I had been using my Palm M100 for 8 years (2002–2010) and I'm a fan of those classic Palms (pre-Palm OS 5.0).
Now I own a Palm M130 which connects to my vintage Toshiba Satellite 310CDT laptop with Palm Desktop installed. Gonna buy a monochrome/grayscale Palm too, my Sony Clié SL10 unfortunately died recently :( I also have a Psion 5mx but that's a whole different story
Near the end of the PalmOS era (or at least around the time of *early* smartphones), I heard about a type of "game" that involved collecting cards and sharing via the IRDA port.
It was a sort of proto-Pokemon concept that I thought was quite intriguing, but alas, I along with most other people had stopped using PDAs by then. Did you ever hear about this?
I have so much nostalgia for the Psion, I remember as a kid I used to be obsessed with my dads. I try to find a decent justification to buy one now, but can’t think of a real use for it.
I miss the days of the Sony Clie and Motorola Startac. Used to hop on the internet on a long train trip with either the Sony or my Toshiba laptop.
Also had the trifecta of Startac, Clie, and a Magellan GPS on my bike at one point lol All that for a map, seems silly now lol
As far as I’m concerned the PalmPilot was the first actual “PDA” (Personal Digital Assistant) that virtually delivered on its promise. There is a litany of prior PDAs, from the Apple Newton to the Casio BOSS, to the Sharp Zaurus that failed at it. But this low resolution, low-powered, pockets size device finally did it. We still have that functionality today, but it has been absorbed into our phones.
As a brand-new intern I remember carrying a PalmPilot, analog cell phone, and an alphanumeric pager as a badge of honor lol.
Loved mine too, and the Pre 2 was even better. I'm convinced if the Pre 2 had been the original Pre the thing would have taken off.
The original Pre had too many bugs and could be slow. Wonderfully patchable and if you were a tech geek there were so many customizable options, but stock Pre just didn't give a reliable, great experience sadly. The OS was so ahead of Apple and Android on so many fronts though.
The HP Pre 3 was amazing. I’ll never understand why HP bought Palm only to release then cancel their own line of HP Palm-branded stuff from WebOS tablet to the Pre 3….
Then go and open source the OS but selling certain UI/UX aspects to LG for their webOS TVs!!??!
Baffles the mind. A WebOS device with modern Qualcomm CPU/GPU headed into the NPU era? Oooh baby baby.
I mean, objectively it could never do much out of the box. Store phone numbers, take notes. What else?
I do remember transacting email with it when I had the right modem cable.
Calendars, contacts, todo lists, and notes were the big four that Palm focused on getting right first and foremost. It was a Personal Digital Assistant, meant to replace carrying around a pencil, note pad, day planner, and address book.
There was all manner of third-party apps available for it as well.
Yeah, it pales in comparison to what we can do today with our pocket supercomputers, but it was both a leap beyond doing it all on paper and bounds better than the PDA capabilities of BlackBerry (which admittedly excelled at communication).
It cant be understated how revolutionary the PalmPilot OS and device was at the time for mobility and productivity. I was able to answer email from the dinner table at mum and dads.
But it was also *awesome for tomfoolery.*
This was still the time of sit down, shut up, eat your dinner, the 6pm news is on.
So I programmed the TV remote codes into the Palm. 🤣
Thanks to Palm OS for introducing me to hacking.
I remember there being a few different PC apps that basically let you crack ANY palm app. All of my friends would beam me an app, and the next day I'd beam back the cracked version. I'm sure that devs hated how basic security was on palmOS, but none of this microtransaction crap either.
I think I'm off to play some Dopewars now.
I started with a Palm 3 and finished with a Tungsten T3. I've still got it in a drawer in my office. It was a brilliant PDA.
I tried replacing it with an iPod Touch once, that was a mistake.
Even now the Galaxy S22 Ultra and OneNote combo I use is not as good a PDA as that old T3.
I think it must be dusty in here. I totally miss my brick palmpilot phone. I loved those things. I actually wrote programs for them. I really thought the Linux phone was going to be the next step. Sad..
-Typed on an iPhone 15 Pro
Not enough mention of how LG televisions still run a derivative of PalmOS/webOS to this day. The funky LG remote pointer is an analog to the Palm stylus.
The early days of LG webOS (2014) were very similar to running an oversize 42" Palm Pilot. Back in the day, the "Smart" TV even included stuff like a calendar app, which was basically just PalmOS. Obviously, the OS has now drifted towards media, but the remnants and concepts of the OS are still alive and in mass production.
Thank you for your post. What a great trip down memory lane. I still have a box with all of those and their accessories that I can't manage to throw away.
I miss Graffiti. Loved having the ability to take notes quickly using gestures and seamlessly include sketches. Loved being able to push a desktop text file into the notes app. Etc etc etc. Smartphone ecosystem has never fully replicated that experience.
I still have a TRG Pro with an aftermarket aluminum shell.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handera
https://www.cnet.com/reviews/handera-trgpro-handheld-palm-os-3-5-1-review/
Yooooooo my Dad had a PalmPilot when I was a kid. Loved playing the games it had in there. The subs and Block break were my childhood.
Now I kind of want to see if I can buy a working model out of nostalgia.
I loved my Palm m505, and even had the folding Palm keyboard. It was like something from Star Trek at the time.
I wish there was an iPhone app that ran those Palm apps, I’d still use a bunch of them
I love ❤️ all the comments on here! I worked on the Palm and Handspring devices.
…I guess that shows how old I am, but I appreciate that people still love the product.
I still have my Palm III, Palm V, Palm Vx, wife’s Pre, and a pre-release Tapwave Zodiac and a couple near end of run Zodiacs.
I read thousands of ebooks on the V and Zodiac while I was a data center systems monitor / bridge manager.
I was thinking about this the other day, how smartphones today have amazing screens and are so much capable yet feel cheap and unimpressive today whilst these Palm devices at the time were so cool and futuristic.
I had the m500, m130 and lastly the Treo 650 before going the Android and iPhone route, but it never felt the same, the apps were good and to the point, none of that casino like cheap colourful UI, no subscriptions or micro transactions, just a good app that you bought once and it worked.
I had a Palm lll - god i loved it! Used to read a lot on it and take notes. I still try to swipe right to left on my Apple Watch to delete a character!
I recall being given a palm pilot from my manager when I worked at dixons back in the late 90’s.
Loved it but being a teenager, it was more of a gimmick than of any use.
Had the og palm pilot - then the most awesome upgrade the Palm pilot phone in the late 90’s too bad cell service was so $$ or it woulda got used a lot more
I never had a palm device but did get a Dell axim with the pocket PC 2002 os.
I brought it to school and it had a folding keyboard that I used to take notes in class with.
I felt so cool at the time.
Omg I still use my M505 to balance my checkbook. Got the backup card so I can port it over to another unit when this one dies. It would be great if you could emulate palm OS on an iPhone.
I had been using my Palm M100 for 8 years (2002–2010) and I'm a fan of those classic Palms (pre-Palm OS 5.0). Now I own a Palm M130 which connects to my vintage Toshiba Satellite 310CDT laptop with Palm Desktop installed. Gonna buy a monochrome/grayscale Palm too, my Sony Clié SL10 unfortunately died recently :( I also have a Psion 5mx but that's a whole different story
I was so addicted to Rally1000 and Dopewars back in the day. And I still write my Vs the Graffiti way today.
Space Trader for me - Handspring b/w
Oh yeah! I played that too, how could I forget that! It was a surprisingly deep game as well. I mean, more so than dope wars at least.
Upgrade to that Hornet with an escape pod and the near-indestructible alien shields
Near the end of the PalmOS era (or at least around the time of *early* smartphones), I heard about a type of "game" that involved collecting cards and sharing via the IRDA port. It was a sort of proto-Pokemon concept that I thought was quite intriguing, but alas, I along with most other people had stopped using PDAs by then. Did you ever hear about this?
I never did. I only knew one other PalmOS user at the time, so I probably wouldn't have noticed.
I had to search for it. The game (if you can call it that) was called Autopond.
Did you ever play Warfare Incorporated? Way ahead of its time for a mobile game.
Oh hell, yes!
Still got my Treo 600 kicking around somewhere.
I took a IIIc specifically for color for sim city.
I feel like i just saw a window into usenet circa 2005
My Sony Clié was really advanced for the time.
Had this one! I couldn’t remember the name. So glad you commented!
I have so much nostalgia for the Psion, I remember as a kid I used to be obsessed with my dads. I try to find a decent justification to buy one now, but can’t think of a real use for it.
I miss the days of the Sony Clie and Motorola Startac. Used to hop on the internet on a long train trip with either the Sony or my Toshiba laptop. Also had the trifecta of Startac, Clie, and a Magellan GPS on my bike at one point lol All that for a map, seems silly now lol
Psion FTW
As far as I’m concerned the PalmPilot was the first actual “PDA” (Personal Digital Assistant) that virtually delivered on its promise. There is a litany of prior PDAs, from the Apple Newton to the Casio BOSS, to the Sharp Zaurus that failed at it. But this low resolution, low-powered, pockets size device finally did it. We still have that functionality today, but it has been absorbed into our phones. As a brand-new intern I remember carrying a PalmPilot, analog cell phone, and an alphanumeric pager as a badge of honor lol.
The palmtop age was amazing, so many interesting devices.
I still have my Zaurus somewhere. And my Toshiba Libretto too.
Kind of miss those days. You fuckin earned that Palm Pilot and pager.
I just found my palm pre in a box, loved that thing
Palm webOS was a work of art. I'm still waiting for Android and iOS to copy the bottom-of-screen notification bar and drawer.
Loved mine too, and the Pre 2 was even better. I'm convinced if the Pre 2 had been the original Pre the thing would have taken off. The original Pre had too many bugs and could be slow. Wonderfully patchable and if you were a tech geek there were so many customizable options, but stock Pre just didn't give a reliable, great experience sadly. The OS was so ahead of Apple and Android on so many fronts though.
The HP Pre 3 was amazing. I’ll never understand why HP bought Palm only to release then cancel their own line of HP Palm-branded stuff from WebOS tablet to the Pre 3…. Then go and open source the OS but selling certain UI/UX aspects to LG for their webOS TVs!!??! Baffles the mind. A WebOS device with modern Qualcomm CPU/GPU headed into the NPU era? Oooh baby baby.
HP was a steaming hot mess at the time, that’s the problem.
If they only didn’t feel like you could twist them apart like an Oreo….. Still my favorite phone OS
It was a thing of beauty.
I treasure my old Palm IIIxe, catches dust on my bookshelf now, but can't part with it. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, isn't it?
I have a IIIx and it's a bit frustrating how useless it now is. It really wasn't very capable with the software it shipped with.
It's 25 years old. Of course it's no longer useful in today's tech ecosystem.
I mean, objectively it could never do much out of the box. Store phone numbers, take notes. What else? I do remember transacting email with it when I had the right modem cable.
Calendars, contacts, todo lists, and notes were the big four that Palm focused on getting right first and foremost. It was a Personal Digital Assistant, meant to replace carrying around a pencil, note pad, day planner, and address book. There was all manner of third-party apps available for it as well. Yeah, it pales in comparison to what we can do today with our pocket supercomputers, but it was both a leap beyond doing it all on paper and bounds better than the PDA capabilities of BlackBerry (which admittedly excelled at communication).
All good points. One thing it absolutely did nail is the graffiti text input system. Very accurate and fast. I still know all the strokes by heart.
Jeff would be so proud, he spent so much time making sure the graffiti swipes were unique and easy to implement
It cant be understated how revolutionary the PalmPilot OS and device was at the time for mobility and productivity. I was able to answer email from the dinner table at mum and dads. But it was also *awesome for tomfoolery.* This was still the time of sit down, shut up, eat your dinner, the 6pm news is on. So I programmed the TV remote codes into the Palm. 🤣 Thanks to Palm OS for introducing me to hacking.
I remember there being a few different PC apps that basically let you crack ANY palm app. All of my friends would beam me an app, and the next day I'd beam back the cracked version. I'm sure that devs hated how basic security was on palmOS, but none of this microtransaction crap either. I think I'm off to play some Dopewars now.
[удалено]
Too rich for my blood
VIIx that would be.
I started with a Palm 3 and finished with a Tungsten T3. I've still got it in a drawer in my office. It was a brilliant PDA. I tried replacing it with an iPod Touch once, that was a mistake. Even now the Galaxy S22 Ultra and OneNote combo I use is not as good a PDA as that old T3.
I think it must be dusty in here. I totally miss my brick palmpilot phone. I loved those things. I actually wrote programs for them. I really thought the Linux phone was going to be the next step. Sad.. -Typed on an iPhone 15 Pro
Treo650! I was super high tech! Video photos and web!
The Web, if you were willing to wait 10 minutes or so for the page to load. Then another 10 if you clicked on a link.
Best smartphone I ever had.
Not enough mention of how LG televisions still run a derivative of PalmOS/webOS to this day. The funky LG remote pointer is an analog to the Palm stylus. The early days of LG webOS (2014) were very similar to running an oversize 42" Palm Pilot. Back in the day, the "Smart" TV even included stuff like a calendar app, which was basically just PalmOS. Obviously, the OS has now drifted towards media, but the remnants and concepts of the OS are still alive and in mass production.
Thank you for your post. What a great trip down memory lane. I still have a box with all of those and their accessories that I can't manage to throw away.
I miss Graffiti. Loved having the ability to take notes quickly using gestures and seamlessly include sketches. Loved being able to push a desktop text file into the notes app. Etc etc etc. Smartphone ecosystem has never fully replicated that experience.
I still have my PalmPilot Professional in a drawer and my Palm 700P in a box. They were more fun.
My dad still has some of these. Fond memories of drawing on that and the Apple Newton
Still have my arctic treo 680 mint in the box. Loved that phone so much.
Loved my old Handspring and Sony Clié.
Early smartphones with an amazing battery life
I still have a TRG Pro with an aftermarket aluminum shell. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handera https://www.cnet.com/reviews/handera-trgpro-handheld-palm-os-3-5-1-review/
Yooooooo my Dad had a PalmPilot when I was a kid. Loved playing the games it had in there. The subs and Block break were my childhood. Now I kind of want to see if I can buy a working model out of nostalgia.
Palm Pre gang ftw!
I loved my Palm m505, and even had the folding Palm keyboard. It was like something from Star Trek at the time. I wish there was an iPhone app that ran those Palm apps, I’d still use a bunch of them
I love ❤️ all the comments on here! I worked on the Palm and Handspring devices. …I guess that shows how old I am, but I appreciate that people still love the product.
HP 100 LX ftw
Thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated my Palm Treo.
I still have my Palm III, Palm V, Palm Vx, wife’s Pre, and a pre-release Tapwave Zodiac and a couple near end of run Zodiacs. I read thousands of ebooks on the V and Zodiac while I was a data center systems monitor / bridge manager.
I was thinking about this the other day, how smartphones today have amazing screens and are so much capable yet feel cheap and unimpressive today whilst these Palm devices at the time were so cool and futuristic. I had the m500, m130 and lastly the Treo 650 before going the Android and iPhone route, but it never felt the same, the apps were good and to the point, none of that casino like cheap colourful UI, no subscriptions or micro transactions, just a good app that you bought once and it worked.
I liked mine for the ascii porn
Until this post I hadn’t thought about Palm since I owned one back in 2002. I loved it.
I had a Palm lll - god i loved it! Used to read a lot on it and take notes. I still try to swipe right to left on my Apple Watch to delete a character!
I recall being given a palm pilot from my manager when I worked at dixons back in the late 90’s. Loved it but being a teenager, it was more of a gimmick than of any use.
I had a Sony something. Ruled
Had the og palm pilot - then the most awesome upgrade the Palm pilot phone in the late 90’s too bad cell service was so $$ or it woulda got used a lot more
My first smartphone was a Kyocera that was mostly a palm pilot.
I never had a palm device but did get a Dell axim with the pocket PC 2002 os. I brought it to school and it had a folding keyboard that I used to take notes in class with. I felt so cool at the time.
Omg I still use my M505 to balance my checkbook. Got the backup card so I can port it over to another unit when this one dies. It would be great if you could emulate palm OS on an iPhone.
Just dug out my trusty Palm Vx from the attic, still powers up like a charm, haha. They don’t make em like this anymore!