Palm OS devices

[R6GYY]

I wasn't sure where to put this, as it is tech nostalgia related rather than news about new stuff.

Anyway, I have had numerous handheld PDAs running the Palm operating system in the dim an distant past.

Ones I can remember being:

Palm Vx (my first, and one that I really regret selling)
Palm IIIc - my first colour device
Palm Tungsten something or other (probably 2 or 3 of those, different models)

And the most advanced / revolutionary design being the Sony Clie NR70V I think it was, with a rotating clamshell design. That was lovely.

All sold in search of the next best thing.

In a fit of nostalgia, I have been scouring ebay for a reasonably priced Palm OS device (the Clie mentioned above goes for hundreds, so not a viable option).

I was thinking about getting another Palm Vx - a lovely form factor device which I remember with real fondness - however, I thought that something that old would benefit from a new battery, and when I discovered you needed to heat the case with a hair dryer in order to crack it open, I gave up on that idea.

I then discovered that the more modern (and affordable) Sony Clie PEG-SL10 runs on 2 x AAA batteries. This still sold for over £200 when new I believe, and I have just secured what appears to be a very little used one of these for a 10th of that price, complete with box and manuals, but no installation CD.

Of course, the internet was my friend here and I have already sourced an ISO image for that, and found a page with help to get the sync working with Windows 10 (this was a 98/XP device).

So I am looking forward to getting my hands on one again. It will have a small fraction of the power of a modern smart phone of course, and a 320x320 monochrome screen, but then I have a smart phone for high-res moving image tomfoolery 

This is for nostalgia, and perhaps to play a few of the old monochrome games that I used to.

I seem to remember Slim having one or more of these devices - perhaps the older Palm Pilot model(s)? But maybe my memory is playing tricks on me.

Hopefully happy tinkering days await.

Normal service is resumed . . . . move along now, nothing to see here.

[Slim]

Yes, I did have the original Palm Pilot, acquired in 1998. I finally chucked it only this year, along with my old Nokia "Internet tablet" from about 2006.

The Palm Pilot had a stand with an RS232 connector, I don't think PCs have those any more though I'm sure I could have found a USB adaptor.

It was fun for playing with on long plane journeys (except when I lost the stylus down the side of my seat, fortunately I was in business class so I had room to grovel around for it on the floor). It never did fulfil its intended purpose as an email / note-taking device. People used to take notes with them in meetings but we were just posing really.

Any half-decent smartphone is dramatically more usable for that, notice how people don't actually bother? I use a pen & notepad or a laptop.

In the end it was most useful for playing a submarine / torpedo game while commuting on the train. I got addicted to that, it was really brilliant. I'd love to find a similar Android game, must have a look.

[R6GYY]

Ah yes - the serial connector.

That is used by the Palm Vx and is another reason against getting one.

The Sony SL10 I am getting (launched in 2002 I think) uses a standard USB cable to connect. I will need to go through a few hoops to get it syncing, but no need to get an RS-232 adaptor.

[R6GYY]

Hi James.

Is this what you used to play?
Subhunt

If so, and should you wish, you can play it in a Palm emulator. I'm using an HTML5 based one called CloudPilotEmu.
https://palmdb.net/category/tools-emu/

[Nick]

I had a Psion Revo for a while. I have no memory what happened to it, seemed state of the art at the time.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Revo

[Slim]

Hi James.

Is this what you used to play?
Subhunt

If so, and should you wish, you can play it in a Palm emulator. I'm using an HTML5 based one called CloudPilotEmu.
https://palmdb.net/category/tools-emu/

Yes that's the one - happy days! I'll take a look, thanks Reg

[Slim]

Works nicely, but I'm not sure yet if there's a way to assign keyboard shortcuts to the emulated buttons. You can still play using the mouse but it's a bit awkward.

[Slim]

Yes, I did have the original Palm Pilot, acquired in 1998. I finally chucked it only this year, along with my old Nokia "Internet tablet" from about 2006.

The Palm Pilot had a stand with an RS232 connector, I don't think PCs have those any more though I'm sure I could have found a USB adaptor.

Why I thought I'd chucked my Palm Pilot I'm not sure .. I've just found it, along with the RS232 cradle, while looking for something else in the loft!