PalmOne IIIc Personal Handheld Organizer

While the color screen may be enough to dazzle many prospective users, the Palm IIIc handheld still performs all the functions of earlier models of the Palm III. It offers date book, address book, mail, to-do list, memo pad, expense, calculator, and security applications. Its built-in 8 MB of memory is as high a storage capacity as is available in any Palm handheld. To quantify what 8 MB capacity means, the Palm IIIc handheld can hold 10,000 addresses, five years of appointments, 3,000 to-do items, 3,000 memos, and 400 e-mail messages. There is even leftover storage space for databases, books, image viewers, and games, making the Palm IIIc handheld an ally to any serious PDA user.

Equipped with a HotSync cradle and software, the Palm IIIc handheld is ready for local and remote synchronization out of the box. You can back up or transfer data to and from the handheld and your desktop PC or Macintosh (special connectors required) in minutes. It's also ready for a modem (available separately) and the Internet with its TCP/IP software. The Palm IIIc handheld includes an infrared port, allowing you to beam data and applications to any other infrared-enabled Palm OS handheld or to connect to other infrared-enabled devices such as cellular phones, pagers, and laptops.

The Palm IIIc handheld runs for about two weeks on a fully charged lithium battery, which is included. The box also includes a synchronizing HotSync cradle and battery charger, a metal stylus, organizer software, a handbook, Palm's Getting Started guide, and a DB-25 adapter.

Amazon.com Product Description
For the technophile who refuses to see the world in black andwhite, 3Com's offshoot, Palm, has created the Palm IIIc connectedorganizer--a color version of the company's immensely popular Palm IIIconnected organizer. Measuring 5.06 by 3.17 by 0.67 inches andweighing less than 7 ounces, the Palm IIIc is one of the smallest andlightest full-color hand-helds available. Its active-matrix screenproduces vivid, crisp colors and is viewable from many angles in bothdim and bright light.

While the color screen may be enough to dazzlemany prospective users, the Palm IIIc still performs all the functionsof earlier models of the Palm III. It offers date book, address book,mail, to-do list, memo pad, expense, calculator, and securityapplications. Its built-in 8 MB of memory is as high a storagecapacity as is available in any Palm device. To quantify what 8 MBcapacity means, the Palm IIIc can hold 10,000 addresses, five years ofappointments, 3,000 to-do items, 3,000 memos, and 400 e-mailmessages. There is even leftover storage space for databases, books,image viewers, and games, making the Palm IIIc an ally to any seriousPDA user.

Equipped with a HotSync cradle and software, the Palm IIIcis ready for local and remote synchronization out of the box. You canback up or transfer data to and from the Palm IIIc and your desktop PCor Macintosh (special connectors required) in minutes. The organizeris also ready for a modem (available separately) and the Internet withits TCP/IP software. The Palm IIIc includes an infrared port, allowingyou to beam data and applications to any other infrared-enabled PalmOS hand-held or to connect to other infrared-enabled devices such ascellular phones, pagers, and laptops.

The Palm IIIc runs for abouttwo weeks on a fully charged lithium battery, which is included. Inthe box are a Palm IIIc connected organizer, a synchronizing HotSynccradle and battery charger, a metal stylus, organizer software, ahandbook, Palm's Getting Started guide, and a DB-25 adapter.

ThePalm IIIc is covered by a one-year warranty.

What's in the box

• Palm IIIc
• Lithium battery
• Synchronizing HotSync cradle
• Protective flip lid
• Battery charger
• Metal stylus
• Organizer software
• Handbook
• Palm's Getting Started guide
• DB-25 adapter

I've also downloaded color subway maps (with a shareware program called 'fireviewer' onto the unit, which have come in really handy and look really cool.

I also have been happy with a shareware program called 'AvantGo' which lets you download pre-chosen web sites onto your palm with the touch of a button for free. (I get the New York times on mine...). Durring my morning train ride to work, it's great not to dirty my hands fumbling with a ink-covered newpaper!

If having a color screen and lots of memory (8 Megs) is important to you, this is THE choice and take my word, it's a good one.


Some comments on the battery   October 24, 2001
magellan (Santa Clara, CA)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

I just had a comment to make about the internal lithium-ion battery.

I've had my IIIc for almost 18 months, which I've heard is about the life expectancy of the battery. Since it costs 1/4 to 1/3 of the purchase price of the unit to get the battery replaced, you need to factor that in to the long-term costs for the device.

I still prefer the internal battery on the IIIc and the Vx to the replaceable AA batteries on the Handspring. Two other people I know have them, and at least once they've forgotten to change the batteries on their Handsprings, and they lost all their data and had to do a Hot Sync to restore it all.

With the IIIc, I usually just charge it up every night so I've never lost any data. Also, a couple of times I tried running the battery all the way down until the unit won't even power on at all, to see if it would preserve the information in RAM even if there wasn't enough power to turn on the screen.

That's exactly what happened. After the IIIc had recharged for about 20 minutes in the cradle, I could then turn it on, and all the data was still there. So even if it goes totally dead, if you get it on recharge right away, you should be okay. I don't know how much time you get, but I think mine was dead for at least several hours before I noticed it and stuck it in the cradle.

So far my battery still works okay but it is showing some signs of aging, and I may need to replace it soon. After recharging it a few times, it refuses to charge past 65% of full, and to fix this I have to discharge it all the way, usually a couple of times, to get it to back up to 100% again.

I've read that the best way to handle the battery recharges is to not discharge it completely all the time, as that is hard on the battery. You should just charge it up every day, and then about once a month discharge it all the way. Otherwise you start having the recharge problem I mentioned earlier. Still, I figure mine is still usable for another 6 months the way it is, even if it doesn't recharge all the way.


Exceptional, and by a long shot, beats out the competition   July 15, 2001
Neko Shinpai
30 out of 31 found this review helpful

The Palm IIIc was my very first handheld, and I've been using it very frequently ever since I first received it as a gift.

A lot of other color handhelds are out on the market too, and some of them are even more lightweight, have 65,000 colors instead of 256, or both. Pocket PC or Palm OS. Can the IIIc stand up to and beat out the competition?

You bet!

The Pocket PC's are so expensive, that you could almost buy a laptop with it. The Pocket PC OS and the Windows CE OS are both VERY flawed, and a majority of the software that's on there when you buy it is Microsoft, including Outlook Express, which has a VERY high security risk and has a very bad reputation. And the screen isn't that bright.

Sony Clie's screen isn't that bright, either. And the same thing goes for the Handspring Visor Prism. Those two also have 65K colors.

And as for the next generation of Palm's color handheld, the Palm m505, not only does it have 65K colors, it's basically the weight of a Palm V. But, you guessed it, the screen isn't that bright.

65K colors and the expansion slots are very nice features, but the IIIc's 256 colors already look great, is still lightweight, and you may not get the expansion slot, but the screen is so bright, that it comes in handy far more than the expansion slots and even more than the 65K colors.

I use my IIIc a lot of times where it's pitch black, like in the car, and it shines so bright that I can see what I'm doing without any problems at all. The competition couldn't even THINK of being capable of doing that.

Brightness is a key factor in selecting a handheld, and no other handheld I've seen and tried is as bright as the IIIc, and the brightness has come in VERY handy sometimes.

If you buy a Palm IIIc, I also highly recommend getting two things with it:

1. Palm IIIc Travel Recharger Kit 2. PalmGlove Neoprene Case

The Recharger Kit comes in really handy when you're using it a lot and when you're on the go.

The PalmGlove Neoprene case is an absolute must-have case. It can resist water and is shock-absorbent. And it's made by BodyGlove, an excellent company. The cases that are made for the other handhelds pale in comparison.

The Palm IIIc is an exceptional handheld and is the best I've ever seen. Ever since I started using it, it helps keep you totally organized. Its also very expandable and capable. And even for miscellaneous purposes, it's still excellent and also makes a great gift!


I prefer it to the Palm Vx!   August 11, 2000
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

After hearing so many glowing reports about the Palm Vx, I went out and bought it. I exchanged it within two days for the IIIc. Yes, the Palm Vx is a little bit smaller and looks sleeker, but that screen was giving me too much eyestrain. Ideally, I would like the new Palm VIIx in color, but that hasn't been produced yet. Meanwhile, I'm quite happy with my Palm IIIc, and, as another reviewer has written, the Chrome application looks just awesome on the IIIc's screen.