Palm Tungsten T

I have used Palm handhelds for many years now starting off with the Palm Pilot Personal and moving up through the Vx, finally buying a Tungsten T about a year ago. I remember when I bought my first one that everyone was telling me I would never use it… how wrong could they be!

The Tungsten T was a great improvement on my previous models for several reasons…

• Totally new processor making it much faster in operation
...PC or with the included Palm Desktop program.
• Clock, Calculator, World Clock, Expense, Voice Memo
• Documents to Go – to synchronise Word and Excel files
• ArcSoft Photobase - view photos in high-resolution colour – nice to have a photo of a loved-one on your Palm!
• VersaMail - synchronise with multiple email accounts wirelessly using Bluetooth and a compatible phone or with your computer via HotSync cradle
• Web ... more

I have used Palm handhelds for many years now starting off with the Palm Pilot Personal and moving up through the Vx, finally buying a Tungsten T about a year ago. I remember when I bought my first one that everyone was telling me I would never use it… how wrong could they be!

The Tungsten T was a great improvement on my previous models for several reasons…

• Totally new processor making it much faster in operation
• Higher resolution screen with better light and also COLOUR!
• Card slot to take standard SD memory cards
• Bluetooth compatible (more of that later)
• USB connection to the computer making it faster to update.
• Rechargeable battery

Given that I would want to know as much as possible before spending this kind of money, this is a pretty lengthy review – but, I hope it contains the right amount of information for a buyer to make an educated decision…

So, I’ll start by listing some of its key features for the technically minded:

• 16 bit 320x320 resolution screen with front lights
• Texas Instruments OMAP 1510 - 144 MHz ARM processor
• 10.2 x 7.5 x 1.5 cm, weight 157grams
• 16Mb RAM
• SD Card slot
• Microphone
• Speaker and 3.5mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth and Infrared

INCLUDED IN THE BOX:

• Palm Handheld
• USB Hotsync Cradle (inc battery charger)
• Clear plastic clip on cover
• Software CD and Manual
• Stylus

The beauty of this type of handheld is that you can place it in the cradle, press the “hotsync” button and any changes that have been made on your desktop PC or on the handheld are synchronised to keep both records up to date.

INCLUDED SOFTWARE:

• Date Book, Address Book, To-Do List, Memo Pad, Note Pad – these synchronise with Outlook or Outlook Express on your PC or with the included Palm Desktop program.
• Clock, Calculator, World Clock, Expense, Voice Memo
• Documents to Go – to synchronise Word and Excel files
• ArcSoft Photobase - view photos in high-resolution colour – nice to have a photo of a loved-one on your Palm!
• VersaMail - synchronise with multiple email accounts wirelessly using Bluetooth and a compatible phone or with your computer via HotSync cradle
• Web Browser and WAP browser – for use with a compatible mobile phone
• SMS – text message software for use with Bluetooth mobile phone

SET UP

This varies with how you are going to use your Palm and the programs you are going to synchronise it with. Full instructions are given in the manual and it is really just a case of plugging in the cradle, charging up the Palm and then running the software CD. This guides you through the installation process in easy stages.

IN USE

Programs are accessed by pressing one of the four shortcut buttons on the front of the unit or by tapping icons on the screen using the stylus provided. Navigation within programs can be performed with the 5-way navigator button or using the stylus to tap scroll bars on screen.

You have the option of tapping an onscreen “keyboard” with the stylus to enter text or you can use the Graffiti handwriting recognition. The latter is, for me, much quicker and easier – but it does take some learning!

The bottom section of the Palm slides down to reveal an area of the screen on which you can write letters, numbers and punctuation marks. Many letters are the same as normal… for example to enter ‘b’, ‘c’, or ‘d’ you would just write the capital version of the letter on the screen. Some letters are simplified… for example an ‘a’ is entered by writing a capital ‘A’ but without the cross stroke. It does take a little getting used to, but there is a card to show the letters and also a game to play to get you used to it! Once mastered, I find I can write at almost normal speed with few errors. I have added a diagram of the Graffiti text at the foot of the review to give you a better idea.

The included software, which I “sync” daily to Outlook does everything you could want it to. Basically, think simplified Outlook functions and you won’t be far wrong. Calendar, to-do lists, notes and email are all updated when you sync with your computer.

Documents to Go gives you the facility to create and edit Word and Excel documents with full formatting on the Palm and then copy to your PC.

BLUETOOTH

This is a relatively new technology which enables you to connect various devices wirelessly together. In this case, you can send files to other Palm handhelds (which can include games like Scrabble and Monopoly) and also connect to the internet via a compatible mobile phone. This enables you to collect emails or browse web sites. Because of the size of the screen web browsing is limited and complex site features will not work. You can also use Bluetooth to send and receive SMS via your phone, although the software provided is not 100% effective and I have had some blank messages sent in error. Also the software does not give the sender’s name – just the number.

OTHER SOFTWARE

One very good feature of the Palm platform is that there is so much software out there. The programs are, by their nature, small files and can be downloaded quickly from the web. There are a good number of sites available from which you can do this and you will find everything from free programs to ones which you can pay up to about £50 for. There are also loads of newsgroups and online communities for Palm users.

MY EXPERIENCE

My Palm is used all the time for both work and personal use. I have outlined here the use I get out of my Palm and some of my experiences.

I have a 128Mb SD card which boosts the memory considerably although access from the card is slower than the built in memory.

• To Do List – this is brilliant for someone like me who KNOWS he has a bad memory! I can create recurring “to do” items for jobs I need to do weekly or monthly and also create to do items for the future so I don’t forget project deadlines etc. The software can be set to only show items you need to do that day.
• Date Book – (or calendar to everyone else) – great to have this up to date and accessible. Reminders can be set for birthdays etc
• E-mail – I use this in conjunction with my Nokia 6310i. You can either use your mobile operators dial up data service, where you pay by the minute (typically 6p-10p) or via GPRS which is a faster connection and for which you pay by the amount of data sent and received. I use this if I am away from home to pick up my email. The downside to this is that it is easy to COLLECT email from any service provider but sending can be tricky to set up as most Internet Service Providers say that you have to be dialled into their service in order to SEND email.
• Web Browsing – again with the connection via mobile phone – useful for travel directions, weather etc – but can display sites in a weird way – better with sites developed specifically for viewing on handheld devices – the BBC for example has pages specifically for this.
• Listening to music – by downloading a suitable player (I use Aeroplayer which cost about £10) you can play MP3 files. The sound quality is pretty good for a tiny speaker… certainly not hi-fi but passable! (improved by downloading the sound update from Palm web site).
• Playing games – whilst I’m not a real games player, I have versions of Scrabble and Monopoly that can be played via infrared with another Palm owner – great for passing the time on long journeys with my partner! I also have versions of card games like solitaire and spider solitaire. There are lots of other games available to download.

SUMMARY

I would recommend the Palm Tungsten T to anyone. There are newer versions available now with larger screens, more memory and newer software. This means that the Tungsten T is available at much better prices and, I feel, gives a good balance between cost and effectiveness.

It is great for keeping yourself organised and having facts at your fingertips which may otherwise be stuck on your computer. The screen is clear with good colour – you will find that you will probably use it with the light on all the time – even doing this battery life is good. It fits easily into a jacket pocket and the build feels pretty robust being manufactured in aluminium. Be careful to use the plastic cover supplied, or invest in another hard case, as it is easy to accidentally turn on the Palm if it is in a pocket with the buttons uncovered.

INFORMATION
You can find more information at the following sites:
http://www-5.palmone.com/uk/en/index.html - manufacturer’s site
http://palmaddicts.blogspot.com/ - Palm owner’s views
http://www.palmgear.com/ 21,000 programs for Palm!
www.avantgo.com – Information to download to your Palm
http://www-5.palmone.com/uk/en/support/handbooks/Tungstent_Handbook_en.pdf - online version of the handbook

 

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