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Parallel Design m505 Personality Pack
February 1, 2002
For $17.99, you get a hinged plastic cover that clips into the slot on the back of a Palm and covers the screen. There are several color choices for the m505, including crystal, Carbon, Sapphire, and Granite, plus many more (cooler) color choices for the Palm Vx. Once you get your cover you fit it over the top of your Palm and then snap it into the slots on the back. This can be a little tricky, and the secret is to push it in until you hear an actual “snap” sound on each side. Then your cover is nicely attached and won’t come off until you peel it off over the top of the device. Trust me, that’s not as hard as it sounds.
I really like this idea because I want to keep my device protected at all times, but don’t always want to carry it in a case. This is especially true at the office, where I use my Palm countless times each day— I just don’t want to go through the hassle of unzipping or unsnapping a normal case over and over and over again. The Personality Pack provides enough screen protection to make me feel better, without the actual fall or damage protection that if I’m careful I don’t really need while I’m at work. It’s also good enough to slip into my purse, though I wouldn’t try it with my backpack.
There are two small problems with this product as it is now. For starters, there is no way to access the reset hole on the back of your device once it is installed, though reaching the SD slot isn’t any problem. I’ve spoken with a company representative about this issue, and he told me that this issue had been addressed, and that future models will include a cutout at the appropriate spot. This isn’t a deal-breaker though—if you use hacks, then you can download a freeware program called Crash that will automatically reset your Palm after a preset delay with no need to use the reset button on the back.
The second problem is a bit more serious. I’ve had my cover on for about a week now, and already I can see some fine scratches on the front, as well as something that looks like a thin smudge about an inch across. Since I chose the clear cover, I can see the screen through it pretty well right now. But as time goes on it will be harder and harder to do that. If scratches have appeared in such a short time, I wonder what it might look like just a few months from now. Obviously it’s doing a good job of protecting my screen, but the Personality Pack may not look “like new” for very long.
All in all I really like this product, and I think that it does a very good job of providing some screen protection without a lot of bulk. And while there isn’t much “personality” in the cover colors available for the m505 right now, hopefully there will be some more colors available soon. Some of the gel colors they have for the Vx are really cool, and with one of those there’s no worry about picking someone else’s Palm up by mistake— you’ll instantly know whose is whose. If you’d like to try one for yourself, head on over to Parallel Design Parallel Design and get one there for $17.99.
PocketGoddess rating: 
