PalmOne Releases New Tungsten PDA

PalmOne Inc. Wednesday released a new low-end PDA for business users, the Tungsten E2.

Among the new features in the Tungsten E2 is nonvolatile flash memory, so that data is preserved if the battery runs out, and Bluetooth wireless technology.

Like its predecessor, the Tungsten E, which was released in October 2003, the Tungsten E2 has a 320-by-320 pixel color display, but the display in the E2 is brighter than the one in the E, according to PalmOne officials, in Milpitas, Calif.

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The E2 is fueled by a 200MHz Intel XScale processor and runs on the Palm Garnet operating system. The handheld has 32MB of RAM, 26MB of which is accessible to users, and includes a memory expansion slot for SD, SDIO and MMC cards.

The Tungsten E2 is available now for $249.

Click here to read a review of the Tungsten E2 at PCMag.com.

Invivodata Inc., a supplier of electronic systems for collecting patient data in clinical trials, plans to deploy more than 5,000 Tungsten E2 handhelds running its software for use in clinical trials in the next 90 days.

Invivodata CEO Doug Engfer welcomed the new features in the Tungsten E2.

"The improvements in the screen, nonvolatile memory and Bluetooth connectivity work real well in the context of clinical research," he said. "In terms of the screen, were working with a wide range of subjects, with varying degrees of visual acuity, age and familiarity with computers."

"The nonvolatile storage protects data while patients are out in field," he said.

In addition, the Bluetooth technology on the Tungsten E2 could be used with Bluetooth-enabled medical devices, Engfer said.

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