PalmOne Tungsten T3 Handheld

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Manufacturer: PalmOne
Price at amazon.com: Used & new from $229.00




Product Features:

• Palm’s new breakthrough Stretch Display
• Device slides open to reveal a 320x480 display with 50% more viewing area
• Ultra-fast 400MHz Intel XScale processor and 64MB of internal memory
• Wirelessly access email, dial phone numbers, send text messages and connect to the Internet
• What's in the box: Handheld device; Palm Desktop software, including Documents To Go and Adobe Acrobat for Palm OS; all basic utilities such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks., etc.

Product Description:

The Tungsten T3 handheld comes packed with power and boasts Palms new breakthrough Stretch Display.



See all product description...

Description from Manufacturer: Kicking the technology advances up another notch, the Palm Tungsten T3 delivers a professional, sleek alternative to bulkier Pocket PCs that's chock-full of productivity enhancing and information sharing applications. Improvements over the T2 include a full-screen mode when the bottom casing is slid open, a bevy of enhanced display options, compatibility with Java applets, larger internal memory, and an easier to access status bar.

First, just the technical facts:

• Palm OS 5.2.1
• 32-bit, 400 MHz Intel XScale processor
• 64 MB internal RAM, with 52 MB usable for applications and file storage (an improvement over the T2's 29 MB usable RAM)
• Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• Secure Digital memory card expansion slot
• 4.3 (closed) x 3.0 x 0.66 inches, 5.5 ounces

The T3's Stretch Display

Overall, the Tungsten T3 isn't that much smaller than the Zire 71, but it does feel nicely compact in the hand and its larger navigation button is easier to manipulate with just your thumb. However, the "wow factor" comes into full force when you slide down the bottom of the T3's case to reveal the full screen mode. And it gets even better. The standard "silkscreened" Graffiti input area (so-called because its icons and borders are printed onto the screen's glass) is now replaced by a digital version, which can be hidden to reveal an even larger screen. We found this useful when writing long notes in Memos and viewing an expanded daily calendar view. You don't actually need the Graffiti writing area to input data into notes or Calendar items. With the Full-Screen Writing preference turned on, you can write Graffiti characters anywhere on the screen (you'll even see an outline traced on the screen as you write). But the crowning display enhancement is the ability to rotate the screen to landscape view, which was especially handy when viewing downloaded movie trailers (using the included Kinoma video player). If you're left-handed, you can change the orientation in landscape view so that the status bar and Graffiti input area are more accessible to your own orientation.

The T3 includes the familiar suite of Palm applications (Calendar, Contacts, Memos, and Tasks) as well as a number of third-party software title (ranging from Acrobat Reader to RealOne Player for listening to digital audio). Calendar has been given an Outlook-friendly makeover, adding an Agenda view that consolidates all of today's appointments, tasks, and new e-mails. With full-screen mode on, Calendar's month view now displays smaller calendars for the previous and next months.

Bluetooth wireless functionality is built in, and the Tungsten T3 still includes the BlueBoard and BlueChat for sharing information with other Tungsten users. For Web communication, Palm includes VersaMail and WebBrowser Pro, both of which can be used along with a Bluetooth phone. Additionally, VersaMail can access a corporate e-mail account, including Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino servers.

Java has also now entered the Palm OS arena, expanding the application development opportunities. The T3 comes with a few sample applets (including a periodic table that would be handy at our local pub's trivia night), but we'll have to wait for more development before Java becomes a full Palm OS tool.

Our only complaint, design-wise, is the placement of the Voice Memo button, which as been placed toward the top of the left side of the case, below the on/off button on the top panel. When turning on the device, our left hand's thumb continually triggered the Voice Memo app when attempting to turn on the T3. Note that you can also turn the T3 on by pressing one of the application buttons surrounding the Navigator, or by sliding the bottom case open. Overall, the Tungsten T3 is a Palm powerhouse, blending its traditional information management strength with new multimedia and connectivity functionality (both wired and wireless). It's about as perfect a personal productivity agent for professional settings as it gets. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Crisp, bright color screen
• Fast processor, ample internal memory, and expansion slot to boot
• Digital Graffiti input area can be hidden for full screen display
• Screen can be rotated to landscape view
• Access to corporate e-mail and Bluetooth wireless connectivity

Con:

• Voice Memo button gets in the way of turning on and off

Average Customer Rating:

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Comment: Palm Tungsten T3 Rating:
I recently upgraded from M500 to T3. I wanted a better and larger screen, better handling of e-mail and syncing with Outlook, as wel as handling Word attachments. I am really satisfied with all of the above. Synchronisation by cradle and IR on my mobile phone work very well, both as regards Docs to Go and AvantGo. My old portable keyboard works as well after installing a new driver from the Palm website.

Three problems, though:
1. the old "Mail" application is no longer used and replaced by VersaMail. Versamail, however, is difficult to install on network PCs because it only installs as part of the software package on the CD ROM. I have still not managed to do that. In the mean time I use versamail to sync by IR wireless with Yahoo, which works great.
2. Battery life is SHORT, about 2 hours, so you really need a charger when travelling.
3. The T3 doesn't have a Wlan card built in, and I still haven't seen an expansion card available at web shops. Hopefully it will be available soon.

Over all this is a great PDA, I travel a lot and use it instead of a notebook PC. Hopefully in a couple of years Palm will throw in a GSM phone as well.

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Comment: Love It Already Rating:
I traded in my trusty Handspring Visor Pro of 4 years for my new T3. I wasn't interested in the color screen, I was used to weeks of battery life, and it's a premium (priced) product. However, a friend wanted it badly and was looking to me to be his technical support -- then I found out I could trade in credit card points. So, my T3 only cost me shipping.

And, within two weeks I've forgotten my poor old Handspring. The traditional apps are only mildly upgraded, but nicer. Voice memo, MP3 player, video player, picture viewing are great tricks. And that screen! I smile every time I slide it open!

Battery life? Definately less than the 2 weeks I got on the Handspring. But, I can make it through a weekend with moderate use, so that's OK. Turn down the screen brightness in low light, makes a big difference. Batteries not replaceable? Not much of a "con" there -- nothing has replaceable batteries anymore except kids toys and cell phones (which break before the batteries die, anyway). Besides, there are screws holding the thing together, so there's some way to change the batteries.

Memory -- the SD slot is great -- better than the Springboard slot (although I still have a lot of peripherals to replace). 128 M for $40! Unbelievable. And, programs are easily copied to the card without an OS hack.

Grafitti2 was an adjustment (for me, I've been proficient with G1 for 6 years). However, the way the pen movements track on the virtual Grafitti Pad make it easy to see what your mistakes are -- the transition is going well.

Processor -- fast! Finds are unbelievable. Audio quality of the headphone jack is great. Viewing video is pretty smooth, and a great trick to show off the T3.

I love the small size. Slide it together, fits easily in a shirt pocket.

My only nit pick -- as a southpaw I hate where the voice record button is. And I wish the power was on the front.

Make sure you download the patch for "Docs to Go". I suspect many of the fatal errors some reviewers have experienced are bugs in the distributed version -- makes "find" crash as it goes through Word documents. After the patch, no problems. Also, some crashes also might be from running apps not really ready for Palm OS 5, which needs to support the T3's longer display and landscape mode. Make sure the app is really ready for OS5 (I've dumped most of the older apps I used on the Visor for now).

By the way, did I mentioned how great that screen looks on the T3!

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Comment: Palm quality control is terrible Rating:
I bought a T3 which broke down after the first loading. The screen starts showing all applicactions as in a fast video.
This was an upgrade from a Tungsten T2 which I bought last year. I also had problems with the T2 and had to return it TWO TIMES to Palm to get a new machine. Support is not very helpful and sometime it borders on rudeness. I definitely do not recommend buying Palm products

Posted at November 11, 2003 07:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)