Rating: 
Summary: ahhh so close!
Review: I have been researching PDA's for about 3 weeks now, trying to figure out if I should switch from palm to pocket pc. Well, I had my mind set out on a pocket pc, and went to the store to sample some others before I made my purchase.I completely fell for this palm-based PDA and was about to buy it. It has the BEST feel to it! It's not too big or small, the keypad is VERY comfortable, unlike the small Clie keys (I have big fingers, it was not a problem for me to type anything). I was going to buy it right there and then, until the sales associate told me that it DOES NOT support MP3's, stereo sound or movies! I was SO disapointed because it has the BEST feel to it ever! If you do not need it for multimedia, I would definitely say to buy it. The Built-in WiFi, the form factor are just AMAZING on this palm. I cannot believe they added a small mono headphone jack to it, with no stereo sound. If this palm was media compatilible, it could completely replace your need for a "full-size" PC. Even the software that came with it is great. Because of the non-media capabilities I give it 3 stars, and opt to buy the HP Ipaq 4355, which is a big longer than this model, but has all of the same features WITH media support. Come on Palm, you can do better than that! I didn't want to switch over but you made me....
Rating: 
Summary: Worth it if you travel a lot.
Review: While it's true that the Tungsten C is a bit pricey, its value depends on how it will be used, and on how much one values convenience. I love the C because since I've had it I haven't once had to schelp my laptop onto an airplane. No security problems, no x-ray grief, no worrying about theft or damage, no heavy case that I have to drag around. The Tungsten C fits neatly into my small backpack and has easy-to-set-up wireless capability that works in most airports. I signed up for a pay-as-you-go account with T Mobile, which works in all Starbuck's and many McDonalds. Now when I'm on the road I just stop in to one of them, sip some coffee and download my email. And, once I have my mail, the keyboard on the C allows me to answer it without having to learn the new Graffiti software, or to give up space on my screen for the Graffiti writing area. A bonus is that I bought a small attachment that allows me to hook the C up to a digital projector, so I can make PowerPoint presentations right off the C, which has plenty of memory for such purposes. The C comes with good software too, like Documents to Go, which lets me carry Word, Excel and PwrPt docs around with me so I can edit them while on the go. All in all, this is a great laptop substitute, at a fraction of the cost of a laptop, and much less hassle. If you find yourself often working away from an office, this is the handheld for you.
Rating:
Summary: Palm Tungsten C sound disappointment
Review: I purchased this in December, 2003 and absolutely love it. I'm a previous Palm Vx user. I am however VERY disappointed with Palms claim about it's abilities to play MP3's, wave and other music with the included real player. (I still can't find real player installed in it or on any of the 2 CD's it came with) What they don't tell you is that the headphone jack is not only a mono jack (rather than stereo) but that it is also 2.5mm instead of the standard 5mm. This means you can't plug in your regular headphones. I griped at tech support about it and they emailed me with what appeared to be an easy fix but wasn't. They said go get a 2.5mm mono to 5mm adapter so I went to Radio Shack who has every thing conceivable to go from one thing to another and there is no such thing! So unless I use the single ear piece I ordered from Palm, I can't hear anything on it and who wants to listen to MP3's in momo and with only 1 ear? Not me. I have half a mind to send it back and in the end, just may do that.
Rating: 
Summary: DOA three hours out of the box.
Review: How about this for Customer Support, Not! I received a new Tungsten C 1/19/2004. It worked for a few hours and then expired. I contacted their customer support center in INDIA who confirmed it was defective, provided me with an Incident Number, and an 800 number to call an arrange it's return. I thought things were going as "stuff" happens.
Guess what? They want forty-eight hours to process the RMA, then they will provide me a return label within seven business days, and then credit the purchaser within thirty days after it is returned. One can then reorder. It will take six to eight weeks to replace it.
Rating:
Summary: Great PDA
Review: I purchased the Palm C, after owning a Palm Vx and Palm Tungsten T. I am very pleased with this product. I have several full textbooks in memory as well as a bunch of medically related downloads. I use the Palm many times a day. It has a wealth of reference material which I can easily access and the keyboard is very easy on the fingers (much easier than using graffiti).
There have been a few incompatibilities, which were described by other users, related to the programs...not the Palm C. The size of the PDA is only slightly larger than the Palm Tungsten T, and should not be a determining factor if you plan to upgrade your Palm. This is clearly the most powerful, most feature laden Palm available and except for the price, I can think of no reason not to step up to the increased ram and versatility it offers.
Rating: 
Summary: Good product, but flaws
Review: I am in pharmacy school and got a Palm C from the program. I really do like it, the email is fast and easy to use, the web surfing is a definite plus. I owned a IIIx before and it is now gathering dust. I like the C because of the color screen and the ability to web surf. HOWEVER, my serial number wore off. It is on the back of the unit and wears off very easily from the oils on your hand. What if my palm breaks? will they service it despite the lack of serial number? I am thinking this could be a scam on the part of palm, who wouldn't have to service as many units because of the lack of serial number. Either way, it's a big design flaw.
Rating:
Summary: Pocket PC convert
Review: Software availability, wireless 802.11b connectivity, and a killer display--the Tungsten C won me over from my aging Pocket PC (an HP Jornada 540). I had been eyeing some of the Palm handhelds used by the people at work, but I waited to make the jump until I saw something that would support 802.11b wireless. Now, when the kids are on the computer, I can browse the web with the Palm browser. Of course, on a 320*320 display you end up scrolling a good bit, but, fortunately, there's a host of Palm optimized sites--especially news sites, like the BBC and Washington Post--that display well on the small screen. After its initial charge it took only a minute for my Tungsten C to find my Linksys BEFW11S4 and get online. If there are any complaints about the wireless, it's that the range could be a bit better. Hot syncing with the Palm desktop is MUCH quicker with the wireless than syncing ever was with my old PocketPC. IR printing to my Deskjet 990 works well, too, with the included PrintBoy software I work with educational technology, and I've been impressed with the variety of instructional software available for the Palm. Much of this software is FREE and has already been updated to take advantage of the new Palm OS5. Just start hitting the search engines to find free educational software for Palm. Don't forget the broad variety of e-books that can be read with the Palm reader. Project Gutenberg is an amazing source of thousands of free e-books. The display on the Tungsten is amazing! Photos appear sharp and the colors vibrant. In the apps I've been using, fonts are crisp and always easy to read. I even downloaded some movie trailers from the Sony Pictures mobile channel, and they look good with the included Kinoma trailer. Looks good, but sound... One downside to the Tungsten is audio. The speaker faces back and the sound quality is..underwhelming. The Tungsten C supports recording voice memos, but you need a ear bud with microphone (not included!). And the audio is (horrors!) mono, not stereo. I'm enjoying the Tungsten C. Wireless connectivity is wonderful, as is the crisp display. The learning curve from PocketPC to Palm has not been as steep as I once feared. As long as you're not looking for an MP3 player in your handheld, this might be the one for you.
Rating:
Summary: Completely Unreliable
Review: The Palm Tungsten|C is quite possibly the most unreliable product I have ever owned. The power button will get pressed while the Palm is in your pocket or laptop case and run the battery down. If you hit more than one of the keys on the keyboard at the same time, the system will lock, you have to reset the Palm and about one out of every three of these resets ends with a complete lose of data. So if you depend on that data being at hand, you are going to be stuck. When you ask for support from Palm they blame the third-party software and tell you to erase the data and rebuild your system. The keyboard is software driven and the software is shaky at best. Read some of the other reviews and see how frustrating it is when the screen cracks. The product is poorly designed and they need to work out the bugs before they damage there reputation any further. As it stands now, I'm going to have to spend an additional $90 for a hard case and an expansion card to keep a back up of the data on hand.
Rating:
Summary: Wi-fi = Overhyped Technology?
Review: I purchased the Tungsten C after reading the rave reviews here on Amazon. Making the jump from the Old Palm V, my expectations were really not that high. Nonetheless, I was sort of disappointed in the Tungsten C. For one, I'm a business user (specifically speaking, self-employed in the real estate field). So my core needs included the basic PDA functions (contacts, schedule, etc.), Internet access, email, MS Word and Excel, and the Act! Database for Palm. While I enjoyed the use of the Qwerty keyboard to work with my schedule, contacts, docs, etc. (I'm actually hooked as I don't think I could go back to typing with a stylus), I was disappointed with the wi-fi internet capabilities. This is not really a stab against Palm, but against wi-fi itself. Being new to wi-fi, I naively thought that access points or 'hot spots' (you choose the terminology) would be available in enough areas to make it convenient for me to log on without having to run to the closest public library. Instead I found it difficult to find a wireless access point and when I did, I had to have a 'for-fee' account on their network (i.e. the T-mobile network at Starbucks). In my line of work I need to be able to view a real estate property, log online to get crucial information on the property and its owner(s), and then add the property (or update the property's information) to my database. But the internet is an important part of that (without it, the device serves only 2/3 of my needs). I have no need for something that requires me to drive all over town to find the nearest hot spot to which I have a 'for-fee' account. In addition, I see nothing 'useful' (entertaining, yes - but not useful) about sitting on my couch and surfing the web with my palm while watching TV. I soon found myself becoming envious of a friend's 'Sidekick' which gives him 'always on' internet access. However, I can't run the Act! database on the Sidekick so it wasn't an option. The Tungsten C is a good device that many will find useful. But until and/or unless FREE wi-fi networks become more readily available OUTSIDE of the home, I don't see myself taking advantage of this over-hyped technology. So back to the store the Tungsten went as I'm seriously considering Palm's Sony Treo 600 which is only available for couple of carriers. The bottom line is that I need something with 'always on' internet access.
Rating:
Summary: Expensive but nice if you need the features......
Review: This is the top of the line Palm that is galaxies apart from the original III C that I first purchased in 98. Lots has changed and the Tungsten C brings up the age old issue? Do you really need all this.... First off the color screen is nice and easy on the eyes. The resolution is super and it is worth getting a Palm that has a 320*320 color screen. The sound is adequate although presented in mono so this wont really double as an MP3 player which is really a shame. There are other Palms that do have stereo. The keyboard and navigation button is very nice and I find myself using them constantly. The keyboard is not adequate for typing term papers but it beets the hell out of the graffitti system. OK so what sets this apart from the other palms that makes it 499.99 retail. Well besides the keyboard there are many marginal inclusions that will vary in value depending upon who you are. The Intel PXA 422mhz processor makes this Palm faster than any of the others by far and it is nice. You can load up DataViz documents to go (it comes with the Palm and includes word documents, adobe PDF's and excel worksheets) in no time at all. Internet and email speed is determined by your connection and not the processor thanks to the Intel chip. The 64mb of ram included is a must have if you want to have any type of media at all. Most of the other Palm either have 16 or 32 and this wont be enough if you want to have pictures, database info or powerpoint presentations. I haven't been able to test the WiFi on my own (just have no need) but I have seen it work fine on someone elses. The battery life is adequate and recharges very quickly. The problems other people have had I have not encountered. A quick download from www.palm.com when you first register the Palm will provide you with a patch the first time you hot sync with your Palm and this fixes all the problems I have seen mentioned. Bottom Line: A great PDA with extras that are uneccesary for most users. If you don't need internet or the extreme processor speed and memory than this will be a waste.
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