First Impression...

[Larken]

I got my hands on a demo of the Tungsten T last night. I was very impressed. My wife has a T665 and I have a m515 currently. We compared them side by side, and the Tungsten display was superb. Icons and fonts were as crisp as I've seen, and the background was the closest I've seen to actual white. Even with the backlight turned off, the display was easy to read in typical office lighting. I didn't see any native apps to make noise on the unit, so I beamed Bejewelled over to it, and the speaker sounded quite nice compared to the m515 speaker. Sound quality was on par with the T665, but the max volume was not as high. The stylus felt good in your hand as long as it was telescoped out; it was a bit too short for my hand in it's small form. I was impressed at the lack of friction as the stylus glided across the digitizer. My only concern with this unit was in regards to .mp3 playback. It doesn't seem to be "made" for that as much as the T665, so I would be interested in seeing what kind of drain that puts on power. I also didn't know if an .mp3 player application would support powering down the screen during playback like the Sony hardware does. All in all, I would say that Palm has put out a fantastic unit. I will definitely be picking on up as soon as I find a buyer for my m515. If anyone is interested, let me know :)

[little-man]

sounds good, but I'd still get an NX-70v. not that I couls afford either.

[OldBlue]

Hi, Larkin

If you live around the San Francisco Bay Area, www.craigslist.org is a great site for selling your "stuff." I've had really good success selling my digital cameras and Palms each time I upgraded. Posting your ad is free and I have received email responses to my ads literally within 15-30 minutes of the ad being posted on-line! I will probably place an ad there to sell my m505 once I am sure everything is transferred and installed onto my TT.

OldBlue

[Larken]

I don't live in the San Francisco area, unfortunately. I live in Indiana, but I might just put it up there anyway. I don't mind shipping if I can find a buyer. Thanks for the information :)

[little-man]

try eBay. I sold my old visor deluxe there for around $80 when I only bought it for $100.

[AFROTC_Cadet045]

I've had my Tungsten T since Monday and I am still impressed with it. It happily syncs to my Powerbook without special software (Missing Sync). I was originally going to wait for the NX70V (I have a NR70V), but after using the demo Tungsten T I was immediately impressed. The form factor is awesome. It is compact, yet since it has a fold out graffiti interface, you do not lose any functionality. Palm seems always be behind in getting accessories out the door. I am eagerly waiting for a case to be shipped so I can protect the pda from damage.

I've compared the Tungstens screen to a Treo, iPaq, and a NR70v, and the Tungsten was sharper because of the higher resolution.

The NX/NR series are just too big and I am a bit annoyed that sony did not include built in 802.11b support. For a pda the size of the NR/NX that should be no problem. Also, I had the magnesium chip on my NR series pda. I used the camera to take pictures of lab specimens (at school) and white board notes (at work), but aside from that most of the features are gimmicks. I never used the keyboard and the swivel screen was only used when storing the pda.

Enough with the NR70V complaints. I really like my Tungsten, but I have a couple issues. Avantgo seems to be flaky with the Tungsten, both using virtual pc (on my mac) and when connecting to my WinXP machine. I assume this is because of PalmOS5 and Avantgo not having enough resources to update their software. My last complaint is that I feel Palm should have included an MP3 player and video software. The multimedia components are what helps Sony sell so many Clies. I have an ipod for music, but first party software for video would have been nice.

[mevande]

Another failure by Palm. Sony has a model .. that is cheaper. better screen, MP3 built in.. less money T665. The NX70V kills anything Palm has. Higher Res, Can buy 802.11 card which is a standard and bluetooth is a joke in the US (can send from up tp 30 ft. away!?)MP3 player, much more... again.. Palm more and more like a software company. I used to be a big fan of Palm Hardware. That ended when they came out with the lame 505 and 515.

[OldBlue]

mevande

The Tungsten T is far from a failure. I looked at the Sonys and the PPCs and each has strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure that arguments could be made for and against any PDA. It boils down to what fits each individual's PDA needs best. My m505 has served me well since May 2001. I almost replaced it with a Sony T615 about 5 months ago because of the higher resolution and the brighter screen. I'm glad I waited for the Tungsten T, which I got last Tuesday. BlueTooth is perfectly suitable for short range transmission. I don't need 802.11b's 300 ft range for data transfer to printers, cell phones, other PDAs, and headsets. While I respect your opinions about Palm and Sony, I wish that your post was not so absolutely negative about Palm and recognize that Palms are the best solutions for some of the people's needs.

OldBlue

[Monon333]

I have just bought a Tungsten and have a few warning bells for people thinking of buying one, DUST UNDER THE SCREEN, yes that is right, on day two I have started finding dust particles under the screen...........AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH HHH...
It seems that palm is trying to be more like PocketPC's........

Also am I missing the way you transfer programs to the SSD, it's not just threw hot syncing is it, the sony has a way to open a drive on the computer for the Memory stick, I hope I'm just missing something........Hot syncing to the SSD card takes forever with movie files............

[clare]

So far, I *really* like my Tungsten T. I especially like its speed -- it's very noticeably faster to me. The hi-res screen is very nice too, as is the improved brightness over my m505.

I'm also excited by the possibilities opened by the native Bluetooth. I just bought a Sony Ericsson T68i (cellphone with Bluetooth) and a little USB Bluetooth device for my PC (bought them this evening). So I *should* be able to surf the web or send email from my bedroom using my PC in my computer room, or surf & email from the road using my cellphone. I'm jumping in with both feet on this Bluetooth stuff, with high hopes. Updates on this part later, after I've had a chance to try all this out....

And, to Larken, who started this thread:

I suggest that you try out the latest version 2.0 of Bejeweled on the Tungsten if you haven't yet. It's got a mode that takes advantage of the hi-res capabilities of the Tungsten screen. Way cool!

[OldBlue]

Monon333, I have not had the dust problem you report with your TT. I've had mine since Tueday, Oct 28th, and use it daily. I keep it in my left front pants pocket, so it's hardly a dust-free environment. Maybe you should replace it with another TT and see if that happens with a different unit?

You can transfer files from your TT's RAM to your SSD using the "Copy" function within the TT's Applications screen. That might be a bit faster than doing it by hotsync. Also, I notice that the hotsyncing is a lot faster with my TT than with my m505. How large is your movie file?

Clare, I'm with you. I really like my TT and it's head and shoulders above my previous Palms (1000, PilotPro, Palm V, m505) and an HP Jornada that snuck in there in a moment of weakness. ;-)

OldBlue

[Monon333]

It's a 45meg file, this won't fit in ram, and if it did it would need to be hot synced, this is a Star Trek episode.............

[AFROTC_Cadet045]

Clare,

Were you able to use your Tungsten T to connect to the internet via your T68i phone? I have the same set-up and have not been able to connect. I have gotten the Tungsten T to dial the T68i, but a connection can not be made. AT&T wireless (my service provider) tells me it can not be done.

Cheers,

AFROTC_Cadet045

[Larken]

Sold my Palm m515 today for $250!! Should have a new Tungsten in my hands by weeks end :) We'll have to see if I can dodge the dust plagued models. Thanks for the tip on Bejeweled, Clare. I'll have to take a look into that. As for Palm vs. Sony, my opinion is that Sony puts out new models too fast. Because of that, the models don't hold their value. As for the new OS5 model, I really don't care for the size of it. It's too big and bulky. I'm also rather apprehensive since it is using an Intel processor as opposed to the lower power Texas Instruments. Power consumption is everything to me, and TI does a good job with low power devices. I enjoy camping and hiking personally, so I like to small size of the Tungsten, and I plan to pick up a solar charger that I've seen to keep it up and running out in the wilderness. Nothing like roughing it next to a campfire with Palm in hand :)

[AZSideroad]

NOOO! Say it isn't so! I planned on upgrading from my NR70V to the Tungsten T, but since hearing that I'm going to stay with my current PDA or get the NX70V. Dust is evil! I had it under the screen on my Clie N760C, my Compaq iPaq 3835 and I do not want to ever see it again! Eww, bad Palm, bad!

[AFROTC_Cadet045]

I've had no dust problems.

[OldBlue]

Larken, when you get your solar charger, please post and let me know how you like it. I'm looking at several possibilities, including those by Brunton, Aurora Solar, and ICP Global.

AFROTC_Cadet045, no dust problems with my TT either and it's been carried daily in my lint/dust generating left front pants pocket.

OldBlue

[Larken]

Well, I've been carrying the TT for a couple days now. I like the look and feel of the unit quite a bit. I don't care for the little plastic front cover. Taking that off every time I use it gets a annoying. I'd prefer a top mounted cover similar to the one that comes with the T665. It would only need to be long enough to cover the TT in compact form since you wouldn't normally carry it in a case in expanded form anyway. I miss the connecting cover of the m515 too. I especially like how a lot of the hard cases utilized a similar use of the left side silo on the m515 to hold the unit in the case. I've also noticed a lack of stability with a number of programs that claim to be OS 5 ready, most notably so far is Kinoma and Launcher III. I was having problems with Wordsmith, but I think it might have been an installation corruption. I find the lack of software so far to be a bit frustrating, but it's to be expected. Also, a button to take you to the factory provided launcher would be nice too, so that you don't have to slide it open to go to the main screen.

Oldblue, I'll let you know how the solar charger works. I plan on having one by Christmas hopefully. My wife was pretty ticked off when I came home with the Tungsten, so I'm going to have to affix my lips to her butt for a month or so before I can get one...

[OldBlue]

Larken

I totally agree with you that the clear polycarbonate cover is awkward to use. I miss having a metal case (like my Innopocket on my m505) that protects my Palm, front and back. At least the clear cover does a great job protecting the screen. And, being polycarbonate, we know it won't distort when we drop it into boiling water!:)

Check out this Palm case (the lucky Brits!)...
Go to: http://www.palmdirect.com/palmeurope/
Click on the "United Kingdom" flag
Click "Accessories" on the left
Click "Tungsten T" under "Cases and Covers"
Click the "Palm Tungsten T Hard Case"
It's a good looking metal case!!! No rail silo, but the description says it clips to the back of the TT case, so that means no goofy Velcro, either. I can't wait until it is release here in the U.S.

I've had no problems with Launcher III. I'm using version 3.0.5 if that makes any difference. ... I'm using TealMovie instead of Kinoma. TealMovie is working well with my TT. ... You can get to the Palm launcher without opening the slider, but to do so, you have to uncheck "Always use Launcher III" in the Launcher III Preferences window. ... I agree that the shortage of software that takes advantage of the TT's features is a bummer. Hopefully, some will be released in time for Christmas.

I was going to suggest giving the m515 to you wife so she would not be quite so upset about your TT, but I read that you sold it. (I'm considering giving my m505 to my wife, who has my old Palm V but doesn't use it very much. Then, again, selling my m505 would help defray the cost of my TT. What a dilemma!) Good luck with the solar charger!

OldBlue

[little-man]

just as well... NX70v's are better anyway.

[jankjo]

Old Blue,
that case looks great!
Can we buy something from the UK?
I noticed that the item is backordered, but I didn't actually try to buy it.
jankjo

[AFROTC_Cadet045]

According to the Palm Retail store in San Jose, CA, the hard case should be shipping in a couple weeks.

AFROTC_Cadet045

[OldBlue]

AFROTC_Cadet045

I had recently asked someone who was going to Europe to pick up the metal case for me while over there. If the cases are not available (I'll know in about a week), I'll have to go with Plan B. Where is the Palm store in San Jose? My son lives in that area and I could have him stop by to pick one up.

OldBlue

[OldBlue]

jankjo

I don't see why we can't purchase something from the UK. I wonder if the shipping would be expensive? I may just wait until it's available locally. At least we know that Palm is producing a metal case for the TT.

OldBlue

P.S. - I looked at the site again and they changed the picture. The new picture shows the case both closed and opened. In the opened view, we can see that the inside of the front cover has two slots for storing memory cards.

[AFROTC_Cadet045]

OldBlue,

The Palm Store is in Valley Fair Mall on Stevens Creek BLVD.

Good luck with the case hunting. =)

AFROTC_Cadet045

[OldBlue]

AFROTC_Cadet045

Thanks for the info. I've been to the Valley Fair Mall, although it's been at least 2 years ago. I purchased some Palm accessories at the Franklin Covey store.

OldBlue

[mk46]

Originally posted by OldBlue
jankjo

I don't see why we can't purchase something from the UK. I wonder if the shipping would be expensive?


fwiw -
I recently purchased my 505s case from Proporta (http://www.proporta.com/detail.asp?id=38&Curr=USD) (identical to the Innopocket ) who is located the UK. The shipping cost was $3.11 and only took a couple days to arrive. :)

(The exchange rate has bumped the price of the case a dollar since my purchase in August, ergo, about 3%)


mk46

[slotmachine]

Originally posted by AFROTC_Cadet045
I've had no dust problems.
From what store and city did you buy your TT?

[OldBlue]

mk46

Thanks for the info. The shipping charges are not as high as I though they might be. This gives me several options to obtain the hard metal case for my TT.

slotmachine

I bought my TT through Palm. They have a promotion for free shipping, plus they did not charge me for sales tax. Still no dust after 2 weeks of continual in-and-out of my pants pockets, which are a veritable breeding ground for lint and dust. :)

OldBlue