Palm IIIx

I'm way behind the curve with my handheld. It's a Palm IIIx. We're talking at least four generations old here. I got it virtually brand new and unused in early 2002 and have been using it heavily, daily since May of '02. I still use it because I don't need color and it uses AAA batteries which usually last me 2 months. That's $3.00 per year for batteries and no recharging hassles.

Well, the cost of AAAs has gradually climbed to where it's now (2007) costing me almost $5.00 per year for batteries. Big deal. I've still spent less than $20 on batts in the life of the Palm. No rechargable battery will last that long. If you keep a rechargable model Palm for that many years, you will have had to replace the battery at least once. That's anywhere from $35 to $50 plus the cost of labor to replace it. I've replaced the battery in my wife's Palm IIIc twice for about $25 and a half hour work each time. Most people can't do that, lacking the tools, knowledge and skill.

If you watch sales, you can still find AAAs for $0.25 now and then. I just scored at Jewel and have a year's worth on the shelf.

I carry the Palm with me everywhere, every day on my belt in a Nutshell model 207 case. I've worn it every day (except when sick in bed) since May of 2002. I keep waiting for it to break, but it won't. It cost $50 and is worth every penny.

OK, so 5 years later it finally broke, a little. May 2007 the leather back piece of the belt loop finally tore almost through at the top. I sewed it up a bit so it'll keep going for a few more years. Actually that piece began to tear a few years ago and the tear has gradually worked its way all the way across the corner where it's sewed. Remember I wear it all day, every day and it gets hooked on doors and chairs and cupboard handles, etc. It has survived hard and heavy use. A highly recommended product.

Dec 2007 - Well, my sewing was pretty lame, it lasted about 6 months. So I took it to my shoe repair guy and for $7 he sewed it up so it'll last another 5 years.

The screen protector on my Palm is a WriteShield from Pocket PC Techs. It is, by far, the best screen protector available. The kit with two protectors and cleaning materials is $27 (2005) which may seem high until you know that the protector has a normal life measured in years. I still have the original one on my Palm that I put on in Aug of 2002. It gives excellent feel for Graffiti writing and solid protection. It's available in a mat finish (which I have) and a clear finish. The web site explains the Pros and Cons of each.

OK, so here we go again. Aug 2008 - The Write Shield is finally wearing out after 6 years of heavy use. The left side of the Graffiti area (the alpha side) has what appears to be a tiny scar in it that occasionally catches the end of the stylus. Also the mat finish is worn almost smooth from years of writing. I guess it's time to put on a new one. Well not a NEW one. My wife's IIIc just died so I replaced it with a Tungsten E. I took the WriteShield off her old IIIc and put it on my IIIx so now I've got another 4 years or so before I have to do another replacement.

Stellar product - highly recommended for any touch screen device.

Just a small side note - I support over 200 Palm Tungsten E's and a dozen iPaqs at work. I spend more time keeping the iPaqs working properly than the 200 Palms require. Palm O/S vs. Windows. Palm hardware vs. Compaq hardware. Palm users vs. Windows users? Go figure.

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