Palm TX Handheld
by Palm
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Palm TX Handheld
Customer Review: FABULOUS!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is, quite simply, the best gadget I have ever owned, and a miracle of technology. Who needs a laptop, an ipod, and a PSP when you can do it all with one device??
NOW WAIT - Before you think I'm just advertising for Palm or something, let me tell you this: After I bought the thing, I got so frustrated I almost returned it. Strange things would happen: programs would be corrupted, icons would disappear, and it would constantly go into an infinite reset loop, which is a common complaint around here. After checking with Palm, and searching around, the consensus seemed to be that it was a software conflict (Unlike most older Palms, the TX uses non-volatile memory, so info is not lost if the unit loses all power. But the creates conflicts with some older software). But I didn't think it could be a software conflict, because the problems happened even when I wasn't using any software.
Finally, I found a website that saved my sanity. It has a list of software which conflicts with the TX (something Palm should have put out). Previously, I put the link in my review, but Amazon erased it. I guess I'm not allowed to put hyperlinks here. Anyway, do a web search, it is worth it. In my case, it turned out the problem was my AOL palm software. Incredibly, AOL worked fine but was causing conflicts with everything else, even when I wasn't using it! I deleted the AOL and everything has been just fine ever since!
Some comparisons:
I am currently in Iraq and wanted a portable device to keep me entertained. I almost bought a PSP, but I'm glad I didn't. Yes, the TX costs $100 more, but it is still cheaper in the long run because many great games for the Palm are free, and even the ones you pay for don't cost as much as PSP games. Some of my friends who got PSPs are jealous of my TX, since it is far more versatile, smaller, batteries last just as long, I can wirelessly surf the web, and it also has a bright beautiful screen. But unlike a gaming unit, I can also do office work on it.
I also considered the Lifedrive, but it is more bulky than the TX. Plus, with 4gb and higher SD cards now becoming available, the extra memory on the Lifedrive is not quite so much of an advantage anymore. The only real thing the Lifedrive has over the TX is the voice recorder, something I had no use for myself.
Some essential software that's free:
TCPMP (The core pocket media player) will play movies much better than the Media player included with the bundled software. To use it, you will need software to convert your DVDs. If you google, you will find dozens out there, but VEMode is the best of the free ones. If you pay a little, you will find ones that are better at copying encrypted DVDs, and some other tasks.
Blackborder by Canuck - This simply puts a 2 pixel black border around the screen (as opposed to the default white border). Suprisingly, this small change greatly improves the look of the screen and makes the colors stand out better.
FileZ - A file management program, that works like windows explorer. It is much better at managing files than the file manager built into the Palm. Its absolutely necessary for seeing everything on your memory card.
Customer Review: Don't be fooled!
Summary: 4 Stars
Update: I've since changed my mind about the TX since I wrote the review below. After having used the TX for more than two months, I feel quite differently about. I would've changed the rating to 2.5 stars if I could.
1. The Garnet OS is very unstable. It has a tendency to freeze up or reset without notice.
2. The Blazer browser seems to be causing most of the problems. If I view a large website, the unit may freeze and I have to manually reset. Also, Blazer causes the system to crash every time I try to save or access a bookmark.
3. Palm's built-in MultiMedia player will only play Mpeg files and view photos. It will not play AVI, WMV, or other file formats. When viewing photos in slideshow mode, it's set to rotate pix automatically, but it doesn't.
4. Bluetooth doesn't work. I tried to connect my generic bluetooth keyboard to the TX. While it recognized it, it would not connect. I replaced it with a Palm keyboard, and the TX will not recognize it at all. While the TX also recognized my laptop, I cannot connect to it either.
The things that are good about the unit are:
1. memory size
2. Standard PDA functions,
3. Versamail
4. WiFi does work (blazer browser is trash), but if all you're doing is reading and sending e-mail, it's fine for that.
5. I downloaded Googlemaps--AWESOME!
Below is my earlier post
Wow, can't believe I've settled on other Palms til now. I began my love affair with Palm Pilots beginning with the Handspring Visor, then the Visor Deluxe, since then, I've owned the Palm M500, Zire 72, and now the TX.
1. WiFi - Awesome! I've been connecting everywhere I go. granted, sometimes it's hard to find a hotspot, but after only three weeks of use, I've been able to connect at shopping malls, coffee shops, and two airports. Think of it, you're traveling and you need to get that e-mail off right away. What better way to do than with this device. I was very pleased with the speed of connection and ease of use.
2. Bluetooth - I haven't had an opportunity to use the bluetooth feature, my generic bluetooth keyboard which worked with my Zire 72 would not work with this device. It took a bit of messing around to get the bluetooth to work. I decided to replace my generic keyboard with a palm keyboard. Hope that works.
3. Screen - Wow! 480x340 bright color screen! How awesome is that! Also, the ability to flip the screen is awesome for photos and videos. I haven't tried watching a movie on the device yet, but am hopeful. (Would be nice if Palm would include an app in its software bundle to resize and/or covert movies. Oh well, finding a freeware should be no biggie.)
4. One of my favorite uses of the palm is that I can take all my earthcomber maps with me. Though the amount of memory is nice, I was a bit frustrated that my maps seemed to get hung up more on the TX than it did on my Zire 72.
5. Favorites - it's a cool looking splash screen, but in my opinion, it's a bit redundant. I'd rather eliminate the favorites and go directly to my apps. SIMPLICITY IS ALWAYS BETTER, GUYS!
Customer Review: Great device for to meet my needs
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Palm TX after looking at other palm models and smart phones. It has the most features campared to Z22, and Tungsten, so I bought it. I bought it to mainly use as a planning device, I put my homework, tutoring appointments, almost anything I need to store into a calendar and its nicely organized with alarms if I need them. I also use the documents to go program that is included with the CD to carry my powerpoints with me to study and practice during road trips to research conferences. I put my documents on it that I can show to fellow classmates. It basically has become my everything device except for phone usage. You are able to dial via bluetooth to your phone, but thats also why your phone has a contact list. I backed up all my contacts into my palm, and the palm will also back up files onto a hotsync program on your P.C. So that gives me three places where my most important numbers are stored, not to mention all other information like appointments. I put mp3s on a 1 GB SD card to listen to the music I like on the go. It has a internal speaker and also a headphone jack. I also used a program called, DVD decryptor and video program, Handbrake to convert my DVDs into 400MB files for my 2 GB SD card. The screen brightness is excellent and large plus you can change it to landscape viewing for movies ect. The case can carry 2 SD cards at all times and with the one in the Palm TX at all times I can potentially carry 6GB of information at all times. Thats about 12 full movies at 400 MB each for me. The 100 MB of memory the unit comes with is enough for any usage. Documents and files are shrunken down to only a few kilobytes and I have plenty of room for games and other useful programs. Compared to an I-Phone the TX does everything but place and recieve phone calls and have Itunes. I use the WiFi mainly when im on my college campus and want to check my email.(It takes me about 10 seconds to get new emails with Versa Mail. The default web browser also allows you to choose favorites of web sites like google, and it even saves passwords for sites. Not to mention when it finds a wireless network if you type the correct security settings it will remember the security code also. I play and download games like Bejeweled 2 whenever I have free time on the go. The stylus for use on the touch screen is very important feature if you want to get things done fast. Typing on the onscreen keyboard is pretty smooth after little practice. There are alot of programs for the TX that are both free and sale for the many uses you have. My friends are jealous of this device, its conveneient to have with you at all times because of so many uses. If you are thinking about a smartphone for around $500 then get a smartphone. The Palm TX does everything that todays most advanced smart phones do and has the ability to be upgraded via downloads with the lesser price tag. So what that I have to carry my phone and my TX with me at all times, it fits into my pockets and is like my even more portable laptop without a physical keyboard. Im happy with my purchase and I will continue to use this over the next good 4 to 6 years for all things it can do.Customer Review: Still pleased...4 month update
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on some of the reviews, I bought this product with some trepidation. This is my 4th PDA. All have had the Palm OS operating system. My most recent PDA was a Sony Clie. It operated trouble free for two years. However, it recently met with an unfortunate end on an asphalt driveway. In selecting a new unit, I decided that I did not want to go through the learning curve of a new operating system and I wanted built in WiFi. This limited me to the Palm TX or the LifeDrive. From there, weight and function for the dollar, lead me to pick the TX.
I have had the TX for 5 days. I did not have any problems getting it up and running. (I made sure that I downloaded all the latest software drivers and patches ). My Outlook data and Clie settings loaded with no problems. I have loaded music on to it and I connect to the internet daily (the 801b is a bit of a pain since our wireless at home is normally set for 801g). I like to use the TX for quick checks of email, without having to boot up the computer and get distracted reading the news and sports. Downloading of my Yahoo mail into Versamail has worked flawlessly. I have not had a problem with battery life when using the internet. I have not used a memory card. I will have to try that next. The screen resolution is superior to my Clie and a choice of display options allowed me to select colors easiest on my eyes.
It has been easy to find functions, perform set ups and use the functions of the unit, without having to consult documentation. However, this is probably due to the fact that I am already very familiar with Palm OS. I am apparently one of the few people in the world who liked the old Graffiti. The TX uses Graffiti 2. Graffiti 2 is more like regular print, which has required some getting used to.
I have no use for Bluetooth at this point. The TX is compatible with my old ThinkOutsidetheBox infra-red keyboard.
I also purchased the cradle, which I regret. It takes two hands to remove the unit from the cradle, unlike my Clie, which I could grab and go. Given the fate of the prior PDA, I also bought a leather case. The leather case also hides the obvious plastic housing of the TX. (the comparable HP beats the TX on looks in my book). If one buys the case, it is probably easier to simply use the cables that come with the unit. That way, one does not have to remove the TX from the case in order to charge it.(Update - actually the cables do not work well with the unit inside of the case either)
Update - 4 months later
I added a one 1G memory card, which I keep in the unit at all times - no problems. After installing the correct driver - my ThinkOutSide key board works flawlessly. I also enjoy PocketTunes. I put music and an audio book on it, which was great for travel. It also picks up wireless networks reliability when I traval. It is better than my laptop at snagging the "hot spot". This has been the most functional and fun Palm I have owned. I hope it lasts at least as long as my Clie.
Customer Review: T/X beats LifeDrive any day!
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband and I bought Palms in December, and I went with the T/X while he chose the LifeDrive. I have to say that I absolutely love my T/X, whereas my husband has regretted his purchase decision since the first week it arrived.
We are both Realtors, so we based our purchase decision on the need for a device that would be compatible with our SUPRA lockbox system for accessing listed properties. Bottom line, my T/X automatically syncs with our SUPRA system at the same time that I sync it with my Outlook and Agent Office programs, and I have not experienced a single glitch with using the infrared to open lockboxes. On the other hand, my husband has had to repeatedly borrow my T/X because his will work one time and then become sporadic; in short, unreliable. He spent countless hours on the phone with Palm, but ultimately, they insisted that because it is a 3rd party software, they were not responsible for any errors. This may be the case, but supposedly the LifeDrive was compatible with the software, and even more hours were spent troubleshooting with our MLS office regarding their SUPRA softward only to find that the software seems to be operating fine... IOW, they say it's a defect in the Palm.
Other than this specific issue, the T/X is also superior to the LifeDrive in the following ways:
1. the T/X is much lighter (the LifeDrive is very bulky)
2. the LifeDrive is slow to open applications and the T/X never leaves me waiting
3. on the T/X it was very easy to assign the function buttons at the bottom of the device to go to specific pages when pressed, whereas the LifeDrive seems more limited and complex in doing this. The buttons are labeled, anyway, but at least they are easily customizable on the T/X
4. and finally, the general usability of the T/X just seems simpler and more straightforward. The few times I have operated my husband's LifeDrive, it seemed more complicated to do the same things on his Palm that I would do on my own in only a couple taps of the stylus or the push of a button.
All in all, I wish I could give better specifics, but I am far from being a techie, which is why I absolutely love the simplicity of use of my T/X. Even my husband is talking of switching to the T/X as he finds it much easier to operate. Plus, if storage is what you're looking for, the LifeDrive may have more internal space (which is probably why it's so heavy and bulky), but the T/X does have an expansion card slot.
On a final note, we opted for these handhelds instead of the Treo models, because we have heard many negative reviews from other Realtors regarding all the glitches and bugs (not to mention the reviews we read on Amazon and other sites). So although it would be nice to have a phone and Palm in one, I think we made a good choice to keep them separate... at least then we would not be completely crippled by the loss of phone, palm, etc. should the device break or become inoperable.