Palm's Tungsten T - The Next-Gen PDA with an Out of this World Price
Written: Oct 31 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Incredible Color Screen. 16MB of memory. Bluetooth Ready. Ultra Sleek Design.
Cons: Horrifically expensive in comparison to other similar PDAs.
The Bottom Line: The very latest offering from Palm proves they're still at the top of their game. Now if they could just offer this without putting us all in the poor house...
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| jag2112's Full Review: palmOne Tungsten T Handheld |
For years, Palm (originally owned and operated by 3M) has held onto the reigns of top PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) company with their extensive line of units.
Unfortunately, with competition growing at a steady and furious rate, many viewed Palm as standing still when compared to the likes of the Sony line of PDAs. But now with the release of their new Tungsten line of super-PDA's, it's certain that few, if any, can view Palm as standing still any longer.
As for myself, I've been utilizing my old Palm V for years now; waiting patiently to upgrade from my paltry 2 meg monochrome display to something a little more jazzy, something that truly reflected a PDA of the 21st century. News of the Tungsten line from Palm crept into my consciousness months ago. Since then, I've waited patiently for the release. Having access to new technology through my new job couldn't come at a better time. The Tungsten T has arrived.
It's clear when you first hold the Tungsten, admiring the genius behind its sleek, ultra-compact design, that Palm didn't merely build off their existing line. Instead, they wiped the drawing board clean and built the Tungsten T from the ground, up.
Two items are most noticeable to any experienced Palm user. First is the slide down graffiti area which has a certain 'cool' factor to it and actually makes the Tungsten T appear more compact that it really is. Essentially, the graffiti area that normally sits on the bottom area of a Palm PDA now slides up and away into the body of the Palm during transport. Even when it is fully extended, the unit is still compact, measuring in at a mere 4.8 inches high (4 inches closed). It's also 3 inches wide in either configuration, and an waif-like .6 inches thick. Weighing in at a mere 5.6 ozs, this is one of the lightest Palms ever.
The second noticeable feature is the superb high resolution color screen. The crisp 320 x 320 display, twice that of any other color Palm, is simply incredible and far beyond anything else Palm has released. Whether you're in a dark room or bright sunlight, viewing the screen is surprisingly easy. Finally, a color PDA worthy of the Palm name.
But Palm didn't stop with the sleek design and superb screen. Remember, they built the Tungsten T from the ground, up.
Included in this diminutive package is a whopping 16MB of SDRam (14 useable) and an additional 4MB of Flash Rom - more than enough memory to store every conceivable software package, thousands of contacts, years of schedules notes, and more. Of course, it also includes an expansion slot that accepts SD and MMC (Multi-Media-Card) cards for additional memory and software packages.
The combination of the extensive memory and the color screen has put a drain on the battery life. Under normal use, a fully charged unit should last you about a week in-between charges. Other Palms typically last up to 3 times this duration, but again, considering everything this little PDA is doing, a week's worth of power isn't that bad.
Navigation is now handled through a 5-way pad which allows for one-handed operation - another ingenious, albeit simple enhancement to the PDA layout. And the stylus is now spring-loaded inside the unit - a nice little feature that's sure to please those annoyed by the older, locked-in-place, method employed by Palm.
And shipping for the first time with the Tungsten T is Palm's new operating system - 5.0 This latest version of the award-winning OS is supposed to increase performance, allow for the integration of the high-rez screen and built-in support for Bluetooth - allowing for access to Bluetooth-linked peripherals.
I found maneuvering around the basic Palm set up and applications slightly faster than my older 3.3.0 version of Palm OS, but considering the far superior options and screen that this little package is processing, the speed was impressive indeed. And speaking of applications, the Tungsten T comes loaded with applications that most other PDAs would be drooling over.
Thanks to its onboard cache of memory, Palm has included 'Documents to Go'; an application that allows you to store, view and edit Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets, Word Documents and Powerpoint Presentations - which truly allows for a complete integration for the heavy business user. I can't tell you how useful it is to have a handful of critical spreadsheets available at my fingertips at any time. Additionally, 'Blueboard' is included which allows for Bluetooth communication with up to three other BT-ready users.
And don't forget the games! A small package of entertainment applications have been included 'in the box' with the Tungsten T.
Still not convinced this is the most advanced PDA on the planet? Well, there's also a voice recorder built in that can be synched up with your desktop, allowing you to email and/or save the recorded comments.
Linked up to your PC via a USB connection, which allows for the fastest possible updates, the Tungsten T is truly a seamless addition to your PC/Mac environment.
Clearly, Palm was looking to offer the most complete PDA available. They've seemingly succeeded with the Tungsten T, however it does come with a price.
An astronomical price. $499.00
Compare this to the similar Sony lines or Treo lines, and you're talking about $150-200 more. In time, I'm certain the Tungsten T will drop in price, making it's initial success questionable, but clearly, considering that I spent nearly that much on my Palm V years ago, this price is worth - to a point - the features you get with the Tungsten T.
Certainly, nothing can touch it's cool factor :-)
Specifications for this PDA are listed below.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Tungsten T Specifications
* Display: Reflective TFT color screen with brightness control and support for more than 65,000 colors.
* 5-Way Navigation: Push up, down, left, right or center to select. Designed for one-handed navigation control.
* SD/MultiMediaCard Expansion Slot
* Palm™ Universal Connector
* Integrated Bluetooth Radio and Antenna
* Speaker - Record and listen to voice memos
* Stereo Headphone Jack: Listen to MP3 tracks using headphones and add-on software, both sold separately.
* Infrared (IR) Port: Beam contact information, meeting times and more wirelessly to other co-workers.
* HotSync® Cradle: USB Cradle with power supply (120 VAC, 60Hz)
* Protective Cover: Snap-on, clear plastic cover protects your screen from wear and tear.
* OPERATING SYSTEM: Palm OS® 5.0.
* PROCESSOR: Texas Instruments OMAP 1510 (ARM) processor
* FLEXIBLE STORAGE CAPACITY: Highly efficient operating system with 4MB Flash/16MB RAM. Stores thousands of addresses, years of appointments, hundreds of to-do items, notes, memos, email messages, and more than 50 applications.
* SIZE AND WEIGHT: Height 4.0 in. / closed, 4.8 in. / open. Width 3.0 in. / 75.0 mm Thickness .6 in. main body. Slightly thicker in 5-way navigation area. Weight: (Handheld Stylus) 5.6 oz
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 499
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jag2112
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Member: John
Location: Clinton, NJ
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