Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing wifi
Review: I bought the Palm Tungsten C purely for its built-in wifi. I also have the excellent Toshiba e750 PPC also with built-in wifi, and it works pretty well, but the TC's wi-fi is a totall disappointment in comparison. Recently Verizon implemented a lot of public hotspots for their DSL customers in Manhatan, and I can get on easily with e750, but also have tons of trouble with TC. Most of the time it just sorta "hungs" when trying to connect. A call to Palm's busy tech support line did not resolve it. I also tried the hotspot in Bryant Park, it worked, but got dropped once, where as e750 was able maintain signal well. I suspect this product was not tested completely, and recommend you wait till bugs are worked out by Palm. Mine is going back tomrrow
Rating: 
Summary: Everything I wanted
Review: I was upgrading from the Palm V - so it was like old Volkswagen to a new Lexus. The first thing that hit me is the lightning speed, right after the beautiful screen, of course. You have to see the screen to believe it. Photo's look extraordinary. The "Doc-to-go" software is great - you can modify spreadsheets really easily and then sync them.I finally tried out the WIFI, it's basically automatic. I'm sure there must be some more Palm-friendly browsers out there or they are on the way. However, I must say the resolution really shines while browsing.
Rating: 
Summary: Some major plus points but some major negatives
Review: On first impressions the Tungsten C is awesome. The display is the best I've ever seen on a handheld and the keyboard, although small, is well laid out, very easy to use and responsive. The software that comes with it is very good and the overall feel of the unit is one of quality. The WIFI capability was great and I had it connected to the Internet via my home wireless network in about two minutes or maybe less. It is very fast. Everything happens almost instantly. The 400mhz chip is probably overkill in a unit like this, but it sure makes handling pictures and other processor hungry tasks an absolute breeze. Lastly, I was impressed with the battery life. Palm have done a great job of squeezing so much life out of the rechargables. Unfortunately, after just one day of using it my initial joy had turned to frustration. It wasn't really anything particularly big, just an accumulation of little niggles. You'll have read some of them in other reviews as they are things that everyone seems to have noticed. I find it very strange that the designers of the product didn't uncover them in beta testing. To start with the clicking noise that seems to appear randomly on certain key presses becomes pretty annoying. At first I thought it was a setting in the preferences so I had a look and made sure the "click on key press" option was off, but I still got it. Then I switched the unit to completely silent, but it still didn't go away. It's only a little click, but once you've noticed it you can't help but think it is getting louder and louder. I've never encountered it on any other Palm device. Another major gripe is the silly mono connection for the headset. This just seems absolutely crazy. Not only is it mono, but it is not even a standard headphone connection - it is one of those plugs like you get for a mobile phone headset. Granted, this is probably what Palm were thinking of when they put that kind of socket on the unit, but a little user reacher would have told them that anyone buying a machine with 64 meg of onboard RAM and the ability to plug in addition SD memory are likely to want to use it to listen to music or audiobooks from time to time (in my case that means ALL the time). This is a MAJOR glitch and one I am sure Palm will look to amend in a future model - at least I hope they will. Lastly, although the unit has WiFi, which worked well for me, I felt that for the money there should also be built in Bluetooth. I was used to this with the Tungsten T and just assumed the Tungsten C would include it and so was disappointed to discover it didn't. I've given it 3 out of 5 because it does have its merits - a lot of them, but unfortunately the clicking, the silly mono socket, and the lack of Bluetooth really let it down badly. I'm going to be returning mine tomorrow and sticking with the Tungsten T.
Rating:
Summary: Almost prefect.
Review: I've been through 4 of these and they have all made random speaker 'clicks' when in silent mode. Does anyone else have this problem? For this price, I can't accept a glitch like that. Other than that, it is a great device, and I really wish I could find one that worked 'silently'. If it had a built-in microphone for taking voice messages it would be perfect... except for that speaker thing.
Rating:
Summary: Nice screen - still a v1.0 product
Review: The Tungsten C stands out for me because of 2 things: (1) A nice bright screen and (2) Simple hookup to WIFI (and very good battery life to boot - was surfing about 4 hours last night and only drained half way-- my ipaq 5455 would have been retired after an hour). The WIFI hookup is simple - as easy as click and surf. Sometimes when I turn the unit on and attempt to access the web after not having used the device for a while it seems to hang as if it cannot find a WIFI connection. In those instances I manually search for a signal -- however I would definitely like to see it automatically attempt a lockon to the last signal it used. The things that are puzzling are: (1) Device lacks stereo output so if you want to listen to MP3 it has to be mono (2) Uses a cell phone headset jack versus a standard stereo headset jack (3) Makes an odd crackling/popping sound when you use the stylus on the screen [this HAS been widely reported by other users] that resembles static electicity (4) The keys are NOT backlit (5) The email won't display HTML (6) On my initial device the case in the lower right corner by the power button was loose, wiggled and applying pressure to it actually started activating some buttons [have seen this reported by other users though does not appear widespread]. I would rate this higher but for $... I think Palm should be able to get these relatively simple issues corrected. You may be able to live with them. Might think they are no big thing. My point is for the kind of cash these companies charge we shouldn't get something with these types of issues. Just my .02 - with these types of quality / functionality concerns I hope nobody at Palm is sitting around wondering why future sales are down...
Rating:
Summary: no bluetooth
Review: no bluetooth and no stereo are reasons not to buy it. i own it and want to get rid of it. i assumed the palm sdio card would work
Rating:
Summary: The Right Stuff
Review: I've had a Palm V for about a million years. And for just about that long, I felt that it wasn't quite right. I used it for an address and schedule resource, but as a not-keeper and day-to-day work aid it just did not fit my style or needs. As such, I have stubbornly refused to upgrade to a new PDA. Recently, while looking for something else entirely, I had a chance to look at the new Tungsten C model. The built in keyboard and controls, memory capacity and high quality color display got my attention (I'm still a geek at heart) and I finally talked myself into buying one and putting it to the use test. I installed the desktop software, the included add-ons, and downloaded some ease-of-use software (and a game or two) and was in business. From an installation and setup standpoint, everything was as easy as could be. I did have a problem later when I had to reinstall the desktop (someone else's fault) after I had upgraded the included Documents to Go software. Apparently, the Palm gets mad if the versions don't match, and the messages were extremely unhelpful. While this may not have been the Tungsten's fault, unhelpful error messages have always been a problem with these machines. From a use viewpoint, the machine is almost everything I wanted. The keyboard isn't all that hard to use, and the Graffiti 2 writing interface (helped by a script add-in) is much better than it was on the Palm V. The OS is a bit more intuitive than I remembered. The display is much easier to work with. I love having the capacity to carry spreadsheets, documents and presentations as well. This is a business machine that does what it is supposed to do very well. Having spent years looking at costly PDA's that were expensive because of extra widgets, it is a pleasure to find something where the money has been spent on core functionality, producing a first rate PDA. If you want a digital camera + MP3 player + PDA, look elsewhere. My experience has been that combination units never know quite what they are supposed to be. And cost even more than their components. If you are a purist, the Tungsten C is what you want.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: ...P>Simply put, Palm has hit a home run with the Tungsten C. The screen is beautiful, right on par with the Sony Clies and any of the Pocket PCs. Colors are bright and clear, text is crisp and clean on a bright white background -- it looks amazing. Consider the 400Mhz processor, which zips through apps with blinding speed. Consider the 64MB ram, enough for apps, docs, pictures, just about everything I'd ever use this Palm for (and even if I run out of memory, the unit is upgradeable via the expansion slot, which accepts memory, application cards, etc.). Consider the built-in Wi-Fi, which worked automatically for me on my Linksys 802.11b home network -- super-fast browsing with a browser app that, in my opinion, outperforms the comparable Pocket Internet Explorer app that ships with PocketPCs. Consider the built-in keyboard, which feels and works great, with tactile response and easier thumb-typing than the comparably priced Sony models. The unit comes loaded with excellent software, including Documents-To-Go, Palm Reader, Adobe Acrobat, Handmark Solitaire, and more. The new Palm OS 5.2.1, which includes a brand new preferences interface, allows you to apply themes to your screens, and makes everything much easier to access and customize. I've owned earlier editions of Palm, and while I loved their simplicity and reliability, I always felt they came up short when compared with the Sonys and PocketPCs. No more. With a killer feature-set, an attractive form-factor, and across-the-board hardware and software upgrades, Palm should easily maintain its narrowing lead in the PDA market. The Tungsten C gives me the Palm simplicity I love, and the power I crave. I can't rate this unit highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful screen, but Wi-Fi range lacking
Review: It's beautiful. The high-res screen is large and very bright. Its 400 MHz processor is FAST. Unfortunately, it was also significantly larger than my beloved Treo 90 and the Wi-Fi range is short, approximately 25-30 feet max. It was easy to configure and picked up my wireless router right away. Of course, I was only two feet away from the router when I was configuring it. Right after I got the wireless signal configured, I found I had to perform a bathroom-related function, so I took the Tungsten C with me to continue checking out its features. What do you know, I could surf in the bathroom. Of course, the bathroom is only about 10 feet from the router. It was late by the time I finished installing and configuring everything. (I keep a LOT of stuff on my PDA.) So, I ended up taking it to bed with me. Whoops. The 50 feet from the router to the bedroom did it in. It could *barely* get a signal. And when I shut the door, it died. Oh well, I didn't really buy it to surf in bed. That's why I bought my iBook. The next day, I decided to go to Borders to test their T-Mobile Hotspot. Hotspot? More like an iceberg. I couldn't get a signal anywhere in the bookstore. Either their router was down or my PDA wasn't up to snuff. Based on the bedroom experience, I would put money on the PDA. Despite its bright screen and superfast processor, I couldn't justify [money amount]just for the ability to surf while answering the call of nature and it really was too large for my tastes, so I took it back.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I've expected for a year that I would soon purchase a new wireless Palm or Pocket PC handheld, and use it to access the Web. However, as each such device has appeared, I've been disappointed, usually in both the speed of Web access and the very limited number of usable sites. There is also the problem of ongoing cost - within a year, using a wireless handheld for Web access would cost more than buying it. After recently setting up a Wi-Fi access point in my home, I realized a new Palm Tungsten C might be the solution for me. Five minutes of testing at a local dealer confirmed that access is as fast as my SDSL link, rather than feeling like a 56K modem like the Treo 270, Palm W and Pocket PC cellular-based handhelds I'd tested before. I was also easily able to visit my favorite ordinary Web sites, rather than being limited to the few sites compatible with WAP. I had no trouble setting the Palm C up for secure access to my home access point, and love the new keyboard even though I'm a quick writer with graffiti. The screen is much brighter than on the Palm m505 I've used up to now, and Palm claims the battery will last through a full 8 hour day of continuous use. It's a bit thicker than the m505, and a bit taller, but not enough to bother me. The cover is just like the one on the m505, and works well. The stylus is sturdy metal, and the Pilot pen/stylus from the m505 fits the C, as do all the accessories I have for the m505. The high speed (400MHz) CPU and large (64MB) memory are real pluses, as is the compatibility with all the Palm software I've purchased over the past decade. If you must have access anywhere, that is not yet possible with Wi-Fi. But for me, access at home, office, and some nearby commercial hotspot is good enough.
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