Palm's m130 and m515
Educators who need an 
organized and efficient way to keep assignments, parent contact information and more can choose between Palm's two new handhelds, the m130 and m515. The m130 comes with a high-contrast, backlit color screen with support for 65K colors. It has 8 MB of RAM, measures 4.8" x 3.1" x 0.9" and weighs 5.4 oz. The m515 is smaller at 4.5" x 3.1" x 0.5" and weighs 4.9 oz. It comes with 16 MB of RAM, a TFT color screen with brightness controls and also supports 65K colors. Both come with a 160 x 160-pixel display.
Besides the classic information management features that Palm is known for, both models come with built-in dual expansion capabilities that let users add memory, data backup and distribution; as well as e-books, games or reference works, such as a road atlas or dictionary. Users can also add peripherals such as a keyboard or a GPS receiver. Both PDAs are powered by a Motorola Dragonball VZ 33 processor and operate on Palm OS 4.1. They also come with a USB HotSync cradle, rechargeable batteries, and an infrared sensor that lets users send files to other IR-enabled Palm-powered handhelds. Several applications come standard with both models, including HotSync Mail, MultiMail SE, AvantGo Mobile Internet Service, Palm Reader, powerOne Personal calculator, Mobile Connectivity Software and MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition. With Palm Desktop software for Windows and Mac and Pocket Mirror, which synchronizes with Microsoft Outlook for Windows, users can work with Word- or Excel-compatible documents and view PowerPoint presentations. This software also makes sending and receiving e-mail easy with either model. Palm Inc., Santa Clara, CA, (800) 881-7256, www.palm.com.
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2002 issue of THE Journal.