WILL BE!!!!! I've been looking online and apparently Sprint is not going to carry the i550, because they want to concentrate on pushing the Treo 650 instead. 🙁

I really, really hope Sprint decides do give this one a chance, 'cause I'll bet it would sell like hotcakes, and give the Treo a serious run for it's money.
 
In case you're interested in the Samsung SPH-i550 news, here's the official word:

http://sprintpcsinfo.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=810&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

When I spoke to the lady at the Samsung Store, she said it had been "delayed" until later in the spring, but she really didn't know like she knew much about the phone, or anything else. 😉

Who knows, Sprint oficially said they never had plans to carry it... That doesn't mean they never will, right?
 
Yvan256 said:
I'd like to know which Palm you guys would recommend, which one you have (if any), and why.

Typing "palm color mac" in Google led me to the Zire 31 and Zire 72 from PalmOne.

Are they any good? They indicate on the page that they're compatible with iPhoto, iCal, Address Book, iSync... Seems good enough, is it? Does it really integrate as nicely with a Mac as the iPod does with iTunes?
Click to expand...


I believe that PalmOne has announced that they will no longer create a conduit for Mac OS X. I'm not sure exactly what that means or if it really matters as long as we have MissingSync by Mark/Space and iSync.

Do you have a cell phone or are you in the market for an upgrade? You may want to just look and see if a cell phone with calendar and contacts will do what you want. Even the $50 cell phones have these functions now. And you can sync with your Mac.

If you do want a PDA...You seem to want color, the ability to display photos and the typical address book and contacts. The Zires will do that but these are basic devices and to me they look like toys.

I also recommend looking for a used Sony Clie. I have the TH55 and it is awesome. It is a tablet shape with full screen, rich colors, voice recorder, camera that can also take small movies and WiFI built in. The Clies are slower at only 123Mhz but the processor scales from 8mhz to 123mhz which GREATLY increases battery life. My co-worker just got a Tungsten E and she is always complaining about the battery life.

If you don't need larger screen you can look for a Clie TJ25/TJ35 or TJ27/TJ37.

Sony has dropped all Clies so you won't have much support (maybe they'll support it for a while) but these still beat the PalmOne devices IMO.
 
Treo 650

Similarly, my carrier, Verizon, has yet to approve the treo 650. I've had a Sony Clie for 3 years with a high-res screen, and the lo-res screen on the treo 600 is very hard to swallow. The 650 has a high res screen.
 
clies usually need a program from mark/space to sync with macs, at least with all the funny sony "bells and whistles".
I don't recommend a Pocket PC. Mark/Space is good, but unless you desparately need all the stuff the pocket pc offers you don't need the hassle of trying to make it work. In addition to the mac crap, Pocket PCs tend to need more resets and have more battery issues.
Palms are good, I had a zire 71 for a looong time, and sold it when it became clear I really had no justifiable use for a palm. A sad, sad day.
But in general palm tends to be the mac-friendliest. For sheer plug n play you can't beat them.
 
I have a Clie, and it works flawlessly with Missing Sync. The nicest thing about it is that when I plug it in, it appears on iTunes and I'm able to drag/drop music from iTunes into the memory stick. It also opens iPhoto to download any pictures I've taken on the Palm (it has a crappy camera, though), and it sync correctly with iSync. I think this functionality is present in all Palm devices if you use Missing Sync.

Sony is no longer selling Clies in the US, so I would recommend you the Zire 72 or the Tungsten E or T3, depending on your budget.
 
i have a zire 72 and sync it via bluetooth with my PB. works great (there are some permission issues that you have to take care of at setup).

the camera in the zire is not great but o.k. for the occasional shot.

i don't use the palm desktop calender but ical and adressbook.
i found it useful to sync my PB, the zire and my idisk.

ical is sometimes critizised here on the board but it's fine for my private and office use.

i also use dokuments to go and acrobat reader and they are o.k.

i don't surf the web or use outlook with my palm, so i can't comment on that.

andi
 
question fear said:
clies usually need a program from mark/space to sync with macs, at least with all the funny sony "bells and whistles".
I don't recommend a Pocket PC. Mark/Space is good, but unless you desparately need all the stuff the pocket pc offers you don't need the hassle of trying to make it work. In addition to the mac crap, Pocket PCs tend to need more resets and have more battery issues.
Palms are good, I had a zire 71 for a looong time, and sold it when it became clear I really had no justifiable use for a palm. A sad, sad day.
But in general palm tends to be the mac-friendliest. For sheer plug n play you can't beat them.
Click to expand...

If Pocket PCs are so unsuitable, then why hasn't Palm released something with bluetooth and wi-fi? That's the reason that i bought the PPC and Mark/Space's software because of the built in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. I have yet to have any connection problems. I sync my email with it using my PC and Outlook and my iCal and Address Book on my PB via Bluetooth. And its really nice because you can mount the PPC on the desktop and used it to transfer files or as an MP3 player in iTunes. I have an iPod though, so i don't use it for that. I really think that for students in my situation, the ones that have boring classes and a lot going on, that syncing between iCal and the PPC and then accessing the internet in class is definately the way to go. That's why i went PPC over Palm. They weren't living up to my expectations. Step it up Palm, and i'll come over to you...
 
jrv3034 said:
An incredible new version of the i500, but with Palm 5.x, hi-res screen, cool photo/video camera, and Graffiti 2 input directly on the screen, plus an expansion card and, I believe bluetooth also... It looked like the perfect PDA phone, except it's apparently NOT AVAILABLE, AND NEVER WILL BE!!!!! I've been looking online and apparently Sprint is not going to carry the i550, because they want to concentrate on pushing the Treo 650 instead. 🙁
Click to expand...
Couldn't believe this, and I checked on Sprint... Indeed, they're concentrating on the Treo and Samsung i600, which apparently they think is a successor to the i500, but it's actually windows ce. Yuck. The lack of expansion is the dealbreaker for the i500, which otherwise I'd love (be nice to have a clamshell to replace both your phone and your PDA - previously solutions have been a not-so-nice PDA).

Wonder if there's a way to petition them to release this? I'd pay for it.

Dave
 
I guess I should've said what I was planning to do with a Palm...

Basically, I need calendar, contacts, pictures, good battery life, Mac compatibility.

Ideally I'd also like web and email functions, movie playback, PDF viewer, micro keyboard.

And last, I don't need (nor want) a cell phone.

So far, it seems my requirements point to a Sony Clié... If I can find one. What model would meet most (if not all) of my requirements?
 
rosalindavenue said:
I love the palm OS, but I'm afraid it is dying.
Click to expand...

Version 6 of the Palm OS looks to be very nice. Look around on their website to find the preview. I hope its good. It would be a reason for me to upgrade my Tungest|T which I love. It works great.
 
Mechcozmo said:
Version 6 of the Palm OS looks to be very nice. Look around on their website to find the preview. I hope its good. It would be a reason for me to upgrade my Tungest|T which I love. It works great.
Click to expand...

Is there a list of devices that are Palm OS v6? Can devices be upgraded?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back