PalmOne Tungsten T Handheld

1) I have found only a single program (Skyscape 5-minute clinical consultant) that does not like OS 5. All others so far work like a charm, including LOTS of medical software.

2) While the OS itself really is not much different, the processor has really revolutionized the Palm handhelds. Example: using Tabers medical dictionary on my m505 was a chore, and looking up a word often took >30 seconds. Now I write in real time and get word lookups in 1-2 seconds.

3) My handwriting recognition (Graffiti) is MARKEDLY improved over the m505.

4) The screen is UNBELIEVABLE! Fantastic, useable under all lighting conditions.

5) The battery life is just fine. I do recharge nightly, but I use it a good 2 hours each day, with the backlight at 50% all the time, and rarely get to below a 70% charge.

6) The sliding design is very sturdy. Also, it just FEELS much better in my hands.

7) The D-pad is a huge improvement, and I think more than makes up for Sony's Jog Dial.

8) Voice recording feature is very nice.

9) Does not come with mp3 software built-in, though word is that Real will be releasing an mp3 player for Palm in the coming weeks that will be available free.

10) Only gripe is that Versamail STILL does not synch e-mail with my Mac...

11) Palm has all but said that this device will be OS6 upgradable, which you can't bank on from the Sony products.

Buy one, you will definitely not be disappointed.


Tungsten T . . . medical use   January 11, 2003
80 out of 86 found this review helpful

I'm a physician and upgraded from a IIIc to the Tungsten T for more speed for electronic prescribing. Also purchased the SanDisk 64MB card. What I've found so far:
-- 14 MB of user accessible memory on the Palm itself
-- 59.4 MB on the SanDisk card

Peeves --

-- The sliding close is nice for smaller size for travel. When in frequent use, I'd really like to be able to keep the TT "locked" in full extension since I need to use the Graffiti area extensively. A little flip lock like on the barrel of zoom lenses would have been a nice addition.

-- Palm shouldn't have cheaped out on memory -- should have 32ish MB of user accessible memory.

-- Can't "subdivide" the SanDisk card into directories or categories -- it's one massive lump.

-- The "snap" into the cradle isn't real secure -- a little nudge and it isn't charging.

-- Comes with an inconvenient plastic cover. Touching the navigator selector in the front turns the gadget on, which frequently happens accidentally if put in a pocket. I like the flip-down clam shell arrangement on the IIIc better at this point. (I made my own cover out of other materials -- a little challenging -- pressure in the wrong place will turn the gadget on unintentionally unless designed right.)

Pluses --

-- FAST, bright screen, good resolution.

-- Sync's are fast

-- With almost daily charges, battery life hasn't seemed to be a problem so far, but am not using BlueTooth yet and haven't been using continuously.

-- Comes with Documents to Go

-- Can scribble some brief notes (although I've done nothing but play with that) and dictate some voice notes (ditto).

-- Can transfer address book and calendar from old Palm very easily if minimally computer literate (can navigate directories and copy files following instructions)

-- Things that work with OS 5 ON THE EXPANSION CARD: Acrobat reader, LDL cholesterol (StatCoder), OK Cardiac Clearance (StatCoder), Growth2 (StatCoder), HanDBase main program (the applets I wrote for Palm v. 3.5 work but can't go on the card), MedCalc, MentStat, PowerOne Personal calculator (included from Palm), Shots2003 (2002 also worked), MOST of the Documents to Go programs (SheetsToGo, Slideshow, WordToGo, but not the Fonts), and Tarascon beta. All appear to work just fine EXCEPT the Tarascon beta, which is only partially functional. Writing to them, they say they will not be supporting OS 5 until the "fee" release.

-- Things that need to be or should be on the "front" side: All the native palm apps -- calendar, address; DietCalc, EPOCRATES and its AvantGo companion, iScribe*, all HanDBase apps (but not the main program), WordToGo Fonts. *The iscribe folks say it will work on the card but advise against it because of loss of speed.

With all the little pieces that that go along with these things, adds up to over 7M of the 14M on the front side.

--Things that don't work that I'd miss without carrying my IIIC also: ATPIII and Hopkins Antibiotic Guide. ATPIII is in the process of being upgraded for OS 5; Hopkins I haven't gotten an answer and am not sure whether it is OS 5, that I've got the Guide on two Palms which is causing problems (or what) and have received no response to my inquiry.

Would recommend for those who need/want the speed. My usage is probably quite different from the average bear, and I've found no use so far for the navigator thingies, and rarely use the buttons on the front. Often leave in the extended position and use the on/off button. I really needed it to continue electronic prescribing (IIIc and iScribe = getting to slow to use in real time). Think I'll be using Doc To Go and personal "notes" extensively as time goes on also. Am hoping the couple incompatible programs I'll (really) miss -- ATPIII and Hopkins -- are available for OS 5 soon.


Good things come to those who wait.   December 7, 2002
J. Lara (Pasig City Philippines)
44 out of 45 found this review helpful

The m550 or more commonly known as the Tungsten T is refreshing addition to the Palm product line. It's been a while since Palm took a step in innovation but the Tungsten T is certainly a move in the right direction. If this is a preview of things to come for Palm or OS5 then things really do look bright for the PDA industry. However as great as the Tungsten may be, I think it would be premature to pick up a OS5 unit at this point in time and in the OS's life cycle.

Being the holiday season many PDA manufacturers, particularly Palm OS units, historically don't release any major units. New units generally come out in the 1st and 3rd quarters of the year. This will hold true for Palm and Sony.

If you are a first time buyer the Tungsten would be ok but at that price range you might be better off with a T665C or even an SJ30. If you are looking to upgrade, just hold out for a few more weeks. There is nothing worse then picking up a new PDA and to have a new one introduced only days after.

Despite all negative feedback on its price, it still is an amazing unit. Although i am not a big fan of the flip or even the slider design, the compactness of the Tungsten T is difficult to ignore. As Palm research have shown, the grafitti area is used only about 20% of the time so tucking it away shouldn't pose too much of a problem. However I personally would have prefered a virtual grafitti for more real estate as opposed to a "sliding away" grafitti area.

With many objections on a slider design on many fan sites and user groups Palm went ahead and developed on for their flagship OS5 unit. They felt that if they construct it well enough that they can convince people that the huge decrease in overall volume will be greatly appreciated. (After all it was the ultra slim design of the V that took the industry by storm.) And construct it well they did. The sliding action is smooth and firm with a noticable "clicking" noise to indicate that it is fully open or closed. The material which was used to construct the unit is of good quality and the multidirectional pad is a great addition. But i think the best feature of the Tungsten T (which is not present in ANY OS5 unit to date) is the integrated bluetooth.

Lastly as for OS5, there are many comments about its compatibility with pre-OS5 applications. Many major apps have already been updated. You just need to find the right ones to install. All OS4 optimized apps will work on OS5. Only the apps made for the older OS3 might encounter some problems.

As i always say before you go out and pick up any PDA, i strongly suggest you take it for a test drive and read LOTS of reviews. As for this unit, i think you should just wait a few more weeks. At the very least let the christmas crunch pass. However if you have money to waste, this is not a bad buy at all.


Best PDA from Palm   December 31, 2002
magellan (Santa Clara, CA)
43 out of 46 found this review helpful

I've had several Palm PDAs and Pocket PCs, and I'm a big fan of them. The new Palm Tungsten for the first time brings the same resolution as the Sony CLIE models along with the Bluetooth technology to the table, and in a small package, and with good screen brightness.

The screen is much better than the M505, but it looks about the same as the M515, which was much better. However, even the M515 can't beat the now aging but still amazing brightness of the original Palm IIIc, which still has the brightest screen of any PDA, although the Handspring Prism's looks to be just as bright.

I compared the screen also to the Sony PEG T665C, and the Sony's is still noticeably brighter, but the Palm's is still very good. Also, the Palm had the nicer screen font. The font was thicker and easier to read than the Sony's, which looks light and thin and a little grainy by comparison, but I don't know if this can be fixed with a custom font package, of which there are several.

I think the big appeal of this model will be the smaller footprint, which fits easily in your front shirt pocket, where I like to carry mine. I compared the Palm with the Sony SJ30, which is its only competition in this form factor, and they are very similar in terms of size. I compared both of them side by side, and the Palm looks to be a tiny bit wider and about the same height, but they're both very close. The Palm costs almost twice the money because of the built-in Bluetooth technology. Also, the Sonys have the jog-wheel feature, which makes them almost capable of single-handed operation.

Both the Sonys and the Palm have a slightly milky appearance to the screen, like my Compaq iPAQ 3650, so I suspect they both have partially back-reflective screens, but I'm not certain about that.

Also, the drop-down graffiti area is pretty cool. I might prefer this to the virtual one on the Sony NR70 and 70V models. My only complaint is that the Graffiti area, at least for the numbers area, seems to be slightly narrower than I'm used to. The unit has a nice, metallic blue finish which makes it more attractive than any other Palm model up to this point. And last but not least, the five-way navigation button and the voice recorder features are useful also, which again, makes this model more competitive with the innovative Sony models.

Overall, this is a great PDA from Palm that should give the Sonys a run for their money, and I'd actually give it 4.5 stars if I could. And the only reason I subtract half a star is the unit's relative expensiveness compared to the Sony T615C, T655C, and T665C models, but again, this is mainly due to the Bluetooth technology, so it's not really comparable to the Sony's in this regard. But if you don't think you need it, the Sonys offer the same features without Bluetooth for less money.

Overall, however, a great PDA from Palm and probably the best thing they've done yet.


Just not enough to offer   January 18, 2003
TG (Muncie, IN, USA)
43 out of 55 found this review helpful

When I heard about the Tungsten T I was very excited and new I had to buy it. But after I had some time with the unit, I found out how little it truely offered, especially compared to other handhelds in the high-end price range.

The Tungsten does have a very good screen, and the colors are beautiful. That alone is the only reason I could see why people bought the unit, because a great color screen is the only thing this has going for it. It has multimedia capabilities, but none are included in the box, and after all the excitement of having a Realplayer on the Palm, guess what? Palm reps have said dont expect too much, to paraphrase them, which leaves the audio capabilities in question.

This unit is much better than their previous high-end m515, but like I said, it just does not have enough to compete with the Sony Clie line, or the recent new PPC devices that are much cheaper. I won't offer much in the way of the graffiti slider, because that is personal preference, but let me tell you, it gets very old having to slide it all the time to write down quick notes.

If you are quesioning buying a new high-end PDA, look elsewhere. You can do a lot more with multimedia on a Pocket PC or Clie, and if you just want a good organizer, I'd recommend an OS4.1 device, because any Clie will do, or even the m515 if you can live with low-res will be more useful then this. Bluetooth is nice, but other PDA's have it or offer expansion cards, so it isnt a big advantage that some make it out to be.