Comments on: Tungsten W Nearing Availability With AT&T

Palm Tungsten WAccording to a report on InfoWorld, Palm is set to announce the availability of the Tungsten W handheld with wireless service from AT&T by the end of this month.
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Finally!

james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 12:15:24 PM #
We finally get an update on the Tungsten W! Thank you! Man, I've been waiting for this thing. The first Hi-Res Wireless Palm. Surfing the news while on the train with this thing is going to be sweet! Glad to see they chose AT&T over T-Mobile. I'm sort of surprised they didn't include Cingular, but no matter.

Keep us posted on the final release date!

Jim

-------
James Sorenson

RE: Finally!
Rhauer @ 2/19/2003 2:37:16 PM #
James, I'm curious about your coment re:At&t.

I am a long time AT&T wireless cust. and just purch. Tung. T for the purpose of getting e-mail via bluetooth. After reviewing At&T GSM coverage I am having 2nd thoughts. Although I work in NYC I travel within the US frequently and I'm concerned I won't be able to make or recieve calls in many areas. I was just starting to think about T-mobile.

Any thoughts re: the 2 services would be appre. Thanks.

RE: Finally!
Servo @ 2/19/2003 2:54:11 PM #
I live and work in NYC and travel infrequently [mostly in the tri-state area and Toronto]. When the T68i came out, a couple of us at work got it through AT&T and some through T-Mobile.

The T-Mobile people are constantly complaining about coverage in the area. Just this morning, in fact, my co-worker said to me, "I'm glad we got our phones from AT&T."

Although, I also need to add that as soon as my contract with AT&T runs out I plan on switching back to Sprint.

RE: Finally!
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 3:04:50 PM #
AT&T and T-Mobile are pretty close right now, but AT&T is expanding the GSM/GPRS coverage faster than T-Mobile. Not too surprising since AT&T has the capitol to do it. Oddly enough, in the Bay Area, Cingular seems to have the best coverage of all of them, but outside of that...

If you already have solid T-Mobile coverage in your area, then it's best to use them. The two networds are compatible, so you won't have to buy a new phone if you decide to switch to a different GSM/GPRS provider later on.

Jim

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James Sorenson

AT&T and Capital
joelforeman @ 2/19/2003 3:57:05 PM #
Not so fast. AT&T is really one of the smallest players in the cell market. They aren't part of Ma Bell, they are a separate spin-off. In fact, T-Mobile might just be the largest provider in the US, due to the fact that they have such a large presence outside of this country. I'm pretty sure that even Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular are larger than AT&T.
RE: Finally!
UZI4U182 @ 2/19/2003 4:08:09 PM #
Cingular sucks.

--Devan-- | Email me:
UZI4U182@suscom.net
www.devanstavern.tk
www.devandeshong.tk
Current PDA: Sony CLIÉ PEG-SJ30
RE: Finally!
robrecht @ 2/19/2003 4:16:58 PM #
GSM providers in the United States are fine in some major metropolitan areas but none come close to Verizon's analog and CDMA coverage in most areas. An AT&T rep didn't even want me to try one of their GSM phones because he knew how poor their coverage is currently in central Jersey (between NYC & Philly).

Thanks, Robrecht
RE: Finally!
Rhauer @ 2/19/2003 5:39:15 PM #
Verizon still doesn't offer a bluetooth phone.

RE: Finally!
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 7:51:27 PM #
AT&T may be small, but it is also the last one to jump on the bandwagon (in other words, they've only started). Their progress is still faster than the other services, so it won't be long until you see greater coverage from AT&T. Now, the hope is that you can still "roam" on T-Mobile and Cingular with GPRS. I know this applies to GSM, but I don't know if it applies to GPRS.

As for the comment on Cingular, I find the service quite reliable, though not as good as Verizon. Cingular does get a bit broken with weak signals. Sprint is odd: IF you get a signal, it is ALWAYS a good one. Seems to be all or nothing. However, Sprint does not seem to have as good of coverage where I travel. Oh well.

Yeesh...I admit the newer CDMA technology is very cool compared to GSM, but leaving the cell standards to the open market sure has made a mess in the U.S.A. I can understand why the European countries laugh at us when it comes to cell-phones.

Jim

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James Sorenson

RE: Finally!
Sowen @ 2/20/2003 12:08:41 AM #
Who cares what kind of coverage they offer... Its GSM. I have owned several GSM phones and none of them worked inside or near any kind of concrete or stucko buildings (which means they work poorly in cities - the same cities where my friends CDMA phone worked fine). According to AT&T, this is a "limitation" of GSM networks.

RE: Finally!
Elferoz @ 2/20/2003 12:47:01 AM #
If you want Excellant Coverage and Fast Internet for cheap Sprint Included Unlimited Vision with there 3G network Sprint and Verizon are the way to go where AT&T your paying Per MB and Tmobile.

RE: Finally!
robrecht @ 2/20/2003 2:34:33 PM #
"Verizon still doesn't offer a bluetooth phone."

Granted Verizon is behind everyone else in bringing out cool phones in general and BT phones in particular (especially egregious being their decision to bring out the T606 without BT).

That being said, some people still use the Timeport 270c with the bluetooth battery adaptor on Verizon. A much less well known ooption is the SE T68i, which can be purchased as a Verizon replacement phone (see http://www.ustronics.com/bsonert6verr.html) and used with the DBA-10 bluetooth add-on module.

No, they are not cool, and yes Verizon is to be despised for their recent dearth of cool phones, but it is possible to use a Tungsten T with with a Verizon bluetooth enabled phone.

Thanks, Robrecht

RE: Finally!
robrecht @ 2/20/2003 5:18:21 PM #
Sorry, meant to say T61c not T68i above.

Thanks, Robrecht
RE: Finally!
elmo @ 2/20/2003 5:24:09 PM #
Hey,
I understand that GSM is a fairly new technology in the US. Over here in OZ, its been around since 1999.
GSM Coverage in the beginning really sucked (I cant say it any more succinctly).

However there is hope. The companies over here, particularly OPTUS finally do have an excellent GSM Coverage. It took some time, but its happened.

The range for a GSM base station (in my understanding) does not stretch anywhere near as far as the AMPS (older system)/CDMA antennas. This means that each company has to deploy a stack more antennas to have coverage up to scratch with CDMA.

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but the old AMPS base stations covered something like 20kms (and I think CDMA is similar), whereas GSM base stations only cover a fraction of the area.
So this means that more base stations need to cover the same area.

Mark

RE: Finally!
elmo @ 2/20/2003 5:28:44 PM #
Can somebody explain why Palm is constantly just behind the 8-ball?

The T|W looks like a phone, but doesnt have a built-in mic. Where's the use in that?

Mark

Too Much!

UZI4U182 @ 2/19/2003 12:37:10 PM #
$549? Yeah right! I'd get a T|T and a T68i before I bought this thing.

--Devan-- | Email me:
UZI4U182@suscom.net
www.devanstavern.tk
www.devandeshong.tk
Current PDA: Sony CLIÉ PEG-SJ30
RE: Too Much!
bcombee @ 2/19/2003 1:58:22 PM #
It is $549 without service. I'd expect its price with service plan to be $150-200 less, more in the $399 range. That would make it pretty competitive versus the Treo 300 and Samsung IH330 on Sprint's network, both currently selling at $450-500 with activation, depending on the rebate deal.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com
RE: Too Much!
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:20:40 PM #
Speaking of "Too Much"...that's my screen name.

Now, $549 for a hi res wireless with fastest radio on market and longest battery...Nice deal.

RE: Too Much!
Elferoz @ 2/20/2003 12:50:03 AM #
Well The Treo 300 is an excellant Phone PDA now that palm is launching the palm T handspring will lower the price on the Treo 300. So if your going to buy one Call on 02/28/03 for a Really good Price. By the way I would pay 600 dollers For a PDA that has all these features Email, PDA Serfing the Web.

RE: Too Much!
Fly-By-Night @ 2/20/2003 7:30:34 AM #
PDA Serfing. Does that make your PDA a 'slave' to the master web server?

FBN

-----
Ceci n'est pas une signature.

RE: Too Much!
hoodoo @ 2/20/2003 9:33:58 AM #
LOL.

Accessories in the picture

Matthew @ 2/19/2003 12:38:57 PM #
Regarding the accessories in the picture - there appears to be a wireless headset for using the phone...is that a bluetooth headset?

Also, what is that thing that is plugged in to the top left side? The picture is too dark to make out what it is...

RE: Accessories in the picture
twizza @ 2/19/2003 12:59:39 PM #
the headset is apparently the BT Jabra headset. the piect that is connected to the palm is the BT dongle that allows the T|W to connect with the BT headset since BT (bluetooth) is not standard on the T|W.

RE: Accessories in the picture
scyber @ 2/19/2003 1:00:42 PM #
The headset is the jabra Bluetooth headset. The thing plugged into the Tungsten W is the Bluetooth adaptor for the Jabra headset. it allows you to use the headset with any phone with a 2.5mm jack.
RE: Accessories in the picture
Matthew @ 2/19/2003 1:52:57 PM #
Thanks. Damn, would be nice if the T|W had built-in bluetooth like the T|T so you wouldn't need the adapter...


RE: Accessories in the picture
TSC @ 2/19/2003 2:09:21 PM #
I would buy it, BUT, who wants to lug round an extra 'plug' accessory to use the phone!!! OK, go ahead and buy it and after the 'honeymoon' is over and you are back to the routines of everyday living, you too will wish the unit had a built-in mic!

I like Palm, but its hardware keeps missing the boat while its competition is sailing down the river winning the race.

TSC

RE: Accessories in the picture
Altema @ 2/19/2003 2:45:27 PM #
A cover with mic and speaker built-in will be available, but Palm was still deciding if it should be included or optional the last time I heard anything about it.

RE: Accessories in the picture
Be3G @ 2/19/2003 2:47:28 PM #
Btw, a company has designed a flip cover with an integrated mic/speaker. It just replaces the one you see in the article picture, and it just has a little lead that goes into the headphone jack.

Thomas

Check out the Palm Tungsten|T review at www.comp-talk.co.uk

RE: Accessories in the picture
PalmAddict @ 2/19/2003 8:09:31 PM #
There are pictures of the Speaker/Mic Flip cover at the LAPUG website (http://www.naxera.com.lapug/previous.html). The "T" in the middle of the case will answer the phone when you press on it.


-

"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight." - George Gobol.

RE: Accessories in the picture
PalmAddict @ 2/19/2003 8:09:31 PM #
There are pictures of the Speaker/Mic Flip cover at the LAPUG website (http://www.naxera.com.lapug/previous.html). The "T" in the middle of the case will answer the phone when you press on it.


-

"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight." - George Gobol.

RE: Accessories in the picture
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:23:08 PM #
If you are a data centric user who travels then you know that all this talk about "smartphone" is nonsense. There is NO SUCH ANIMAL for travelers...nor will there be until we have a unified digital nationwide network. In fact, there is no bluetooth phone that is also multiband (gsm, gprs, tdma). We cannot expect Palm (or anyone else for that matter) to have a smartphone that does something that phones by themselves cannot even do.

RE: Accessories in the picture
hkklife @ 2/19/2003 9:41:52 PM #
AMEN!! On top of that, us Verizon users still need even a semi-elegant solution to connect our PDAs to our phones, since they seem absolutely deadset on *not* supporting Bluetooth or even Infrared.

To top matters off and make me a very unhappy camper, I finally ponied up the major $$$ necessary to buy an overpriced cable (Palm UC to Mot. v60) from the Supplynet. I had to have some sort of wireless connectivity when on the road and WAP on my cell phone wasn't cutting it. Of course, the cable barely makes contact with the UC on my T|T and the slightest nudge/breeze makes it fall out and drop the connection. Sigh....

Somehow I feel majorly ripped off...almost enough to dig the ol' m505 out again and keep using it. What's the point of adhering to a "Universal Connector" standard if it actual physical connection is _barely_ supported the latest and greatest pice of Palm hardware?



RE: Accessories in the picture
gfunkmagic @ 2/19/2003 11:36:38 PM #
quote:

"AMEN!! On top of that, us Verizon users still need even a semi-elegant solution to connect our PDAs to our phones, since they seem absolutely deadset on *not* supporting Bluetooth or even Infrared."

Well you can get a Kyocera 7135 for Verizon and that device supports both IR and BT via SDIO...

RE: Accessories in the picture
elmo @ 2/21/2003 7:03:40 AM #
RE: Accessories in the picture
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:23:08 PM


There is NO SUCH ANIMAL for travelers...nor will there be until we have a unified digital nationwide network. In fact, there is no bluetooth phone that is also multiband (gsm, gprs, tdma).

Hmm... Here in Oz, the Nokia 6310i aint a smartphone, no colour screen, however its GSM, has gprs and uses 900/1800/1900Mhz Frequencies.

Thats probably as close as you're likely to get
Mark

Yo

Elferoz @ 2/19/2003 1:07:10 PM #
If you guys think this is Cool wait till you see the new phone by handspring. ohh I still think This Palm T is cool

RE: Yo
Guy508 @ 2/19/2003 1:53:05 PM #
Elferoz,
You mentioned a new phone from Handspring. Can you provide any details or time frame? I am just about to purchase the Treo 270 but may wait if something new and better comes along.
Thanks.

RE: Yo
Matthew @ 2/19/2003 6:20:19 PM #
That's "Yao"


RE: Yo
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:28:40 PM #
Be sure to buy extra batteries for the Treo with a 3 hour battery (W has 10 hour battery).

RE: Yo
Elferoz @ 2/20/2003 12:38:46 AM #
Well All I can Say is that if you wait less than 2 months its going to be worth it handspring is going to get some really cool phones just like the treo 300 like sprint. For example with Verizon or Tmobile only. Oh its going to have S.D the rumor is that its supposed to blow away all the competitor in Screen Resolution once I get a picture I will post it. Ohh the reply on the battery no matter what kind of battery the units have I think FOr color, Email, Web Surfing and PDa its still going to eat up your battery those no other phone that will last you more than 4 hours espacially the Palm T.

RE: Yo
robrecht @ 2/20/2003 10:27:28 AM #
"no other phone ... will last you more than 4 hours espacially the Palm T."

This is why I would much rather have a bluetooth enabled phone and a bluetooth enabled PDA than a convergence device at this point. If replacable batteries start becoming available, I'll reconsider. But for now, if you use your cell phone a lot, the battery technology is just not there yet.


Thanks, Robrecht

RE: Yo
TooMuch @ 2/20/2003 2:44:14 PM #
While canceling my Palm.net service for my i705, the manager I spoke with at Palm said that he had tested the W over the weekend side by side with his i705. He said he was amazed to discover that the W battery outlasted the i705. That is good news.

SAD attempt to keep up with sony

navomaal @ 2/19/2003 1:56:00 PM #
Jeez.....would they ever give up making half a**ed product - everytime they come up with something - its like a tease....first the tungsten and now this - could not run on OS5 ? Was it really that difficult for once to come up with something that is actually in-sync with time???
OH - I hope they did not "forget" to include the patch for the digitizer problem...

RE: SAD attempt to keep up with sony
Altema @ 2/19/2003 2:50:16 PM #
They decided not to put an ARM processor in this model because the combination of dual processors, hi-res color, and wireless radio would mean weak battery life. Better to have a fast Dragonball and great battery life, AND simultanious voice and data.

As it stands now, you can leave this thing ON for two weeks (or so I've been told by insiders ;)

RE: SAD attempt to keep up with sony
Ben S @ 2/19/2003 3:08:28 PM #
Since Sony doesn't make any PalmOS device with voice capabilities, I fail to see how you can consider this "not keeping up with Sony". Handspring, maybe (but this looks to be way better than the Treo 270 for data applications).

RE: SAD attempt to keep up with sony
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 3:12:05 PM #
Can we keep the criticism a little more professional please? As Altema has pointed out, battery-life was key to the decision. There is also the debate that adding phone functions to the new PalmOS 5 would mean a lot of debugging and a delayed product. It was better to use a mature OS for reliability. (A phone that crashes is NOT fun. Just ask a 1st-generation Visorphone owner).

Anyhow, I'm not sure how this is worse than Sony. Sony doesn't even HAVE a PalmOS SmartPhone available! This Palm has the hi-res screen, memory expansion (without using the proprietary, over-priced, limited Memorysticks), small form-factor, and a thumboard that is reviewed to be much better than the Clie'.

I prefer using an earphone with my cell-phone, so I'm rather glad to go without the added bluk of speaker and mic. But, for those that want it, there is already a face-cover solution. Problem solved.

My only real complaint is that it appears you can't change out the battery. I'm glad it has good battery life, because there are times in my job where I won't see a power outlet for 3 days! In any case, I'm really looking forward to this Palm.

Jim

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James Sorenson

What's under the thumboard?

sralmas @ 2/19/2003 2:01:37 PM #
Did we ever learn what would be under the thumboard (if anything)?

RE: What's under the thumboard?
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 3:00:42 PM #
The Thumboard does not lift or slide to expose anything(people have already held one and reviewed it). The most common theory for the strange seam between the board and screen boarder is that it would make it easier for them to sell a Graffiti version without having to make a whole new faceplate. This is strictly speculation, as Palm has not said a peep about a graffiti version of this device. Maybe someon thought the seam looked good, for all I know.

Jim

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James Sorenson

RE: What's under the thumboard?
robrecht @ 2/19/2003 4:46:50 PM #
I thought they just wanted it to look similar to the TT?

Thanks, Robrecht

In the box

Fammy @ 2/19/2003 3:01:19 PM #
According to the Palm website, it comes with a bunch of stuff, including:

Jot
ICQ =)
SD Configuration Card

Interesting.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?S69821783

_____
Fammy

RE: In the box
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 3:26:19 PM #
ICQ? Cool!
I wonder how much data is transferred when ICQ is just idling. We have to pay by the KB in GPRS, so it could add up if I leave it on for instant messaging.

Jim

-------
James Sorenson

RE: In the box
djpedro @ 2/19/2003 3:36:20 PM #
It would be really nice if they had a GPRS all you can eat option like Sprint does with Vision. Even at $30/mo. it would be a nice deal.

RE: In the box
MrGadget @ 2/19/2003 3:59:47 PM #
ICQ -using a Tungsten T) consumes about 50kB (I can see this through the datacounter on my T68i) within a 30 minute session in which a continuous exchange of messages takes place.
It is my favorite passtime on the train (in The Netherlands). And at $1.50 per MB without _any_ additional data subscription. My phone subscription is $7.50/month. I think it is a bargain.


RE: In the box
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 8:00:08 PM #
Only 50KB, and that is including messages? Not bad! Definately looking forward to getting this.

Jim

-------
James Sorenson

Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?

Leech @ 2/19/2003 4:29:04 PM #

Yesterday's technology? I find my Clie N610 to be sluggish with a 33mhz processor. With the GPRS radio on-board I would think if I were to transfer over all of my apps and hacks things would be even slower.

This is a new device, what's the deal? I'd pounce on this thing in a heartbeat if it weren't for the slow processor.

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
sandbuck @ 2/19/2003 4:59:04 PM #
I understand the rational posted above with regards to battery life concerns, but they could at least have used a 66Mhz chip. I suspect its going to be too slow for a lot of people.

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 8:05:24 PM #
I'm a little surprised that they didn't use the 66MHZ processor as well. I mean, it WILL need to draw twice as many pixels and manage a wireless connection.

Sadly, the few that had a early-release model had mixed results when using overclock hacks. Generally, the over-clocking would work as long as you weren't connected wirelessly. Overclocking would always cause it to hang up the connection.

Oh well. If I were playing that many action games, then I would have preferred a Tungsten T with a BT phone anyway. I just want the email and web-surfer with a hi-res color screen. Hopefully, I won't notice much sluggishness in those apps. However, there was mention that 160x160 color games that were "stretched" to 320x320 were slightly sluggish. Hi-res games ran fluently. Looks like they should have used Sony's idea of having a separate processor for the video. Oh well.

Jim

-------
James Sorenson

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:33:18 PM #
It will be satisfactorily fast enough for most people who simply need wireless data access

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
M3wThr33 @ 2/19/2003 9:28:01 PM #
160x160 -> 320x320 is FOUR TIMES as much, but honestly, it should be fine in all respects.
(320x320 == (160x2)x(160x2) == (2x2)x(160x160) == 4x(160x160))

I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. We're in space.
RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
twkermit @ 2/19/2003 10:21:10 PM #
33 Mhz processor means external mp3 palyer is needed.
a little disappointed.....

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
jamesgood72 @ 2/20/2003 9:00:24 AM #
What Palm applications do people not find fast enough with 33MHz? I'm interested. I have a N760 Clie which I think has a 33MHz dragonball, and everything is just fine on it. Except maybe for 3D textured mappped games, and let's look at the prime function of the device when we're judging that... My 33MHz Clie also plays MP3's beautifully (I know it has a separate DSP, an elegant solution to the MP3 problem I always thought).

-James.

RE: Isn't anyone else bothered by the 33mhz processor?
Leech @ 2/20/2003 2:22:42 PM #

My N-610 doesn't do MP3's and I still find the 33mhz processor slow. Maybe it's the hacks always running in the background (Teallaunch, Jogdaily, Middlecapshack, popme). I have afterburner running full tilt, but still...

Avantgo is slow to draw, Datebook 5 takes a minute to come up (I have A LOT of calendar data). Megalauncher even takes a bit long to come up. And all of this is WITH Afterburner running; without things are just slow. Games play OK, though I'm not running anything more demanding than Bejeweled or Dynomite.



The Display

ray00pal @ 2/19/2003 6:44:26 PM #
Sorry this question might come in kind of late. I am just wondering is T/W's 320x320, which should be the same as the T/T, the SAME as Sony's? I don't want to get screwed again by Palm on the display issue. How does the quality of the screen compared to Sony's?
Thanks a lot.
RE: The Display
james_sorenson @ 2/19/2003 8:15:33 PM #
Can't say. None of the European reviews tested it in sunlight. Supposedly the screen has better contrast then the Treo series, but the Clie' series would be hard to beat. That's a good question I would love to see answered.

Jim.

-------
James Sorenson

RE: The Display
TooMuch @ 2/19/2003 8:35:26 PM #
The display is almost as bright as the Tungsten T. The W screen is made of a different material. It is not quite as bright, but more durable...which makes sense for a wireless unit.

RE: The Display
Admin @ 2/19/2003 10:07:35 PM #
The screen is the exact same as the display on the T|T. Palm Inc stated this at the Tungsten launch event. It is good in sunlight.
RE: The Display
TooMuch @ 2/20/2003 3:25:49 PM #
I got my above display info from a Palm employee who handled the W over last weekend.

And again we wait... Let's close the deal!

Greg @ 2/19/2003 9:45:27 PM #
What never seems to amaze me is the lack of foresight all of these handheld companies have. Their lack of innovation is only aggravated by their lateness to market these already obsolete toys, the shocker here is that we seem to be so enamored by the offerings and anticipation we forget why we buy these things in the first place, organization these are not designed to be are portable multimedia entertainment centers, I have yet to hear quality CD sound, or play a stunning game or watch a feature length movie and what fun would it be to watch such things on such a small screen.

Sony is in my opinion the best innovator they take an existing product and make improvements, granted for some reason all Japanese electronics’ seem to come with standard annoyances such as incredibly small keys. But the Sony offerings are cool, if not incredibly bulky, although I do give Sony props for listening to consumers desires and trying to incorporate them into products the new NZ90 is really cool, but do you really need the Swiss Army knife PDA? I mean seriously, are you really going to use your PDA to capture the moments of you life even with a two-mega pixel camera the resolution is sorry at best. MP3 Players, are you really going to load a bunch of songs on you PDA and listen to them from a bunch of wires in you pocket? And if you said yes the average MP3 is 3.5MB so even on a 256MB-memory card you are going to get 73 songs! Or 4 CD’s at most. Now you can get an Apple Ipod that hold 1,000 songs for $299.00 with basic Cd functions, the problem is you can’t change data on the fly (which I think is retarded as well)

Palm has some fun ideas the Palm tIt is cool, I own one, the screen is great the functionality is there, but only 16MB on board, of which you can only use 14MB. The Blue tooth deal is cool as well if you happen to use ATT for you wireless carrier, they are the only provider with Bluetooth phones at the moment unless you want to carry around the honking Motorola 270 Time Port. The Palm Tungsten W is a good-looking toy too I got to “play” with one about six weeks ago, they’re nice. To my understanding the US Air Marshals carry them to keep in touch with each other. But the coverage is GSM with ATT Wireless is sketchy at best take a look at the ATT wireless maps before you buy. The 33 processor is going to be a bit slow but you get a great hi res screen, but are running Palm OS 4.1 with no blue tooth, so if you use it as a phone you have to run a cord from you pocket which is annoying, I use a Plantroic Bluetooth Wireless headset, which will require using the dongle, there are always trade offs so we have to decide what we are willing to sacrifice in order to enjoy our new device for maybe six months until we start itching for a new one. I could personally open a museum for all my old handhelds; I even upgraded my Palm V to 16MB back in the day through a company called efig! I have always been on the cutting edge, I beta test for several companies and get notice of new devices before they go public which is fun, and I am like everyone else looking to the newest, coolest thing.

I am still waiting for Kyocera and Verizon to get their problems worked out with the Kyocera 7135 Smart Phone but by the time they get to market their product it may be too late. The technology has already missed the mark; if it were release on time last year they would have been cutting edge! The new 7135 is the replacement for the 6035 which I also own, it looks nice and seems solid, but is running on a 33 megahertz processor and running a highly tweaked Palm OS 4.1 with the 160 x 160 resolution color screen, but I am sure that Kyocera will have a greatly enhanced usability, the 6035 was great the integration was truly impressive, but there is no Bluetooth, the SD card may or may not support third party cards for things such as Bluetooth, 802.11 networking etc. Verizon has the best coverage in my opinion, which is a good thing, I am sure I will pick one of these up if unless there is a better offering at the time they launch the 7135 which to my understanding will be mid March.

I guess I am tired of all the convergence products; they never live up to expectations. Everyone wants the sexiness of the Motorola v60, with a high-resolution color display, that can play MP3’s, have Bluetooth, 802.11 and have great signal, work everywhere and download and incredible speeds.

I am willing to pay for relevant technology but I have not seen anything breathtaking in at least two years. The handheld market should take their ques from Apple, it least the folks at Apple aren’t afraid to innovate and create excitement for their products. I hear Steve Jobs has got something in the works for an Apple based handheld. Have you seen the new G4 Powerbook’s talk about sexy!

Well, let me know what you think… What do you want to see in a new PALM based handheld?


RE: And again we wait... Let's close the deal!
Scott R @ 2/20/2003 9:50:33 AM #
I just got a Treo 300. I was debating on whether or not to wait for the next new devices but I finally gave in and bought one (two, actually - one for my wife). I got a great deal (final cost under $250 a piece), and I'm still month-to-month on Sprint (debating on whether or not to lock in for a year and save $10/month). The Tungsten W disappoints me for several reasons:
1) It's GSM. Coverage is spotty in my area and they don't offer an affordable unlimited data plan (unless that will be part of the "big" announcement).
2) OS4 when OS5 has been out for a while now.
3) Poor phone-integration. If this came with Bluetooth, I could justify spending another $60 on a BT headset, but I can't stand having a cable dangling from my ear. If the case that's been talked about here that integrates a mic and a speaker works well, maybe I could overlook this.

Bottom line is that the Treo came out a LONG time ago and yet Palm learned very few lessons from it. Manufacturers should be picking over the competitions' products, separating the good from the bad, and integrating the good features into their new products. I don't see evidence here that Palm learned much from the good features of the Treo.

I'm hoping that Handspring has secretly been working on the next-gen Treo to be released soon. I'm hoping for OS5, 320x320, SDIO, Bluetooth, and a removable (and longer-lasting) battery. I'd also like to see them tweak the keyboard (e.g. - use a hard rubber instead of hard plastic and tilt the keys on the left half in the opposite direction like the Blackberry).

Scott

RE: And again we wait... Let's close the deal!
palmhiker @ 2/20/2003 12:16:30 PM #
"And if you said yes the average MP3 is 3.5MB so even on a 256MB-memory card you are going to get 73 songs! Or 4 CD’s at most."

I believe you are mistaken on the size of MP3 files, most of mine are less than 100k each, which would give you about 2500 songs on a 256M card.

RE: And again we wait... Let's close the deal!
helf @ 2/20/2003 5:27:47 PM #
100kb each!?!? What kind of screwd up mp3's do you have?? You might have 30sec beeping sounds...

RE: And again we wait... Let's close the deal!
palmhiker @ 2/21/2003 4:20:38 PM #
Sorry, that was a (poor) attempt at humor....inside joke.

Here is Review Tungsten W

nelson18 @ 2/19/2003 10:39:08 PM #
here is the review for Tungsten W

http://www.mrpalm.com/getcontent.php3?tid=166

RE: Here is Review Tungsten W
hoodoo @ 2/20/2003 9:44:07 AM #
Is there an English review?

Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?

donaldekelly @ 2/19/2003 11:21:53 PM #
I plan to buy a new pda in the next few months. I have sorted out the reviews and what is important to me and came up with the Tungsten T as my favorite.

But, on February 28th there will be the Tungsten W. And in the next month or so there will be the Sony TG50. So, now I am confused. Any recommendations?

I am assuming the Sony TG50 will run Palm OS 5.0. If so - The TT and the TG50 differ in that the TT is a little smaller, but the TG50 has a built in hardware keyboard - which I very much prefer over Graffitti. On the down side the sony uses the memory sticks, but the processor is rumored to be 200mhz - slightly faster than the TT. So it is a real toss up.

Of course the Tungsten W means I have to carry only one device - cell phone and pda in one.

Anyone with some insights? I prefer a smaller device, but want the bluetooth, 320x320 screen, some speed, etc. The large Sonys are great but too big for me. The Pocket PCs are either too big or do not have IO slots to run WIFI or Bluetooth.

Thanks for any responses.

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
Scott R @ 2/20/2003 10:01:00 AM #
I really like the Treo 300, but the technology is definitely a bit dated now. The thing I wish for the most is a higher-res screen. That said, you can get some pretty good deals on it ($250 or so) and the availability of an affordable unlimited data plan thanks to Sprint can't be stressed enough. Let me repeat: When you have unlimited data, you will use the device differently than if you constantly have to worry about how much data you're using. Also, if you've checked out a Treo 90 at a store and been disappointed by the dim screen, don't worry. The Treo 300 seems to use a different screen because it's very bright and color quality is very good. Yes, it's still 160x160. :(

Still, if you want something newer, I'd suggest you wait and play with the Sony TG50 when it comes out. That's the device that I'm anxious the most about. By that time, Handspring may have a next-gen Treo out, too.

Scott

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
james_sorenson @ 2/20/2003 3:06:50 PM #
Sadly, expectations are usually ahead of the current technology. There will always be something better up ahead, so I usually try to survice with what I have until it simply can't do what I need. I am still surviving on a VisorPhone. I was waiting for a hi-res screen with built-in external memory. The Tungsten W finally brings this to the market. Since doing QuickOffice on a low-res grayscale screen is a pain, I'm going to upgrade.

However, do you NEED the faster processor? Do you NEED bluetooth? What else do you do you need? If nothing on the market satisfies you, and your current PDA is still getting the job done, then wait. For me, buying a Treo with a low-res screen and no memory expansion would have been money wasted.

Here is just a bit of personal advice:
The Tungsten W is a wireless data commincator FIRST, and a cell-phone SECOND. If you want something that has nationwide coverage and can be easily answered without dealing with an earpiece, then you probably won't like it. You'd be better off getting a separate phone.

However, if you are like me, and mostly use your cellular service to get email and news, then trying to juggle two devices and getting the BT or IR connection to work on the Tungsten T may also be a pain. The Tungsten W makes everything seamless for this.

I don't know much about the TG50, but if neither Tungsten fits your needs, then by all means wait!

Hope this helps.

-------
James Sorenson

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
donaldekelly @ 2/20/2003 4:59:29 PM #
A friend of mine has difficulty with a cellphone/pda combo. When he needs to look something up or write something he has to take the phone away from his ear, and it gets frustrating. He has to get a bit of info, take the phone down to write in stuff, and then put the phone back up to his ear and get another bit of info, etc.

Anyone else have this problem? I have separate cell and pda - which seems to work fine - they are both small (Palm M500 and Motorola v60)

I will probably post my first post again in a separate topic - since it si somewhat off topic here. Thanks

someone tell me how to add a picture, then I will really scare you all!

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
helf @ 2/20/2003 5:31:01 PM #
One word... "SPEAKERPHONE"....

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
coop @ 2/21/2003 12:11:33 PM #
"SPEAKERPHONE"...

Oh yeah, joy, now I get to hear _both_ sides of your telephone conversation
as I'm trying to enjoy my lunch.

Was in a resturant a couple of weeks ago where a group of people was asked to leave by the
manager because their loud cellphone/speakerphone conversation was annoying other people in the resturant.

I guess the manager felt that it was better to have 5 (or six in you include the guy on the other end of the phone) people pissed off
at him for being kicked out, and a whole resturant pissed off.

Good call...

RE: Tungsten T or W or Sony TG50?
james_sorenson @ 2/21/2003 8:15:08 PM #
Isn't this exactly what the earphone is for? Plug it in and talk while looking at the Palm.

Speakerphone? Please...No. There is enough chatter going on without doubling the conversation noise.

-------
James Sorenson

But only if you live where AT&T has service!

jeffrycorbin @ 2/24/2003 12:47:43 PM #
I am being told that because I live in an area not served by AT&T, I cannot buy even just the data service (mMode)! I can't imagine they are thinking so small! Anyone have any advice on how to get around this situation? (I don't want voice service, just data.)

- Jeff -
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