Personality Pack for the m505/m515 (By Dave Ruske)
Review By James McCarthy | March 22, 2002
Category: not categorized
Before PalmGuru morphed into PocketAnywhere, Jim McCarthy published a review on something called a "Personality Pack" for the Palm V/Vx. Essentially, the Pack was a hinged plastic lid and a little stylus holder that jammed into whichever stylus silo you didn't happen to be using. The "Personality" came from the variety of translucent and solid colors available from Parallel Design. I bought one for my Vx, installed it, liked it, eventually took it for granted... then seriously missed it when I upgraded to the Palm m505.
More pictures are available at www.paralleldesign.com
PRODUCT NAME
============
Personality Pack for the m505/m515
By Parallel Design
WEBSITE
=======
http://www.paralleldesign.com
PRICE
=====
$17.99
AVAILABILITY
============
- Vendor's website
- StylusCentral.com
COLORS
======
Crystal, Diamond, Sapphire Ice, Carbon, Graphite, Sapphire
COMPATIBILITY
=============
Palm m505/m515
INTRODUCTION
============
Before PalmGuru morphed into PocketAnywhere, Jim McCarthy published a review on something called a "Personality Pack" for the Palm V/Vx. Essentially, the Pack was a hinged plastic lid and a little stylus holder that jammed into whichever stylus silo you didn't happen to be using. The "Personality" came from the variety of translucent and solid colors available from Parallel Design. I bought one for my Vx, installed it, liked it, eventually took it for granted... then seriously missed it when I upgraded to the Palm m505.
BODY
====
Last spring, the m505 was somewhere between a rumor and the store shelves when I wrote to Parallel Design asking if they'd be supporting it. They shot back a quick yes, but didn't have a date. Every month or so after that, I'd check back on their website. No mention. Then "Coming Soon" with a teaser picture. Finally, in December, "Coming Soon" became "Now Available," and at long last my m505 is complete.
Okay, that sounds over-the-top to me, too, but sometimes you just don't appreciate something until it's gone. Just what's so nice about it, anyway?
For starters, that thin lid protects the screen without compromising the slender design of the PDA. An unadorned m505/m515 rides comfortably in the pocket. Add even a thin case and you'll notice the extra bulk.
So why not just use the leather flap that came with the PDA? The Personality Pack's lid offers several advantages. First, some models are translucent, allowing you to get a quick look at your data without even opening the lid. This works great with the Date Book, and has further value when teamed with a phone book like TealPhone (which you often don't need a stylus for) or hacks like PocketWatch+ (which pops up the time whenever you power on the PDA). Note that the lids don't cover the hard buttons on the m505/m515.
Another advantage the Personality Pack has over the leather flap is that it's easier to slip in and out of a pocket, partly due to lower friction, and partly because there's no loose corner to snag on fabric.
Because the Personality Pack doesn't use the rail slot on the handheld's left side, it can remain attached while the PDA is in a case that uses this slot. I use mine in just this way. I have the Palm zippered wallet case that employs the rail to hold the m505 in place. Leaving the lid on protects the screen against abrasion from the leather (or notepad) inside the case. It also lets me remove and pocket the PDA to attend a meeting, leaving the bulk of the wallet behind.
The lid secures to the m505/m515 by wrapping around the back of the PDA and snapping into the peripheral mounting holes. Along the way it avoids covering the SD card slot. The IR port simply beams through the transparent plastic. The Pack covers the hole for the reset button, but in my experience this is rarely a problem. I delete faulty programs from my Palm without mercy.
Parallel Designs molds the lid out of tough polycarbonate. While not immune to scuffs and scrapes, this material is the stuff of space helmets, police riot shields, and aircraft windows. The hinge, which is also polycarbonate, holds up well under normal use. A coworker inherited my old Vx with its Personality Pack, and while the hinge has loosened a little in the past year, it still works fine.
Speaking of the Vx, those who've used the Personality Pack for the Palm V/Vx handhelds may have noticed that the PDA rocked when used on a flat surface. That minor problem has disappeared with the Pack for the m505/m515. On the back of the PDA, the plastic tab splits and forks towards the sides. When placed on your desk, this gives four points of support: the Pack's two plastic fingers and the two raised metal nubs near the base of the PDA.
I've deliberately postponed discussing the looks of this product for two reasons. To begin with, you've already seen the picture; you've already had that positive first impression. The Palm V and 500 series PDAs continue to rank among the best looking PDAs, and the Personality Packs only enhance their appearance. Second, it's all too easy to dismiss something so simple as a cosmetic upgrade, and I wanted to stress the usefulness of this product.
The Personality Packs for the m505/m515 come in 6 color combinations: a clear lid with a black, blue, or clear hinge accent (Crystal, Sapphire Ice, Diamond); a translucent royal blue lid with a black hinge accent (Sapphire); translucent gray with a black accent (Graphite); and an opaque black lid with a black accent (Carbon).
I ordered the Crystal version back in December, and I've also spent some time evaluating the Sapphire version. Between the two I prefer the Crystal. While the clear plastic is more bland in appearance, I find it more useful. Not only are the m505's colors preserved while peering through the lid, but it is clear enough to read the screen even without the sidelight on. The blue lid is attractive, but too dark for viewing an unlit screen.
FLIPSIDE
========
As already mentioned, the hole for the reset button is covered by the Personality Pack. If you want to reset your Palm, three solutions spring to mind: remove the Pack, drill a small hole in the appropriate spot, or use a program like Dan Seifert's "Crash" to automatically perform the reset.
The Personality Pack for the m505/m515 is a bit weaker on personality choice than its predecessor. The Packs for the V/Vx come in 21 different color combinations. I asked Parallel Design about this. They told me that with the V/Vx they started with the fruity colors but received many requests for something more elegant, prompting them to add black, gray, and clear. Once they did so, these new colors outsold the rainbow hues by a wide margin. With the m505/m515 product, they decided to start with their most popular colors, with the possibility of adding others as the market demands.
You may also have noticed that I haven't said anything about a stylus holder for this Personality Pack. The reason is simple: there isn't one. I don't miss it myself, because it's something I never used with my Vx and don't need with my m505. I make regular use of the left side mounting rail, and wouldn't want to block the slot with a stylus holder. Some people may miss this option, though.
The hinge does loosen a bit over time. A new lid will have enough friction to stay open at almost any angle, but eventually the hinge develops loose areas. That may be either good or bad, depending on your own preferences. In practice, I haven't found the slight loosening to present any inconvenience.
FINAL WORD
==========
Sometimes it's the little things, the things that go unnoticed from one day to the next, the things that are only noticed in absence. The Personality Pack is a product that I've liked for a long time, first with the Vx and now with the m505. Writing this review, I surprised myself at how much I had to say about it. But the bottom line on the Personality Pack remains simple: it's useful, it's convenient, and by golly, it's pretty, too.
PROS
====
- Doesn't compromise the slender form factor of your PDA.
- Constructed of tough polycarbonate.
- Translucent models allow viewing of data without opening the lid.
- Looks great.
CONS
====
- Covers reset hole on the PDA.
- Less color variety than available for the V/Vx, at least for now.
- Hinge will loosen slightly over time (but that could be a good thing, too).
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