Palm TX Handheld
by Palm
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List Price: Our Price: $249.99 You Save: $150.00 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $54.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Palm TX Handheld
Customer Review: Great PDA for the price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love my Palm TX. I had a Handspring Treo 90 for years and I found the transition to the slightly improved operating system of the TX easy and comfortable. I am a Mac user and I was concerned Palm's defection from Apple and lack of support for Macs might turn out to be a problem, but my fears were ungrounded. The TX works fine with my Macs. Of course, I use the Palm desktop and don't make any effort to integrate addresses, etc. from the Mac OS. I stay happily inside the Palm cocoon. This could potentially be a problem for people who need to integrate with the Mac OS and transfer files. But all I need are the datebook, tasks, memo, contacts software that comes integrated into the TX operating system. I looked into the well-regarded third party software for file transfer but ultimately decided the Palm desktop was all I needed. After three months of constant use, I find the TX is everything I had wanted. I am able to access the internet, download (and send) e-mail from any location that has wifi. The wifi capacity is great and lots of fun. The Blazer browser that comes with the TX is fine, although I have added another browser, Opera, which works well too. I have also added several other media players to supplement Pocket Tunes which came bundled with the TX. None of the software is perfect and you have to live with the limitations of every program, but a PDA is a far more limited device than a computer. Originally I wanted to get a smart phone but decided the cost of internet access via the phone was just too expensive. So I started looking into the two device solution - a cell phone plus a PDA. As I investigated different PDAs, it gradually became obvious that the Palm TX was the best device for the money. And my personal experience has corroborated that conclusion. The TX is far more powerful than any smart phone currently available, and the free access to wifi means no expensive monthly fees. My cell phone bill is under control. One caution, be careful about the software you load into the device. My limited experience suggests that unstable software can lead to problems with constant resets, even uncontrollable resets that a number of reviewers here have had trouble with. Carefully check out any software you load into your PDA. I have found that there is nothing that I really need that didn't come with the TX and I almost never have a problem even though I use the handheld everyday. The one time I did have a problem with resets was after I loaded a piece of third party software that consistently crashed my TX. So now I am very conservative about adding software which has worked out well for me because I never have problems. My TX is very stable. I highly recommend the TX. It's not perfect, but it is a great product with many features for the price.Customer Review: Palm Quality Control & Customer Service is below Sub Par
Summary: 1 Stars
BUYER BEWARE! Read the reviews before considering buying this. The screws keep falling out on my palm pilot, and I've found that this is a problem that many people have had (just google "Palm Replacement Screws"). If you buy this, there's a good chance that you'll be the next person having the exact same issue - so be warned. It may not seem serious, but screws coming out basically means your unit casing will come off and that leaves the memory and all the important things you write down in your schedule UNPROTECTED.
When I contacted them about the issue, I found out what the Palm company was really all about. That is, getting your money and not looking back. Instead of admitting that their is a serious design flaw with their product, and doing what they could to rememdy the situation....they figure this is another way they ought to try and add to their profit margin. Not very smart. I'm not even asking them to apologize for their imcompitant case designs (which would help them save face imho). What really gets me is that theres enough people that have this problem for it to be clearly visible to the higher ups, and some executives at the company actually made the decision that they would trade 75 cents in screws for the loss of their company name. And If the guys running the PALM company are idiots, then it's time to look elsewhere.
I can't believe they wouldn't just ship out replacements and try to fix the product designs. But as I reseacrch the net to try and find some decent replacement screws for my own unit in the meantime, I just keep finding more and more stories of good people (who don't have problems with screws coming out of other small electronics btw) who are in the same pathetic PALM ownership boat as me. Am I ever sorry I bought the unit. Besides the screws, it has reset on me on a number of occasions and luckily I'm religious about backing up data. Still, you lose some entries and its a major pain. In fact, I did miss a meeting once because I missed reentering it after the unit reset and lost data.
Well Palm won't be fattening their margins on me anymore, and I hope you heed the warning I give. I am in the market for a new Handheld, but I'll NEVER allow myself to get swindled by them again. They could've used the problem as an opportunity to show their customers that they do value us and score some points. Unfortunately for them and for us customers, the cold response I've gotten from them tells me that they really could care less and do not have a long term outlook on what it means to sell a business product as important as a scheduling device. It's best to stay away from them. I'm through giving PALM any more business. If you find a better company, please do share.
Customer Review: Good for what I need it for
Summary: 5 Stars
First, note that although I have tried out a Palm TX at a local retailer, I don't own one yet, mostly because Amazon doesn't actually seem to have any yet and doesn't seem to know when they'll have them ...
As a Palm m505 user, I've been wanting to upgrade for some time, but the devices that did what I wanted were both rare and expensive, usually because they had features that I didn't need (like the Tungsten C's thumb keyboard or the LifeDrive's 4GB HD). SanDisk promised a WiFi SDIO card for the m5xx series for a long time, then finally reneged. And the m505's 160x160 screen with its washed-out color left something to be desired. Once I finally get one a TX, it'll be a huge step up.
The Palm TX's screen is great; 320x480 makes a big difference. The backlight has several levels of brightness rather than just on/off. Over 100MB of usable memory is huge compared to the less than 8MB on my old Palm. It has an SDIO slot, so I can use the SD cards I already have. Built-in Wi-Fi means I won't be tying up the SDIO slot with an adapter and don't have to swap cards if I want to be online. Stereo audio means I can load up a card with MP3s and have a solid-state MP3 player. And one of the first things I'm going to try is using WiFile and PocketTunes to effectively stream MP3s wirelessly from my computer's hard drive.
I'm glad the Palm TX doesn't have a camera; the last thing I need is a PDA that I'll have to leave at the front desk when visiting certain companies for work. With more and more places banning gadgets with cameras, I just don't want the hassle. I'm also glad that it doesn't have a phone -- I don't have a cell phone and don't want one, and besides, I don't want to drain my PDA's battery by talking on the phone, and vice-versa. I'd rather have my camera, phone and PDA be separate devices.
This is not to say that I think it's perfect -- the biggest adjustment will be the lack of a cradle. Attaching plugs isn't going to be my favorite thing to do. Cradles are sold separately; I may eventually end up getting one. I'm going to miss the blinking-light and vibrating alarm features that the m505 has but the TX lacks. Voice recording is conspicuously absent on the TX, but as I didn't have it before, I'm not going to miss it. As for Bluetooth, this will be the only Bluetooth device I own, so it's like having a fancy piece of string with one tin can attached.
Overall, I like this device. I'm going to be able to access the Internet from anywhere in the house, and make use of the ever-growing number of Wi-Fi hot spots. The features may not be the absolute latest and greatest, but they're light-years beyond what I have now, and the price is quite right.
Customer Review: The Best Palm Ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never owned a Palm. I bought the first Handspring Visor when it came out. I owned three of them and three Clie's. I always thought they were better that Palm at the time. Well Handspring and Clie are no more. I dropped my last Clie and the backlight quit working still works but too expensive to fix. It was the bomb. So I use and older model for the past year which suited me fine; so I thought. I started having issues with that and decided to buy a new Palm. I hessiatated for awhile to buy one. I didn't like the fact Palm's didn't have a scroll wheel like Clies.
I now have owned the Palm TX for a month now and I could never go back. Most of my programs worked and I had to upgrade some others.
I love the:
1. Widescreen it make reading spreedsheets much easier. The included Documents To Go is much better than the Quickword I have been using for the past 6 yrs. You can also see more video and pictures with the Widescreen.
2. The intergrated Palm Desktop. I was able to use it to convert videos in a reasonable amount of time. It is not fast but, it is simple and easy to use.
3. Pocket Tunes, it comes with it and it is a great app. I have used it for a couple of years now. I recommend the upgrade it's only $30 but, money well spent. With the upgrade you can play WMA's and OGG file. Tailor the sound better with more eq options.
4. Isilo a reader app. is a pleasure to use and read in the wide screen format.
5. Addit is a nice app that keeps you up to date on the latest news (Rueters)
6. WiFi. I was skeptical at first but it works well considering your using a Palm. It is much better the my Clie. With this feature alone I can now leave my laptop at home.
I travel quite a bit so lugging a laptop around can be quite a pain. Wether by plane or auto I can watch movies, listen to music, read a book, or most importantly kept up on work.
As a music player I have to mention I own MiniDisc and a DAP both Sony products and have great battery life. Sometimes it is not practical to have all these gadgets in your pocket. I like the sound of the Palm. The battery life is good but not great. With Pocket Tunes and larger SD cards who needs an Ipod. It is only a matter of time before 4&8 GB cards come out. Yeah it cost more than an Ipod but I can do more with a Palm; oh yeah the video is better and the battery life is about the same. Pocket Tunes syncs up well with Windows Media Player.
Overall I am very impress the the Palm TX. I am not disapointed yet with the performance, workmanship of this model.
Customer Review: Very Good PDA.... Good Deal...
Summary: 4 Stars
I've replaced my Sony Clié SJ-33 which I had for almost 4 years with this one....
It took me a while to decide among the TX and the LifeDrive.... and after reading a lot of reviews and knowing that I wanted a sleek PDA other then a Bulky mini Hard Drive (AkA Palm LIFEDRIVE)...
And I am glad I have done so...
Here are some of my opinions as...:
- Awesome screen.... A Real good one... You will not be disapointed, specially with the size...
- Speed, since I have tested the lifedrive as well.. TX does not have any "sudden stops" (1-3sec) as LDrive has...
It makes sense since it runs from the ROM/RAM memory instead of a drive...
- I have tons of software (usefull and some "not really" usefull) which are running perfectly on it... But.. Beware with old software.... Nothing a Hard Reset will not fix it...
But usually only the latest versions will not crash the TX (Beyond Contacts, Mini Golf, Sim City, Hp12C, to name just a few which I needed to get the latest version of it...)
- Speaker.... C'mon.. for a Palm, this thing is loud.. !! Alarms and musics as well.... (pocket tunes has Equalizer, and it works !! Very decent sound for a PDA) of course, a Headphone will do a better job...
- Wifi, Bluetooth, and many other features already mentioned at any review you have probably read everywhere...
- Battery.... I would say it is a good battery... Until you turn the Wi-Fi on.... Then it will just go down the hill pretty quick.... from a score of 1 to 10... 7,5 at this one...
- Video plays really smoth on this one..... If you are willing to wait a movie to load at the SD card, you can watch DivX movie at it !!
Really Cool....
But my regrets go to:
- Cover.. What kind of cover is this one ?? Is Palm trying to save money with it ?? You will want to get a decent one...
- Cradle !!! Does Palm know what that means... Everytime time they try to bundle less equipment with it... The cable does the job, but.... :-(
- Better battery managemet when using Wi Fi ?? (mentioning one more time in case there is someone from PALM reading this thread)
- It could have a program bundled with it to manage the folders..... And also, to become a Removable Drive (like the Lifedrive), it would be a good thing as well...
Anyway.... Those are some points I think it might help everyone to decide.... But this is a very good PDA...
Really pleased and it does the job !! a good one...
Way to go Palm, but please present some improvements next time, then you will get a score of 10 "with class honour", for now.. It will pass with a score of 9 !!
;-)