Palm 3199WW Cradle Kit for Tungsten E2/T5/TX and LifeDrive
by Palm
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List Price: Our Price: $9.00 You Save: $40.99 (82%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Palm 3199WW Cradle Kit for Tungsten E2/T5/TX and LifeDrive
Customer Review: All it claims to be, but pricey and not all it could be...
Summary: 3 Stars
Bought this Palm-branded cradle kit for my TX with some reservations, having been a Palm user since the original "Palm Pilot" which included an exellent cradle in the purchase price (my TX is my fifth Palm). This cradle kit is everything it claims to be, but I have a few nitpicks. First, it includes a fancy universal power adapter, whose universality is not very useful (who carries their cradle all over the world?), and is entirely unnecessary since the handheld already included a power adapter, so I am paying extra for a redundant power adapter I don't want or need. The data cable is interesting, too, in that its business end is extra wide to span both the data and power inlets for the Palm, but that cable end also has an input plug to accept power itself, so the power adapter plugs into the cable, not the unit. If the Palm TX had simply come with a cable setup like this in the first place, the cradle kit could've done away with the cables entirely and been just a low cost form fitted cradle. Speaking of form fitted, I think the cradle itself could be better suited to the TX because unlike previous cradles that, well, "cradled" the base of the handheld with formed plastic shaped to fit the unit that helped to guide the plug connections in place as the unit was seated, this more universal cradle has the handheld sort of balanced on the protuding end of male plug that you sort of have to align by eye , putting your head down near the desktop and looking up as you're trying to get the plug to go in the hole. Not so much of a cradle, more like a "nicely lighted male plug end to skewer your handheld onto if you aim carefully". I understand that is the likely the consequence of having a "one size fits many" cradle that works with the TX, the Treo, the LifeDrive and I don't know what all else, but it does diminish the value of the cradle for its intended use with the unit I actually own.Customer Review: Palm Cradle kit.
Summary: 3 Stars
Well it's functional, and if I'm wandering around my office in the dark, I can see it (it's illuminated). But there are design problems that I find really irritating.
First, the connector is too stiff. Until the laws of gravity change, when I set my PDA into the cradle it's not going to float away, so the tight latching mechanism that is appropriate for a cable is not necessary here; it just makes it difficult to attach & detach. I'm afraid I'm going to break the thing.
Because of that, one has to be very careful about the "angle of attack" while attaching a PDA: though the PDA rests properly agains the back face once inserted, one has to apply so much pressure to attach it that it's not easy to feel the correct angle. And one can't just lift the PDA away from stand -it all comes with you, cables 'n all, if you try. One has to pick up the whole assembly, wrench the two pieces apart - carefully, rocking slightly to free the vice grip of the connector - and hope that it give way cleanly without breaking off one of the pegs.
Third, there is a "wheelie bar" - a brace - at the back of the stand, I assume to prevent it tipping over backwards if you type on the screen while it's in the cradle; but it's clearly an after-thought, and it isn't designed or mounted with sufficient precision to do the job - the whole thing just rocks backwards an eighth of an inch or so - enough to render it useless. Maybe I could bend the bar carefully, but again, I'm afraid to break it. If the stand were designed such that the bar formed the rear feet, it would to the intended job.
Lastly, a combined complaint: first, for the price of the PDA the cradle should have come with the PDA instead of being an add-on, and for what it does it's way over-priced. It's just a connector with a wide base, that's all, and putting a cute white LED in it doesn't justify the cost.
Customer Review: 5 stars for utility and 3 stars for value
Summary: 4 Stars
Palm has stopped including charging/synching cradles with its PDAs and Treos. Cradles have some utility, so Palm offers you this kit at an exaggerated price for recent-vintrage Tungsten PDAs. (Be sure to check whether the kit you'r ordering is compatible with the Palm model you have!)
You're buying both more and less than you think with the kit. You get a light cradle, smaller than a pack of cards and weighing about an ounce. You plug the square plug of the power adapter that came with your Palm Tungsten or other compatible Palm device into the cradle, and then you plug in the USB synchronization cable that came with it. When you're done you have what Palm should have given you in the box with the Tungsten.
To justify the price, you also get: A large power adapter that has interchangeable plugs compatitble with US & European wall outlets and a "real" USB cable that boths synchs and charges a Palm device. The "real" USB cable works for a wide range of recent Palm devices, including Treo 650 and newer smart phones. It's very useful for travel if you carry a laptop that has a USB port.
The cradle is worth about two bucks, but the rest of the package makes the price more or less reasonable, considering that accessories are always high profit items. Shame on Palm for not including the cradle in the box with all its products. But if you want a cradle you do get a couple of other potentially useful accessories to make you feel less ripped off. If you just want a combination USB synch and power cable, you can get that from aftermarket suppliers for a lot less than the cradle kit.
Customer Review: Useful but lots of flaws
Summary: 2 Stars
I use this cradle because it is handy for syncing and to keep it on and charging next to my desk. Still, there are lots of things I don't like:
1. The plug is hard to use. I constantly have to fumble to get my T|X plugged in. The fit is tight and I wonder if a piece of the plug won't break off in time. My last PDA, a Clie, just slipped on the cradle and started charging immediately
2. It is light and there are is no anti-slip bottom. When I push the hot sync button, I need two hands, or at least three nimble fingers. I will be buying some non-slip mat for it soon.
3. You won't be able to use most cases with the cradle. It doesn't make any sense to me to have to pull the Palm in and out of the case to use the cradle. I bought one case where I did this and have stopped using it. (I didn't like it for other reasons, and the manufacturer was nice enough to give me credit for other items. This is why I am not mentioning their name.) I just got the Fortte/Bellagio case, which you can use with the cradle and it seems pretty good.
The light that bothers others, doesn't bother me, other than it seems unnecessary. I know it is a tiny amount of electricity, but you take all the electronics that trickle electricity for lights, clocks, and so forth, and over the entire country, I think you are talking about a big deal. Okay, rant over.
In all, I would buy it again, but grudgingly. If someone offered a better cradle (just making a better plug would do it), I would happily junk this unit and buy it.
Customer Review: Too Much Stuff -- But It Works!
Summary: 4 Stars
My Palm device travels with me to work every day and I depend upon it for meeting reminders, to-do lists, etc. I like having it next to my PC's screen for instant access, standing upright so that I can easily see and use it. I upgraded from a Palm IIIxe to the Palm T|X and have no regrets. The one thing that was a little disappointing is the difficulty I had in finding a cradle at a reasonable price. Palm offers their T5/TX Cradle Kit and it works just fine but required some shopping to get the price down. The TX clips snugly on to the connector in the Palm cradle making it visible whilst I work at my computer. The Palm IIIxe was much easier to place in its cradle, but the connector was much wider and didn't carry power to charge internal batteries in the old Palm. The Cradle to PC connection is via USB allowing the usual easy one-button synch of Desktop with TX. In some reviews of this product there has been criticism that the cradle's internal LED is illuminated all of the time which some reviewers found annoying. The fact is that if you are connected via USB directly to your PC or via a powered USB hub, the Palm's battery will be charged and it is not necessary to use the cradle's power adapter. No power adapter -- no lighted cradle! Maybe not as cool to look at, but not annoying, either. The Cradle Kit comes with too many plug adapters for my needs (U.S. and U.S. travel only) and cost more than I would have liked. I'm pleased overall with the purchase.