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While we were testing a prerelease version of the Palm m100 from Palm Computing, a colleague came by, took one look at the device's diminutive, sculpted design, and exclaimed: "That's just like a Palm--only smaller."

Compact Companion

The m100's attractive appearance is deceiving: The unit is about the size of the sleek, 4.5-by-3-inch Palm V. At 5 ounces, it even weighs the same. So why does it look smaller? No doubt the device's curved-in, scalloped sides, which make it particularly comfortable to hold, play some part in tricking the eye.

The resulting smaller screen also plays a role. The 2.25-by-2-inch screen is 25 percent shorter in length and a little over 10 percent shorter in width than the screens of other Palm models.

However, while a quarter inch here and three-quarters of an inch there may seem a lot to lose in a device that was already compact, we were surprised to find that the smaller screen did not hamper productivity. We were able to complete our usual Palm-centric tasks--including scheduling, entering to-do items and addresses, and more--with ease. In fact, we feel the smaller screen is a worthy sacrifice considering the m100's bargain list price of $149. If you prefer the larger screen, though, keep in mind that Palm's archrival, Handspring, has a comparable baseline model, the $149 Visor Solo; that model has the same larger, 160-by-160-pixel screen as the pricier Handspring Visor Deluxe.