Ahrr! Just tell me what to buy! (click on image)

This used to be an entry model. It has been out of production for several years. Palm sold a lot of these PDAs (there wasn’t much competition then) so you may have one in a drawer somewhere or may be able to find one locally. It does an adequate job of running GPS2PDA.

It does not have a rechargeable battery, it runs on two AA batteries.

It has a monochromatic screen that lacks a backlight and can be difficult to read under some lighting conditions, although to be fair, in our testing it worked ok.

Since the HotSync cradle of the m105 utilizes a serial interface, it is possible to use it to connect to your GPS receiver. The cradle itself, however, is not ideal for use in the car since it is fairly easy for the m105 to fall out of the cradle if it is jostled. You can however purchase a separate HotSync cable for the m105 from Palm, which we recommend if you plan to use this PDA. It is part number P10701U and is available from the Palm web site at www.Palm.com and costs $19.95 (click here). You may also be able to get one at your local computer supply store.

The hotsync cable gets you halfway there. It is designed to connect to a computer, not to a device like a GPS receiver. You also need what is called a null modem adapter that does two things: it switches the pins on the cable so that the PDA can listen to the GPS receiver, and it changes the gender of the cable so it mates with the cable on the GPS. You can get these adapters at local computer stores, office supply stores, Radio Shacks, and of course, the internet. You want to find a 9 pin, male-to-male null modem adapter. You may only be able to find a 9 pin, male-to-female null modem adapter (that is what Radio Shack sells). You then need a 9 pin male-to-male gender changer to plug into the null modem adapter and change the output connector to a male type. These adapters are also easy to find in local stores (including Radio Shack). The parts are available from Radio Shack, the Male -to-Female Null Modem Adapter is part #26-264 and costs $6.99. The Male To Male Gender Changer is part # 26-231 and also costs $6.99.

Once you have the proper cables and adapters, the m105 works fine to collect travel time data. However, if you plan to do many travel time studies and are looking for a PDA, we recommend you spend just a little more money and get a newer PDA with a better display.

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