So far I'm please with the M130 - it moved all of my previous apps over without issue and with an SD128 card I have more than enough room. With the bundled Documents to Go app I can now bring my Excel, Word and even Powerpoint (useful for the outline view of a presentation rather than slide view) files - this is a superior app over Quickoffice in my opinion.

The screen is bright and the color is good for 58K+ colors, and the battery life so far has been good across 2-3 days of checking schedules, contact info, Advantgo and viewing Excel files before requiring re-charge.

So until the next gen of PDA w/Palm/Web/Phone/SMS is really available and proven the Palm M130 is a great interim PDA.

A good balance of features (Rating: 4.00)
Review : After three years squinting at grayscale screens, I finally gave up. The bright color screen of the m130 well worth the extra price. As I compared it against much more expensive models in the stores (Clie for example) the m130 has the most readable screen. The lower resolution compared to the top-end Clie models doesn't hurt much and you save almost 50%. The small screen size doesn't bother me, I suppose because I was used to it from my previous m100.

I considered the Pocket PC devices too but they are triple the price and more aimed at the enterprise. Palm has a wealth of useful software for consumers, much of it free. One of my favorites is AvantGo. Read the news etc. while waiting in line or otherwise bored.

I am having trouble installing the free MGI picture viewer software into my Windows XP computer but otherwise the applications work fine.

I am impressed with the rechargeable battery. Having been used to the two AAA's lasting a month on the grey models, I was worried. But it recharges quickly and easily.

It comes with the world's ugliest PDA coverplate, though. No doubt they are trying to irritate you into buying a replacement cover.

Does everything I needed! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I did a lot of research before purchasing my first palm pilot (my m130 for myself as a mother's day gift) and I am so glad I moved from a paper calendar to this. I originally hoped to get a phone and pda in one but to be honest w/a laptop at work and a computer at home w/internet access, I don't need wireless connectivity and I have found that anything with any phone feature gets so ridiculously expensive in addition to wanting you to pay for wireless service in addition to phone... well... I decided the option to add wireless later if I need it does exist on the m130, so I got it and a cell phone separately.

I have never had any trouble, have had it over a year and I really maximize the calendar and contacts features using outlook at work and transferring everything to my palm daily. I used the documents to go feature frequently before I got a laptop, so that was really handy as a storage unit so I could work on documents between home and work. I have for the most part, given up on taking notes most of the time more because of our work culture, then the pda, when it is appropriate I certainly use the note pad feature the most of the "extras". But for everything I hoped it would do... it has been perfect.

I did have to get some help from IT at work to get my outlook to synchronize properly w/the palm software, but once it was all set up it has never crashed or done anything wrong for me. There are a lot of people at my office who use this model and say the same. Slowly the whole organization is switching to outlook calendars and this really makes it easier.

Best value for the money (Rating: 5.00)
Review : If you are thinking of buying this handheld, make sure you understand what you are getting. It is not top of the line anymore. It does not have a high-resolution (320x240) screen, a super-fast ARM processor, built-in wireless connectivity, and it cannot play MP3's or videos. If you want these features, take a look at the Tungsten models or the Zire 71.

That being said, however, this handheld is simply the best in its price range. Indoors, the color screen is phenomenal and outdoors it is readable except in the most direct sunlight. The battery life is quite reasonable and the battery charges quickly. The m130 comes bundled with DataViz Documents To Go, for easy editing of Word and Excel documents on the go. DocsToGo also lets you view PowerPoint shows. There are hundreds of free games available for download, as well as both shareware (Liberty) and freeware (Phoinix) Game Boy emulators, which further expand the library of available games.

If you ever *do* decide you want some more advanced features, many are available with add-on accessories. The m130 may have only 8MB of memory built in, but the SecureDigital / MultiMediaCard expansion slot provides virtually limitless storage. It may not have built-in Bluetooth, but the Palm Bluetooth SDIO card, which snaps into the SecureDigital slot, provides this capability. The Palm Universal Connector on the bottom snaps into a lot more than just the charger / sync cradle, including wired and wireless modems, digital cameras, keyboards, printers, and GPS units!

If you want an afforable handheld with a high "cool" factor and lots of room to grow, the m130 is the best pick.

Mine died! (Rating: 2.00)
Review : I bought my Palm M130 less than a year ago and it was great. Then one day it wouldn't turn on. I hit the reset button and it was fine for a few months. Then recently it wouldn't turn on again. I tried resetting it in different ways and no luck. Now i have a dead palm and all my phone numbers and calender info are stuck in my work computer! i wouldn't bother buying this product as i am sure it will die on you too :(

Decent PDA with all basic features (Rating: 3.00)
Review : I bought this Palm back in December 2002, and so far it has never let me down. Okay, the PDAs standards have developed a lot, but the basic features of this device remain useful: calendar, address book, and the Docs to go.
I am now giving thoughts to get an state-of-the-art PDA, but the bad reviews I've read here at Amazon regarding the Tungsten C have make me think about moving to a smartphone, perhaps Sony Eriksson P900...