The two best starting points for most people are the m100
and the Visor Deluxe.
Do you want something cheap and disposable, and just for
contact management?
I recommend the Palm m100. It's newer, allows for snap-on
faceplates, and has a useful clock (viewed through a hole in the
cover). Its only drawback is a slightly smaller display. The Visor
Solo is also good (the Springboard capabilities are probably not
for you if you're in this category), but is deceptive in its price
since the cradle costs extra. The Palm IIIe might get a little
cheaper once it's officially discontinued, though not by much.
Do you want to keep your device for at least 2-3
years?
I recommend any Handspring device other than the Solo. But you
may need to make a trade-off here: Handspring devices offer the luxury
of expandability through Springboard modules, but the OS cannot be
upgraded. Most OS improvements over the years have been easily
mimicked through hacks or other add-on apps, but not always. Hardware
peripherals, for instance, might require an upgrade. For example,
the OmniSky's Minstrel wireless modem for Visors requires PalmOS 3.5
-- which means you can't use it with a Visor Solo or Visor Deluxe.
(See this eWeek article.)
Do you want color?
Get the Handspring Prism. But before you do that, ask
yourself: why do you need color? Is it really worth the extra
cost and significant battery drain to see your world clock in
different colors? Best uses of color: viewing digital photos (even
better if you get a PalmPix or similar accessory to turn the Palm
itself into a camera), games, if you play 'em (at the expense of even
more battery drain), and business/analytical apps like charting and
graphing (which aren't very popular on this platform yet, but that
could just be because of the lack of color).
Are you running a lot of business apps, and other
interactive, CPU-intensive programs?
Get the Handspring Platinum. The faster processor will make
those spreadsheets blaze by, and the extra memory is good for all that
surplus data.
Is battery life important to you?
Lean towards the Palm III Series, Visor Solo, and
Visor Deluxe. The other Palm devices and Sony Clié will
be slightly lower in batter life. The TRG Pro will do more poorly if
you use the CF slot a lot. The faster processor in the Handspring
Platinum may introduce some drain as well. Avoid the color models at
all costs.
Do you want to look important?
If money is no object, consider the Palm Vx or Handspring
Prism. These are the top-line models, and definitely the most
eye-catching. The Sony Clié may also be worth considering, but
it offers very little over the Palm Vx. The Palm V is a good runner-up
if you think you can get by with only 2 MB of RAM -- which means only
using your Palm for contact management, and that doesn't really make
you look all that important.
Do you want wireless connectivity?
Avoid the Palm VII series. (Not the answer you were expecting,
eh?) It's expensive, and the access plans are deadly. It's also
restrictive: the wireless connection is slow (19.2 Kbps), and you
can't use it to hotsync, read email (except on Palm.Net), or install
apps. You can't even view "proper" HTML pages - only "web clippings",
which require a special format. The access options have gotten
cheaper, and now have an unlimited access option for $45/month.
Just about any other device offers "true" wireless access. You can get
a Mistrel clip-on modem for Palm III and V series devices, or a
Springboard module (coming soon) for Handspring devices. Sony and TRG
Pro may be the only ones in the cold, but that's likely to change.
Wireless add-on modems start around $200 to $300, with $30-50
unlimited access plans, but there are quite a few good promotional
deals that bring this down considerably.
Do you want to use your Palm for multimedia?
The Handspring Prism is probably your best bet. The color is
great for video, and there are MP3 player Springboard modules for the
audio. If you don't need the video, a Handspring Platinum would fare
better, or even a TRG Pro. The latter is excellent because of its
enhanced audio quality, and the ability to use CF Flash RAM or IBM's
Microdrives for up to 1 GB of extra storage!
Do you have existing CF cards you want to use, and/or a large
corporate deployment to be concerned with?
This is what TRG Pro excels at. The expandability rivals that
of the proprietary Springboard modules, and TRG Pro has bulk discounts
and custom configuration options.