Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

I finally saw a 505 in retail, and I was ambivalent about it. The screen is much dimmer than the Prism, and it does make it hard to recognize it as being color without a double-take. The problem with evaluating it in the store -- and this is true with all Palm OS color handhelds (but not PPCs) -- is that the default apps are too vanilla to showcase the color range. Palm and Handspring should put a photo album app in ROM so that shoppers can see what a difference color makes on demo units. But like everyone else here, if I had to do it all over again, I'd still go for the Prism.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 441

When I picked up a demo unit at office depot it was running some demo application going and it showed a lot of animations and pictures.... Really showed off their color capabilities.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 110

Interesting - I also saw the demo program running on a 505 at Office Depot (in Washington DC) yesterday and reached exactly the opposite conclusion.

Now that I have compared the 505 and my Prism side by side I can say that under interior lighting the Prism screen is markedly better. But I also have to say that the 505 demo program is a terrible advertising tactic - it does very little to show off the 505's color. I would agree that you would have to look twice to even realize the unit is running color - most of the screens it runs are B&W anyway. In contrast, when I bought my Prism in January from CompUSA a demo unit there was running an eyecatchingly colorful demo program that beautifully demonstrated the Prism's color capabilities, especially for images.

The 505 demo's very brief (two seconds?) display of photos in MGI Photosuite is really awful - muddy and dark. I put my Prism (running Splashphoto) next to it, and there is absolutely no comparison. This was under bright overhead fluorescent lights - about the brightest you would find in an office setting. Because the demo wouldn't allow use of the unit's sidelight (apparently - you just press and hold the power button, right? if it turned on, it's pretty dim!), I can't say how much the sidelight would have helped. But the lighting was quite bright in that Office Depot.

The demo program is so awful I was tempted to reset the unit and beam Splashphoto into it. But somebody must have thought of that - the reset hole is covered up by the security retaining device!

One other thing I noticed. Remember how you have to hold a B&W unit at the right angle to cut glare from ceiling lights? The 505 is of course the same, since it's not back lit. After four months of using the Prism, I had completely forgotten that little annoyance.

Registered: Feb 2001
Location: mass
Posts: 56

"Remember how you have to hold a B&W unit at the right angle to cut glare from ceiling lights? The 505 is of course the same, since it's not back lit. After four months of using the Prism, I had completely forgotten that little annoyance."

Agreed. I don't miss that at all. The Prism's screen is simply a joy to look at under all conditions from pitch black to reasonably brightly-lit rooms. And the few times I've been outside and needed to access a piece of info, I've been able to with a bit of screen sheilding. The more I think about it, of the three popular gripes about about the Prism (Size/Weight, Battery Life, Visibility outdoors), the only one I would pay to improve is size.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Phoenix Arizona
Posts: 74

Bottom line -- If you use your PDA indoors, or in in direct (not direct sun) light -- the Prism is by far the best way to go. If, however, you HAVE TO use your handheld in direct sunlight - the Prism doesn't work so well, and, you have to consider another option like the Palm.

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 33

Well I did it I ordered a new M505, tried it , and sent it back, I still love my prism, palm not even close, I dont care you can see it better in the sunlight, I use it indoors anyway.
total time to decide less than one hour.besides they dont have a visorphone yet.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

Here's my answer.

http://discussion.visorcentral.com/...?threadid=15313

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