Palm Tungsten E Handheld Organiser

If you're still tapping away on a Palm Vx, it's time to upgrade to the 21st century with the brightly colorful, expandable, and powerful--not to mention affordable--Palm Tungsten E. Designed for the budget-conscious, yet still stylish professional, the Tungsten E offers several key advances over even the m500 handheld series, including:

* Palm OS 5.2.1 enhances Palm applications such as Calendar and Contacts as well as Java application support.
* Multimedia audio support and headphone jack enables you to use the Tungsten E as an MP3 player
* The zippy 126 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP311 ARM processor induces whiplash when switching programs.
* A 32 MB RAM memory (28.3 MB user accessible) adds more room for applications, while the expansion slot enables access to MP3and video files, e-books, games, and more.

Best of all, the Tungsten E ups the display ante with a bright, crisp, high-resolution 320 x 320 pixel color screen (the m515 only offered a 160 x 160 resolution) that puts it on par with Sony's high-quality Clie screens. Your family snapshot slideshows look sharper, as do graphically intense games such as Monopoly and downloaded video (like the most recent Hollywood movie trailer).

The Tungsten E offers a powerful array of multimedia options. With the included Kinoma Player (and desktop Kinoma Producer software), you can convert a myriad of video file formats (from QuickTime and Flash to AVI and MPEG) to be played on the Palm OS. And now you don't need to fumble between your PDA and portable MP3 player, thanks to the included RealOne Player for Palm. MP3 files are stored on optional Secure Digital or MultiMedia (MMC) memory cards, and we recommend purchasing a 128 MB card if you plan to access a lot of audio. You can listen to music via headphones or relive the '70s using the tinny, AM radio-like built-in speaker.

At 4.6 ounces, the Tungsten E is lighter than its forbearers despite being about the same dimensions as the m515 (4.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches). The ultra-slim Tungsten E isn't as curved as its m500 or V series predecessors, but we found the gentle slope near its base to be quite comfortable in the hand. The stylin' case is fully metallic and feels very durable.

The Tungsten E includes the familiar suite of Palm applications (Calendar, Contacts, Memos, and Tasks) as well as a number of third-party software title (ranging from Acrobat Reader to Documents To Go for accessing Microsoft Word and Excel files). Calendar has been given an Outlook-friendly makeover, adding a useful Agenda view that consolidates all of today's appointments, tasks, and new e-mails.

Java has also now entered the Palm OS arena, expanding the application development opportunities. The T3 comes with a few sample applets (including a periodic table that would be handy at our local pub's trivia night), but we'll have to wait for more development before Java becomes a full Palm OS tool.

In an effort to make this package as affordable as possible, Palm includes only a USB cable instead of the standard synchronization/charging cradle. The USB cable is fine (and can provide a low-wattage charge from your PC when needed), but we've become accustomed to Palm's cradles and were disappointed at its omission.

While missing a few key add-ons (the USB cable and expansion card) and not offering such bells and whistles as the Zire 71's built-in digital camera or the Tungsten T3's landscape screen, the Tungsten E sticks to what Palm does best--personal information management. And the Tungsten E packs a lot of powerful Palm tools into an affordable PDA package, one that will keep you connected to your daily calendar and important documents for years to come

Palm Tungsten E Product Features

* Packed for business and priced for value
* Create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint-compatible files on the run
* Listen to MP3s, watch video clips and view photos wherever you go
* Easy-to-read, high resolution, 320x320 transflective color screen
* What's in the box: Handheld device; Palm Desktop software, including Documents To Go; all basic utilities such as Calendar, Contacts, Tasks., etc.
 

Palm Tungsten E Technical Details

 * Memory: 32MB (28.3MB actual storage capacity)
* Screen: 16-bit, 320x320 transflective TFT color display supporting more than 65,000 colors
* Size and Weight: 4.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches; 4.6 ounces
* Processor: Texas Instruments OMAP311 ARM Processor
* Operating System: Palm OS 5.2.1
* 5-way Navigator: Access information with just one hand
* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium Ion/Polymer battery
* Headphone Jack: Supports 3.5mm stereo headphone plug (sold separately)
* Palm Expansion Slot: Add extra memory, or content like a dictionary, sold separately. Supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCards
* Updated PIM apps: Calendar, Contacts, Memos and Tasks
* What's in the Box: Palm Desktop software for Windows and Macintosh, Tungsten E
* Desktop System Requirements: One available USB port PC running Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP or Mac OS 9.1 or higher, or Mac OS X v10.1.2 to v10.2.6 (Windows 2000 and XP and Mac OS X require admin rights to install)