Palm IIIc
Experience Counts
The development of the Palm IIIc occurred during a critical transitional period in the maturation of Palm Computing as a company. Shortly after the program began, the founders and key developers of all previous Palm products abruptly left to form Handspring, which recently developed the new Palm compatible handheld Visor. With key management members leaving the company, the Palm IIIc team relied upon the concurrent product design services of multi-disciplined product design firm, IDE. The development of the Palm IIIc had to meet particular demands pertaining to Palm's established Palm III design language and the packaging of new Palm technology. Recent product development experience with products such as the Philips' Nino made IDE prime candidates for this task.
IDE's Palm IIIc design modifications were made without compromising the ergonomic function of the Palm III series. IIIc ergonomic
issues were addressed through IDE's prototyping capabilities and corresponding Palm focus groups. Its keys are friendly to the
touch with proper feedback for actuation; the shape of the Palm IIIc fits comfortably in your hand, and it is easy to operate.
IDE's engineering know-how and product design versatility were contributing factors to the successful design of the
Palm IIIc.Designed From The Inside Out
The Palm IIIc connected organizer is the latest member of the Palm III family. Its subtle design evolution is a direct result of
new technological features and the necessary restructuring of previously established components. IDE designed the Palm IIIc from
the inside out. Therefore, prior to the development of the IIIc's industrial design, IDE's engineers worked closely with Palm's
systems engineers and suppliers to define its new components and create the mechanical architecture: solving internal packaging
problems first while planning for the end result industrial design goals.Engineering Know-how Enhances Design
Technological advancements drove the development and design of the Palm IIIc. IDE's engineering ability was a beneficial tool in
dealing with inevitable design versus engineering dilemmas. For instance, the Palm IIIc incorporates a new color display that
enhances contrast and images for easier viewing. Because of the new color screen, larger rechargeable batteries (internal lithium
ion) were necessary due to higher power consumption. Larger batteries meant less room for packaging keys and, thus, a solution
utilizing a flex circuit with integral switches was proposed by IDE and approved by the Palm development team. Finally, the
Palm IIIc's industrial design includes a subtle refining of its bottom housing form in order to accommodate the new larger
color display. This change made it necessary for IDE to rotate the axial orientation of the stylus from that of previous
Palm III's.
