palmOne Releases Tungsten T5 Update v1.1

For that matter, does the recent batch of updates & releases help make anyone's mind up about taking the T5 plunge? What was a buggy travesty at $400 now appears to be a pretty solid midrange handheld at <$300.

You know, having most of the lineup (at least the pricier models) running basically the same version of Cobalt with the same built-in core apps and with the same peripheral connector standard will make things easier for P1 and 3rd party developers (hardware & software developers) in the long run! This should've been done long ago but, as Masamune said, it's welcome nonetheless!

Anyone tried it yet?

As for the topic, nice to see T5 users aren't being wholey ingnored

I wish I had known about the forthcoming ROM update and snagged the T5 when OD had 'em SUPER cheap after rebate a few weeks ago.

Reasons to get the T5 over my T3:
No slider!
Drive mode/160mb storage
Better buttons for gaming
Marginally faster CPU
Better battery life
NVFS
G1 hack available

Reasons to keep my T3:
Large sunk investment into assortment of UC peripherals/T3 cases--especially the Power to Go sled (the main deal for me)
Boing boing stylus
Metal body
Voice recorder
Possibly brighter screen
No NVFS
G1 hack available

Dammit, it's a tossup!

If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.

Keep what you got until the next pig comes out.

You don't *need* the PowerToGo sled with the T5. After the update, it's just as fast and stable as the T3 and it's got way better battery life. Plus, no loose slider, no missing screws and the peace of mind that you get from NVFS. If you can't get the LD to work with your phone, the T5 is an excellent alternative. Either is better than an old broken-down T3.

I've gotten my T5 to play nice with my V710. E-mail me if you need assistance.

- Jerry
"Commonsense is on perpetual backorder"

It's good that they've released an update for the T5, but it would help if the update actually [i]fixed[/i] something. Here's what I've found in the first few minutes:

1) My T5 still crashes when synching.
2) RealPlayer still doesn't play nice with the Keyboard application for the Universal Wireless Keyboard.

Those were the two big gripes I've had with the T5, and neither of these is fixed.

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this."

"Then don't do that."

You said:

"All of the crashes-while-syncing problems so far have been traced back to buggy or incompatible software. While PalmOne could do more to work with developers to avoid this, you do have the ability to remove the offending app in the meantime. If you choose not to, don't come crying to me that your T5 is unstable."

"Doctor, it hurts when I do this."

"Then don't do that."

I have a few problems with this. Concerning the synching:

1) I've gone through this search-and-destroy process *many* times. It's not a consistent thing where you can say, "Oh, delete this app and it goes away". The only application I've been able to eliminate in this fashion is the RealPlayer 1.6.1 app, and frankly, while it's not a crushing loss, it's a little ridiculous that hardware that comes with the T5 would be broken by an application that *also* comes with the T5. (I bought the T5 while they were including the keyboard with it.)

2) Would you actually *pay* your doctor bill if the doctor said something like that to you? I wouldn't! Palm's job isn't just to identify applications that *their OS upgade* broke. It's to work with vendors to fix the problems. To put the burden on the user and just say, "Well, learn to live without that software" is insulting and unreasonable.

Tamog:

I've installed the 1.05 driver. Is there a more recent one? If so, I'm there! :)

As for apps, have you checked the compatability list on palmfocus.com? Some of the conflicting apps can be tricky.

I'll check out palmfocus though, and see if there are any fixes. Hopefully someone's come up with some sort of workaround.

Usually, I give Palm all kinds of slack, because I do like their products. But like I said, if you're going to give away an accessory with a product, you should make sure none of the installed software breaks it.

And I thought we were going to become a "kinder, gentler" PIC now that some people were able to have the "desired effect re changing the tone around here". Silly me!


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

You mean like VersaMail? Or maybe you are referring to the OS itself.

I actually think that your problems might lie with your saved and unsaved preferences files. I know that with the previous ROM version for the T5, it had a nasty tendancy to get corrupted and cause apps to randomly crash. This might be what is bugging you. Also, concerning the keybard driver, its never been the most nice application; but a clean uninstall (a program like Uninstall Manager usually makes sure that everything gets off your PDA) and then install of the 1.08 driver may work best for you. Apologies that things are like that for your T5, but really, the new ROM did address stability and other issues quite nicely. It is a shame that some programs, even ones in ROM, are problem issues.

mobileministrymagazine.blogspot.com
antoinerjwright.com

I'll uninstall the keyboard driver and try again. Originally, I just installed over the old driver. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry if I sounded really negative. I just get frustrated when things that actually ship with the Palm don't end up playing nice together.

what's up with that, Ryan?

In all other ways this update is critical. It lowers my crash count below 1 per day from nearly 5 times per day.

Gordon

From the Great White North
Kudzu62