Rating: 
Summary: Very Nice Unit
Review: I've had alot of Palms and Palm-like units in my day. Tungsten T is the best so far. I'm still a bit nervous that I'm going to pull it open some day and it's gonna break in two, but otherwise it's fast, and has a great screen. Bluetooth is nice for syncing with your computer (laptop) or another Palm user. All-tolled a very nice Palm unit...I wish it had more memory but you can always buy a card for that so it's not a huge problem. Fits great in a shirt pocket.
Rating: 
Summary: Best PDA
Review: I have owned original Palm, Sony Clie and Pocket PC. The Tungsten T is by far the best PDA up to this point. I not only use it for information but with a software download, as an MP3 player, photo resource, etc. I would recommend this product without reservation.
Rating: 
Summary: Washed out color
Review: Don't get this if you are expecting a bright color-rich screen. There is no comparison in color quality between the Tungston T and my old IIIC. What was Palm thinking? When I first got my Tungston T and saw how dull the color was I called Palm tech because I thought that there was something wrong with it. The tech said to send it back.Then I got the second one. Same thing - dull, washed out color. No where near as bright as my [other]Palm . So it went back too. Don't get this if you want to look at your digital photos. ...
Rating:
Summary: Top business tool far superior to Pocket PC
Review: After a Palm Pilot and a Palm V I - although seriously tempted to try a Pocket PC - decided for a Tungsten T. This is a marvelous piece of engineering and a superb business tool. What I really like are:
- the speed: this thing is faster than any PDA I have ever seen.
- the 5-way navigator: I was somewhat concerned about continuously sliding the writing area in and out. The navigator and software are so cleverly designed that you hardly need to slide it out.
- the software: especially Docs-to-go is state of the art.
- the screen: although not as brightly colored as some Pocket PCs and Clié's it is actually much easier to read.
- the stylus: it looks a little weird for the first minute, but use it and you'll love it.
Overall this is a superb business tool that is much easier to use and much more productive than Pocket PC. I have no real use for the bluetooth, but playing around with it I got quite impressed. I could easily and quickly connect with other Tungsten's well over 30 feet away. A couple of improvements that Palm could make:
- make the web browser work via the cradle.
- lighter and thinner (it IS very light and very small, but I can still feel it in my shirt pocket...)
- bigger memory: 14 MB really is not enough. The good thing is that you can add flash cards (I ordered a 64 MB card after I had my Tungsten for 2 days.) I strongly recommend this to anyone who needs a PDA for business use.
Rating:
Summary: Good but could be better
Review: As ususal I was doing my research before investing a large sum of money into a unit that might be good for about 2 to 3 years. I'd look at the Sony Clie and was very impressed with all the feature that it has, but the negative reviews stop me from purchasing one. So back to the Palm I go. I have been a Palm user for 5 years now and was satisfied with their products with the expection of the M505. That is the reason why I'd upgraded to the Tungsten T. I am very impress with the screen, a much needed improved from the M505. My biggest concern was the graffiti area when it is close. But I was able to find a software called Fatfinger which allows keyboard entry even when the graffiti area is closed. I was hoping for more memory than the 16Meg. The cradle should have been redesign to better hold the Tungsten T. If the unit is not seated properly the unit will not charge and a slight touch of the unit it stop charging completely. Tungsten T has a faster processor so opening a software and searching within the software is a lot faster. I've order SD cards for more storage space, I am glad that there is a MP3 player for the Palm. I can now enjoy my music while I am travelling. Battery life with the new screen is still the same with all the other models. Overall I am happy that I purchase this unit.
Rating:
Summary: Great Hardware, Software Doesn't Pass Muster
Review: The Palm Tungsten T is a great piece of hardware, but having switched from the Pocket PC platform, the software doesn't quite pass muster. While the new Palm OS 5 is not great, neither is the Pocket PC. The Palm OS keeps it simple, whereas the Pocket PC suffers from an over zealous interface (all it's missing is a wallpaper with palm trees and a pina colada). The Tungsten T also seems to operates faster than many Pocket PC, even given the more powerful processors that are standard in Pocket PCs. It's worth pointing out here that standard entertainment software for the Pocket PC (and Sony Clie Palm) is noticeably missing in the Tungsten T bundle, such as an MP3 player and video playback (MP3 player is now available for download on the RealNetworks website). Many competing PDAs now include either Bluetooth or WiFi (but not both). It seems like Palm is entrenched in Bluetooth for mobile computing, whereas more Pocket PCs now include WiFi, such as the new HP IPAQ, and the Toshiba e740 and e755. In April 2003, SanDisk is coming out with an innovative combination WiFi/128MB SD card that should solve this deficiency; a combination WiFi/256 MB SD card will also be released (both at reasonable prices). They are said to work with Palm OS 5. Overall, the Tungsten T is worth the price (especially after the price drop) because the hardware is very well designed and has only one minor software flaw. The hardware's great design beats out the software's many setbacks. If you're not a demanding user, but want a small PDA for a reasonable price, then this is the PDA for you. For advanced users, you'll have to evaluate competing Palm and Pocket PC PDAs on price, features, design and portability. The points I allocate are given in staples [points] Hardware "Excellent," Total of +9.5 points
Here's a breakdown of the hardware, by importance:
+ The smallest PDA on the market, elegant and slim [3]
+ Sharp screen, bright colors [2]
+ Great design and slider concept (albeit borrowed from the Sharp Zaurus) [2]
+ Fast processor [2]
+ Bluetooth [2]
+ Recorder microphone is built in. Record your classroom lectures or boardroom meetings [2]
+ One of the lightest PDAs on market [1]
+ Finally, a Palm with a headphone jack. The volume with headphones connected is not very loud and audio quality is average. Headphone jacks come standard on Pocket PC PDAs as well as Sony Clie PDAs. PDAs such as the HP IPaqs are significantly louder and more clear. [1]
+ SD card reader [1]
+ 2 groves on sides are used to dock Palm Tungsten T into leather cases, etc. This innovation eliminates the need to use Velcro or to use bulkier cases that hug your PDA. [1]
+ 5 way navigator is neat, haven't found a use for it yet though. [0.5]
~ Speakers are loud, but not all that clear [neutral]
- Short battery life, clocks about 3 hours [3]
- Only 16 MB of RAM included. You can install most of the bundles programs, but you'll run into space constraints. [2]
- No 802.11b capabilities (WiFi) [1.5]
- Same tired cradle design. It has 2 cables, 1 for USB connection to your computer, 1 for power. This cumbersome layout prevents you from charging your Palm without the cradle. Big disadvantage when you're traveling, etc. [1.5] Software "Mediocre," Total of -1.5 points
Pros & Cons of OS 5 Software, by importance:
+ All the basics are included, including Documents to Go (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), a few games, web browser, Bluetooth software, Acrobat Reader, Arcsoft Photobase, Voice recording, and Email software [3]
+ Graffiti is fantastic [2]
+ Simple to operate [2]
+ Clean design [1]
~ Unparalleled 3rd party software support for Palm; but Palm OS 5 is not backward compatible with Palm OS 4 software. [neutral]
- No MP3 software bundled with player. The RealOne Palm Tungsten T MP3 media player was released late March, 2003 on RealNetwork's website. Average player without the bells and whistles. No powersaving feature or other extra features. Can't play other file formats [1.5]
- Design flaw: "Home" button is on graffiti area, and you can't assign a button to "home". This means that when the slider is up, you can't change tasks (unless task is assigned to 1 of 4 buttons). For example, you can't switch from a game you're playing to the web browser when slider is up and graffiti area is hidden. [2]
- Web browser is mediocre. You can surf the Web using Bluetooth to connect to a GPRS (2.5 G) phone, but setup for each session takes a few minutes. I tested Yahoo! Mail, ESPN, Cnet and Washington Post. Graphics are crisp, but web pages are not formatted for Palm. For example, while you can reduce the font size, I couldn't find a way to uniformly reduce the graphics on a Web page, or uniformly scale down a page that is wider than the 320x320 pixel screen, and you have to scroll sideways on many pages. You also can't open multiple browser windows to surf the Web (which would have been useful when I was trying to add email address in Yahoo! mail). [2]
- Bundled organizer software has fewer features than Pocket PC (can't assign multiple categories to a contact; can't choose how long to snooze a reminder). [2]
- No bundled video software (MPEG2 or AVI/MPEG 4). [1]
- Email lacks SSL support. I managed to set up my main email account, but couldn't find the Secure Socket Layer options necessary for one of my email accounts. [1] ...
Rating:
Summary: Wow, again wow
Review: I just got my Tungsten 4 days ago. It is my 3rd palm (I upgreade because I constantly find that I need more memory over time) In the past I have had a IIIe, then the VIIx. Now I am on the Tungsten T. The 16Mb of ram is nice (only 14Mb is usable, I am down to my last 4 Mb now ) The expantion slot was one the the features that I like about it, so when I need more memory I will be able to just add it to this nice device. It also has a much fastor processor, after one day of use I pulled out the old VIIx to make sure I got all of the info off of it befor I gave the VIIx to my pastor, and I found the VIIx to be painfully slow after just one day of using the Tungsten. I like the 5 function key in the middle instead of the old 2 function key on older palms. The color on the screen is very good. I also like that it has the rechargeable battery, I don't have to keep a supply of AAA on hand anymore. They also put alot of though into where to keep the pen when not in use. The only things I have a problem with is that they put that new notepad program as the quick launch for the far right button ( I set it back to the classic memo program) and they change the calc button to a quick launch and do not bind it to anything (I set it to the classic calc, this is also a plus for all palms is that the buttons are able to changed to what ever you want them to be)
The last problem I have is why not a silver cradle to match the tungsten, if it going to sit in the cradle to charge (you could not do this with older palms, that did not charge it would drain the batteries) then have the colors matched. But these problems are nothing compared to the overall leaps ahead they made with the tungsten
Rating: 
Summary: OS 5 and Early adopters
Review: Okay after finally receiving my long anticapted M550 aka Tungsten, I will have to say that, I was completely disappointed. Basically the Tungsten while it represents an excellent hardware reference platform and technology show case from Palm, it hadly deserves consideration from any one other than early adopters or developers for that matter. Issue:
OS 5.0 is not fully backwards compatible with applications designed for the previous generation of Palm devices.
i.e OS 4.x --> OS 3.x As a result one's prior software investments more than likely will not run without upgrades from the software vendor
[translated-> buy new versions that run on OS 5] assuming it's available.
As a counter point, Palm's latest handheld, the Tungsten W, is based on OS 4.1!
I suppose someone over there realized the need for backwards application compatiblity. <**>
Someone at Palm apparently fell asleep at the wheel on this one.
Hardware is cool, but hardware without here/now software is nothing short of useless.
<**> I would recommend steering clear of the M550 until more native titles are developed. It's simply not worth headache. -Max
Rating:
Summary: A BMW - Soon to have Wings
Review: Yes, I too went for the Tungsten for it's size, funtionality and truthfully - appearance. I will keep my 5455 due to larger display and advanced funtions, but you need a lot of experience and patience to get the compac to funtion properly. I keep with the technology and consider myself cutting edge, but I expect to hard re-set several times a week with average use. TI is quietly introducing an advanced OMAG processor (see TI web site) that I am anxiously awaiting (my guess a year away) that will enable this puppy to fly.
Rating:
Summary: Palm raises the bar in handheld computing!!!
Review: I have been using my Tungsten T (m550) now for several months, and I am very pleased with its performance. Palm obviously has been listening to its customers and loyalists. I upgraded from a M505, and the color contrast richness in the Tungsten screen is like going from night to day. I don't even have to adjust the brightness control half way in order to have a crisp clear display. The slider design allows me to carry it in my pocket with no problem, even when its in a case. It has a voice recorder which was a real selling point for me because I did have the Landware voice recorder on my IIIxe, my first Palm handheld. The volume is loud enough for you to hear in an average size room without problems, I just wish they had included a volume control button (contexual, Palm if your listening) that would have been even sweeter. The integrated Bluetooth 1.1 radio is a visionary statement by Palm, and I now am going to buy a Bluetooth enabled wireless phone which will allow me to make my many calls each day a more simpler task. Palm has lowered the price of the Tungsten which will certainly attract others to purchase this engineering marvel. All I can say is, Palm is back!!
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