Rating: 
Summary: Love it!
Review: It was inexpensive, has a beautiful screen, Palm OS version 5, a nice big stylus, Graffiti 2 (which makes writing much easier), and it's slim. I love it. I used to have a Sony Clie monochrome, and it was bad. Never used it really. I use the Tungsten E all the time. I think what I like about it the most is that they didn't cram a lot of unnecessary components in there. No camera, for example, which if you think about it, makes a lot of sense. Get a real digital camera if you want, but why have a tiny lense parked on the outside of your PDA? That's why I like this one so much: it is just what I need and nothing extraneous.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Value on a color hires screen with fast processor
Review: I've been using a Handspring Visor Edge but decided I needed to upgrade in order to have more RAM.Pro's:
1) The color hires screen is nice. I'm a purest as far as just wanting the minimal thing to get the job done. But the screen is a nice addition.
2) Built in NIMH rechargeable battery. Although not replaceable, probably in 2 or 3 years you'll want another model anyway, and you won't feel that guilty since you only paid <$200.
3) Mp3 capability. Plug in a SD card and you can play your tunes on the go!
4) no bluetooth or Wifi. These are expensive options that many people don't really need. I've got broadband PC's at home and work. Is it really necessary to be connected real-time on the PDA? you'll have to decide for yourself
5) Price. Less than half the cost of a T3! Nice. Cons:
1) Lack of cradle. At first this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it takes an extra 15 seconds you sync, and I worry that the connectors will wear out sooner.
2) Battery life. If you are used to a black and white PDA, the color ones with sound can really drain the battery fast. My wife played Bejeweled from Astraware and drained the battery after an hour or so.
3) Graffiti 2. I finally got the hang of graffiti, and now those one stroke k's don't work anymore. It drives me crazy. Fortunately there is a third party workaround (teal script) for $20 that really helps.
Addendum Feb 2004:
RE: Battery Life. I've found it best to have the charger be a separate connection from the sync. Put the charger beside your bed and make it a habit to plug it in before you sleep. That way if you have a heavy Tungsten E use day you'll have plenty of power. Just charging during a sync is not enough.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent PDA Choice
Review: I had a previous PDA (an older Palm) and upgraded to this to get color, more memory and more functionality. The Tungsten E is a very, very nice choice and I recommend it highly. It seems well-made (I have already dropped it once without damage), and I enjoy the slim size (it fits in my shirt pocket easily). The color display is crisp and sharp in all light levels, the performance is very fast, and the sound (MP3 PRO) files is also quite good. In addition, there is an extensive and usefull set of software included with it. I have not yet used the Documents to Go software for any of my MS Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, but I can see it's utility by playing with the sample files. The RealPlayer software for the songs is quite nice and enables you to manage playlists so that you can vary the order or contents of the audio playback. Note that using this PDA requires the purchase of an Secure Disk plu-in memory card. I have not used the Internet connection software of the "beam" function, so I cannot comment on them. The Tungsten E is an excellent value. You won't be disappointed. R Gates
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a Palm Unit worth the money!
Review: First off, I am no stranger to PalmOS devices, I am/was a loyal Handspring PDA user owning both a Visor Deluxe and Visor Prism. I decided it was time to make the jump to an OS5 device, and being dissapointed that the only Handspring device was going to be the Treo 600 (I don't need a "smartphone") Palm was the next logical choice. I saw the Zire 21 and 71, but I don't particularly care for the Zire/Zire 21 styling and plus they are gray scale devices (after being spoiled by the Prism, I wasn't going back to gray scale). I originally wanted to get the Tungsten T, but since Palm came out with the newer ones, they've effectively killed the T. The Zire 71, while cool in concept was overpriced for me. (Sorry, I'm not paying $300 for a PDA)
I didn't need a built in digital camera either. I've owned the Tungsten E for about a week now, and it works as advertised and is very snappy in operation too! I've read other reviews where people have complained about it not having a cradle etc. For me, it's thank god! I like that the E has a usb port on it for hotsync. This is the way it should be in my opinion. Adds the possibility of other perhipherals for it, as well as plugging it into other usb devices besides a PC/Mac host computer. The display is sharp and the colors are rich. It is more than up to the task of playing mp3's (Real Player is junk tho, I'd look at AeroPlayer, if you want a nice audio player for the E) Beware though, if you've used your OS3/4 Palm compatible to play games, some will work correctly, others won't!!! (I had Tetris, a blackjack game and a couple others, and Tetris works fine, the others - well..) As for not having built-in bluetooth... Yes, it would have been nice if it were but it didn't deter me from picking the E up. I am waiting on a suitable SD bluetooth card that will work with the E (or WiFi SD card, which ever one is the least expensive solution) Battery life is super as well, although if you are going to play mp3's or other media, it will drain a lot faster. (That's normal with most handheld devices) Great job and my compliments to Palm for offering an affordable and capable handheld.
Rating:
Summary: just a note
Review: The guy below is clueless:
- the standard miniusb cable does charge the palm (thought not as fast as the AC adapter)- this is awesome for Travel. No clunky cradles.
- grafitti 2 is perfect. the screen is SO sensitive (and a dream on my eyes.) the new grafitti is just like writing.. and you can set it to write anywhere. Just read the *directions* :p
- This guy is gorgeous, mp3player is better than my standalone. even drives my huge sennheiser pro headphones
- It includes a *classy* side-folding cover to protect it when it's in your back pocket behind your wallet (yes it fits!)
- solid case, buffed steel looks nice.
- only con with mine is the down button is hard to push
- Updated all my apps, and they ALL run better than ever- love the high-res color. Even loaded it with pictures for a slideshow of my vacation :)
Rating:
Summary: My first PDA - Like it but...
Review: This is a great little unit, but it does have a few drawbacks. First, the battery life seems short to me. I use it a lot, and I need to recharge it every couple of days, and sometimes every day. This may be typical for color screens (and this screen is really great - even in bright sun), but it did catch me a bit off-guard. Second, the battery can't be replaced - this probably means a new PDA in 1 or 2 years? It also means I can't carry an extra battery as a backup for when the charge dies. Also, what will I do when I go to Europe? The metallic finish on the plastic case scratches very easily, as others have reported. This isn't a performance problem, but your PDA won't look as "cool" after the face of it is all scuffed up. Fourth, I use this with the Palm wireless keyboard (which is a great accessory), but you can't keep the PDA plugged in to the AC adapter while it sits on the keyboard (there's no room for the adapter plug). This isn't usually a problem, but if you're sitting in a long meeting and trying to take notes, your battery will run out after 2 or 3 hours and you'll be out of luck. The people that designed the keyboard weren't cooperating with the people who designed the PDA. Despite those issues, I still think this is a great unit for the price.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT A GREAT VALUE!! but......
Review: I could not believe the brightness and sharpness of the screen! Stunning! Battery life -- 1 to 2 weeks, great. Vast amounts of memory for pictures, sound, and an expansion slot for more. Plays MP3s. Extremely fast processor for very snappy response, improved version 5 OS functions now use MS Outlook compliant names: Datebook (now called "Calendar") Phone book -- "Contacts",etc. I had a problem with corruption of one of my data files and received prompt and helpful support from Palm. Free for 1st 90 days, not toll free. No wireless, but you can connect to a cell phone! No "Blue Tooth" (how's that for an idiotic name?) but you can beam! Complaints? If you liked Graffiti you'll HATE Graffiti 2! Very different, you get yo re-learn most of what you KNEW! Cradle?? NO Cradle! and none available to buy! Surprise! Now you've got a teensy power cable separate from a USB type B cable.
That sucks! but I guess they had to hold back something. All in all, get this Palm!!
Rating: 
Summary: Outlook Syncing problem, Terrible Support
Review: .
Had some trouble syncing tasks with Outlook XP. When I mark a task "complete" on the Palm, the task is not updated as "complete" in Outlook. Called Palm support. Wait... Wait... Finally a live person.
Technician hears my issue, asks me to hold for a momement, comes back and gives me another number to call. I ask what company the phone number belongs to. He says, "To the company that can help you with your issue." I ask if it's the company that developed the syncing software. He says, "It's the company that developed your desktop application." I say "You gave me Microsoft's number?" He says, "Uh... Yes, they developed the application that your having trouble with."
Then we argue for 5 minutes about if my syncing issue is with Microsoft or Palm... Friggin' ridiculous! Not only is Palm support passing me off to Microsoft, they're not being upfront about it. Anyhow, I've owned the Palm Pro, III, V, Vx, and now Tungsten E. I've also owned a couple iPAQs. I like Palm's UI, but if I can't get the thing working well with Outlook it's not really a PIM I can use. Back to the PocketPC...
Rating:
Summary: The Best PDA for Your Money
Review: I researched all available PDAs and very happy that I bought Tungsten E.
It has all you need
- High resolution, easy to read color screen
- Lot of applications, DocsToGo so you can use Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Acrobat, E-mail, MP3, Kinoma for movies and so on
- 32 MEG Memory + SD card (I have 256 MEG)
- And Most Important it is a very RELIABLE unit. I used it for four weeks and other palms for more than five years without any problem
Rating: 
Summary: not enthusiastic about this one...
Review: It is already a week since I own an example of this new Tungsten E and I am extremelly disappointed, have only negative remarks for it: - No clear way or no way at all to restart it, power button only puts it in hibernation state. Actual restart achieved only by leaving it to have the battery discharged. Complete lack of documentation regarding this very basic details. - The user is completely ignorant of what application(s) are running at any time, the user has absolutely no control on closing or switching between applications: the intended simplicity became too simplistic and extremelly annoying. - No way to find out what files are installed or where, too much abstraction, the problems will popup after some time using it when there is no place left or you emptied your bank account buying extension cards, btw you do MUST buy extension card, because the built-in is very very little. Just sum the inflated prices of the extension cards to the price of this PDA. - The reason #1 for which I chose Palm Tungsten instead of Microsoft related products was system stability. Right after installing "City Maps Zurich" downloaded from Palm official site had a hang WITHOUT any chance of restarting it, is still hung without responding. Two years ago I worked programming in VB and C++ for Compaq iPAQs and within a 1.5 years (full time working with it programming) only had a couple of hangs which were partly my own bugs and I was easily able to restart it, I don't want to figure out what my mental health would have ended up if I had had to work with this one (I thanks God for that). - Don't know if it is related to the temperature (very cold right now in Zurich) but I am unable to write anything while I am shopping or just hanging around. What is the point of buying the cheapest and most portable PDA if you can not use it if it is too cold? ;-( though this is just a conjecture not to mention if it is due to a bug. No where specified in the package anyway. Conclusion is that I am throwing it back to the shop and using the money for a good date, or just buy a more expensive but proven quality product like an HP IPAQ.
| 
