+WeatherednBoston Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 I'm looking for a cheap starter PDA for paperless geocaching....I dont need it for anything else...no bells and whistles needed. I only want to spend $20- or less including shipping to Mass. (I just got laid off and cant afford much more) Unit must be USB. I need a manual with the unit because I have no idea how to use one. If you dont have one available could you point me towards a good model to start with that I can buy on ebay. I only need it to hold information for say 500 geocaches if that is possible. I wouldnt even know how many MB of memory I would need. Sure I would like a color unit but if it would cost over 25- I would rather have a black n white to start with. Thank you very much for any info you could provide. I see tons available on ebay but not sure if they are capable of doing what I need them to do. If you have an old model that you dont want to sell but you know it's great for geocaching please check out the prices on ebay and if they are in my price range let me know the model #. I think im the only cacher in my area that hasn't gone paperless. I'm sick of buying the ink for my printer...geocaching information is the only thing I print lol Any opinion on the model Palm Zire M150? Quote Link to comment
+TheBattons Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 The Zire M150 would fit your criteria perfectly. I should hold well over a thousand caches, has USB, and should be found for $20-ish shipped. The Visor line also offer USB connectivity, and can be found in the same price range, just be sure to verify that the cradle is USB, as there are also serial cradles for the same models. Keep in mind CacheMate is another $8 though... Cheers! Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 4, 2007 Author Share Posted December 4, 2007 (edited) Ty. I see you are an expert at refurbishing PDA's. Any other models you could recommend? Whats the oldest color model out there?...or is that a new feature these days? Also does this unit have a backlight? I cache alot early morning and late at night. Edited December 4, 2007 by WeatherednBoston Quote Link to comment
+TheBattons Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 If you need a backlight, go with a Handspring Visor, the M150 does not have a backlight. Again, be sure it comes with the USB cradle not the serial one. No idea on the oldest color model...but you pay a premium for color, so if you are strapped, pass on it, not worth the extra you'd pay. It also decreases battery life. A Treo 90 would also work, and typically comes with a nice flip cover to protect your screen. It would also be in your price range, if you could find one. They are a lot less common than the Visor series. There are lots of other PDAs that may fit the bill, but there are price or reliability issues with most others, so this is all I'd suggest targeting. Quote Link to comment
monkeykat Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I would also like to echo that color is probably not the way to go. Early color screens (the ones you will find for the cheapest $$$'s) do more poorly in sunlight than black and white palms. I use a Palm m500, which is a black and white model, no backlight though. I was able to get one on ebay for around $20 with manual and accessories, but I had to wait a while. Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 4, 2007 Author Share Posted December 4, 2007 Thank you for the info on the color ones not working in the daylight that well...Ive been tryng to get a specific low end color unit on ebay and Im being outbit everytime lol Even when I wait to the last 5 seconds to bid. I guess I will go for the black n white....its cheaper anyway. I'm in no rush and have plenty of time to wait for a bargain...hope I get one for 20- like yourself. Quote Link to comment
+pigpen4x4 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I use a Zire 31, (color)and am real pleased with it. Yes, sometimes I do have to create shade in direct sunlight, but I usually work it out. Got it cheap too. Same USB cable as my GPSr's. As far as the Ebay thing, bid what you are willing to pay and walk away from it. If you win great, if not oh well. The idiot snippers usually only do small increments, so if you bid to win you usually will. Unless it goes over value. If you Cache early or late, you have should have a flashlight with you so do you really need a backlight? Hmmmm. I have bought a couple of PDA's from The Battons, trying different ones, and they are good people. Watch for his postings and you will not regret it. PP Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 I ended up getting the Palm M500 with a bunch of accessories for around $25.00 (including shipping)! I wanted to get a Handspring Visor Pro...NIB. But I saw that this M500 had a color screen and all those accessories included so I opted for that instead. But odd....when I search on the Model M500 everything I read says that this unit is a monochrome screen ie B & W. So now im not sure what I will be getting...it was advertised as a M500 with a COLOR screen...maybe I will be lucky and get a M505 or the M515 in the mail tomorrow They didn't make a M500 with a color screen did they? Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Nope. I have an m500 and have used it for several years. Now, I also have an m515 which is a nice unit that is easy-to-see in bright sunlight. The m505 has a color screen, but less memory than the m515. It will be interesting to see what you receive . . . Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 7, 2007 Author Share Posted December 7, 2007 As long as it works properly I will be happy even if its a B & W. Once I noticed the discrepancy I did a quick search on other models 515 and 505 and I see they both come with a software CD that says M500 series on it. The software must be used for all 3 models...Im assuming they were looking at the CD when listing the item for sale. Did your M515 come with a cd with "M500" on it? Quote Link to comment
+Cardinal Red Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I would also like to echo that color is probably not the way to go. Early color screens (the ones you will find for the cheapest $$$'s) do more poorly in sunlight than black and white palms. I use a Palm m500, which is a black and white model, no backlight though. I was able to get one on ebay for around $20 with manual and accessories, but I had to wait a while. My Palm m500 has a backlight. Press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to toggle on or off. Quote Link to comment
+Yorkshire Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 My Palm m500 has a backlight. Press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to toggle on or off. Hey Thanks for that tip. Now my Palm IIIxe has backlighting Quote Link to comment
monkeykat Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 ... I use a Palm m500, which is a black and white model, no backlight though... My Palm m500 has a backlight. Press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to toggle on or off. Oops, my mistake, I haven't read my manual much. Sorry for posting bad information. When I did my research, I came to the conclusion that any of the m500, m505, and m515 are all fine choices. Be sure and tell us what you ended up getting. Happy Caching! Quote Link to comment
+Rumpled Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 I've used a Handspring Visor Deluxe for years. Monochrome, backlight, 8MB can hold literally thousands of caches without a problem. I recently broke mine and after a week or so of working Ebay got one nearly totally new shipped for 10.01 Used it for a week, got a new computer with Vista and now cannot get it to reliably sync. Quote Link to comment
+geowizerd Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 (edited) I also just bid on a Palm m500 on eBay for $24.99 shipped. Did you get it from "3427steveb"? I'm not sure if it has the OS and software though, in the auction listing it says: "The software can be download free from palms web site." I went to the website, but don't see a whole lot of s/w to download, except an upgrade, which requires you to already have the OS. Anyone want to burn me a copy, if it doesn't have anything on it? Edit: Maybe they were talking about the Palm Desktop s/w, which I did just download. Edited December 7, 2007 by geowizerd Quote Link to comment
+Cardinal Red Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 My Palm m500 has a backlight. Press and hold the power button for 2 seconds to toggle on or off. Oops, my mistake, I haven't read my manual much. Sorry for posting bad information. No reason to be sorry. I just assumed you hadn't noticed that in the manual, and would appreciate the tip. And thanks to Yorkshire, I now know this also works on more Palm models. Is this backlight function standard operating procedure on most/all Palms? Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 As long as it works properly I will be happy even if its a B & W. Once I noticed the discrepancy I did a quick search on other models 515 and 505 and I see they both come with a software CD that says M500 series on it. The software must be used for all 3 models...Im assuming they were looking at the CD when listing the item for sale. Did your M515 come with a cd with "M500" on it? No . . . the m515 was a generous gift from another cacher. However, the software CD is almost useless because you really want the latest Palm Deskstop software, which can be downloaded from the Palm website. The software on the CD is old . . . Quote Link to comment
+TheBattons Posted December 7, 2007 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Watch out on the M500 series (500,505,515), as they are prone to static electricity damage to the motherboard. When they are working they are pretty nice units though. For you Vista folks, try using a serial adapter. The older Palm USB drivers are not supported by Vista, and there is currently no plans on making them work together (forcing you to upgrade PDAs, the buggers!). If you can connect via a serial adapter, you may be able to eliminate the problems in Vista. Unfortunately, this is not a 100% fix, just an option to try. As to backlights, they are not universal, some of the more basic PDAs (Zire M150 for example) do not offer a backlight. Check the manufacturers documentation (available online) to check. The software in question is the Desktop software, and yes, teh latest is almost always the best to get, so don't fret if a PDA does not include the software. Cheers, TheBattons Quote Link to comment
+VENTUREMAN7/ "A" TEAM" Posted December 8, 2007 Share Posted December 8, 2007 Watch out on the M500 series (500,505,515), as they are prone to static electricity damage to the motherboard. When they are working they are pretty nice units though. For you Vista folks, try using a serial adapter. The older Palm USB drivers are not supported by Vista, and there is currently no plans on making them work together (forcing you to upgrade PDAs, the buggers!). If you can connect via a serial adapter, you may be able to eliminate the problems in Vista. Unfortunately, this is not a 100% fix, just an option to try. As to backlights, they are not universal, some of the more basic PDAs (Zire M150 for example) do not offer a backlight. Check the manufacturers documentation (available online) to check. The software in question is the Desktop software, and yes, teh latest is almost always the best to get, so don't fret if a PDA does not include the software. Cheers, TheBattons Let's not give the M Series Palm a "Bad Rap" with the Static Electricity Problem. I have used an M515 for a long time with NO problems at all. I have Bought and Sold Many M Series, and have only experienced the problem 2 times, One was a Palm I bought that already had the Problem, the other happened when I replaced the Internal Battery. There were reports of Problems early after the M500's were released, Palm tracked the Problem to the Cradle not having a good Ground. Palm Replaced Cradles if you sent them Back with a Revised Cradle. These Cradles have an E or an H on the bottom of the Cradle. I know the Static problem exists but I think it's a small percentage of M's that ever have a Problem. I feel the M Series is a Great PDA for Caching, with easy to read Screen in Sunlight, Color, or MonoChrome Screen, Sd Card Memory Expansion, and a Price that most Cachers can afford! Happy Caching!! V-Man Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share Posted December 8, 2007 I also just bid on a Palm m500 on eBay for $24.99 shipped. Did you get it from "3427steveb"? No I didn't buy it from that person. The person I bought it from has 100% positive feedback though and thats a good sign. I still havent got it yet but its the holiday season and I believe they shipped it Parcel Post. Rumor has it that the post office is already 5-7 days behind schedule and anything not shipped Priority will take twice as long to arrive. Priority is still 2-4 days. I've never had a priority package take longer than 3 days. Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 I have not recieved the m500 series pda yet but the tracking information shows its probably going to arrive tomorrow. In the mean time I was checking out craigslist last week and saw someone selling a Handspring Visor with software and cradle and documents...for only $10- just 5 miles down the road. I had to wait for them to return from vacation but I went down and picked it up yesterday afternoon. The M500 I ordered was missing the stylus and I saw that it would cost me $5- to replace so I though I would grab this just for the stylus and use the PDA as a backup. It looks brand new, has 8 MB and I believe its a Visor Neo...how can you tell? Nowhere within the PDA does it say. The OS matches what the NEO should be but there is another model that runs the same OS. So I've been playing around with this $10- PDA and I'm hooked. I love this thing. I dont know how I lived without a PDA. I realized pretty quickly though that I need a color screen. This is black n white and very boring though it certainly does the trick. I downloaded Plucker and GPXSpinner...took me hours trying to figure it out last night but after finding Geocacher-U I was good to go within 5 minutes. I want to get a book on things I can do with the PDA. Can anyone suggest a good one? I plan on using cachemate on the M500 to see which program I like better. Quote Link to comment
+QuesterMark Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 So I've been playing around with this $10- PDA and I'm hooked. I love this thing. I dont know how I lived without a PDA. I realized pretty quickly though that I need a color screen. This is black n white and very boring though it certainly does the trick. I downloaded Plucker and GPXSpinner...took me hours trying to figure it out last night but after finding Geocacher-U I was good to go within 5 minutes. I want to get a book on things I can do with the PDA. Can anyone suggest a good one? I plan on using cachemate on the M500 to see which program I like better. I'd suggest Cachemate on the Visor. I have a Visor Platinum (I think the NEO is the same thing, but a little newer). Be happy about the Black and Whiteness. It's much easier to read in sunlight than the color ones...at least the color Visors. There's a book out there called How to do Everything with your Visor. Look for it in the Computer Books department at your local used bookstore. Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 I got my package in the mail today and it does have a color screen. It's the Palm M505 with 8 MB of memory. Excellent condition and loaded with accessories. I'm not at all impressed with this unit. I thought the color screen would "WOW" me but the color screen has actually had the opposite effect. What a lousy display...I spent 30 minutes looking for a contrast setting so I could make it "brighter" but after looking online I see there is no setting for contrast. And im certainly not the only one who thinks they did a horrible job on the color screen after looking online. You can hardly see it unless you angle it just right...even with the backlight on the screen still seems dim. I hear they did this to save on battery usage. DIMwits! I like the software that came with it though..the car charger, keyboard, serial cradle, usb cradle and 2 different hard cases. I will try both while geocaching...but I can already tell I like the $10- Handspring Visor which is black n white alot better. I also loaded cachemate on this M505....trial version only holds 10 caches I think I like Plucker the best. (dont hate me lol) Quote Link to comment
+WeatherednBoston Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 AND OH...Thank you all very much for your help! I really appreciate everyones opinions and it helped me out alot! I'm now officially PAPERLESS Quote Link to comment
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