PalmOne Tungsten T5 Handheld

Rating:
Summary: Tungsten T5 a solid business PDA but lacks Wi-Fi
Review: **** PROs ****
1. Solid Construction.
2. Screen rotation/pivot ability (landscape format).
3. Crystal clear TFT color display with excellent contrast.
4. 256mb of built-in memory (215MB actual storage capacity)
5. 416MHz Processor.
6. Longer battery life than the T3.
7. No loss of data at total battery discharge.
8. Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

**** CONs ****
1. Lack of Built-in Wi-Fi!
2. Lack of Built-in Wi-Fi!
3. Price is high for a "High-End" PDA without Wi-Fi!!!
4. Lack of biometric (fingerprint) scanning security.

**** Bluetooth/Wi-Fi ****
I have no problems synchronizing my data with my laptop via Bluetooth but for surfing the Internet, Wi-Fi is required. How may hotspots do you know of that are Bluetooth?? None that I know of, all use Wi-Fi. Most of us have to use Bluetooth phones paired with our Bluetooth PDA to keep our communication lines open. This has been a real disappointment, just will have to buy the PalmOne Wi-Fi card for another $129 to gain this necessary wireless connectivity.

**** Biometric Security ****
In this day and age, security is everyone's mind. We keep a great deal of data on our PDAs, some of us keep more info on them than we should. This is PalmOne's high-end PDA yet it lacks a biometric fingerprint reader. The biometric security I have found is a software based solution using your signature, which is not a very secure method if identification. Your signature has a tendency of changing based on your mood, experiences, and lifestyle; and can be forged.

**** Conclusion ****
Dispite it's CONs, this is a well-made PDA. Solid performance, good bundle of apps, extremely fast, and good battery life. Don't miss the voice recorder the T3 has, never used it much. The internal flash drive really comes in handy for the everyday docs and apps I require. The ability to change the screen display to landscape is great from reading Word docs and Excel spreadsheets. The lack of Palm's Cobalt OS and Wi-Fi keeps me from giving it a 5 star rating.


Rating:
Summary: Let me join the other T3 Users . . .
Review: . . . in expressing my dissatisfaction with the T5. Unlike the other T3 users, though - I switched from a Sony TH55 (which I loved dearly, but which broke after less than a year) to the T5 and found it such a dog that I am returning it and switching to the T3.

First of all, I bought a 512mb SD card when I bought the T5 - but many of my applications couldn't see the SD card! They could only see the internal "disk." Okay, fine, it is 160mb, and I can still put text files on the SD card.

But then, I began to use the T5 for my daily routine, and my biggest source of complaint emerged. I don't know whether I got a defective unit or what, but this thing is SLOW! And it's supposed to have the fastest processor on the market! I'm talking, literally seconds of white screen while it changes from some applications to others, such as loading up Agendus - a speed problem that I've never had with any other handheld.

So I ordered a T3, and within a few hours, had it up, running, and with all my data moved over - and it is a cheetah compared to the T5.

Shame on you, Palm! For a flagship device, I expected something much better than this, especially since I was moving from a device with camera and voice recorder to one that had neither yet cost the same.

Rating:
Summary: T5 not as bad as some other reviewers calim
Review: 1. After calling PalmOne support I found out that most "Fatal errors" are due to outdated 3-rd party software. After doing a total reboot (or whatever palm calls it) and not reinstalling some old software I had on my Vx the unit works as expected.
2. Hotsync by USB works better on MacOSX than on Windows (which I seldom use), except for syncmal with AvantGo, which is erratic on the Mac, and consistent on Windoze. Infrared Hotsync works on the Mac, and Bluetooth works fine on Windows (but so far not on the Mac). Unfortunately, pilot-link and jpilot (on Linux, my primary OS) are not yet compatible with the T5.
3. Kinoma does a pretty good job displaying Quicktime movies and Realplayer sounds OK on mp3 files (provided they were encoded at a high enough bitrate). I use a 1 GB SD card for string mpeg4 movies, jpeg photos, and Documents, in addition to the builtin flash memory.
5. My major complaint is the high price, and the clunky hard case which doe not fit into a normal pant-pocket. In addition, the T5 rattles inside it. It is not worth the "free" price!

Rating:
Summary: up grade dissappointing
Review: I upgraded from the tungsten T to the T 5, one of my first dissapointments was, there was no voice recorder. I had become accustomed to the feature of making verbal notes while driving etc, and i lost that.
Also the cable connection is cheesy and impratical compared to previous synch stands..

I personally never got the flash drive to work and after 30 days the palm just crashed, so now i have gone back to my Tungsten T for the time being and hope palm corrects its mistake by the next upgrade..

Peter B

Rating:
Summary: A good upgrade for those who've waited
Review: I'm not the kind of person to buy PDAs every time there's an upgrade. I upgraded from the m130 and I think this is a good upgrade from what I had before.

There are a lot of reviews here from folks that have the T3. If you have the T3, you may want to stick with it. I personally have not handled it so I can't write about it.

However, most of what is written is probably a bit biased from that point of view. If you are like me and looking for a boost from the old and busted, this provides the next-generation boost that you are looking for.

There are some frills that I don't use, like the headphone jack, but i'm sure I'll use it from time-to-time. The internal speaker is a bit cheesy in my opinion.

The T5 looks very sleek and is very thin, roughly the size of 3 quarters stacked up. The large display and the ability to use the graffiti area as an extention of the screen is great! I find myself using it quite often, especially when I'm working with the datebook or reading an ebook.

However, the metalic case you purchase with this (currently free with Mail in Rebate) is very bulky adds SIGNIFICANT weight to the PDA. I find it hard to carry in my pocket. The case can house two SD cards but cannot hold the WiFi card. I ended up make-shifting a holder with an index card and taping it inside the case. The case holds the PDA via the case cover slide. You use the case in lieu of the included cover. I highly recommend not using the cover unless you are carrying this around in a fairly safe place.

Some old school graffiti users should know that the T5 uses graffiti 2, slightly different than the graffiti 1. It will take some time to get used to but the advantage is you can enter information much quicker than before.

As of this review, pilot-link for linux has not added T5 support. I'm finding myself booting to Windows just to sync. If you are a hardcore linux user and don't have access to Windows, I'm afraid to say that you will not be able to sync your data. However, you can install programs via the internal USB drive. I've found that if you copy the program into the Applications directory, and then copy it onto the PalmCard, I can install any program.

The internal flash drive is probably only usable as additional storage on the PDA. It's too much to carry around the cable AND the palm everywhere I go. I have a USB pen drive that does the same thing and does not require a battery. I've installed mp3s, application data, etc on the internal flash drive and is completely accessable to apps installed on the PalmCard. The PDA recignizes this internal drive as another SD card.

The one disappointing thing with the OS itself is that it's not as careful with files as it used to be with it's predecesors. What I mean is that I'm finding myself having to clean out old files after an uninstall or a firmware upgrade that I wouldn't have to do before because there was a lot less space. It seems that Palm has taken advantage of the cushier space and have become sloppy with file management. I would like to see Palm be able to clean up after upgrades and not leave stale databases on my PalmCard.

I hope this review helps you in your purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Fatal Memory Error
Review: Just got the T5 and downloaded a PalmOne patch to prevent crashing. Now it crashes after each hot sync and gives a fatal error message. On the PalmOne forums several people are having this problem with the T5. If you don't mind sticking a paperclip in the back of a $400 machine to reboot after hot syncing - it's a nice item. I certainly hope I am able to find a solution to the problem soon. As I am not a heavy hitter business person my contacts and need to sync are light but this might be a problem to somebody who has a greater need to exchange information

Rating:
Summary: I miss my Sony Clie
Review: Palm is a four-letter word. It's spelled c-r-a-p! If I had purchased this PDA instead of my boss, I'd really be upset. Why did Sony have to get out of the PDA business? What a superior machine.

Why don't I like the Tungsten T5? Here are a few reasons:

1. Graffiti 2 is terrible and not intuitive. Many more writing errors with this version. The original Graffiti didn't need to be "improved".

2. The backlight at its lowest setting is still too bright. In the middle of the night, I don't need a PDA with a 1000 candle power staring me in the face. I use it as a flashlight sometimes. (No kidding!)

3. Doesn't have a Hold feature like Sony had. This is similar to stand-by mode on a PC which allows the handheld to continue operating - like playing MP3s - but the display is turned off. This saves a lot of battery power.

4. No built-in Wi-Fi like in previous Palm models.

You get the idea. It's obvious Palm did not put a lot of thought into this device. My advice: If you don't have to change PDAs, don't. Wait for something better to come along.

Rating:
Summary: It depends what you want!
Review: Palm's T5 doesn't seem to have made that much of an impression- particularly on those who had a Clie or a T3. Having had a Tungsten C, I have to say the T5 is great. I guess it depends on what you want from a PDA.

1. Work-life balance: I want to balance my business and demanding clients, with my family, and professional development activities: The T5's intergalactic-sized (landscape) screen lets me see everything that's coming up really easily (especially when combined with Agendus' brilliant PIM software)

2. I hate wires: The T5 can easily sync with Outlook through Bluetooth.

3. I like to read documents, presentations and white papers on my palm: The T5 has the storage and display capabilities to do this. (My old 'C' might have had Acrobat, but you could never read a document with it- too small.)

4. I work on several computers: The T5 pretends to be a disc drive, so I can move files around (and I can read the files on the Palm without any converting)

5. I need a good battery: it has it!

As you can probably guess, I'm not a PDA expert, but the T5 is a winner for me, and easy to use. And the OS is still 100x better than Microsoft's offerings.

...But rather like some of the other reviewers here, I do get the feeling that the T5 is probably a 'stop-gap', before something better. So maybe it would be worth waiting, and watching the press releases!

Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS - PERIOD
Review: This is the most disappointing Palm experience EVER! A seemingly upgrade to T3 is actually a BIG DOWNGRADE.

Let's see, We lose these features compared to T3:
- voice memo
- SD
- sliding mechanism
- cradle connectivity
- nice metal casing
- smallest PDA

Also, I beleive the screen was not as good as my T3, there are some reivews that reported the same [...]

On top of it all, NO WiFi? WHAT THE F$%# , price premium and seemingly upgrade with NO WiFi, are you KIDDING ME?!

This unit bascially does not have ANY advantages over T3, but it actually had a lot of shortcomings. The unit is also very buggy and crashes as some others reported too.

I beleive they must DEFINATELY discontinue this and get a T6 or whatever with WiFi, cradle and metal casing... or this is THE END of Palm business products and they should just do Zires for kids!

HUGE DISAPPONTMENT and product returned!

Rating:
Summary: What happened to Palm?
Review: While this isn't the worst handheld I've ever had, it certainly isn't up to the quality or functionality that I expect from Palm. The positives first: It has a good-sized screen that can be viewed in either a vertical (portrait) or horizontal (portrait) position and the display is crisp and bright, with true color rendition. It has three separate writing areas for capital letters, lower case letters and numbers, so the tiresome strokes to denote case are no longer necessary. And, unlike the Tungsten C, which I had previous to the T5, this model plays mp3 files. It's easy to set up and lightweight, however the latter might just as easily be considered a negative because the reason it's lighter than my old Tungsten C is because the T5 is plastic rather than the metal of the C, the T3 and other Palm models.

As for the cons, most of them seem to be related to what I can only interpret as a greedy attempt by Palm to gouge consumers for extra profits. Unlike every other Palm I've had, the T5 does NOT come with a cradle. Rather it has an awkward synch cable/charger that is cumbersome because it has two cords, which tangle easily. Even more irritating, the T5 lacks the universal connector that nearly every other Palm uses, so all of the additional chargers and synch cables that I already own and used with my previous Palms can't be used with the T5. Thus, I had to buy the "cradle kit" for the T5, which is basically a cheap, plastic cradle and another of the cumbersome charger/synch cords -- all for a substantial price. But it was a necessary purchase unless I want to shuttle the synch cable between my home and office every day. Shame on Palm!

In addition, the T5 has some sort of software glitch that occurs when changing screen orientation, so if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the units that was not patched before it left the factory, you will have to go to the Palm website and download the software update that repairs this problem.

You may also be tempted to purchase the silver-colored hard case for the Tungsten series, since Palm is now offering a rebate for the entire price of the case (around $40.) My advice is to avoid this model case, however, even though it is essentially free. The hard case lacks any pockets or other places to store business cards or other accessories, plus -- and here's the real problem -- once you secure the T5 unit inside the case, there is no easy access to the stylus or to the headphone jack. You must flip the case open and pop the unit outside of the case's interior in order to plug in your headset! For me, this makes the case useless, as I routinely listen to music while the unit is inside my pocket. So I am back to using my old leather case that I've had since my first Palm 105 purchase. It doesn't actually fit the new, slimmer T5 very well, but since the special Tungsten case also doesn't fit well, I figure it doesn't much matter.

The reason I even bought the T5 is because the screen burned out on my Tungsten C after 18 months of use. Now, I don't know how long a unit's screen can be expected to function, but it seems to me that for the price of the C ($500.) the screen should not burn out after just one year and a half of use. There's actually a big, black burn mark that extends across the screen! I thought I'd have the unit repaired, but then I had some interaction with the dreadful Palm customer service system -- all email over the web; no real people on the phone --and realized that by the time I got the T C repaired, assuming it could be -- I will be old and gray and ready for retirement.

The sad thing is that I have also had Microsoft-based handhelds and really disliked them, so there isn't a good alternative to Palm products. And Palm used to be such a great company, giving true value for a reasonable price. What happened to this first-rate, customer-oriented company?!?