Comments on: Palm TX Handheld Review

And young Mr. Hanna correctly raises the ominous spectre of Palm's stunning lack of quality potentially being the kiss of death for this PDA. Then again, horrible quality didn't exactly hurt sales of the Tungsten E, did it? But I wonder how many repeat sales were lost by Palm because so many customers ended up getting fed up with Palm's quality control problems with the TE...

Ryan, I hope you plan to come back and do an addendum to this "review" after you've had time to thoroughly evaluate it. It seems that in the rush to "review" PDAs the day they are released, most sites have sacrificed the kind of detail that purchasers need to make informed decisions. Most times that updated reviews are promised, they never seem to materialize.

TVoR

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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

The buzzing is really a product of the display, not of the OS or hardware. My T|X is perfectly silent. Others may buzz, depending on what screens they have. Nor is the problem limited to Palm OS, I used to have an Axim X3i that screamed like a banshee, but my other Axims are quiet.

If by "this" you mean your post, actually it will be filed under "Voice-of-Dumbness is spreading FUD, ignore as usual".

I mean, really. You're such a moron. :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

best would be both, but the price would be unattractive, I guess...

What AdamaDBrown said, and....
warpSpeed completely eliminated the extremely loud whine coming out of my T2. Recently I also replace the digitizer on the same T2 and had the noise reduced by over 90% without warpSpeed activated (i.e. I have to have it close to my ear in a quite room to hear any noise).

And I completely agree with the original post subject: Sweet!! I'm looking forward to getting one next month when it is released here with the bundled Chinese OS.

I'm still waiting for the mythical "color HandEra."

That, would be a Treo.

"People who think they're smart annoy those of us who are."

Now I'm really tempted to get one of these at $299. I've got a 650, but would love to have that to surf the web on at home or read before going to bed.

Good job Palm.

If Palm produces something worthwhile I'll be back to Palm but I don't see anything worthwhile on the horizon, this T/X isn't the dog's knackers that the Exec is.

Fish

The display is part of the hardware. Duh.

Bargain PDA says its Bluetooth 1.2

Isn't the .1 Bluetooth upgrade something that can be done via software, if executed properly?

This is a nice machine but still too late. Dropping the price down to $250ish makes it MUCH more palatable, however.

Dropping it to $50 makes it wildly popular! At $299 Palm has actually woken from a slumber. This is a very strong hardware set at that price and I pinch myself to make sure I'm awake in saying it. This will compete veeeery strongly with anything from Dell or HP at around $300.

I'm actually impressed. I expected Palm to pull a $399 stunt with a free ferrit or something. This is the first thing to loosen up my fingers a bit from my T3.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

I'll miss the USB drive mode, but that's a minor details.

Looks like I might have to save up my pennies...

One by one, the penguins are stealing my sanity.

I don't think soo... First of all, in 2003, there is no way the Tx could have been priced at sub $300 price point!!! That is the most attractive feature of the device. Heck, none of the main competitors of the Tx in the market place TODAY (i.e, the iPAQ rx1950 and lowest end Axim x51) include features like wifi and HVGA screen. So if the PPC competition does not even offer comparable features at this price point NOW, how can Palm possibly be late to the party?

--------------------
Gaurav

Someone (MacMall?) is already selling the TX for $279.99 or so. By Christmas I am sure we'll be able to pick this thing up nearly everywhere online for that price or even a bit above $250. Rememeber the famous Office Depot $100 PDA mail-in rebate? Imagine that one coming around again later this year and mated to a TX?

$250-$10 OD in-store coupon-$50 MIR---$140 & change net cost!
It could easily happen! I got my first LD with the $100 MIR and a $15 in-store coupon! Never sent in the rebate 'cause the LD ended up being such a pig but that's another story...

Hilarious! :)

I can imagine the scene at the command center in Redmond this morning, Bill Gates whining, "Stevie, why do they have better PDAs than us?", and Steve Ballmer bitching that Bill should never have dropped all that cash on Palm to build him a Treo with a start button... :)

I wonder if Bill will ask Palm to make him a Palm T|X with wince on it... :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

I don't think soo... First of all, in 2003, there is no way the Tx could have been priced at sub $300 price point!!! That is the most attractive feature of the device. Heck, none of the main competitors of the Tx in the market place TODAY (i.e, the iPAQ rx1950 and lowest end Axim x51) include features like wifi and HVGA screen. So if the PPC competition does not even offer comparable features at this price point NOW, how can Palm possibly be late to the party?

Who said anything about price? You did, simply to obfuscate. The TX is late because the competition (several Windows Mobile/PPC models and the CLIE TH55 + UX50) has had dual wireless for several YEARS already. VGA screens have been around for a while as well. The fact that - on the surface - the TX appears to offer a lot for its price point doesn't change the fact that Palm is very late in offering this combination of features in a SINGLE device.

Try not to Kirvinize like you frequently do, Bubba.

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

Say what you will, TVOR's attacks are (USUALLY) tongue in cheek and ALWAYS backed by well-written wit and well-founded arguments/cases/opinions about the mobile computing industry.

Those that retaliate to said commentary usually end up throwing the same kind of tantrum they claim to be railing against.

There's a difference between tongue-in-cheek J.C. Dvorakisms (if you don't know, don't ask) and outright name-calling.

TX Update:
Still running strong. Battery life hangs in there pretty well w/ low brightness (dimmest level) and BT on. D-pad is a definite improvement over the T5/T|E clones. Wi-fi really drags it down, even faster than on the LD IIRC. Case resists fingerprints remarkably well. Screen is "rougher" than previous Palms I've used. Good feedback with & without a screen protector on.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->IIIc-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->T|T5-->TX

Perhaps in the near future we will have the choice to assure ones thoughts are not misused by offering the choice to interact with IT (internet technology) that efficiently and from any PC on the globe offers accountability to ones thoughts securely.

This will aid with the assumption issue vs facts not obtained from the individual and in some cases paid for without any sharing of the wealth with the group that owen their thoughts. Not too accurate when the information has not been veted by the originator(s) of the thoughts.

Just some thoughts to save time and money at a later date.

E-T

e-tellurian

completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution

I really don't understand this at all. So I can post whatever trash I want to if somehow it can be perceived to be "tongue in cheek"? Give me a break. The trash is still trash no matter how many gallons of perfume you think were thrown on it.

I would ask Ryan to hold everyone to exactly the same standard no matter who they are or what they do for a living/hobby. Just because TVOR is an anonymous poster with a bit of wit and some thoughtful insight shouldn't give him any more leeway when it comes to "moderation" (censorship) than the Palmsource employee or a PIC moderator. How about simply being even-handed?

The only difference I can see is simply one of history. TVOR has a boatload of it. How many times has he violated the posting guidelines? How deep into the "cesspool" has he delved in his attacks? How many times has Ryan had to come in and wipe his "crap" off the front page?

Now, compare gfunkmagic.

hkklife, you appear to be quite one-sided in your quickness to judge here. Please show me some evidence that I am wrong, and I will readily admit as much. Please show me where instead of defending TVOR, you have asked Ryan to censor "him".

I'm still waiting for the mythical "color HandEra."

Yes, I'd appreciate it if he/she spent MUCH less time making jabs at people and spent more time doing the kind of commentary only he/she is capable of (where's that NZ90 vs. LifeDrive comparison, btw?). Even I can only take so many "bubba" jokes per day.

That said, Ryan is being asked to do an impossible task (police each and every user/post on PIC) and has to strike a balance between heavy-handed censorship and running a fairly liberal site. If you cannot trust one of your mods to keep the situation under control then who to turn to??

Basically, Gfunk is a mod, first and foremost. Voice isn't a moderator and therefore doesn't need to be held to such a high standard. I have to admit being disappointed seeing Gfunk going off on such a tirade as I had thought him above such silly rampaging.

I've never asked Ryan to delete anyone's comments--good, bad, or otherwise.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->IIIc-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->T|T5-->TX

Thanks, hkklife. It's nice to see there's at least ONE person reading that's intelligent enough to "get it".

Those that retaliate to said commentary usually end up throwing the same kind of tantrum they claim to be railing against.

Ironic, isn't it? I especially love the egregious hypocrisy of Jeff Kirvin. He comes to PIC and spews the type of insults that he would immediately sanctimoniously BAN people for saying on the sites that he moderates. Go figure.

There's a difference between tongue-in-cheek J.C. Dvorakisms (if you don't know, don't ask) and outright name-calling.

Unfortunately, some people are just too clueless to figure that out.

TX Update:
Still running strong. Battery life hangs in there pretty well w/ low brightness (dimmest level) and BT on. D-pad is a definite improvement over the T5/T|E clones. Wi-fi really drags it down, even faster than on the LD IIRC. Case resists fingerprints remarkably well. Screen is "rougher" than previous Palms I've used. Good feedback with & without a screen protector on.

hkklife, can you install a battery monitoring app and post how long it takes to run the battery down in REAL WORLD use? Ideally post the average of 5 - 10 rundowns and what type of usage was involved (e.g. 10% Wi-Fi, 10% Bluetooth, etc.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

e_tellurian @ 10/14/2005 11:40:09 PM

Not a good use for a ship. Perhaps from past experiences with e-t we could enhance these thoughts too.

Perhaps in the near future we will have the choice to assure ones thoughts are not misused by offering the choice to interact with IT (internet technology) that efficiently and from any PC on the globe offers accountability to ones thoughts securely.

This will aid with the assumption issue vs facts not obtained from the individual and in some cases paid for without any sharing of the wealth with the group that owen their thoughts. Not too accurate when the information has not been veted by the originator(s) of the thoughts.

Just some thoughts to save time and money at a later date.

E-T

e-tellurian

completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution

Well said, E.T. But to digitize your thoughts (rather than simply posting the words representing the thoughts) is to remove all ambiguity. Like "Pat" from Saturday Night Live, sometimes ambiguity can be A Good Thing. Do you Senseher(his?)shape?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

where's that NZ90 vs. LifeDrive comparison, btw?

I only reviewed the VZ90. I would never buy that steaming pile of feces called the LifeDrive, so I could never offer any honest comparisons beyond what I've read and my brief exposures at Palm around the time it was launched/defecated.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I really don't understand this at all. So I can post whatever trash I want to if somehow it can be perceived to be "tongue in cheek"? Give me a break. The trash is still trash no matter how many gallons of perfume you think were thrown on it.

Only a fool would think I try to "perfume" my posts. And you need to stop taking posts to an Internet PDA fanboy/***irl site so seriously.

I would ask Ryan to hold everyone to exactly the same standard no matter who they are or what they do for a living/hobby.

Noble request. Will you volunteer to read (and moderate) EVERY post here? And then turn off readers with your heavy-handed approach?

Just because TVOR is an anonymous poster with a bit of wit and some thoughtful insight shouldn't give him any more leeway when it comes to "moderation" (censorship) than the Palmsource employee or a PIC moderator. How about simply being even-handed?

Indeed. Why should PalmSource employees like Marty Fouts and David Schlesinger be allowed to come here and post insults, trolls, misinformation and (the occasional) witty comment? Perhaps because censoring them would have deprived readers from some of the most entertaining threads ever seen on Palminfocenter? Go figure.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8026

The only difference I can see is simply one of history. TVOR has a boatload of it. How many times has he violated the posting guidelines? How deep into the "cesspool" has he delved in his attacks? How many times has Ryan had to come in and wipe his "crap" off the front page?

"Cesspool"? Please. Leave the hyperbole to my pal, Dianne Hackborne.

Now, compare gfunkmagic.

Spunka$$ is one of the most overly-sensitive, tragic Emokids on the Palm sites. He once whined to the moderators on another site that someone had "stolen" his avatar! Don't compare Spunkface to me - he is truly incomparable...

hkklife, you appear to be quite one-sided in your quickness to judge here. Please show me some evidence that I am wrong, and I will readily admit as much.

Do a search using "Marty Fouts, Palminfocenter, The Voice of Reason" or "David Schlesinger, Palminfocenter, The Voice of Reason". (Some of the most shocking posts were deleted so these PalmSource employees wouldn't get FIRED for running their mouths so inappropriately in a public forum.)

Please show me where instead of defending TVOR, you have asked Ryan to censor "him".

You really need to get a clue, Bubba.

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

Sorry for that typo above-I meant VZ90 (the FINAL Clie) instead of NZ90.

Did that review ever get posted here? If so I COMPLETELY missed it. Can you redirect me to an archived post of it?

And I didn't mean for there to be a head-to-head review--just hoping that the LD could be make to look like even more of a folly than it already has become when compared to other, more capable "traditional" handhelds (TX, T3 etc).

TX update:
Still running strong. I managed to make it crash ONCE-
it powered down whilst connected via BT. I immediately tried to power it back on several times (to no avail). I then waited a few seconds, hit the power button again and it reset.

The BT stack on the TX *IS NOT* as robust as on the T5 (patched or otherwise) and earier Palms!!

First potential deal-breaker:

It, like the LD, will NOT make a DUN connection via BT to my V710 Moto. Haven't had time to test it on an E815 yet. Since I am still mired in the remnants of a 2 year VZW contract I am going to have to either bite the bullet and get a new cell phone that works with the TX via BT, make do w/o BT DUN (not likely) or go back to my T5.

This is, as usual, the fault of both Palm (lazy) and Verizon (greedy). Moto had NOTHING to do with the crippled BT implementation on the V710 nor with the utter lack of CDMA BT phone drivers in FrankenGarnet. I don't expect Palm to be of any help from henceforth due to their great desire to sell Treos (specifically WinMob-powered Treos).

Hopefully the TX will end up being a strong-selling Palm and enough will wind up in the hands of enough hackers who will figure out some way to get this thing on crippled CDMA phones (Sprint actually does WORSE things to their BT phones than Verizon does!)

In summary:

T|T, T2, T3, Z72, T5: All worked fine on V710 and other CDMA phones for BT DUN. None could dial contact #s without hacking the V710's firmware.

LD: Dials phone nunbers via BT from Contact app but cannot establish or maintain a BT DUN connection

TX: Cannot dial phone numbers from Contacts OR estalibh a BT DUN connection

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

http://makeashorterlink.com/?P6FB14CFB

The apologists/PALMyannas come out in full force over @ Brighthand and offer no assistance:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A50C21CFB

Can you believe it? Palm ALMOST got a handheld release right. And all it would take is a simple CDMA BT driver to rectify this issue. I am certain they'll do nothing and lose more customers over this "issue".

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

We're talking about Palms, not religion, life, or your mother. There's no reason for anybody to get so offended and upset. There is also equally little reason to spend the majority of your internet time talking about how this new Palm offering isn't good enough.

I'd like to think this PDA is actually pretty good. Sure, Palm is about two years late to offering dual wireless to the market. That's not the point. The point is, they've got one out now, and it has undercut the competition in price for its offering. It's the first genuinely solid PDA I've seen from Palm (PalmOne/Palm|SG) since the T3, and before that, the m500.

Just think... hardly three years ago, three hundred bucks bought you an m130 and a 16MB SD card. Now we're looking at dual wireless, solid processor and memory, expansion, an arguably stable OS, and a great screen.

-Bosco
NX80v + Wifi + BT + S710a

1) Can you give us some REAL WORLD #s re: how the TX battery performs? i.e. how many minutes does it last with

- Wi-Fi only?
- Bluetooth only?
- PDA only?
- MP3 only?

Also, is it true that like the T5 it only has around 3 MB of heap space? I'd be surprised if Palm limited it like that.

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

Looks like I wasted my time again debugging, and troubleshooting for Palm. This bum unit goes back, and I'm hoping to get a refund!

Jose

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

128 - 100 = 28MB

:D

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

Uh...no it's not that simple. The 28MB (128-100) is used to store various system files like the ROM image (compressed) on the Nand chip. The remaing 100MB is actually the storage heap that acts like ram on the device.

If the Tx is like other NVFS devices, then it should have 32MB of 'volitile' SDRAM of which half (assuming similar rom image size) should be taken up by the ROM image after it is decompressed from NAND. Another 6MB of this RAM is taken up by the "Dynamic Heap" and the remaning 10MB should be occupied by the DB cache to keep in sync with Nand. This is the similar architecture found on other NVFS devices by Palm fyi...

--------------------
Gaurav

Too bad you're starting from such a low base. :)

I hope that's PDAs you're talking about! :-0

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

What are YOU talking about, Reverend Horne?

;-O

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

I was talking about PB&J.

Umm... yeah... that's what I thought you were talking about. But please post those comments to PB&Jinfocenter.com. PB&J posts are considered trolls here at Palminfocenter.com

Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming...

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

How about donating it to victims of Hurricane Katrina Priorities... priorities... priorities...

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

How about shut your f*ce, shut down your computer and go working as a volunteer in Kashmir. I hate the type of ignorance you carry.

Tungsten T|E, Tungsten T|3

Have you considered decaf?

The exciting new 'Don't Buy A Device, Give Your Money To The Red Cross Instead' campaign will feature a massive, hugely-expensive advertising campaign targetting websites and print media dedicated to the competitive Palm and Symbian platforms.

When asked why microsoft didn't simply donate this massive advertising budget to those in need, a microsoft spokesman commented, 'Shut your face, pinko; we're just here to try to screw over the competition... oh, are you recording? I mean't to say, bill loves the poor, and he's thrilled to be helping those in need. Thankyou.'"

:)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

The exciting new 'Don't Buy A Device, Give Your Money To The Red Cross Instead' campaign will feature a massive, hugely-expensive advertising campaign targetting websites and print media dedicated to the competitive Palm and Symbian platforms.

When asked why microsoft didn't simply donate this massive advertising budget to those in need, a microsoft spokesman commented, 'Shut your face, pinko; we're just here to try to screw over the competition... oh, are you recording? I mean't to say, bill loves the poor, and he's thrilled to be helping those in need. Thankyou.'">

I debated on whether or not to take the time to respond to this discussion but what the heck, slow tv night and I am stuck in a hotel so ......

I find it interesting at those who are of the mind to take shots at those that are so small they won't give away 100% of their income for whatever reason. Bill Gates, other than his house from what I have read does not lead an "high life" lifestyle and gives away huge sums of money - in an intelligent way of seed money rather than just writing a check and moving on. While not a big MS fan in some (PDA) areas, MS does employe people who get paid and spend that money and ahhh yes even give some of it away to help the unfortunate. Some of us, even those buying the new Gadgets do give away 10% or more, do volunteer work, go on missions trips to third world countries and use the evil gadgets to be more effective, get more done, and (ahh evil) make more money to be able to help more people. Would they (we) be better people if we went back to an stone tablet or even worse, a PalmIII? How dare you judge those you do not know or even more importantly mess up a perfectly good PDA discussion with this load of crap. Take to to this site: www.liberalweanies.com and they will be glad to respond.

Dr. Steve Lansing

If by "this load of crap" you mean your post, well, you can hardly blame me for your lack of self-control, now can you? :)

------
"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

"Between Palm finally releasing a dual-wireless flagship model for under $300 (the same price as the V), the first color PDA under $100, and the rumored video iPod that Apple is supposed to announce later today, I'm going to have a tough time deciding where my next paycheck is going."

You are obviously not married.

Could someone please explain to my wife how much she needs my used T3 to replace her aging Tungsten T so she will funnel back 3 bucks for the TX. I'll even give her the PTG sleds and Wifi card.

And remember that m$ effectively *pays* Dell to use wince...

This is a neat accomplishment by palm, and a fine looking device. :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

Your comments further on up about the case quality are moot. This is the same superb case design as was used on the TE series and the T5. The III days were long ago...

"People who think they're smart annoy those of us who are."

Home button is now a hard button. It's referred to on the website as the Home/Favorites button, so maybe if you hold it down it pops up a list of favorites.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com
Software Everywhere blog
www.pikesoft.com/blog

The Razr is not plastic.

I know I must've made a bad post when I get confused with TVoR. :)

Plastic case: This is much better for reception. If you'll notice, pretty much every Windows Mobile PDA has a plastic case. A metal case will interfere with the WiFi reception, and when you're touting that as one of the devices abilities... That's a no-go.

"People who think they're smart annoy those of us who are."

As does almost every mobile phone, for the same obvious reasons. :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

The Dell has a microphone, hot swappable battery, and CF slot.

The Palm has higher res.

The list price of the Axim is $400, but you can get one much cheaper waiting for the right offer. Same with the TX if you wait for Office Depot Delerium Days when they offer those $100 rebates. But overall, the Palm is $100 less list. That is a big difference if you want exactly those features, no more and no less.

Am I missing anything else? These are about as similarly featured models as we have ever seen from two so different makers.

I hope (for your sake) that you're being sarcastic. The III and V series Palms were the last ones ever made with good cases. Everything else since then has had a stunning number of problems with material quality, durability, buttons, paint, etc. I have several old PDAs based on the original Palm design (various Pilots, III, IIIx, IIIxe, TRGpro) and these cases have all stood the test of time. Nice plastic, functional-as-he11, rugged, and later models even had a simple flip lid so no case was necessary.

The TE and its variants are an embarassment to the Palm legacy.

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

The III/V, I'll agree with you on - But the P1K/5K/Per/Pro? The back casing, along the top edge of all three of mine broke - Usually near the stylus housing. Plastic was too thin, and it was almost impossible to fix without gluing the memory door into place - Which left you no way other than the screws to get at the memory card when it periodically unseated itself.

I can understand why you wouldn't know about that, though - I doubt you actually owned one. And, since Palm dosen't make them anymore, you can attempt to sound reasonable(*) by praising their past products while trying to desperately scrape up a slam on their new one.

Go back to your retirement/hole.

(*)To somebody who hasen't read enough of the board to realize that you've got a suspiciously large amount of free time on your hands - Do you have a job? Or /is/ this your job?

1000->Personal->IRUpgrade->TRGPro->HE330->Treo 180->270

Palm V/Vx were solid units but the buttons didnt have much of a lifetime. I had a sunken power button & a contacts button on my Vx after maybe 8 months of daily use.

I'd wager that the m500s were the turning point for Palm---well-designed, slim/stylish/solidly built casings but lots of "internal" issues---batteries going DOA, SUDS, flaky digitizers etc.

At least it seems that the newest batch of Palm devices is solidly built but still needing patching (LD, Treo 650) or decently built and quite stable (TX).

At least it seems that the newest batch of Palm devices is solidly built but still needing patching (LD, Treo 650) or decently built and quite stable (TX).

Yes the plastic around the stylus housing of the early Palms/Pilots was a little thin - but since I never used the built in stylus, this was a non-issue for me.

I agree with you about the HandEra 330 - I believe HandEra outsourced it to a Korean firm and the hardware quality was a big step down from the TRGpro.

I'll take your word about the LifeDrive, but the Treo 650 build quality isn't the greatest either. And with the TX just coming out now, I'd suggest you withhold judgement until it's been tested in the REAL WORLD by REAL PEOPLE. A dozen online reviews written by reviewers that only had the devices for a few days isn't a reliable way to assess quality.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sensing a lot of negative energy from a certain nameless individual in this thread...

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

You can definitely take my word on the LD. Please note that when I applaud its PHYSICAL build quality I make NO claims whatsoever to the robustness of its OS/memory architecture/HD fragility. I am JUST talking about case materials/rigidity/button response etc.

As to the TX, I have one sitting here next to my T5 and it's a good notch or two above in terms of both aesthetics and quality. Definitely the best that the lameduck T|E spinoffs can hope to be in both categories. The usual complains aside (no LED, no vibrate, no VR, no G1 option), there's nothing that's jumped out at me so far. No resets SO FAR when doing things that brought my LD & patched T5 to their knees (downloading email attachments when in landscape mode via wi-fi, letting a BT connection time ou then immediately trying to reconnect etc).

I am going to start using this sucker fulltime today and will pull NO PUNCHES and make NO APOLOGIES if it fails to perform. All details will be thoroughly reported on PIC's front page & forums.

So far the wi-fi implementation is leagues better than the T|C, LD or SDIO card. Performance (ie wi-fi range) is a bit weaker than either of the two older units, unfortunately. This is all , of course, very early, seat of pants testing.

So far the wi-fi implementation is leagues better than the T|C, LD or SDIO card. Performance (ie wi-fi range) is a bit weaker than either of the two older units, unfortunately. This is all , of course, very early, seat of pants testing.

Great news, hkklife. Thanks for the info. I consider ongoing reports from veteran Palm users like you to be a LOT more important than ANY of the early reviews that were produced by reviewers that only had the device for a few days. [Ryan, will you be updating this review - or any of your other reviews - as new info becomes available? You have a lot of responsibility to create accurate reviews - many people seem to treat the online reviews as gospel when they research their PDA choice...]

Why the he11 didn't Palm offer the TX 2 years ago? This model sounds like it's close to what a LOT of users have been begging Palm for for YEARS and might have prevented thousands of users from defecting to PPC/Windows Mobile. And once Palm loses a user to another platform, it will be hard to get them back. It's odd that Palm wouldn't at least add a charging light - it wouldn't have cost them more than 5 cents. The voice recorder and vibration alert may have been omitted due to concerns about reliability or just to justify the price of future (more expensive) devices.

I hope Palm pulls this one off. While I'm optimistic, I'm also sceptical - have ANY Palms since the IIIxe been relatively free of OS bugs and hardware defects?

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

In my recent memory:
no issues with the original Zire, or Zire 21; M515 or T2 (as they were fixes).

Other than that, most models have had one patch, if not two.

mobileministrymagazine.com
antoinerjwright.com

Other than that, most models have had one patch, if not two.

I stand corrected. I'll give you the primitive Zire/m150 and Zire 21 but the T2 with its Damned Digitizer Drift + feeble battery doesn't count. Nor does the biodegradable m515 with its USB HotSync "issues".

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

Overall it's a much more compelling piece than the Z22. Other than the "find" bug, the little fellow is basically bulletproof.

Past all of those, there aren't many Palms that haven't had any issues whatsoever. If this keeps up, the TX MIGHT end up on this short list of notables.

Let me repeat: nearly 2 days of solid usage and NO crashes yet. NONE. I haven't had this thing enough time to play with the battery. I read on Brighthand that the Thinkoutside keyboard driver isn't yet TX compatible. I'm not sure if that was in regards to the IR or the BT variant (or both). I will continue testing that this weekend. Right now I'm missing the charge LED and the voice recorder and a hardware portrait/landscape button and that's about IT!

Deal alert:

Office Max has been sending out $20 off website purchase coupons lately. If you can stomach their "ZERO PDA return" policy, that makes for a hella nice deal on a new TX (whenever they finally get around to listing them on their website).

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

The sticker on the back of the TX says Bluetooth v1.2 compliant. However the reviewers guide and spec sheets list it as v1.1. Palm also confirmed with me that it was v.1.1. There are no new noticable bluetooth features in the software.

JLM.

It's 1.1 for sure. I read somewhere that early shipments had 1.2 stamped on back on units, but there was an errata sheet in the box stating TX is 1.1

Gak. Must amend my review.

Right now my personal view on this is that, about 1.5 years later, Palm have almost caught up with the Sony Clie TH55. Maybe in 2006 or 2007 they'll finally beat Sony's 2004 device.

- Julian

Surur

I think the LD has like a 1780mah or something. Still beats the 900mah T3 battery like a drum, with improved Proc, lower speed and NVFS, the T|X should be strong. Minus "brighter" screen.

Twizza,
Yeah, but the Sony handheld engine could run datebook without buffering! Nevertheless, it would have been interesting to see what Sony could have delivered by now.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

In fact the .7 shortcut is used for toggling between Alkaline/NiCad/Rechargeable Alkaline/NiMH on older units.

http://palmgear.mykbpro.com/Article_B1F4E.aspx

So I'm still waiting for an official response on the battery size.

-Ryan

1250 is the same as the T5, right?

Palm lets us down yet again...

The best hope for now? A Bluetooth 1.2 ROM update released a few months down the road and a permanent $50 price drop.

No, a device with higher specs than all comparable wince devices is not disappointing. Moron. :)

> "...1400+ would have been better. [or] the LDs 1660mAh battery...."

Why stop there? If palm could have fitted a 9999mAh battery in the T|X it would have lasted for years on a single charge. It would also have weighed 4Kg. Idiot! It's not the size of the battery thats important, its the battery *life*. Most wince devices last little more than a day, so, hell, this kicks their asses, right? :)

> "...1250 is the same as the T5..."

But T|X has lower battery consumption! So it lasts longer! Arrrgh! Moron, moron, moron! :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

I am still probably going to buy a TX despite being rather underwhelmed by its features. That's been the case with every Palm released since the T3.

If the Treo 650 (released a YEAR ago) can have a removable 1660mAh battery then why can the new flagship PDA not have one? Ever heard of PROGRESS!?! By "It's not the size of the battery..." do you mean battery SIZE (implying physical dimensions) or mAh CAPACITY? Higher capacity batteries are ALWAYS better if there's no (or minimal) tradeoff in size.

Yeah, sorry, I just get carried away sometimes. :D

> "...If the Treo 650 (released a YEAR ago) can have a removable 1660mAh battery then why can the new flagship PDA not have one?..."

HK, that's not a powerful analogy. Let me show you. For example, compare your statement with this one:

"If the 2004 Kenworth T800 truck (released a YEAR ago) can have a 16-liter 600 horsepower engine, then why can't my flaship 2005 Toyota Camry XLE?"

Well, it's easy, right? The Kenworth truck needs a large engine, because of the sort of things it does. The Toyota has an engine that's the right size for the sort of things people do with Camrys. People who buy Camrys might like them to go fast, but they don't want a giant 16-liter engine. It would look silly. It would be clumbsy. A giant engine would spoil those great Camry lines.

Got it? :)

If you're still having trouble, then about this one:

"If the Saturn V (first launched 37 YEARS ago) can have an engine capable of achieving 7,500,000 lbf of thrust, then why can't my flaship 2005 Toyota Camry XLE?"

See above. :)

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"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

The Tx is wider and longer but thinner than the 650. If it were as thick as the Treo 650 then maybe there will be space for a bigger battery but would it sell if it were thicker? The sales figures for the Lifedrive give the answer.

I'm using a T|E (not E2, just E) every day for PIM functions and watching video (tv shows and movies with TCPMP) and so the T|X will be a major upgrade for me.

Built-in WiFi, the best screen available in a PDA (in terms of brightness and aspect ratio - in landscape it's great for widescreen video), and hopefully decent battery life with or without using the radio(s), and at the $299 price point the T|X is sure to be a winner.

I was a little annoyed that there wasn't a voice recorder as was originally rumoured, but my phone has one built-in, so it's no huge loss.

I can't wait to get one. I researched the PPCs available and none of them really seemed to fit Palm's great form factor and features for the price. Most of the PocketPC PDAs look downright bulky next to the T5 (and now the T|X, since they use the same case, just in a different colour).

Windows will crash.

Lag/frequent crashes/heat/thickness/decent battery life/solid build quality.

All of those are LD traits that the T3 doesn't have.

Give us a unit in a metal body with NO harddrive, 128mb RAM, and otherwise LD specs (dual wireless, VR, LED) and THEN we'll have the true T3 successor.

I want a polished quality-built business-class PDA that pulls no punches and doesn't skimp on features, such as a $0.50 vibrating motor or a $0.01 LED. Or a CRADLE. Let it cost $400 if that's what it takes, but for god sakes make it available to buy.

http://vtbsd.net/winhelp/

Hmmm...you got me...might this have something to do with vandalism on a building followed by three minus two?

Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem - Henry Kissinger
------------------

I compared T5 & TX side by side using the stock Palm butterfly jpeg image and the stock ocean picture. Colors are definitely richer and deeper on the TX. Whites are a tad whiter with a hint of blue instead of a faint yellow in the T5. In addition, the grey TX status bar is a tad less intrusive when you're flipping through photos.

The TX also pulls images off of an SD card (even 7mp ones!) quite speedily-almost as fast as the LD! I seem to recall reading about optimizations made to the Media app for the TX.

So far, so good. 2 days and counting and STILL no crashes! Every program survived the transition from the T5 other than the Think Outside keyboard driver & AvantGo (latest build).

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

(I'm kinda tempted to turn