GearBits

PalmCorner Weekly Feature--End-of-Year Review

So, 2003 is almost over. I know everyone is busy buying gifts and attending holiday parties, but this might also be a good time to think about how your year went. Was 2003 a fruitful, enjoyable, and rewarding year for you? Well, for someone who writes about Palm OS topics, 2003 was indeed a busy year. It was a little more than a year ago that both Sony and Palm released the first Palm OS5 device, but they and other Palm OS licensees kept me busy during the year. So, what are some of the highlights of this year? Let's review PalmCorner's top 10 memorable moments in 2003.

1. Palm broke the 16MB Memory Barrier. Now the Tapwave Zodiac features 128MB of RAM, and even the low-end Palm Tungsten E features 32MB of RAM. For years, we've been tied down to having only 8 to 16MB of RAM, but when the Tungsten C came out with 64MB of RAM, Palm rewrote the book on this front.

2. First built-in Wi-Fi in a Palm OS device. The Palm Tungsten C showed us how to design a device that both web and battery friendly. The Tungsten C set the new standard for web enhanced device (excellent screen, useable keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, and battery life).

3. Fast Intel X-scale 400MHz chips. The Tungsten C and the T3 now boast the fastest chip ever in the Palm OS device. Bring on more speed.

4. Built-in GPS in a Palm OS device. Garmin released the IQue that has built-in GPS capability. Those of us who needed the navigation system, our prayer had been answered.

5. First built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in a Palm OS device. Sony released the UX50 that has both wireless capabilities. The jury is still out on this device, but if you want to have it all including the built-in camera and the keyboard, this is it.

6. Lower price barrier for Palm OS5 devices. The new Palm Zire 21 features 126 MHz TI OMAP 311 ARM processor and 8MB of RAM. Who would ever thought this is going to be possible about a year ago? Kudos for palmOne for making this possible.

7. Tapwave Zodiac. The gamer's paradise. Need I say more?

8. Palm Tungsten 3. The 320 x 480 Virtual Graffiti screen (plus hardware driven landscape mode) is awesome. Sony has had the 320x480 screen for awhile, but Palm got it right the first time.

9. Not having to listen to Pocket PC users boasting about their technological superiority over Palm OS devices.

10. GearBits, the most interesting and creative web site for technology-related topics, was launched, and PalmCorner finds a new home.

Well, that's it. I'm sure you have your own favorite or memorable Palm OS moment(s) in 2003. Let us know what yours is.