On the screen, they still sport the familiar and elegant Palm user interface and there are still four function buttons below the screen. But there are some differences. Palm says a wide variety of companies are at work on these cards. Eventually, there'll be little cameras, MP3 players and other gizmos that use the slot. These range from blank storage cards to software cards preloaded with games, and travel and reference programs.
Smaller changes abound.
One of the four function buttons, the one formerly assigned to the memo pad, is now devoted to a notepad program that captures drawings or quick, handwritten notes. There's a faster processor under the hood, and a bunch of new standard software, including programs that allow you to read downloaded books, to view Microsoft Office documents with formatting, and to view photos and short movies. There's also a new, faster cradle for charging and synchronization, which finally uses a modern USB cable instead of an ancient serial one. The cradle, which mates with a new connector on the bottoms of the new Palms, is to become universal across all future Palm models. At some angles, it's tough to tell the screen is even in color.