To Buy Or Not To Buy

[crin]

Hi, I'm using currently m100 and after reseach have almost decided to buy a T|E. But I've got some questions that need real hands-on experience.

1. What excactly is 'mini USB cable'? How long is it? (Somehow I doubt that everybody has half-sized USB-ports...)

2. Does 'No universal connector' mean that I won't be able to use one of those nifty folding keyboards and other stuff?

3. Is it true that hacks don't work? And is there really no improvement on the horizon? I'd hate to lose EasyLaunch, LaunchEmAppHack and KeyPad 0.50. I suspect for SortingHack some alternative should appear, there's too many people in Scandinavia.

4. Is it true that backlight doesn't switch off? (One shop had T|T and that switched...) Do I dare to use it at all, if power outlet is not within immediate reach?

5. What's the flip cover like? Does it turn all the way back like on m100? Or if it stays half-open like a book, can I remove it?

6. What's DocsToGo good for, if I don't have Word/Excel on PC? (I mean, can I have it just on Palm, can I copy things from it into Memo)

I hope you don't think those questions awfully dumb, and thank you for help.

[abid786]

I'll try and answer some of the questions you have.

"1. What excactly is 'mini USB cable'? How long is it? (Somehow I doubt that everybody has half-sized USB-ports...)"
;) You're right, there is no half-sized USB ports of PCs;). Anyways, the mini USB cable is same as the USB, except it is a bit smaller than the regular USB. You can find a picture of the mini USB here: http://www.cablesnmor.com/usb-mini-cable.html.

"2. Does 'No universal connector' mean that I won't be able to use one of those nifty folding keyboards and other stuff?"
Unless you consider the infrared keyboard "nifty", then the answer is NO, you can't use any of those keyboards that hook up to the Palm. The wireless ones, yes, you can use them (so long as you have the drivers).

"3. Is it true that hacks don't work? And is there really no improvement on the horizon? I'd hate to lose EasyLaunch, LaunchEmAppHack and KeyPad 0.50. I suspect for SortingHack some alternative should appear, there's too many people in Scandinavia."
It is partially true and partially false. What that means is that you can try to see if hacks work, with the trial version of TealMaster (a hack manager that attempts to work some hacks in OS5) or YAHM (freeware, but not as good as TealMaster). Check to see if the hack works. On the other hand, some hacks have been redone for OS5, such as ClipHack5, Switch5, ScreenShot5, and CrystalPopupSuite. Try those out if you wantl;).

"6. What's DocsToGo good for, if I don't have Word/Excel on PC? (I mean, can I have it just on Palm, can I copy things from it into Memo)"
I don't have Word and Excel either on the PC, but I still have Docs To Go;). What I have is OpenOffice (www.openoffice.org), which is a complete replacement for Word and Excel, but open source (completely free). It is even included with some very basic versions of Linux, and you can download it for free. Secondly, you can open *.xls and *.doc files from the SD card, and read/write to them. Thats about the only use if you don't have Word/Excel, but it works most of the time.

Hope I helped,

Abid

[crin]

Thanks, Abid, it's littlle bit clearer now.
YES, infrared keyboard is especially 'nifty', but any keyboard at all is pretty low on my list anyways, me being mostly graffity-oriented person. But I' like to be able to add (sometimes on far and wealthier future) things like camera or scanner...

During browsing I saw somewhere alternatives for LaunchEm, so I should be covered if oldies-goodies won't work.

But if I buy T|E from US, then it won't want European 220-V electricity?:(

crin

[corina]

If you buy a T|E in the U.S., you will need a current adapter to run it on Europe's 220 v.

[StickyNoteMavin]

The flip cover does fold all the way back. It is also removable.

And, if being close to an outlet is of concern, there are battery extender chargers available for the T|E that use 4 AA batteries to charge the PDA.

You can find them on eBay by searching for battery extender tungsten E

[crin]

Originally posted by StickyNoteMavin

And, if being close to an outlet is of concern, there are battery extender chargers available for the T|E that use 4 AA batteries to charge the PDA.

[/B]

:D Wow, that's excellent! Do 4xAA batteries last longer than 1 charge from power outlet and how long is it anyway, with little or medium use? I plan to travel in Europe (camping, tenting, only sometimes hoteling) and it would be sad if my dictionary dies on the road. So I worry about power and backlight.

crin

[scottoldford13]

For one thing you will only get three charges out of it and only two sometimes. This would not be a good choice but you don’t have many choices because just about everything needs the connecter for it.

Now I got some questions?

My friend is buying a Palm pilot for school because he is also dialectic like me and wants to type his notes in class. I wanted to know what enchantments are with the Tungsten E. Like the address book is now called the Contacts could you tell me more in depth about this. I would also like if anyone has a Tungsten E and tell me if they hade any problems with this handheld. He does not know much about palm pilots or computer. I am like the computer guy in my school and everyone asks me about computers and PDA’s of course its simple questions. If I don’t know I come here and ask it because everyone here is very helpful. Also that link is broken that you give me. I never saw that USB connecter before. How does the palm attach to the computer on the top or bottom?

Scott Oldford

[crin]

Have you folks any idea, how hard it is to find a place that sells Tungsten E, Lexar/Panasonic SD card, battery charger, takes Visa AND ships internationally??:( I can save a lot on shpping, by buying a bundle.

Though I'm wavering between E and T2, because of battery life.
If I get Energy Dimmer, will T2 still last longer? I'd say that I'll use it mostly for reading and short notes and some music about 1,5-1 hours per day.

About mini-USB - it seems to be just longish cord, one end has standard USB, other end half smaller one, that goes into bottom of TE.

[abid786]

Originally posted by crin
Though I'm wavering between E and T2, because of battery life.
If I get Energy Dimmer, will T2 still last longer? I'd say that I'll use it mostly for reading and short notes and some music about 1,5-1 hours per day.


The problem with Energy Dimmer is that for ebooks, it is useless. Its also useless for music, though it may be useful when taking notes.

By useless, I mean that you are constantly using the unit, so it doesn't have a chance to dim the unit.

Also, I found energy dimmer to be useless on my devices, and I got no extra noticable battery life.

Abid

[StickyNoteMavin]

You could probably get the PDA and SD card (maybe not the particular brand you're looking for, but they should all be the same--they follow the same standards) from PalmOne on their website. I would imagine they ship internationally. And I know they take Visa. The only place I've seen the battery extenders (for less than $10 USD) is Ebay.

[scottoldford13]

I would go and buy the Palm Tungsten T2 Why you may ask this is why

Palm Tungsten T2
144 MHZ processors
32 MB of ram (29.7)
Slider
Universal Connecter
A nice stylus
Blue tooth
More ass.
You can get Power to Go
SD Slot
IR
Voice Memo
A lot of expansion stuff can use the universal connecter
USB Cradle
Better Battery Life !


Palm Tungsten E
126 MHZ processors
32 MB of ram (24.4)
Mini USB (SUCKS)!
Nice Stylus
Barely any ass.
SD
IR
USB Mini
Enhanced like the T3 address book is now contact Etc.
No slider

But of course its your choice !

[crin]

PalmOne of course, but it's one of the priciest options. Though right now they have attractive deal on TE + 128MB card, but I want 256. And I'm leery about SanDisk, lots of people have complained how it went bad in Tungsten.

T2...well, yes it is faster and all, but I don't need bluetooth and if I forget to charge it, then I must lug whole cradle to work.(I don't drive) And on 1-2 week tourism trips it would be especially unwieldy.
Only + thing would be significally longer time between charges.

Sry to waver outside the main theme, but it' too funny, check it out:
http://rinkworks.com/stupid/

[runkle]

Hi Crin,

I have purchased a 9 volt emergency battery charger for my tungsten e. I also have the double a charger. The 9 volt is much smaller and provides the same charger possibilities. The 9 volt charger is available at pdaparts.com and will cost about $16.00 depending upon shipping.

[StickyNoteMavin]

check out the special deals/factory refurbs portion of the PalmOne site. I got an open-box T|E for $160. I searched everywhere for weeks before I finally decided on this one--mostly because it was practically the cheapest price, and from PalmOne, at least I could get tech support if needed.

For price comparisons, check:

Pricegrabber.com
Froogle.com
Dealwatcher.com
Shopper.com
yahoo.com -- the search in shopping.

[crin]

:( I've all cramped up from combing the net, and possibilities are not bright at all. Even PalmOne won't ship internationally, though they have extensions into SOME countries. Grrr! And 235 EUR is too much anyway. :mad:,for just the T|E. My only hope seems to be that your stores run out of customers and start to look on the other side of the globe.
Actually, I did find some places, but units and battery extenders tend to be in different stores,not to mention 256mb card.
So I'm still looking.

crin

[StickyNoteMavin]

Have you looked at:

www.mobileplanet.biz
http://www.expansys.com

I'm guessing from your coordinates that you are located somewhere in the vicinity of Finland. Expansys is in the UK, as is Proporta. MobilePlanet is in France, and from what I saw of their website, you should be able to get the PDA plus SD card from them for a decent price.

Have you looked for palm forums that are mostly European members? There's one here from Germany: http://www.pdaforum.de/
They may have a Classified area just like Palm Blvd does.

And you could check out www.brighthand.com Their forum may help you too.

[crin]

Thanks, StickyNoteMavin

no, I had not heard about them. Expansys and the german site are definitely something to watch. Mobileplanet seems to want at least $400 from me. Though my german is on very low level, but for that it should do. Especially if there really are new models coming out soon, then old ones have to go somewhere...;)

Googled for finnish boards/stores also, but they seem to be quite palm-empty.

crin

[Watcher]

I'll be a little bit biased cause I have the Tungsten E, I chose it because of its

1) 32MB internal memory
2) MP3 capability
3) 320 x 320 resolution
4) Price
5) Palm

But admittedly considering the PDA nowadays Tungsten E is a starter's unit. Now as for the battery I do hate the lack of ability to replace the battery by yourself actually you can as long as you can safely solder it back into the motherboard. As for not having the universal connector its not much an issue for me.

Sony TJ35 is an alternative choice if you go for memory stick.

But if you really want power on PDA IPaq's are the best. I had one before (yeah before it jumped out of my hands and committed suicide in the airport!)