PalmPilot: The Ultimate Guide, Second Edition

Chapter 18. The Palm Family, Model by Model

Palm Computing has been introducing new PalmPilot models at an increasing rate. No longer does the “one generation per year” policy seem to apply. Here are the details of the 12 PalmPilots and clones that have been released up through the middle of 1999, along with the upgrade options for each. (See Chapter 1, for photos.)

First Generation: Pilot 1000, Pilot 5000

These original models debuted in 1996, introducing the world to the principal Pilot principles: small size, extremely focused software, long battery life, and simple design. They offered these features:

• Built-in programs (Date Book, Address Book, To Do list, calculator, and Memo Pad; see Chapter 4)

• 128K (on the Pilot 1000) or 512K of memory (on the Pilot 5000)

Of course, 128K may not seem like much memory. But the Pilot gets a lot of mileage out of a kilobyte. 128K is enough to hold 2,500 addresses, memos, and calendar entries; 512K holds 5,000 such entries.

Still, if you’re feeling claustrophobic, you can upgrade your Pilot 1000 or 5000 to the Palm III for $130. After you install the new circuit board, your upgraded machine will become a Palm III in every significant respect, including its 2MB of RAM and infrared beaming, except one: you’ll lack the backlighting feature. Visit http://www.palm.com for details.

You can upgrade these original models in a less expensive manner, too — you can ensure that they’re running the latest possible version of the Palm operating system. To ...