Palm TX Handheld
by Palm
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Palm TX Handheld
Customer Review: "Palm TX (Terrible eXtravagant)"
Summary: 3 Stars
I got this item for christmas and i loved it only about two months later what a joke i have had to constantly reset it and also if your buying this item i suggest ou get a case unless you are the business type with a pocket protector of some sort because the included case is a felt-like covered piece of cardboard with the attachment thing paper-like and the connector is a strip of plastic, also dont waste your money on a screen protector it does more damage than good. first of all you have to cut it and i had a hard time with that seccond get it in place the first time or else you risk toasting your screen. Also if you intend for this as a show offy item i suggest you get a few more palm syluses because o mine after a few weeks of use the chrome begins to wear off the stylus and makes it look like you pulled it out of a dumpster. One thing i really like about this item is that you can charge it via the USB connector (included) or the plug in adapter but keep in mind the adaptder gets VERY hot if you leave it plugged in so dont leave it to close to anything until you know how hot it will get. The battery life on the Palm TX is okay but make sure to leave bluetooth off because it will cut battery life in 1/2 and Wi-Fi does about same. The battery life is about 6 hours max (without Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) It is very nice having an adjustable backlight but keep in mind with this model it cannot be turned off which is a con. I also seemed to notice a high pitched whine when i turned it on but i think it is either the backlight or the screen because it seems to get louder the brighter the backlight gets. The jog buttons on this device are better than some but it is hard to use with a thumb. The four hot-buttons on this device can be adjusted at least 3 of them can but they are kind of small and i usually use my sylus to press them. One thing to note is this should be used with headphones or an external listening device because this item's speaker is on the back of the unit and is a little hard to hear. The SD card slot is a nice feature and even lets you know with an audible sound if it is plugged in good. The stylus is a manul and not a push the button and it pops out type. The stylus will not just fall out and it is nice but i think it could be a little bigger in diameter unless your used to styluses but even though im not new to PDA's i still think the styluses are too small. One good thing about this unit is that the reset button can now be pushed with the stylus so you dont need a paperclip and it is recessed so you dont have to worry about it accidentally being pushed. The unit is light and comfortable to hold in a hand for long periods of time. Now on to the software portions of this review. First of all the security feture are nice but not required. One thing to think about if your an avid photographer like me is that the included "Media" software is not very good you cannt zoom in with photos and the videos are awfully small. You cant play mov's as far as i have found or videos over roughly 20MB but with a program called "TCMP Player" (not affiliated with) i can play almost any video type i want but i dont know where to get this anymore and i would be careful to find a good source to get it from but it should be free as it is open source (laymans advice no one except yourself is responsible for what you download or put on your device or media) I really like the Wi-Fi sync abilitys and that this device includes VersaMail which i like to E-mail with. It takes a whle to type with Graffiti and can be a pain but it also comes with an on screen keyboard but i would reccoment getting a Bluetooth or serial keyboard to make faster typing for you real estate agents or business types. You can send attachments via VersaMail but not over 5MB or so. Also the Web Broswer included does not display big and graphical pages but is okay for mobile enabled web sites. I hope you like your PDA and this concludes my review. If you have any questions u suggest you contact the maker Palm or the seller and make sure you ask them everything about it because you dont want to be disapointed like me.Customer Review: Palm gets it just about right
Summary: 5 Stars
As a compulsive gadgeteer I've been using handheld devices for years, including the Apple Newton, the Sharp handhelds, Casio, Dell, Handspring and others. All of them have ultimately been disappointing and far too limited or quirky for daily use.
The Palm Treo 650 is a good unit, but I found myself constrained by it because of the the screen size and lack of WiFi.
I looked at the LifeDrive and the TX and chose the TX.
And I am absolutely delighted with the TX. It is not perfect, but it comes within spitting distance of being so.
Since my list of the TX's deficiencies is short, I'll list it first.
Battery life and non-removable batteries. That's my personal list of shortcomings, though I am sure others will have different opinions.
The internal battery is not removable. I think that's a dumb move on the part of Palm or any other handheld device manufacturer. Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity quickly run down the battery, seemingly within a couple of hours or so. Third party battery extenders provide some relief, but being able to pack a spare battery or two for extended use would be a joy.
The rest of the story is all good, all praise.
The 320 x 480 screen is gorgeous. Not quite bright enough to easily use in bright daylight, it is more than usable under all other conditions. Rendition is very crisp and small type is surprisingly easy to read. Photographs are well displayed and video has no trace of ghosting.
The built-in speaker is weak and, except for alarms, useless. Music and other audio listened to with headphones, however, is robust and rich.
Video playback is very good. I've observed no skips so far using TCPMP.
Graffiti2 is a delight. Much easier to use than earlier implementations adn far more tolerant of scrawls like mine. The touch screen is very responsive and I am able to write almost as fast on the Palm as I can using pen and paper. Very, very impressive.
Palm's 5-wey toggle is, for the most part, a delight to use. Neither too squishy nor too firm, the only drawback for my large fingers is the center button. Ultimately I'll remember to use only a fingernail to access it. Until then I will accidentally hit one of the other toggles from time to time.
Palm's normal applications are, as always, Palm's typical applications and I suspect most users will supplement or replace them with more powerful third party applications. The standout Palm app is the Blazer browser. So far it has handled every page I've thrown at it with grace, reformatting them nicely to fit.
The four function keys can be easily programmed and are responsive to a fairly firm touch, which is nice because they will turn on the unit.
The power switch is slightly recessed and requires a firm touch. A nice way to prevent accidental power-ups, but sometimes a bit of a pain when you want to quickly turn the unit off.
The WiFi implementation is flawless. Set-up takes seconds and WEP is provided for. I have used my home WiFi outside at distances of more 100 feet. I've connected to three other WiFi nets without problem.
Bluetooth is easy to set up.
I've used the TX with a wireless keyboard and, frankly, the combination could replace my laptop in many instances.
I'm glad to have chosen the TX over the LifeDrive. With 2GB SD cards selling for less than $100, I can get all the storage I need without the delay and possible fragility of the 4GB microdrive in the LifeDrive.
Many have complained of the lack of a microphone on the TX. Since I've never used the voice recording capabilities of any of my handhelds, I don't see it is a lack. Others with different needs may justifiably disagree.
Overall the TX is a pleasing purchase. It isn't perfect but it is the best handheld device I've owned to date. Now if they would add a camera and a phone in the same form factor . . .
Jerry
Customer Review: Some quirks, but really good in the end
Summary: 4 Stars
Without being aware of its recent unveiling, I just bought a Palm T/X at Fry's, October 15th, 2005. I was looking for a PDA with WiFi to replace my nice and useful but somehow limited Tungsten E. I've been using it for just a few days, so I'm not ready to give it a full 5 stars rating just yet...
First of all, WiFi works really fine and the Blazer browser is perfect. So I'm happy with that. Bluetooth I haven't try yet, and probably won't for a while since I have nothing with it at home or at the office.
Second, the form-factor is great. Having a "retractable" Graffiti area is really good, since it leaves room for photos or graphs that need better room that the one offered by the previous Palms.
Other things to comment: good applications, including a nicer Media Player (Pocket Tunes for music). Sound with headphones is good too, although it cannot be compared with my iPod Nano! Even the included Solitaire is nice. Battery is quite good, long lasting and charges fast through the USB cable, even from my old ThinkPad A21 at home.
And now, for the problems: many apps don't work, thanks to the great improvement, Flash Memory. The new memory model is not necessarily compatible with many shareware and freeware around, and looks like the SD cards have to be reformatted to work correctly (at least, my old SD from the Tungsten E doesn't work right). Many apps do install, but give problems like hanging the PDA, requiring a soft reset; annoying but not actually harmful. A few old apps, like Cesium (great clock/timer/stopwatch) and the classic masterpiece SF Cave work allright.
As for now, I will use for a couple of weeks before having a definite opinion. But the price is great (299, just like my first Pilot 500 a zillion years ago!). One day or the other someone will produce a software add-on to turn it into a USB drive, something more or less obvious with just 100 megs of internal memory.
My only complaint so far: it came with a fancy clock app, that shown the world and the areas at night and with daylight, but it simply disappeared after I sync it with my old data, going back to the useful but not as nice World Clock. Natively, it comes in many languages, so I can use it in Spanish (translation fine although it has some typos). I do recommend it over the more "home-oriented" Palms like the new Zire. Maybe I'll come in a while to change the rating. And if someone at Palm does read this, please tell me how to bring the nice Clock back!
Final update, after almost a year of use: My final opinion is that four stars are just right. Why? Well, the old two complaints, not big but anyway relevant: slow turn ons and bad media playing. And the fact that it doesn't really work with a Mac.
It does takes its time to turn on. I don't know why. When using the nifty center button just to see what time it is, the time it takes to show the clock is long enough to almost make impossible to see the hour!
And regarding media playing: I agree with some of the reviewers, the included software is not good enough. I disliked the realone player that came with my Tungsten E, and the Kinoma encoder took ages to compress and re-encode content, but at least they didn't force you to use Microsoft Media Player. This one does. Now I'm using TCPMP although it can be cumbersome to convert video; music playing is fine but better to get a real music player, cause playback quality is second-rate.
And the fact that syncing with a Mac is a complicated and uncomplete affair, unless you're willing to buy a $30 software like Missing Link, and add other stuff for AvantGo. Palm software for Mac is just adequate if you're using a Palm Pilot! I'm a recent switcher and I miss the ease and transparent syncing with Windows (actually, the only thing I miss about Windows).
Customer Review: sign of the end for Palm
Summary: 2 Stars
Moving over to this from a recently lost NX80 is step-down in usability and ergonomics (loosing the jog-dial, audio-recorder, built-in camera, metallic case, real flip cover) in trade for working Bluetooth and wireless. On the "flip" side, the plastic case is about as durable and scratch resistant as a Palm III's versus the magnesium metallic bodies.
Plan to set aside the usual full day (hours and hours) to migrate data from Sony's flow to Palm's even though it's supposed to be the same OS and support programs.
TX is pretty much the same PDA I've been using since the Palm III except with color screen, gimmicks, and a vastly shorter battery life, and more complicated issues.
The biggest recurring one is Hotsync will eventually stop working. Hit sync button on cable, and a hotsync window with flash briefly on the computer screen. It flashes long enough to let you know it sensed the hotsync keypress, but not long enough to actually wait for the TX to sync up with it over USB.
The only real fix I've found is to manually back up the entire C:\Program Files\Palm after a few successful Hotsyncs and copy back when stuff stops working, or reinstall the entire Palm Desktop suite. Yes, I have fresh installed into a different directory to not pickup legacy stuff from my previous Clie installation.
Of course Palm's online help is fairly useless because the knowledge base is mostly dated between 2004-2005, and none of the troubleshooting, nor the actual hotsync log, actually deals with the Hotsync app just refusing to connect to the PDA with no log entries nor crashes.
Then I look over and I see nice UTMS smartphones coming out for prices comparable to this and the Treo's.
Pudding.
[later]
Exchanged it at Circuit City for another one. The connector on the new one is less "wiggly", but even worse hotsync results where it almost never works instead of sometimes it works. Googling finds it might be an interaction between the TX and my Asus A7N8X motherboard's USB 2.0 ports/drivers. Trying a USB hub doesn't help. Of course, this guy reported it to Palm about a year ago, but it's not in their Knowledge Base.
So, I'm syncing by the slower Bluetooth now until I can get USB card to aid in bypassing, or I find a driver upgrade.
[much later]
Well, it survived the two week trip to Japan. You cannot find it nor accessories in any store in Japan where the celphones there ARE the Treos/Blackberries on those fast 3G networks. Verizon may be the only close comparison. Akihabara and Shinjuku tell me that PDAs are dead.
Meanwhile, WiFi is definitely a big plus usable with both the corporate WPA-PSK encryption, or the random open WiFi spot (as a portable scanner), and almost Treo/Blackberry-like with Versamail+Gmail and the Web app. BlueTooth sync works well, but BT DUN via WAP through the Cingular's SonyEricsson t637 leaves a lot to be desired in terms of even logging on to PPP.
The five-way navigator is still fairly useless compared to the jog-dial. The TX screen practically blanks out in bright sunlight versus the reflective LCD screen of the Clie N610C.
Issues getting Datebk5 to work with the new native Calendar program in that they don't recognize each other's timezone setting for appointments.
Being compatible enough to use Google Maps is nice, although lack of support from TomTom for their latest GPS software is probably going to hurt sometime.
Otherwise, most of my data and major programs such as SplashID has survived intact from the NX80 backup. Not having to use JackFlash is nice and the 9xMB of flashram is spacious.
Customer Review: By far the worst PDA I have ever used.
Summary: 1 Stars
I've had this PDA for just over a year, obtaining it as an early birthday present in early April of 2006. In that time I have been nothing but inordinately frustrated with the defects inherent in this device.
Defect number one: Video Problems. According to specs, the Palm T/X is supposed to offer video playback. As a football coach, I have literally hundreds of hours of video. I've compressed these files with two different video compression tools, and they play back fine on both of my computers. However, once dragged through the Palm conduit for installation onto the T/X, sound is out of synch and video is choppy. In short; it does not perform as it is supposed to and advertised to.
Defect number two: Touch Screen Misalignment. The lower 1/4th inch of the screen does not align the pointer properly. This makes it impossible to write notes, or even to tap out messages using the keyboard, since no matter how carefully you place the stylus, the device records pressure slightly to the side. This makes note taking, document editing, and other routine PDA mechanics into an exercise in frustration. (Indeed, it defeats the purpose of even HAVING a palmtop computer.) Resetting the screen does nothing.
Defect number three: Palm's lack of support. After contacting them within six weeks of purchase regarding these problems, Palm's "answer" was for me to shell out shipping to send the device in for repair/replacement with no guarantee that they would not turn about and try to foist the problem back onto me as "misuse" of some form. (Or the old standby, "We can't find a problem, sorry.")
Defect number four: Macintosh compatibility. With the Microsoft blunder called "Vista," more and more people are switching to different operating systems. The Mac version of the Palm desktop is barely compatible with the operating system, and some blunders are absolutely inexcusable: color codes do not transfer between iCal and the Palm device, for example. Notes sometimes do not transfer clearly and are either garbled or strung together as one long note. The only thing that somewhat compensates for these screwups is the use of "The Missing Synch" to offer cross compatibility. Why third party software should be needed to connect the leading palmtop operating system with the number two desktop computer operating system is beyond my understanding, but it's an extra thirty bucks Mac users need to shell out to get the darn thing to work.
Defect number five: Network access. The T/X is billed as a laptop replacement, especially in the wireless computing area. With modern broadband connectivity everywhere, web developers are using more and more graphics and video, things that take time to download. The extremely S-L-O-W wireless network card in the Palm T/X means that it can take several minutes to even load a basic Amazon.com search page, or reference your email. It's both faster and more productive to tote the laptop instead, since the network interface is quicker and the typing generally moves faster than trying to get "Grafitti 2" to understand your handwriting.
My wife received a Dell Axim as a gift, and the more I played with it to set it up (also requiring Missing Synch, unfortunately, but seeming to work much better with the built in Macintosh applications.), the more I began to like it. Unless I can find a decent cell phone/PDA, my next palmtop computer will be a Dell Axim. Or possibly a notepad and paper, which would still be more productive than the Palm T/X that I stopped using out of frustration several months ago. $299 down the drain.