Look at the Palm V PDAs and your first impression will probably be “It’s tiny!” The anodized aluminum case is only half as thick as a Palm III, slim and PDAs subtly curved. It’s seductively eye-catching: if people bought PDAs simply on the basis of how good they look, this would probably break all records. However, people don’t, or at least, shouldn’t and those of us who are tempted must harden our hearts and abstain from such sinful abandon. Anyhow; PDAs the Palm V definitely gives out some positive vibes. Pick it up- it’s light,PDAs but only slightly lighter than a Palm III, thanks to the former’s metal case. It feels solid and it is: you can’t take it apart. In other words, it isn’t upgradable. Unlike previous Palm models,PDA you won’t be able to add more memory to the Palm V. Just hope that the 2MB it comes with is enough- but more on that later PDA.
 

The casing has long grooves PDA along either side as stylus holders: if this arrangement sounds flimsy on text, don’t believe it. The PDA stylus slides in with a click and then it’s actually a bit PDA of a struggle to get it out again. No more lost styli, PDA at least, not unless you contrive to somehow lose the entire unit. Two little nubs on either side of the PDA stylus hold it in place inside the groove, which is why it’s PDA  initially a little difficult to slide it out again. PDA  Presumably these little nubs will wear down a little with use and make it easier to get the stylus out. The grooves PDA are not exclusively for styli- there is a leather cover included, with a plastic spine that allows PDA  it to be similarly fitted into one of PDA  the grooves. (Either one- it depends on whether the user is right- or left-handed and what he or she finds most comfortable)

The leather PDA cover is fairly rigid, and is hinged so that you can flip it all the way back behind the unit, though it won’t sit flat on the PDA back. (It won’t sit quite flat on the front either, unless you twist it a little forward when you’re inserting the spine into the groove.) The PDA  leather flap  doesn’t offer much in the way of protection, and for those for PDA whom this is an issue can opt for the $39 clam-shell aluminum case. More elaborate cases are also available from various PDA third-party vendors. 

The top of the unit has the On/Off power button on the PDA right corner, which also toggles the backlight on and off by holding it down for a few more seconds. Also on top are the IR port and contrast control button. Yep,PDA  that means we’ve finally seen the end of the contrast wheel, all hail, all hail. When the unit is switched on, press the contrast PDA control button to get a slider control onscreen. The location of the power PDA  button is a little annoying if you opt to keep your stylus in the right-hand groove and the flap cover is attached to the left-hand PDA groove- which is, if you’re right-handed, a natural way to arrange PDA  matters. I say it’s annoying because there is a tendency to keep pressing the power button by mistake when trying to remove PDA the recalcitrant stylus from the right hand groove. To fix this, you’re then PDA  forced to reverse the order- put your stylus in the left-hand groove and attach the flap cover to the right-hand groove. This PDA way, the only thing you might press by PDA  mistake is the contrast control button, but this has no effect when the unit is switched off. It’s initially a bit PDA  jarring but it doesn’t take long to get used to it. The PDA  problem may not arise if you’re left-handed, in which case PDA  you may have naturally attached the stylus and the cover this way. All this is really only a minor annoyance, but we all know how minor annoyances sometimes become dangerous psychoses over time, PDA  especially with something that’s used as often as a PDA.