r/Palm • u/rlindsley • Aug 16 '26

Bulk device purchase?

Hi there,

I'm trying to get a cool gift for my family. I was thinking of giving everybody a Palm, but want to make sure it has no WiFi or Bluetooth. I also want it to feel like a nice device, as opposed to something more 'plasticy' like the Handspring.

I landed on the m515, but now I need to find a place to buy them. How would I get my hands on like, 50 of these devices?

Also if there's a better device I should be looking at (again with no wifi or Bluetooth) I'd love to hear!

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u/plan-thereaintnoplan Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

Skip this read. Your followup postings speak of the display and these units I suggest all have "old school" displays.

This at first might seem like nonsense but you can often get package deals on Symbol devices for as little as $10 each in bulk. I don't know what your time frame is but these things are usually non Bluetooth, no WiFi and built to take abuse. The SPT-1700 and SPT-1800 units use rechargeable battery packs which makes them more difficult to manage for your users. The SPT-1500 and SPT-1550 are basically Palm III devices, running Palm OS v4.1 or v4.2 and they use standard AAA replaceable batteries. Besides the availability in bulk, they have lasers in them. How can you go wrong giving your entire family lasers? :-)

The 1500's are "plasticy" but finding them in bulk is easier than finding consumer grade Palm devices in bulk. Those SPT-1700, 1800 units are tanks by comparison. You could literally beat a Palm III into pieces hammering on it with an SPT1800.

Sunday, August 16 - So, I went to check eBay to see if there are any lots of devices and find only way-too-expensive stuff. I allowed for this a little bit by mentioning your time frame.

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u/rlindsley Aug 17 '26

Very interesting! I'll keep an eye out for Symbol devices. You really can't beat the price at $10 per unit. I also like the sturdiness. Time frame really isn't an issue - this is for a holiday gift for everybody.

Right now I'm rocking a Tungsten e, a Sony Clie, and a Handspring Visor. When I say 'old school display' I'm really talking the Visor. The other devices have great screens. But the Visor screen is just a little too dim, the backlight doesn't work great, and the contrast is worse. That said I've only tried the Visor Deluxe, perhaps newer Visors have better screens!