Remember Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM)? Just a year or two ago, they offered the hottest handheld gadgets around… like the venerable Palm Pilot. Unfortunately, News.com recently reminded me that, yes, the brand still exists but it has fallen upon hard times this fiscal quarter.
…Palm recorded a net loss of $800,000, compared with net income of $16.5 million last year. Smart phone revenue was up 21 percent, but overall revenue was up just 1 percent from $356 million last year to $361 million this year.
Much has been made about the effect of the iPhone on Palm, but were that it’s only problem. Everyone’s passing Palm by these days as the company has been slower than rivals like Research in Motion, Nokia, and others to introduce updated designs…
Seeing the iPhone mentioned, I ask myself what Palm, Inc. still has to offer and, more importantly, is there an iPhone killer in their product line? After all, at this stage of its development, the iPhone is overpriced, has no-software and allows for AT&T communication only. What happened to Apple’s “anti-corporate” image? But I digress. Seeing how iPhones suck, what does a quick search of Palm handhelds show? PalmOne, Palm Tungsten and Palm TX, to name a few… The Palm TX in particular caught my attention. Check out the features and ask yourself if all of this is worth just $200:
Palm T/X Handheld PDA is anything but business as usual. Connect a portable, folding keyboard to make working on your business documents even easier. Need driving directions? Get turn-by-turn voice-guided directions with the Palm GPS Navigator (GPS requires optional accessories). Whatever you’re into, you’ll find an application you can use among the thousands made for the Palm OS. Affordable Wi-Fi is here. Introducing the Palm TIX handheld. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, this is the wireless device you’ve been waiting for. Browse the web and check email from your office, campus, or a home Wi-Fi network-and places like airports, cafes, and hotels (with ISP service applicability). Carry your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files and get more done anywhere. Web pages, presentations, spreadsheets, photos, and videos come to life on a large color screen that rotates from landscape to portrait mode. Have time to unwind? The Palm TX handheld even lets you listen to MP3 and read eBooks.
Sound familiar? Like an iPhone, but for a lot less? Yeah, there’s no phone capability, but you already had that, right? More than 400 people have reviewed the TX and found i to be a four star product. The PalmOS has been around for years, with far, far more applications available than what’s out there for the iPhone. WiFi, MS Office compatibility, memory slots, MP3 player, etc. make this a great package for people who are about business rather than the latest marketing coup. What do you have to say?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
HP Pavilion Media Center M8120N
HP is a computer brand we’ve trusted for years. Since the late 90s, the company has targeted consumers with "Media Center" desktop systems for maximum video and multimedia performance. As time as passed, computer prices have dropped and dropped and dropped, delivering to us one of HP’s latest desktop deal - the HP Pavilion Media Center M8120N. Priced new at just under $1200, this system has an Intel Core Duo processor, 3GB of RAM and a whopping 640GB hard drive. Did I mention it’s just $1200?
Review full system info on the product detail page, but it’s worth noting that this desktop PC has received an average of four stars from Amazon.com users. Many of those who have purchased it have rated it with five stars, citing:
I ordered my new PC and it arrived within the week. I was thrilled. The set up with the directions you gave me were simple- I could do it without asking anyone for help. Each feature has been so easy to master. I now use my digital camera card in the slot on the PC to upload my photos- no more cords to worry about. I made a file of photos and used the DVD burner to burn a file for safe keeping. Simple, fast, and I love it! And I watched some movies on it too.. really great!
What more could we say? The only negative reported was that early models had only a VGA monitor output. This was a little too low tech for those with high-end monitors - a DVI output would have been preferred. Subsequent reports indicate the HP now ships with DVI output and a VGA adapter. Perfect!
Interested in buying the HP Media Center? When it arrives, the package contains the HP Media Center m8120n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, remote control, and power cord. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase. This is definitely a desktop computer system worth considering for home and home office users in the market. For more information, readers can also reference the CNET review of the M8120N.
Review full system info on the product detail page, but it’s worth noting that this desktop PC has received an average of four stars from Amazon.com users. Many of those who have purchased it have rated it with five stars, citing:
I ordered my new PC and it arrived within the week. I was thrilled. The set up with the directions you gave me were simple- I could do it without asking anyone for help. Each feature has been so easy to master. I now use my digital camera card in the slot on the PC to upload my photos- no more cords to worry about. I made a file of photos and used the DVD burner to burn a file for safe keeping. Simple, fast, and I love it! And I watched some movies on it too.. really great!
What more could we say? The only negative reported was that early models had only a VGA monitor output. This was a little too low tech for those with high-end monitors - a DVI output would have been preferred. Subsequent reports indicate the HP now ships with DVI output and a VGA adapter. Perfect!
Interested in buying the HP Media Center? When it arrives, the package contains the HP Media Center m8120n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, remote control, and power cord. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase. This is definitely a desktop computer system worth considering for home and home office users in the market. For more information, readers can also reference the CNET review of the M8120N.
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