Palm Offering Full Refund to m130 Owners
Several weeks ago, it was acknowledged by Palm Inc. that the m130's screen could not display the number of colors the company had previously advertised. At that time, Palm said it was working on ways to compensate m130 owners for this mistake.
The company has begun sending registered Palm m130 customers an email that gives them two options. The first is a refund for the purchase price and tax of their m130 handheld. The second is a free copy of SimCity, a $30 value.
The email owners will be receiving provides information about these two offers, and links to either download SimCity, or to register to receive a refund. This information will also be posted on the Palm Web site.
SimCity is available in most regions around the world. Where SimCity is not available, regions will still offer options - a free download of a color application, or a full refund.
The m130 starts with a 12-bit screen and uses dithering to increase the number of apparent colors displayed. Palm originally believed that this allowed the m130 to display the same number of colors as a 16-bit screen, which is 65,536. Instead, Palm's system can display what it describes as 58,621 color combinations.
Spokesperson Marlene Somsak has said this was an honest mistake on Palm's part and apologized on behalf of her company for this error.
For all the negative attention this has brought to Palm and the m130, there appears to have been little reaction from m130 owners. According to a company spokesperson, Palm's customer support center has received about 8 calls to date regarding the m130 color issue.
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RE: i JUST got this
(Obviously if you don't have the game or you feel upset about missing 10% of your colour range, take them up on their offer.)
RE: i JUST got this
RE: i JUST got this
TAKE THE FREAKING MONEY..DUH
Than if you really like your Palm, go buy another one, that can be purchased CHEAPER, and with a brand new and fresh WARRANTY.
Some people just don't see an opportunity if you sholve a million bucks up their ***... They'd still insist that working for 8 bucks an hour is the best thing.
RE: i JUST got this
> CHEAPER, and with a brand new and fresh WARRANTY.
How does it feel to be totally contemptible?
Anyone in their right mind!
Laters! Smarten Up!
RE: i JUST got this
RE: i JUST got this
RE: i JUST got this
Roy
RE: i JUST got this
1) I think I paidtoo much for a 12 bit screen PDA so I get a refund
2) When I go for shopping I see a M130 selling for less and I think that price justify for a 12 bit screen PDA so I buy it.
I don't see any dishonest in both action 1 and 2 ..
but I do see dishonest in giving customers false information.
RE: i JUST got this
Maybe I missed something...
RE: Maybe I missed something...
RE: Maybe I missed something...
RE: Maybe I missed something...
----------------------------------------
A few years ago at the Sony handheld Dept.:" That's the most stupid name ever. Who would want to buy something called a 'Clie'? You must be out of your mind!"
RE: Maybe I missed something...
> I unlike most m130 users, actually need 16-bit color for pictures
Why don't you go steal a handheld with a 16 bit screen? Or you could rob a few people and use their money to buy a handheld. It shouldn't bother you. You already made it clear you don't have any morals.
RE: Maybe I missed something...
Palm is offering you a full refund for the return of your m130. And you somehow think it is their responsibility to let you keep it?!!! That definitely is in the running for the "dumbest comment of the day."
You think Palm is ripping you off by not letting you keep the 130, but it is fine for you to illegally download software. Freakin' unbelievable!
Since you don't seem intelligent enough to figure it out on your own, just go out and buy a replacement for that completely useless m130, hotsync everything over with your illegal copy of Backupbuddy, and then send the m130 back to Palm for a refund.
And regarding your "need" for 16-bit, just when was it you noticed that your screen was only 12-bit? I'll bet it wasn't until some time after PIC broke the news.
RE: Maybe I missed something...
e.g. they could say this monitor can run 1024X768 at 100Hz .. but turns out it runs at 75Hz, and I am pretty sure your eyes can't count that the monitor refreshes 75 times every second. So CRT makers should all jsut say their CRT can refresh at 1000Hz, becasue human eyes can't count so fast, hay I can say whatever Hertz I want!
Sometimes something your eyes can't "see" doesn't mean it doesn't affect the user experience.
Wow, I'm actually impressed.
I'm more impressed that they seem to be taking the initiative and e-mailing registered users about this. These are probably people that have never even heard of the problem.
Nice.
---
What's Wrong With This Picture?
http://raj.phangureh.com/picture.html
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
:-)
I wish I had a m130 'cause then I'd get SimCity for nix! D'oh! Silly me bought a m515 instead... oh well...
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
I have to side with the folks who say that if not for all of the bad publicity and threat of a class action lawsuit, this buy-back offer would probably not exist.
Furthermore, I think Palm would do well to reword the "58,000 color combination" nonsense and come clean. Otherwise, they could get bitten twice with this. Imagine, someone takes the free copy of SimCity then when someone else threatens a class action because the device isn't capable of 58,000 colors, but only 4096, they have to buy back the device or offer some other extra piece of software. Just bite the bullet and state it clearly as follows: "The Palm m130 can display 4096 colors but is able to play 16-bit applications." If they're afraid that 4096 colors sounds too limited, then say "thousands of colors" (which they're doing in some places), but drop the 58,000 color combinations nonsense, please.
Scott
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
Yes.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
It's unfortunate that it won't be perfect for everyone, since not everyone wants the game (a $25-40 credit for software or accessory would have been better), but still... If you're that unhappy, take the refund.
Rolando
SimCity freeware
Good deal!
An interesting story.
And also, compensating Palm owners with a 40 dollar software game is foolish. I would have given M130 owners a choice. Maybe for example, Sim City, Zap2000!, Bejeweled, or some other game.
Palm shouldn’t have lied/mislead the public in the first place. I have completely lost my trust now in Palm, and I have been fed up of Sonys new models. Cant there be another PDA maker that doesn’t outdate as much, but offers some good stuff!?!??!
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
If you are feeling a little bit dissatisfied with the m130's screen, getting a free (very cool) game will go a long way towards making you happy again.
If you don't feel the game is enough to make you happy again, send your m130 back and get a refund. Then buy something else.
Palm is covering the people who feel slightly miffed and the people who are really angry. If they had just offered the refund, most people would have gotten nothing because most people are mostly happy with their m130s.
I feel confident making that sweeping generalization because in all the hundreds of comments I've read on this, I only remember 2 from an actual m130 owner who wants his money back and I think both of those were from the same man.
> and i got a freeware version of SimCity on my m515...
> by ateliersoftware.com
Let's not confuse people by saying there is a freeware version of SimCity. It may have come bundled with your m515, but the term "freeware" says anyone can get it for free, which isn't true. To understand the difference, if you sent your friend a copy of MiddleCaps Hack, a freeware app, there would be no problem. If you sent your friend a copy of SimCity, you would be breaking the law. SimCity costs $40.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
I also wanted to address this issue of the class action suit that was filed. I doubt strongly that this had any real impact on Palm's decision. I say this because a class action suit does not begin in the same way every other suit begins, that is, the aggrieved party commences a suit against the party they believe has wronged them. A class action suit is filed and before the suit can proceed the court must certify the class or group of individuals that the suit proports to represent. The court can easily (and quite often does) decline to certify a class for various reasons including that the class (group) of people are not clearly defined or the harm caused to the group is too vague and not actionable (these are just examples). Thus the suit filed on this matter could not reasonably be considered viable at this early stage because it has several significant hurdles to overcome before Palm really needed to take it seriously.
I should add that now that Palm has taken action to address the harm, the difficulty of pursuing a class action suit is even greater because Palm can show that it has provided a remedy that is proportionate to the harm caused and that it has made diligent efforts to publish the remedy to the potential class.
More likely, the bad press was a big motivating factor. I also think that Palm is a fairly honest and above board company (despite this misrepresentation, which I chose to believe was accidental not intentional). In a time of revelations about companies inflating their bottom line for years on end, Palm has consistently been honest about its earnings (or lack thereof), financial difficulties and missteps. Considering that they are, by far, the leader in the market, it would have been easy to lie about profits and inflate stock value but they did not and took the lumps that came along with it. So, in my opinion, Palm generally does do the right thing (definitely not the most innovative or cutting edge thing) and I always cheer for people and companies that try to do the right thing.
In the Spirit of Umoja,
Ronin
Palm did the right thing...
Sure, there will be people who spin this negatively, as they do EVERY move that Palm makes. And there will no doubt be people who flame me over this, as they do EVERY positive comment about Palm. And there will likely be people who cry and whine about how Palm should do more, as they do EVERY time anything about Palm is posted. And these people should all get a life...
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
***
Some people on this board are just plain evil and YOU certainly count among them.
Have a nice day and watch the traffic on the way to work.
RE: Palm did the right thing...
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
a refund or a free game (for those like myself that
are happy with their m130 units. this is just my
opinion but owning a 515 as well in a side by side
comparision the m130 has a nicer screen with more
vibrant color. 12 bit. so what. if palm never told
me i would never have know nor do i really care. it
does what i need it to do without problem and that
is what counts.
kudos to palm though for doing the right thing. as
for me, i already have sim city but still intend on
keep my m130. i've become quite attached to it.
RE: Wow, I'm actually impressed.
I don't own a M130. I don't own a colour PDA.
This is a deal between M130 owners and Palm, not Sony NR70V owners and Palm, or M515 owners and Palm.
The people that need to be satisfied with the deal are the ones that own the M130. Everyone else should just shut up and sit down, and let the parties involved decide if it is a good deal or not.
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i JUST got this
it is kind of bad for someone who already has SimCity, and doesnt want a full refund.
but oh well, i'll just take the game anyways
-alex
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