Palm TX Handheld by Palm

Much easier to stay organized with this than with anything else. The battery's also a lot better.

First of all, I had been, as of late, only sporadically using a Zaurus ZR-5000, itself, a neat piece of useful and easy to use electonics. With a huge, b/w screen you can write on, it had amazing capability for its time, including wi-fi capable -- and this was for an item from the early '90s! However, with its built-in mini-keyboard and large LCD screen, it is relatively large and cumbersome. I used it primarily for contacts and sometimes for tasks and appointments, but it was really too large and heavy for me to carry around all the time (I don't carry a briefcase and rarely use a shoulder bag.). Using it for appointments just really didn't make sense if I wasn't going to carry it around. It had synching capabilities with a desktop, but it was slow and the built-in software was only marginally compatible with Microsoft's products. My wife has a Psion and, while more up-to-date than the Zaurus, was still in that league. I had been eyeing Microsoft CE products and Palms, but I thought they were expensive for what they did, and I wasn't too thrilled with the Graffiti writing. But finally seeing how streamlined, fast and capable the new ones are, I wanted to investigate. There are the Microsoft versions such as those put out by HP and Dell, but those are still pretty expensive. Then there were the Palms that were either high-priced as well, or the less expensive ones which were pretty much good for appointments and contacts. Not bad, and the new Z22 is a great value for something like that, but the Palm TX seemed, from other online reviews, seemed to be more reliable in terms of build quality than some in the recent past. Moreover, I have read that the Microsoft-based products tended to crash alot (the computer software has an internal conflict and inadvertently shuts down.). I saw this unit on Amazon for $270 with a short-term offer of a free Palm wireless keyboard. That sold me, and I knew Amazon offered a 30-day trial anyway. Having used it for about 6 weeks, I can tell you that it's brilliant for the money. The built-in office programs seemlessly integrate with the real things (and I understand that the software used by Palm is better than Microsoft's own stripped down PDA versions.). The internet browsing software works very, very well. It's not as robust as the one on your computer, but you'll be surprised as to how good it is. Blazer, the browsing software, is selective as to the sophistication of content it will download. While it's as fast as broadband, for sure, it's faster than my dialup used to be. There is also an option for text only downloads which is extremely fast. The screen is extremely bright and resolution is quite good. I use a Sony CRT at home, so I'm used to great color and resolution, but this is quite good. In sunlight, it's not great. This is not a substitute for a laptop, but for checking email on the go, or doing a quick Google, it's pretty amazing. We were in a theater a few days ago, and we were trying to figure out the background of an actress. There happened to be a wireless connection in the house, so I was able to quickly get on the internet and Google the actress and got our answer. As for the memory and processor, it's plenty for most lay-users, unless you're going to download LOTS and LOTS of games. On the other hand, with the SD card slot, you could load LOTS and LOTS of games on a card or two or three. The processing speed? Palm has chosen well for this price range. The TX cannot multi-task. When you leave one thing, it will close down when you open up another. This means the processor does less work. Because of the uncanny methodology of the browser, the speed of going around the internet is usually good, and has been tested to be faster than the basic Dell model which has a faster processor. The reason why the Dell seems slower is because the Microsoft operating system is more cumbersome. It is capable of multi-tasking, but it's greater sophistication results in slower everyday tasks performed on the PDA. The top of the line Dell is supposed to be terrific and potentially worth it for someone who is doing a lot of sophisticated stuff on their PDA, but it's almost twice the cost of the TX. For those who must have an even faster processer, the Palm Mobile Manager, retailing for $100 more than the TX, has a 33% faster processor and 4gigs of built-in memory (as opposed to the 128megs built-into the TX). For me, the TX is extremely impressive and I don't need the Mobile and I didn't want to spend more money. Considering the deal I got (w/free keyboard), it was a no-brainer. I have also bought two games for it, Village Sim and Bejeweled 2, and the bright, rich screen is just the ticket for them. And by the way, the Palm wireless keyboard works flawlessly.

Good working condition. It is working well.

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

Good item. Thank you.