The Palm m125

 

Technical Summary

 

Processor:                  33 MHz Dragonball VZ

Memory:                     8 Mb

Screen:                       4-bit monochrome, backlit, 160 x 160 resolution.

Operating System:     PalmOS 4·0

Battery:                       Replaceable AAA batteries, typically high powered NiMH

 

Form Factor

 

The m125 and m130 share a very similar case design.  Although comparatively bulky, it’s tough - and a variant of the design first seen in the m100 and m105.  It incorporates both a plastic screen and digitizer, which is much harder to break (although much easier to scratch).  Although it is not especially thin or small, it is very comfortable in the hand.  The m125 is fractionally smaller than the Palm m130, but also marginally heavier thanks to the replaceable AAA batteries.

The Palm m125 has the traditional PalmOS case and button arrangement.  The four application buttons sit at the bottom of the device, under the screen, and by default they launch the Datebook, Address, Tasks and Notepad applications.  This leaves the power button, which you’ll find at the top of the device right in the centre - pressing and holding the power button toggles the backlight on and off, as it does with all other monochrome PalmOS devices.

 

Screen

 

The m125’s screen is the same size as the m130, so it’s smaller than many older devices such as the IIIxe, Handspring Visor Professional, and Palm Vx.  For quality, it is greyer rather than greener, which is a positive thing.

 

Sound and Notifications

 

The m130 has the standard sound setup of a PalmOS 4·x unit, so it can produce a range of beeps, but not much more.  However, the m125’s speaker is significantly louder than the IIIxe, which is a useful attribute.

 

Storage

 

The m130 has the standard PalmOS 3·x of 8 Mb of memory - disappointingly, Palm did not give the m125 the full 16 Mb of memory.

 

OBD-II Scanner

 

I’ll discuss the m125’s performance with my OBD-II Scanner hardware in due course.

 

Battery Performance

 

Palm quote that the m125’s battery longevity is approximately 75% of that of the Palm IIIxe.  It’s too soon for me to report – check back later!

 

Expansion

 

Palm’s m125 comes with a SD I/O slot, meaning it can access a number of memory cards or the Palm Bluetooth card. This is especially useful given that the m125 comes with 8 Mb of memory, not 16 Mb.

 

Summary

 

The Palm m125’s faults are more associated with the m130 and m105.  It’s fast, it’s comfortable to use and it has respectable battery performance from the replaceable batteries.