PalmOne Tungsten C Handheld

Compact and powerful

Palm provides a whole slew of applications including Documents To Go, for working with Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. This is in ROM along with email software VersaMail and software to set up the wireless networking features and run VPN (Virtual Private Networking) sessions. Connecting to an existing 802.11b network is easy as pie -- and a separate manual walks you though the process if required. Once connected, you can use another ROM-based application, Web, to browse the Web using your wireless modem.

Though designed with professional users in mind Palm has not lost sight of the fact that the Tungsten C will appeal to a wider audience. They provide the Kinoma player for watching movies and Photos for looking at digital images. A key notable absence is any kind of MP3 player.

Palm's addition to the range of PDAs with built in 802.11b is a very impressive one. It has the processing power to cope with wireless activity and the memory to deal with the data you'll download and share while using wireless.--Sandra Vogel

Amazon.com Product Description
Early Adopters Pick: April 2003. Palm's most powerful handheld yet with built-in Wi-Fi, a new, crisper color display, a 400 MHz processor, 64 MB of RAM, and the new Palm OS 5.2.1.

Palm's most powerful and robust handheld yet, the Palm Tungsten C is designed for ultimate performance. Running on an untra-fast 400 MHz processor, the latest Palm OS, and plenty of memory (64 MB), it handles your complex business files with ease.

The Tungsten C handheld's built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b) technology lets you access your business and personal networks, send e-mail and attachments, and browse the Internet with blazing efficiency. You're connected anywhere you have Wi-Fi access--at your office, at home, in airports, hotels, cafes, and more--with the number of access points and Hotspots continually growing.

Display
The Palm Tungsten C features a new easy-to-read, high resolution, 320x320 transflective color screen. Web pages, presentations, e-mails, and more are displayed with vibrant, ultra-sharp clarity.

Expansion
The Tungsten C uses Multimedia Card and Secure Digital expansion cards, which instantly add software applications, additional memory, large databases, and more without taking up built-in memory space.

Operating System
The Tungsten is powered by Palm OS 5.2.1, which provides higher performance, enhanced multimedia features, support for Bluetooth connectivity and networking, and enterprise-class security.

Extra Software
Along with the standard Palm software, you'll receive a Software Essentials CD-ROM containing Acrobat Reader, Copytalk, Infiinity Softworks powerOne personal conlculator, WorldMate, Voice Memo, Printboy printing software by Bachmann, Calligo Calendar, Solitaire by Handmark, Kinoma Player & Producer, Palm Reader, and more.

Compatibility
The Palm Tungsten C is compatible with PCs running Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP, and with Macs running Mac OS X 10.1.2 or later.

What's in the box

• Tungsten C Handheld
• Stylus
• Flip Cover
• USB HotSync Cradle
• Power Supply
• Desktop Installation CD with PDF-file Users Manuals
• Software Essentials CD
• Read This First
• Wi-Fi Getting Started Guide
• Palm Accessories Catalog

Its pluses? I've got a wireless network (apple airport) at home and at the office. I've been able to launch the web browser on the PDA, log onto amazon using my email and password, find this page and start writing my review.

I'm also typing this on a keyboard (well, kind of!), which is a huge improvement on the old grafitti system, which is of course still included for those who got the hang of it. I'm also able to surf and type on a colour screen that is as good as anything I have ever seen on a PDA.

Checking emails and going onto the internet is extremely straight forward - the only hitch I encountered is down to Apple not palm - you need to select network password equivalent in the airport configuration to get the letters and numbers that make up the key you need to log into an encrypted network.

And though I've seen the reviews questioning the wireless range of the tungsten c, I found that I was able to log onto my network at home and collect my emails two rooms and one hallway away from the airport base station. Not as good as my airport enabled ibook, but comparable to the cordless phone I have at home.

The downsides? Other reviewers have already questioned the lack of bluetooth and if I didn't have wi-fi at home I'd be taking this product back. When you spend this sort of money you really have to be sure you are getting the most out of it.

You also need to be realistic. Yes I've been able to connect and access every site I want but as with any PDA the experience is not anywhere near what you get on even the smallest of notebooks. Having to scroll backwards and forwards to read what is on the screen can be a pain in the backside. As is typing in several hundred words, something that I am doing now. Sure it can be done but it will take you twice as long as on your PC, though I suppose it does teach you to be brief!

I've not played around with the documents to go feature just yet, but I would think it's the same there as well. Use it to write or amend short presentations or documents, but don't write your board report on it.

In summary this is a great product, light years away from the psion and handspring I owned previously. Just be realistic what you are going to be using it for and the limitations of a tiny screen and keyboard.


Nice screen - still a v1.0 product   May 9, 2003
Wayne Schulz (Glastonbury, CT USA)
79 out of 82 found this review helpful

The Tungsten C stands out for me because of 2 things: (1) A nice bright screen and (2) Simple hookup to WIFI (and very good battery life to boot - was surfing about 4 hours last night and only drained half way-- my ipaq 5455 would have been retired after an hour).

The WIFI hookup is simple - as easy as click and surf. Sometimes when I turn the unit on and attempt to access the web after not having used the device for a while it seems to hang as if it cannot find a WIFI connection. In those instances I manually search for a signal -- however I would definitely like to see it automatically attempt a lockon to the last signal it used.

The things that are puzzling are: (1) Device lacks stereo output so if you want to listen to MP3 it has to be mono (2) Uses a cell phone headset jack versus a standard stereo headset jack (3) Makes an odd crackling/popping sound when you use the stylus on the screen [this HAS been widely reported by other users] that resembles static electicity (4) The keys are NOT backlit (5) The email won't display HTML (6) On my initial device the case in the lower right corner by the power button was loose, wiggled and applying pressure to it actually started activating some buttons [have seen this reported by other users though does not appear widespread].

I would rate this higher but for $... I think Palm should be able to get these relatively simple issues corrected. You may be able to live with them. Might think they are no big thing. My point is for the kind of cash these companies charge we shouldn't get something with these types of issues.

Just my .02 - with these types of quality / functionality concerns I hope nobody at Palm is sitting around wondering why future sales are down...


Some major plus points but some major negatives   May 20, 2003
P Smithson (United Kingdom)
77 out of 85 found this review helpful

On first impressions the Tungsten C is awesome. The display is the best I've ever seen on a handheld and the keyboard, although small, is well laid out, very easy to use and responsive. The software that comes with it is very good and the overall feel of the unit is one of quality. The WIFI capability was great and I had it connected to the Internet via my home wireless network in about two minutes or maybe less. It is very fast. Everything happens almost instantly. The 400mhz chip is probably overkill in a unit like this, but it sure makes handling pictures and other processor hungry tasks an absolute breeze. Lastly, I was impressed with the battery life. Palm have done a great job of squeezing so much life out of the rechargables.

Unfortunately, after just one day of using it my initial joy had turned to frustration. It wasn't really anything particularly big, just an accumulation of little niggles. You'll have read some of them in other reviews as they are things that everyone seems to have noticed. I find it very strange that the designers of the product didn't uncover them in beta testing.

To start with the clicking noise that seems to appear randomly on certain key presses becomes pretty annoying. At first I thought it was a setting in the preferences so I had a look and made sure the "click on key press" option was off, but I still got it. Then I switched the unit to completely silent, but it still didn't go away. It's only a little click, but once you've noticed it you can't help but think it is getting louder and louder. I've never encountered it on any other Palm device.

Another major gripe is the silly mono connection for the headset. This just seems absolutely crazy. Not only is it mono, but it is not even a standard headphone connection - it is one of those plugs like you get for a mobile phone headset. Granted, this is probably what Palm were thinking of when they put that kind of socket on the unit, but a little user reacher would have told them that anyone buying a machine with 64 meg of onboard RAM and the ability to plug in addition SD memory are likely to want to use it to listen to music or audiobooks from time to time (in my case that means ALL the time). This is a MAJOR glitch and one I am sure Palm will look to amend in a future model - at least I hope they will.

Lastly, although the unit has WiFi, which worked well for me, I felt that for the money there should also be built in Bluetooth. I was used to this with the Tungsten T and just assumed the Tungsten C would include it and so was disappointed to discover it didn't.

I've given it 3 out of 5 because it does have its merits - a lot of them, but unfortunately the clicking, the silly mono socket, and the lack of Bluetooth really let it down badly. I'm going to be returning mine tomorrow and sticking with the Tungsten T.


Awesome performance   June 18, 2003
62 out of 64 found this review helpful

I've owned several PDAs over the years and had abandoned the Palm platform for Sony Clies - the Clies were faster, more stylish, had more features and fantastic screens. I was intrigued by the features of the Tungsten C and tried one out at a local store and immediately purchased one online. In short, the C is a power user's dream PDA. My impressions after 3 weeks of use:

Screen: incredible, very bright, robust colors - rivals the Clie NX70V, maybe even a bit brighter

WiFi: immediately connected to my home Airport network - range is about 70-80ft - I have been able to connect effortlessly to T-mobile hotspots in several Starbucks

Speed: nothing like it on any PDA - the C truly flies - the browser speed is next to incredible - much faster than browsing on a PocketPC

Keyboard: I have never liked thumbpads, but the one on the C has the keys spaced so they can be accessed via thumb typing - I rarely need to use the new Graffiti 2

Memory: you will not run out!

Battery: very good, I'm getting 10-15 hours

The mono sound issue doesn't bother me at all - I have an iPod for mp3 listening - the C is fine for Audible content - the mono/stereo doesn't make much difference with the spoken word

It would have been nice to have built-in Bluetooth - the only limitation I have found so far.

I would also would have liked to have a travel charger included - it's a pain to have to carry the cradle around.


Leave the Laptop at Home   October 31, 2003
Joe Bruce (Somewhere)
37 out of 40 found this review helpful

I run my own business and travel about 120,000 actual air miles per year (mainly short to medium haul flights). On a recent trip to Australia I took both my IBM T40 laptop and Tungsten C. Because I fly American Airlines & QANTAS I was able to access the club lounge WiFi networks in Chicago, LA, Sydney, and Perth. In each case the Palm C connected quicker than my T40 and I was able to check e-mail and surf the web. I have had no problems with my screen and invested $30 in a decent padded cover. Functionality is brilliant and my ACT! database (3000+ contacts) keeps in sync with my T40 no problems at all. I occasionally get dropped WiFi connections but believe these are network rather than device issues because my Palm C and T40 both lose connections at the same time. I previously used a printed Franklin planner but this is now collecting dust on my bookshelf. I owned a Palm III previously but tossed it when the screen broke. This time around I take a bit more care but the padded cover seems to handle the rough and tumble. I'm still searching for the best apps to work with for certain tasks but find that the C has a ton of memory so I can try different apps side by side for a while before uninstalling those I don't want anymore. The color screen is brilliant and makes reading very easy. It would be nice if more web sites were optimised for this format because in some cases lots of scrolling is required, however, I imagine that over time this will improve. Overall a very nice little unit - and believe me I have been a sceptic on this technology.