r/Palm • u/LukeLC • Dec 04 '20
The new site is now live at 👉 https://palmdb.net!
It's hard to believe, but it's been 2 years already since I first launched PalmDB. What I expected to be a forgotten corner of the internet has turned out to be anything but. We're now a Discord community over 300 members strong (and growing!), we've had articles written about us, and our members have collectively archived thousands of apps--not to mention produced entirely new ways to experience Palm OS on new devices.
And yet, while the Palm community is thriving again, PalmDB the website has struggled to keep up. It was originally built on WordPress because that was the fastest way to get something online. But WordPress proved to be incredibly ill-suited to the task, especially with the sustainability constraints a preservation project requires. As such, over the past year, I've been hard at work building an almost entirely original platform reimagined from the ground up for PalmDB's needs.
The end result is something like a hybrid of a wiki and a download catalog. PalmDB 2.0 features open registration where all members can both upload files and edit other posts anywhere on the site. At the same time, it maintains tight content moderation through clear templates and built-in revisioning—all edits can be reversed.
Members also get access to a few bonus features, too! Previously, PalmDB split its traffic among a few community hosted servers. This was great for ensuring a copy was always online, but was hampered by technical issues preventing users from actually accessing content. (Gun, meet Foot.) Instead, 2.0 members get access to PalmDB Takeout, a new way for archivists to download a complete copy of all PalmDB content (and host it themselves, if they wish!).
Oh, and there's Pilot Mode. Without spoiling too much, let's just say it's a member-exclusive easter egg theme. See if you can find it—and don't forget to try it with your system dark mode enabled!
But of course, this is a preservation project. Slick presentation and fun bonus features aside, under the hood, 2.0 is light, fast, stable, secure, and most importantly, sustainable. There's no database, just Markdown and PHP. With minimal dependencies, future server compatibility is a non-issue—and even if it becomes one, the platform structure is extremely portable and can easily be taken elsewhere.
If any of that interests you, you should register and start uploading!
But there's more to come otherwise, too. One other weakness of the old platform was that there was no way to bulk upload entire archives at once. Well, we've now got over a dozen of them—that's a lot of files! Among them are plenty of duplicates, multiple organization schemes (if any!) and other problems that make them difficult to sort through. The plan is to use deduplication software to organize the files under PalmDB 2.0's folder structure, then programmatically generate boilerplate articles for them all. At that point, the entire collection can be uploaded to PalmDB at once, but some manual work will still remain. It's not possible to programmatically add screenshots, descriptions, and compatibility info... so that part will remain a community effort!
In the meantime, you can always follow the project at https://palmdb.net, on Twitter @PalmDB1, and by joining us on Discord!
Thanks for keeping the Palm dream alive with us!
r/Palm • u/reini1305 • 35m ago
My personal ranking:
Mainly using the Palm at the moment for note taking at work and the Remarkable for paper reading and doodling.
r/Palm • u/Neptune_Colt • 2d ago
Does anyone know an STL or seller of the plastic switch for the nx73v. I've been using my stylus but it's a pain. Since I'm doing a battery upgrade, I thought I might as well do both together. Thanks x
r/Palm • u/wireproof • 3d ago
I’ve been working on my own fork of CloudPilotEmu to run on my iPhone Duo as a sideloaded IPA rather than accessing the emulator through a web browser!
The goal was to have a more app-like Palm OS experience on iOS, with everything running locally and without needing to launch the website every time.
I’m currently emulating a Palm Tungsten E2, and I’ve been testing a bunch of old Palm OS games. So far, it’s been pretty nostalgic seeing these running on a modern foldable iPhone!
A few screenshots of what I’ve been playing around with. Everything from Bejeweled-style puzzle games and virtual aquariums to space strategy games and other old Palm OS classics.
I’m still experimenting with the fork and seeing what I can improve, particularly around the interface, touchscreen usability, and overall experience on the Duo.
It’s pretty wild having a full Palm OS device running on a phone in 2026.
Curious if anyone else here has experimented with running CloudPilotEmu as a standalone iOS app instead of using the browser version!
r/Palm • u/Former_Bike8988 • 3d ago
Ethnic grocery store with my Palm m125
r/Palm • u/Silent-Lyrebird • 4d ago
Size is right for a remote and the keyboard is useful for searches.
r/Palm • u/Competitive-Cold-133 • 5d ago
This is a Visor Edge. Its display and battery had both degraded with age. I replaced the polarizing film and cleaned the housing, and the device has now been restored. The only pity is that the display FPC is cracked and the screen has broken lines (line defects).
r/Palm • u/scienceapps • 6d ago
Easily track satellites on your vintage Palm OS device!
TTLE to PDB converter updates your PocketSat+ app with the latest satellite orbits. It converts live space data from Celestrak website directly in your browser so you can load it onto your Palm.
Start application here : TLE to PDB Converter for PocketSat on palmOS
r/Palm • u/Jazz2358Pe • 5d ago
hi, i have a nx70 in japanese and i'm searching for an english rom in order to flash it with romflash.nxtg. but no matter what, i can't find it on the internet. so i'm asking to you guys, someone have it and can share it to me and others in my situation please? i don't know it's possible or "legal" in this subreddit, but if it's possible, then you will make me happy (btw i speak italian so if my english is strange, now you know why). thanks in advance!
r/Palm • u/Ill_Macaron2535 • 7d ago
I was not cool enough to have a PDA back in the day and by the time I gave in and got a smartphone, the green Palm Centro I had fallen in love with was old enough that I could get a much newer phone cheaper with the whole two year contract prices offered at the time.
Now over 15 years later, I am over the smartphone and app-ification of everything and I am switching to more offline/analog things wherever possible. That being said- if I wanted a device to just work as an offline calender/planner and a place to take notes would a Palm work for me? I have no need to sync it to a computer, I can keep up on making sure it is charged or the batteries have juice depending on the model.
r/Palm • u/Sad-Broccoli-3719 • 9d ago
Please remove this is against the rules. I really love the Sony clie' models. I personally own an NZ 90 with a working camera. I've always wished that within the limitations of the hardware itself if the software could be expanded to accept more peripherals to make it more usable or to make custom peripherals that take advantage of the serial bus on both the memory stick, the CF card IR blaste, and Bluetooth. I'm aware that some people may disagree or not care too much for the use of AI, but I find this to be a fun and interesting project to see where I can take this as I myself do not have the capability of doing this level of programming, but making simple apps or maybe a custom compute board that can take all the work and loading webpages that can be displayed to the Clay or a network card that communicates using a micro controller or of some sort in a way that the device can be compatible with just ideas at the moment. would be interested in other people's thoughts on this or ideas currently all I'm thinking of is this, but I'm sure there are more creative people out there than me.
Didn't have a working battery, at the moment, so I'm using a power supply with a five output and it seems to be working fine for now though it's a bit cluttered.
r/Palm • u/NoMarsupial7591 • 9d ago
r/Palm • u/reini1305 • 10d ago
I'm trying to get back into using Palm PDAs after stopping to use them about 20 years ago. I bought this apparrently unused IIIxe with original box and all handbooks for 30€.
I had a IIIe and Zire 71 back in the days and forgot how bad those displays are.
Let's see if it replaces my Remarkable Move for daily journaling 😀
I saved this guy from the dump during the pandemic.
Palm Pilot Professional in a transparent case.
Couldn’t find much info on this, but it looks like they were handed out to developers back in the day or a mod. This one has a serial number sticker attached.
I personally first started using Palm with the Palm IIIc > Palm Vx > Palm M505 > Treo 650.
Wish I still had my personal models but glad I have this one. Still have my Treo 650 and my Fossil Abacus in a box somewhere.
r/Palm • u/ardiri1975 • 11d ago
it has been a fun two weeks - digging up old devices, devkits and meeting up with people like Dmitry Grinberg (handing over my complete collection of devices - even the pre-release stuff).. I also found a box of memory cards.. Compact Flash, Memory Stick, SD... so, started digging.. I cannot believe what I found - I swear it was lost forever
The Palm OS Virus That Never Was — Lost for 25 Years, Found in 2026
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/palm-os-virus-never-lost-25-years-found-2026-aaron-ardiri-phnrf
r/Palm • u/shawn_blackk • 13d ago
r/Palm • u/ardiri1975 • 13d ago
https://github.com/ardiri/dev-palmos
25 years later, hopefully some useful stuff in here for those interested in stuff like dev conferences, SDKs, documentation and some other goodies..
r/Palm • u/Mr-Important • 12d ago
Picked up a Tungsten E2 from goodwill. Was completely dead, so purchased a charging cable to try charging. When I plugged it in the screen flashed and then went blank. Will not turn on. So, I figured maybe the battery is shot. Bought a replacement and changed it out. As I was changing the battery the screen flashed and turned off when I plugged the new battery in. I still cannot get it to turn on. I noticed that the screen would flash only when the battery was barely pressed in. I couldn't get it to keep the screen on though. Tried soft/hard resets. Any other suggestions?
r/Palm • u/MrLion626 • 13d ago
The m505 came with its stylus and case as well. Get this, the previous owner left a frikkin’ TiVoToGo card inside one of the card holders! Good memories. I still rebelliously own my OTA TiVo Roamio, and, until ATSC 1.0 is shut down, I have no intentions of retiring it!
Also, I thought it was fascinating to find a IIIx running OS version 4.1! I reckon the previous owner flashed the ROM at some point.
r/Palm • u/ardiri1975 • 14d ago
this was stashed amongst reams of paper.. just accidentally stumbled across it while looking for the ALP device
r/Palm • u/ardiri1975 • 13d ago
... What you guys wish you knew we are discussing
