Palm m130

The m130 is one of the best ways to get a colour PDA on a budget.

Price: £270

Manufacturer: Palm

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Verdict

PROS:

Good software bundle; clear colour screen.
CONS: Not as cheap as some would like.

Sandra Vogel, PC Magazine 14 May 2002

The m130 extends Palm's budget range of PDAs, which originated with the discontinued m100. The two other models in the range are the entry-level and non-expandable m105 with its serial connector and the m125 with its SD card slot and USB connector.

Both have 8Mb of Ram and a monochrome screen. The m130 retains the same hardware design as these earlier devices, so users wanting to upgrade can use any swappable fascias they might have.

The m130 continues Palm's preference for 8Mb of internal memory. Its SD/MMC card slot can be used to add more storage capacity or house the new Bluetooth SD card (£TBA). Like the m125, but not the m105, the m130 has the Palm Universal Connector as its docking port connector, allowing you to use a range of peripherals.

The m130 has the same small screen as the other members of its range, but this time it can cope with 536 colours. The screen is bright, clear and very usable. To drive the display, Palm has had to abandon the idea used in the existing m1 series of supplying power via disposable batteries.

Instead, the m130 uses a Lithium-ion cell that is claimed to deliver up to a week of energy between charges. The m130's processor hasn't changed, however, and remains the 33MHz Dragonball.

The operating system is Palm OS 4.1 and the bundled software suite includes Documents to Go for viewing Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and MGI Software's PhotoSuite for image viewing, as well as mobile applications such as Web Clippings, an SMS tool and AvantGo. These are all included on the supplied CDRom.

The suggested retail price of the m130 is £229.99 (ex. VAT). Ironically, this takes it out of the true budget buyer's price range. However, it does seem a reasonable price point in comparison with the rest of the m1xx range - the m105 now retails at £129.99 (ex. VAT), the m125 at £169.99 (ex. VAT) - so it represents great value for anyone looking for a colour PDA.

Price: £229.99 (ex. VAT)

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