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The Tungsten T, Palm Inc.s long-awaited next-generation handheld computer, has arrived—along with the sort of high-resolution display, ARM processor and 32-bit operating system that had been key differentiators for rival devices running Microsoft Corp.s Pocket PC operating system.
For all thats new, however, the Tungsten T still has more in common with its Palm forebears than with its Pocket PC competitors. On the plus side, the Tungsten retains the Palms slick design and good battery life, as well as backward compatibility with the bulk of Palms software catalog (courtesy of an emulation layer similar to what Apple Computer Inc.s OS X provides for legacy Mac OS applications).
When you factor in a built-in and well-implemented Bluetooth radio, theres no doubt that the new device, which began shipping in late October, is the slickest Palm handheld to date. However, the Tungsten T comes at a price—$499—thats beginning to seem high even for a Pocket PC device. And that price gets you only 16MB of RAM for running and storing applications—pretty meager, if you ask us.
We were also surprised to find that no MP3 player ships with the unit, nor is one available for it elsewhere—this despite multimedia suitability being touted as one of the key benefits of the Tungstens Palm 5 operating system.
When an MP3 player does surface, the Tungsten T will be ready for it, as it sports a stereo headphone jack. For now, though, the jacks usefulness seems limited to use for listening to voice messages, which we were able to record in the way were accustomed to with Pocket PC units.
The Tungsten T is powered by an ARM-based Texas Instruments Inc. OMAP1510 processor, a significant departure from the Motorola Inc. DragonBall architecture around which Palms previous devices were built. However, because the Tungsten T differs little in the sort of application functionality that those earlier devices delivered, weve yet to see much of what the new chip has to offer.
We expect this to change eventually, as Palm begins moving the rest of its devices to Palm OS 5. For now, only the Tungsten T runs the new operating system; not even the forthcoming Tungsten W communicator device will run OS 5 or ship with an ARM chip.
Looking Good
Looking Good
One of the most pleasing new attributes of the Tungsten T is its 65,000-color reflective thin-film transistor display, which benefits from enhanced resolution—320 by 320 pixels, up from the 160-by-160-pixel displays in all previous-generation devices from Palm.
It should be noted that Palm OS-based systems from vendors including Hand-Era Inc. and Sony Corp. have boasted similarly high-resolution displays for some time now. Nonetheless, in tests, eWeek Labs found the Palm Tungsten Ts screen an excellent place for viewing images and, more important, for reading text.
The Tungsten T weighs 5.6 ounces and measures 3 inches wide by 0.6 inches thick by 4 inches long—about an inch shorter than a typical Palm device, thanks to a slide-out design that hides the units graffiti input area when not in use.
The Tungsten T allows for peripheral expansion through a Secure Digital card slot. The slot may also be used with MultiMedia Cards.
In addition, the Tungsten T sports the same synchronization connector as Palms 500-series handhelds, which means that the Tungsten T is compatible with peripherals designed for those models.
The Tungsten T is powered by an internal lithium-polymer battery, which, unfortunately, is not removable.
In addition to the standard personal information management applications that mark all Palm devices, the Tungsten T comes with a nice complement of applications, including DataViz Inc.s Documents To Go software for working with Microsoft Office files, as well as collaboration applications for use with the units built-in Bluetooth radio.
Technical Analyst Jason Brooks can be reached at [email protected].
Executive Summary
: Palm Tungsten T”>
Executive Summary: Palm Tungsten T
|
Usability |
Excellent |
|
Capability |
Good |
|
Performance |
Good |
|
Interoperability |
Good |
|
Manageability |
Good |
|
Scalability |
Good |
|
Security |
Good |
The Tungsten T is a new handheld device from Palm, marked by a new, more powerful ARM-based processor and running Version 5 of Palms handheld operating system. With a sleek, pocketable design and a built-in Bluetooth radio, the Tungsten T is a strong, if costly, standard-bearer for the handheld worlds most ubiquitous brand.
COST ANALYSIS
The Tungsten T costs $499. This price is steep, considering that comparably outfitted Pocket PC handhelds (including lower-end units from Dell Computer Corp. and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.) sell for as low as $200. The built-in Bluetooth radio is worth a premium, however.
(+) Higher-resolution display for much-improved text display; slide-out graffiti area saves space; built-in Bluetooth radio is well-implemented.
(-) Price is a bit high; 16MB of RAM doesnt compare well with the 32MB to 64MB found in Pocket PCs; battery is not removable.
EVALUATION SHORT LIST
- Toshibas Pocket PC e330
- Dells Axim X5 Pocket PC
- Sharp Electronics Corp.s Zaurus SL-5500
- www.palm.com