Comments on: palmOne Handhelds Drop in Price

With the introduction of the new Tungsten T5, some of the prices in the current handheld lineup have been reduced. Both the T3 and the Zire 72 can now be found for $50 less.

Read the Full Article Text Here

Article Comments

(23 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

price

tooele @ 10/5/2004 8:49:40 PM #

awesome #1 comment. I think they should have droped the price on th T3 by $100.00.

RE: price

peng1can @ 10/5/2004 9:54:23 PM #

Any further drop on the T3 would have made the T5 seem even more overpriced.

RE: price

tooele @ 10/5/2004 10:22:03 PM #

The T5 is already way overpriced it should be the Tungsten E2 for $300

Sad...

SaabCaptain @ 10/5/2004 10:43:02 PM #

How is the T3, with a metal case, and a voice recorder $50 cheaper than a T5? The T5 has a plastic case, no voice recorder, a processor in a few tens of megahertz faster, and the "USB key" functionality that is nice but hardly a barn burner.

While if I "needed" a 320x480 screen unit at this time (and I don't, I am keeping my TE until a next gen Palm unit comes with OS 6.1 and Wi-Fi) I would get a T5, I won't do it until the INEVITABLE and QUICK price cut to $350 or less occurs.

I DOUBT THE T5 WILL STAY AT $399 FOR MORE THAN 4 WEEKS. It will drop to $350 quickly and by X-Mas will likely be offered for $299 via a rebate or something, a price it should be at today.

owned: Pilot 5000, PalmPilot Pro, Palm V, Casio E-11, IIIc, m505, Sony T615, Tungsten T, iPaq 1945, Tungsten E.

RE: Sad...

Hotoru @ 10/6/2004 2:45:39 AM #

I predict that the T5 will quickly be bundled with the SD WiFi card for $399. I think one of the moves of the internal flash memory was the ability to advertise 256K and the ability to use the WiFi SD card and still keep the flash memory.

I think Palm has basically conceded the "war" for the high end handhelds. Perhaps, it is a better business decision to go after the more mainstream market (Zire and TE are best sellers). One could argue that Sony was the best at offering the most hi-end options and see how well they did in the US.

Palm will probably focus their efforts on the Smartphone market which has more room for growth. I do agree that the T5 should really be a TE2 and priced at least $100 less (a price point it will likely reach soon).

Hotoru
Bush/Cheney 2004

RE: Sad...

pkuhns @ 10/6/2004 9:21:11 AM #

If PalmOne bundles the T5 with their SD WiFi card at $399, they'll sell a bundle. But it might be a few months until they're smart enough to figure that out.

I totally agree with the above poster and said the same thing yesterday on Mobileread (or was it 1src?). Palm is devoting all their talent to smartphones because that is where the future lies. When the Treo 650 comes out, guess who will be putting their Nokia 3650/Zire 72 in the drawer? Until then, the Zire is an excellent PDA.

Nokia 3650 bluetooth magnate

RE: Sad...

statik @ 10/6/2004 9:40:32 AM #

A bundle for that price would sure be tempting. My biggest concern about the WiFi card (on the T3 , Z72 or T5) is the fact that it would pop out to easily when I leave the Palm in my pocket.

What I would like to see is some smart third party manufacturer come up with a hard case that includes a protective sleeve built into the case to cover up the exposed WiFi card.

Crazy 'bout a Mercury
http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/henryshaulers/

RE: Sad...

nikaaisha @ 10/6/2004 9:45:25 AM #

I acquired the Zire 31 (I had the 71 which was decent) but considering the poor battery life and the paint issues, even with this price drop I am still not tempted to put down the cash for the 72. I love my 31 and with my 32mb and 256mb card, I am a happy happy girl.

I would however would love Palm to progress more in its handhelds. It seems to me that for power users they are taking 3 giant steps back-not good.

RE: Sad...

Altema @ 10/6/2004 12:21:28 PM #

"If PalmOne bundles the T5 with their SD WiFi card at $399, they'll sell a bundle."

That would probably be the best way of saving face, but I hope it does not take them months!

RE: Sad...

bookrats @ 10/6/2004 1:06:26 PM #

I only hope that there isn't a rush for T3s before they run out of stock -- can't see why many informed purchasers would prefer the T5.

----

"I'm warning you ... if you kill me, they'll just send 008!"

Jeff Meyer

RE: Sad...

tthiel @ 10/6/2004 1:20:54 PM #

Does that include the screws that fall out of the T3's? Both mine and my wifes T3's had all the screws fall out.

RE: Sad...

Altema @ 10/6/2004 2:06:15 PM #

You must have the "five minutes to quitting time on Friday" editions.

Of the 6 T series my family has owned, only one had a screw come loose. Ironically, unit six was a T3 refurb replacement, and I had the impression that the T3 screws being loose was a myth. Then on day two, I felt something odd in my pocket like a large grain of sand. It was a screw! That was a refurb which also had a weak battery, and also a loose slider, and also a sub-standard vibrator. I re-installed the screws properly and they never came loose again. Incidently, this same unit is being replaced today for a digitizer problem that began just weeks before the warranty expired. Gotta beware of refurbs, but palmOne support was right on time.

RE: Sad...

Escalus @ 10/6/2004 7:01:42 PM #

Went to the launch here in Sydney Australia. The T5 will retail at AUS$749, or bundled with SD WI-FI card for AUS$799. Yes, PDAs are expensive toys here!

screws falling out of Tungsten T3

saintbrendan @ 1/20/2005 10:13:46 AM #

tthiel,
You're right; it's no myth. I just lost a second screw from my T3 today.
On a positive note I called PalmOne and they agreed to ship me out a foursome of screws. They were pretty quick; no questions asked. And the PalmOne rep on the phone was very courteous and professional.

Cheers,
B

Price drops?

finejames @ 10/6/2004 2:57:39 PM #

This doesn't seems to make any sense.

RE: Price drops?

ackmondual @ 10/12/2004 2:01:22 AM #

Isn't the memory used for PDA internal RAM *much more* expensive than even the type used on SD cards? If that's the case, having 256MB of memory may explain T5's high price. Otherwise, they really are milking their customers.

As for as the naming scheme goes, I still have gripes with the Z72. A Z71 but with a higher MP digicam and mem would be a suitable Z72, but with an OS update, PIM update, BT, vid cam, and VR, it oughtta be called Z81, or Z82.

I don't like the T5 name either. Even if you ignore the fact that every1 agrees it oughtta be called a TE2, It's not a successor to the T3, but an alternative (it can't be with those features at that price)

[signature0]the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse[/signature0]
[signature1]My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71.... so ends the "marathon", for now[/signature1]

Why the Zire?

eston @ 10/6/2004 3:01:14 PM #

I understand the price drop on the T3 since it's the T5's predecessor, but why the Zire 72? Are we to see a new Zire coming along soon? Hopefully with Wifi? :)

And yes, if the T5 had wireless built in, or an SD 802.11 card bundled, I'd be getting rid of the T3 on eBay as we speak.

..: eston
http://www.hyalineskies.com/

RE: Why the Zire?

Alchemist42 @ 10/6/2004 3:41:26 PM #

A new Zire is possible, and almost as big a question is the lack of comments considering the T-C their only builtin Wifi model to date.

I really want wifi (would let me sell my dell axim for one thing) but really want it builtin... the card sticking out is just asking for breaking off. Also its longer than standard SD cards so it wont fit into the slots in most hard cases.. makes carrying / using it a pain IMO.

RE: Why the Zire?

peitron @ 10/6/2004 7:18:34 PM #

Yes. Following in the standards of creative innovation set forth by the TT5, the new Zire 73 will have a 160X160 black and white display, Palm OS 3.5, removable AAA bateries and a whopping 4MB of memory. Only $299 at a PalmOne retailer near you!

_____________________________________________
IIIx > m130 > m515 > T|T > T|T3
"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?" - Groucho Marx

RE: Why the Zire?

KayAU @ 10/6/2004 9:10:15 PM #

It would also include a whopping 10MP built-in camera, which will be using the same lens as the Z72 (the one which only gets sufficient lighting to take half-decent photos when held within 5 metres of the surface of the sun itself). And it won't have a reset button or infrared. However, you might find that the new universal connector (not compatible with previous universal connectors) make up for that.

Oh, and the unit will of course feature a high-quality casing, made of sexy green cardboard. :-)

Kay

RE: Why the Zire?

Take1 @ 10/6/2004 10:07:31 PM #

"high-quality casing, made of sexy green cardboard"

LOL!

perhaps RUBBERIZED green carboard would work even better! :)

RE: Why the Zire?

nikaaisha @ 10/6/2004 10:07:31 PM #

Honestly, I think that have a solid deal with the Zire 31. I felt that they handled the transition with the Zires properly...The only way that I would even consider investing another PDA right is if Colbalt is included in the Zire but a girl can only dream!

Zire 72 now a good buy

Timothy Rapson @ 10/11/2004 10:20:58 AM #

I got my original mono Ipaq for only $60. The Zire 71 I got in February of this year was only $118 from Sears closeout as I waited until it was clear that the Zire 72 was not going to have full screen. Last week I got the Zire 72 at Amazon with special deals to bring the price down to $179. I saw it later in the week at an offic store for just $169 after rebates (but with taxes it would have been more than the Amazon price.)

PalmOne vastly overprices their products. I hate the waiting game, but you have to play or PalmOne will take you for a ride. This TE2 (what the T-5 should really be called) is going to be on sale for for around $250 by Christmas (supposing they get a production version that doesn't fall apart as soon as you get it.) Next Spring it will be Zire 73 $300 list. By next Fall it will be $200--my new maximum for any PDA. They simply don't cost that much to make and I am not on this planet to make PalmOne execs rich.