When the Palm VII was first released, charges for wireless data access were measured by the number of kilobytes of data transferred. Given the nature of the device, one can imagine than an overzealous user might run up quite a large bill, and who could blame him? We all have a hard enough time keeping track of available mobile phone minutes. Keeping track of how many kilobytes you access every time you check your e-mail or get a stock quote can be daunting task. But now with the release of an unlimited access plan from Palm.net, Palm VII users can use their devices without worry.

As a result of the new unlimited plan, I decided to give the Palm VII a thorough review and was quite pleased with the results. Upon taking the Palm VII out of the box, you must first activate the Palm VII's Internet access. Unfortunately, as of the time of this review, you cannot activate the unlimited plan directly from the Palm VII, but must instead sign-up for the basic plan on the Palm VII and then call Palm Inc. to transfer your account to the unlimited plan. While this is a little more time-consuming, it was not a huge problem.

Once activated and having waited a short time for the antenna to charge, I was ready to go. The first thing I did was browse the Palm.net webpage for the latest and most useful web clipping applications. While the Palm VII comes fully stocked with an array of apps, the Palm.net page is always worth a quick look for new applications.

	ThinAirApps

The first application I downloaded and installed was Thin Air, an e-mail program for the Palm VII that allows access to IMAP and POP3 e-mail. While I found this program useful, I must admit that it was not the answer to my dreams. However, it does allow e-mail access and, given the nature of the Palm VII, you can understand the reason for its design. Because Palm VII users were originally charged for the amount of data accessed, Thin Air is designed to minimize the amount of data you need to transfer. For instance, the program first pulls down only the headers of the messages in your inbox. Once you have then reviewed the headers, you can then decide which messages are important enough to warrant pulling down. While this does minimize the amount of data needed, it can make checking several e-mail messages a time-consuming task. A program that instead pulls down the header and a specific number of characters, such as a Blackberry RIM pager, would be much more useful for unlimited access users. That being said, with the Thin Air application I was able to easily (although slowly) check my e-mail and send messages.

While the majority of my Palm VII use was for checking my e-mail, I did occasionally indulge in some of the other applications. While traveling out of the office, I found the MapQuest and Yellow Pages applications to be very useful. Several times I accessed directions using MapQuest and was able to navigate easily. Once I was in search of a Kinko's in Washington D.C.. With the Palm VII, I was able to locate a Kinko's using the Yellow Pages application, and find my way there using MapQuest, and all without leaving my rental car to ask for directions.

I also enjoyed having access to stock quotes and sports news using the Palm VII. While traveling during the NCAA Tournament and the Masters, I was still able to keep track of the progress in both events while in between meetings.

While I must say that I enjoyed having wireless data access via the Palm VII very much, it is definitely not for everyone. For those of you who travel extensively and are in need of access to wireless e-mail and data, the Palm VII does a fine job and you will find the Palm VII extremely useful while out of the office. I would recommend visiting the Palm.net page to determine the number of applications that you believe would make your life easier while on the road. Once you have examined the pros and cons, you can make the decision for yourself. One thing I will without a doubt recommend is the unlimited service plan. To get the Palm VII with limited data access is negating the true value of its design.

	ESPN.com

While reviewing the Palm VII, people would ask me "What can you do with it?" It seems that most people think you can pick-up a Palm VII and cruise the web just as you would on a desktop. However, that is not what the Palm VII was designed for, nor is it the function in which it excels. The Palm VII is an excellent machine for taking specific pre-formatted user-inputted data, making specific requests, and pulling down specific data from the Internet. A perfect example of this is a stock quote or driving directions. The user makes a specific request and is given a specific answer. Some users find it disappointing that they cannot browse the web just as they do on their desktop machine, however I would say that after using the device I realized that this is merely version 1.0 of wireless data access, and the Palm VII is an excellent version 1.0. Future versions will surely bring increased functionality and with that increased fanfare.

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