Palm IIIc
Experience Counts
 The development of the Palm IIIc occurred in 1998-99, 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 developed the 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.

Click the image below to watch a video of the
Palm IIIc assembly sequence.



Designed From The Inside Out

 The Palm IIIc was the latest member of the Palm III family. Its subtle design evolution was 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 incorporated a new color display that enhanced 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.

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.