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Palm Tungsten Models Reviewed

Posted by timothy on from the send-me-your-old-visors dept.

Jason Weill writes "MSNBC has a slightly premature review of Palm's brand-new Tungsten models. These models, currently (as of 11:10 PM EST Sunday) unavailable on Palm's own web site, are the Tungsten T and Tungsten W. The Tungsten T includes a fold-out Graffiti area, new cross-key keypad, 144 MHz ARM processor, Palm OS 5, a 320x320 full-color screen, and 16 MB of on-board RAM. At $499, it's more expensive than most handhelds currently on the market. The Tungsten W replaces the Graffiti area with a thumb keyboard and includes GSM/GPRS phone capabilities. Unlike the Handspring Treo devices, the Tungsten W only works with a handset -- you can't put it up to your ear. The Tungsten W will cost $549, although most American service providers will subsidize at least part of the cost. These models will officially be unveiled Monday, October 28."

7 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. How do they sell anything in Japan? by kryonD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I only paid $190 for my cell phone and it does everything the palm does, plus surfs the internet and receives full blown email without having to add a modem attachment. It also has a .3 MegaPixel digital camera in it. Why would anyone pay 3x as much for a heavier, less useful toy?

    Just curious

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  2. This can't succeed in Norway by say · · Score: 5, Interesting
    ...considering the name being "Tungsten". It means "heavy stone" in Norwegian :)

    Not what I want in a handheld device, at least.

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  3. Form factor just isn't there yet. by sbwoodside · · Score: 4, Interesting

    First of all you need a *headset* not a handset. Who the heck is going to carry around a handset when they already have a cell phone inside the W? That doesn't make sense.

    Secondly, they're just showing that no one gets the form factor yet. I don't want to have a headset sticking in my ear all the time, but I don't want to hold a big-ass product like the Treo up to my head either (talk about dorky-looking). The new RIM blackberry has a better idea ... just hold the thing to your head without any flip up plastic crap.

    They still miss the mark though. I'm going to get my cheekmarks all over the screen and that's no good.

    I don't know what the right formfactor is, but I haven't seen it yet. Maybe some kind of clamshell design where the keyboard's on the bottom and the screen's on the top. IT'll open 75% in phone mode, like a startac or whatever, or it'll open 100% in palm mode.

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  4. Ogg player! by steveha · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is the first Palm PDA that will have an Ogg player. It has enough horsepower under the hood to run a software MP3 decoder, so an Ogg player will be possible. Which in turn means that someone will write one!

    I wonder how many hours of life you will get from one battery while playing Ogg or MP3 music, with the screen blanked.

    You could carry some sort of emergency charger that uses AA cells or something. But that sort of defeats the smallness and convenience; you might as well carry some small player like the Diva.

    steveha

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  5. I couldn't agree more by kikta · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It was $334 when I bought it at Buy.com two months ago ($347.99 now) & I've fallen in love. Seriously, I thought they were kidding when I read the specs for the new Palms. Compare it to the Zaurus specs and decide for yourself...

  6. Re:Don't even think about buying one. by wheany · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Games and other applications are tightly controlled by the cell phone provider. While you may be able to find "cellphone Java" (the name of the Java variant they run escapes me) applications, good luck getting them to download to your phone.
    At school we have tested Java MIDP-applications on several phones, and the easiest phones to install to have been Nokia and Motorola. With Nokia 7650 you can use GPRS, Bluetooth or IR (at least) to load the apps (and ringtones :-) ), and with Motorola Accompli 008(?) you can use the cable that you use when you synchronize your phone and desktop.

    With Siemens M50 we have not been able to load any midlets by any means. We even set up a WAP-server, but the phone just hangs.

    But I wouldn't say the applications are tightly controlled by the provider, I don't think they are actively trying to hinder people, I just think some are being stupid with how you can install them.
  7. Re:decent hardware, hamstrung OS by Metrol · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...get a Linux PDA

    Would have loved to. Only thing is, none of the Linux based PDA's provide any software for actually syncing to a Linux desktop! ACK! Okay, so I actually run FreeBSD on my desktop, but the same applies.

    Bottom line, the only reasonable way to put a PDA to use today for a Unix user is to buy a Palm. Need Windows to actually use a Linux PDA... irony outta control or what?

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