Palm III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Palm III was the first PDA in the Palm III lineup and is also Palm Computing's first handheld to support infrared file transfer and a Flash ROM capable operating system. The first Palm IIIs went on sale in 1998. The device was followed in 1999 by the Palm IIIe and Palm IIIx (with a newer operating system and a better screen), and then by the Palm IIIc and Palm IIIxe in 2000. The Palm IIIc had a color TFT screen and a faster CPU and the Palm IIIxe had more RAM. The Palm IIIc and Palm IIIxe both had black cases (as opposed to grey on previous models), eight megabytes of RAM and Palm OS 3.5.
At first glance, the most notable difference between the Palm III and its predecessor, the PalmPilot, is the more rugged and streamlined case. Other differences include removal of the memory door, a more recessed contrast adjustment knob, an infrared port and a battery door less prone to accidentally falling off.
The Palm III ran the new PalmOS version 3.0 which featured a new application launcher, an extra font size, bug fixes and other improvements. It featured two megabytes of EDO SDRAM for storage of user data and software and two megabytes of Flash ROM for storage of the operating system and built-in applications.
The LCD screen on the Palm III is essentially the same as that of the Palm Pilot Professional and Palm Pilot Personal which, despite many websites' claims that the Palm III and Palm Pilot only supports 2-bit black and white, can display 4-bit greyscale. The LCD screen also has an electroluminescent backlight that can be turned on or off by holding the power button down for three seconds to allow for easier viewing in dark areas.
The Palm III and IIIx were the only PDAs in the Palm III series to have the OS ROM and RAM mounted on a memory card separate from the motherboard. This card could be replaced by a third party upgrade card to increase the Palm III's storage or functionality.
The standard suggested retail price for the Palm III in 1998 was approximately US$400.00.
