Upgrades for an Aging Handheld

Posted By: David Chen Sunday, April 8, 2001 1:11:15 PM

Feeling kinda down that your Palm PDA is showing it's age? Want a Handspring Edge or m505 but can't justify the extra money or you'd rather wait for a really big jump in the technology? There are several companies that can help you.

Tony Rudenko at PalmPilotUpgrade.com will upgrade the memory in your Palm (Palm III's and up and all HandSprings) and can increase the CPU speeds of Palm V's to Vx speeds. Heck, he even will upgrade a brand-new Visor Edge to 16 MB and the Prism and Platinum, too. He also puts flash ROM in some Palm models without it.

STNE can upgrade the Palm VII and the V, III, IIIe, IIIx , 3C, and Visor to 8 MB. They can also upgrade the new Edge to 16 MB and overclock the V.

GetHighTech.com sells the parts necessary to give memory upgrades to the Palm 1000, 5000, Personal, Professional, III, IIIe, and IIIx.

PalmChips offers both do-it-yourself kits and upgrade services for the V, m100, IIIx, IIIe, III, Visor, and even the Symbol SPT 1500.

An option for IIIx owners is the TRG xtra xtra Pro memory upgrade which adds 4 MB of RAM and 2 MB of ROM.

These are just some of the companies that offer upgrade services.

David, I expanded your article quite a bit, hope you don't mind. -Ed

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Upgrades for vx?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/8/2001 2:12:25 PM #

I have a palm vx and am out of memory, but cant afford the m550/m505 with the sd slot and have tons of accessories (keyboard, modem, 3cases, stylii, cradle, charger, gamepad) and if i were to get a visor handheld then I would lose all of my investment into my accessories....of course i could have 2 palms...but then i would end up gradually switching completely to the visor and then a new model would come out...LOL....so for now i would like to stick to upgrading my vx....are there any available memory upgrades for my vx? Flash RAM maybe? Arew there extra memory thing available that allow running of apps for my vx? any ideas?

RE: Upgrades for vx?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/8/2001 2:49:01 PM #

Hey, I hear ya. I have a Vx, Omnisky modem, Palm Keyboard, remote charger, two cradles, etc, etc, etc. I have always had the need for more memory, but there appear to be nothing that you can solder into or onto the Palm to give it more memory. I've been watching www.pocketpyro.com for some time hoping that they would actually start shipping their products, but I haven't seen anything on the market yet. The MP3 sled they "allegedly" are building for the Vx will have massive memory capacity and an MMC slot. I assume that at least a portion of that memory could be accessed for data storage.

As for me, it looks like I'm either migrating to a Clie or the m505. Probably the m505 just because it's American (and I heard the redraw speed on the Clie really bites). My Vx will have to go the way of my other Palms. My older brother has my Palm Pro, my sister-in-law has my old personal IIIx, my Dad has my old IIIx from the office . . . . I think they call that trickle down economics. My only question is, who am I going to give the m505 to in a year when the new StrongARM Palms come out? Oh well, trickle, trickle, trickle.

JBH

RE: Upgrades for vx?

SilliconMan @ 4/8/2001 3:12:01 PM #

The Palm Vx uses the same old DragonBall EZ processor as most of Palms current PDAs. Because of this, all the devices that use the EZ processor cannot handle more RAM than 8MBs, no matter what type of RAM you use.

Palming away.....

RE: Upgrades for vx?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 3:08:51 AM #

I'm also currently using a palm vx with the Omnisky service. Memory is running short. If you also have an Omnisky modem, you might want to try subscribing to the Skipwire service. It works a little bit like Napster for MP3 files but you need to pay a fee for their storage capacity. Basically, you can upload applications and data that you are not currently using onto the memory in your Skipwire account. The online memory works like a virtual memory expansion SD card. When you want to use an application, just log on to your Skipwire account and download it onto your RAM. Check it out.

[ No Subject ]

dzamani @ 4/8/2001 4:00:01 PM #

I have a Vx too. I recenty purchased a chip from NorthStar that allows you to store pragrams & databases on it. It plugs in at the cradle connector. They sell for $69.99(8M). The problem is the software can't be ran from Jackflash, but can be used in FlashPro. So you have to download a cop y to back up after a hard reset, but you can also use it to switch programs in and out of you Palm. Doesn't require batteries, and comes in 2 or 8 M. I tried running it from Jackflash anyway and had to do a hard reset. Maybe I'll learnmy lesson some day!

RE: [ No Subject ]

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/8/2001 4:03:47 PM #

i too have a memorysafe which i orignally purchased for extra memory. However, once i found out apps cannot be ran off of it i copied the msafe app into flash and now use it as a backup...too bad u cannot run off of it...oh wel....

but what about the IIIxe

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/8/2001 7:24:51 PM #

i ahve a IIxe and it is running prety nice. what i would like is a new screen. i like the clarity of the screen that is on the m100/5. not no much the size but just the clarity. what about an upgrade to teh finer/clearer screen.

that is one thing and i would also like to be able to use the SD card. that would be something that could really hold the value of my palm before the strong ARM versons come out in a year.

Extremely Satisfied Customer.

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 11:31:04 AM #

Tony Rudenko did my old PalmV when it was 2MB and needed 8MB. I paid a little over $100, and had it back within days - and the work was incredible. I fully plan on sending him my Prism (when I have loot to spare) so that I can run with 16MB instead of 8MB. All in all, Tony provides an EXCELLENT service, and you should not be afraid in the least to do business with him.

Upgrade Clie?

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 1:23:09 PM #

Is there anyone that will add flash ROM or more memory to the Sony Clie?

Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 12:16:24 PM #

I send my Palm V in to have it upgraded after viewing several positive reviews about his service online. However, I wasn't all that satisfied with his service and would caution anyone thinking about mailing your Palm to him.

Following is my recent experience with Tony Rudenko's upgrade service:

I mailed my Palm V to Tony on 1/29/01 and emailed him that my Palm was on its way. I received a reply back from him the next day saying that he'll inform me as soon as he gets it and on 1/31/01 he notified me via email that he received it. I was happy upto this point b/c everything was going very well. I liked how he kept me posted. But that didn't last very long.

I emailed him on 2/5 (after my check for $109 was cleared) asking him for an update. I wanted to know what chip he planned to use for the upgrade. I didn't receive a reply so I waited a few more days and emailed him again on 2/8 (8-9 days after he received my Palm) for a status of my upgrade. Again, I didn't receive any reply. On 2/12, I started to panic and emailed him again (this time asking him to call me since he hadn't replied to any of my emails). Also, I had to kindly remind him how he got most of his customers and how important reviews were.

This time he emailed me back right away saying that my Palm has been upgraded and that he'll be mailing it back to me soon. I received my upgraded Palm via USPS (uninsured!) on 2/16 (that's approx. 19 days after I mailed it to him). I examined my Palm and it looked almost perfect. I couldn't even tell that it was upgraded. I turned the Palm ON and was very pleased to see that I now have 8MB of space on my Pam V... WOW!

I was expecting instructions on how to restore all my data and applications with my upgraded Palm. There weren't any. So, I simply put my Palm on the cradle and HotSynced it. It didn't work and after several emails to Tony I concluded that it was upto me to figure this out. I ended up fiddling around with it for over 6 hours before getting it work again. Apparently, you have to set the date and time on the Palm first before you HotSync it or else in some cases it'll fail and give you error messages and corrupt your data?! Also, after the upgrade, the Find function on my Palm doesn't work. It causes it to crash. I haven't been able to fix it. Because of my not so favorable experience with him I didn't bother to mail it back to him to get it fixed.

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 7:46:09 PM #

I had a very similar experience with Tony. I guess he is not very good in replying to emails.

that does not sound good however,

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 11:07:40 AM #

It takes 10 business days for the personal checks to clear which is reflected in the order form
(I've got a large collection of bouced checks). Not to mention the USPS insurance receipt still
on file.
Here are some more feedbacks on my service
http://www.palmpilotupgrade.com/feedback.html
Tony

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 8:18:17 PM #

Hmmm. My experience with Tony was fantastic; I emailed him about sending my Palm V for an upgrade, and he emailed me back later that same day. I shipped the next day, and had it back in less than one week, with 8 MB of memory, a faster processor and upgraded system software, for a little over 100$. He recommends sending a money order, and obviously a personal check takes a while to clear, and that will certainly slow things down.

I restored all my information, much of it detailed medical info, including Epocrates 4.0 (for any who use this) without any problems, and added some new things I had planned on adding with the new memory. I believe that instructions for restoring data come with the Palm, but I didn't need to check, since it restored with my first sync.

Finally, I had lunch with a friend who asked me where my Palm was while it was out getting upgraded. I told him, and he said that he had used Tony over a year ago with his Palm V and I know he has had zero problems with the work that Tony did.

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/9/2001 7:02:44 AM #

My experience was very positive and withour problem. The work wasa done promptly and with acknowledgement upon receipt and shipment. I am quite satisfied.

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/9/2001 9:32:54 AM #

It's a shame the unhappy guy sent a check and had to wait (as Tony's website says he'd have to). I sent a money order when I had my Palm V upgraded (memory & processor) and had no trouble whatsoever. I got an email the same day as my original request, another upon receipt, another when he shipped it, and a response to my 'thank you for perfect service' note. After setting the correct time and date (duh!) I hotsynced and was 100% operational immediately. The only thing I had to do was start loading all of the programs I couldn't fit on my Palm before it was upgraded. I'd recommend Tony to anyone looking for this service.
Mike, Philadelphia.

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/9/2001 1:22:14 PM #

I had a good experience with Tony. His service was prompt, professional and reasonibly priced. If i have any suggestions it is that he did not provide any assistance in restoring the data. I did not have any trouble with the hot sync. It took some time to reload all the applications, but I did it with no loss of data. I'd do it again. jayber100@hotmail.com

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade Service

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/9/2001 4:17:58 PM #

Sounds to me like Tony did everything he said he'd do,
but you didn't read the instructions on his website and
then wanted him to provide more help than he offered.
Palmpilotupgrades does hardware modifications, seems
perfectly fair to me that backup/restore of your data
is your responsibility. It's unimaginable (to me)
that the work performed would not require a hard,
wipe-everything-clean full reset somewhere along the
line. I sent in my TRGPro with a certified check, told
him I was worried about having it back in time for
something, and he turned it around in less than two
days. No complaints here.

rob.

But... but...

PalmPlan @ 4/9/2001 1:59:33 PM #

I can understand the hesitation of some people about getting the new Palms since they can't support whatever accessories these people already have.
What I DON'T understand is why some people can pay so much just to upgrade their Palms. From simple calculation alone, you can figure out the cost to upgrade would probaly be higher than getting a new one!

Why not simply sell off your Palm, add the money you would have spent on the upgrade, and buy a new one?

PalmPlan

RE: But... but...

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/9/2001 6:43:24 PM #

well i was unable to find an upgrade for my vx and have no intention of upgarding sometime soon. First, I am a child and simply don't have the kind of money. I spent almost all of my money from my bday/hanukah on my palm stuff and now my accessories alone are worth the same, if not more than my Palm VX itself. Of course, there is ebay, but i am happy with my palm and have no need whatsoever to upgrade. My palm is barely 1 year old, with 2 more years on my best buy extended warrantee....so i'll stay with it. I might buy another when my bar-mitzvah comes around in October, but i wont sell my vx.

RE: But... but...

I.M. Anonymous @ 4/17/2001 10:51:43 AM #

I think alot of it has to do with two factors:

The first is that it's the Palm that they already have well integrated into their lives. The unit works with the software, the unit works with the hardware...basically everything is in place. Buying a new unit would change that. And add to the fray some accessories that won't work with different models and you get another reason.

The seond is more of a grudge match type of reason. I've been using a Palm personal for a few years now. It saw me through two and a half years of college ( being used to take notes mind you ) , my post collegiate jobless months and a year or so of being employed. I paid a good chunk of dough for it when it came out. I know I could get more, bigger, better and faster but I think it's more of the entire "it still works...and I'm going to use it until it doesn't" mentality that keeps me hanging onto it.

RE: Tony Rudenko's Upgrade

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 9:43:10 PM #

Tony gives very specific instructions on his web site on how to prepare your palm for mailing so that you can sync easily upon its return. His price is fair, his service is expedient (if you send a money order as he recommends), and his work quality is excellent. I strongly recommend his service to anyone desiring an upgrade to their palm device.

Tony's service (Palmpilotupgrade.com) is TOP NOTCH

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/10/2001 8:47:22 AM #

Tony Rudenko of <http://palmpilotupgrade.com> upgraded my unit last week to 8MB. I mailed my unit to him on a Monday and had it back in my hands the following Monday.

Tony's service was not only top-notch, it was perfect... flawless. There are absolutely no indications that he opened up the case. But sure enough, my PalmV has been supersized into an 8MB powerhouse.

If you're interested in getting your Palm upgraded with more memory or a faster processor, go with the best of the best - check out www.palmpilotupgrade.com