Tungsten choice

N

Naoned

New member
I am wanting to upgrade my m515. I have been trying an iPaq 3970 for a few days but its all true what they say. PocketPC sucks, even compared to palm OS 4.

Anyway, I have been looking around at the Tungstens but cant decide between the T or T2. Ebay prices are reasonable for the T, but should I plumb for the T2/T3. I only use the machines for PIM, email and Avantgo so a big screen is not really an issue.

Is the extra ?70 for a T2 really worth it?

Regards

Adamst
 
Tungsten T1: Only 16 mb of Ram, first and most buggy OS 5 release, a TI OMAP 1510 processor that's faster than the old dragonball but not terribly so, no MP3 player without an audio patch and extra software.

Tungsten T2: Exactly the same as the T1 except for 32 mb's of Ram, OS 5.2.1, which fixed many of the bugs in OS 5.0, better screen, and MP3 player built-in.

You're choice, sir.:)
 
Do you need Bluetooth? The Tungsten E does not have it. If you have Bluetooth, you can connect to the internet using a Bluetooth phone to retrieve email, or you can send SMS messages. The lowest priced device with Bluetooth is the Zire 72. It also has a camera that can be used for taking snapshots.

If you can afford it, the T3 is the way to go. It has a lot of memory, a fast processor, large screen, and good programs bundled with it.

The Zire 72 is good if you are on a tight budget. Ultimately, you need to decide what is best for you. You should go to palmOne's web site and do a comparison of features for the various models. Choose the model with the features you need.
 
I have a T2 with 32Mb of memory, and have no problem loading it up with maps, etc. Since T and T2 are not stocked in most retailers anymore, why not consider a T3 with 64 Mb Ram- either from a low-price outlet (beachcamera.com) or e-bay, where prices for used T3s are getting very interesting. Good luck-
 
PalmOne are cute . . . you can't really "wait" for OS6 and expect to pick up a T3 "cheap." Older units are sent back, and I suspect the T3 will follow suit (when I upgraded from a 505, I would have been happy with your 515, but couldn't find one).

I would either wait for OS6 or get the best deal on a T3. A T1 or T2 at this point is "old news;" the T3 will be the same to some extent, but still give far more capability and speed than the older two models.

Personally, I'll be following my own advice and getting a SPARE T3 when prices are reasonable - I'm not "venturing" into OS6, especially since yesterday on the Tealpoint Forum Tex released that TealScript WILL NOT WORK in OS6 - it will have to be completely rewritten. Not interested! Here's that quote:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tealtalk/message/670

Good luck and time is on your side - if you start looking now (as you are) you'll probably get a GREAT deal on a T3 between now and October 15th or so. Bugs and fixes aside, and A LOT OF ABUSE from me in terms of tweaking -- my T3 is stable, powerful and useful. I have to say it's a hell of a unit!
 
Is your m515 still working without any problems? If so, I'd wait until the new crop of PDA's come out. The current Tungsten line has had horrible digitizer problems so I'd be leery about purchasing a used one from eBay. If you buy a new one, be sure to get an extended warranty!

I know, I know, OS6 sounds like it'll have limitations but they're limitations you may not notice if upgrading from an OS4 device. At least no more so than an upgrade to OS5.

Who knows, it may even have advantages. At the very least, you'd have a modern PDA and hopefully an updated digitizer.

Long live the m515! My old one was relegated to a remote control and game machine until the screen went white.:(

It served me well. Godspeed little doodle, godspeed.
 
I parted company with a IIIC about 6 months ago and have mixed feelings. You don't appreciate a stable digitizer until you don't have one. The graphiti is terrible on the T2 and the date book can change your schedule on it's own under certain conditions. I have learned, with the help of someone on this forum how to avoid that but it implanted deep seated mistrust of technology, which may never recede. I got the T-2 rather than the T-3, thinking the battery would last longer with the smaller screen. That turned out to be a non issue.

If I had it to do over, I would buy a T-3 from someone who would stand behind it and provide service after the sale.
 
Dudes,

Absolutely no problem with the latest batch of T3 man. It totally rocks and it did blow me away. I upgraded from the zire 71 and boy did I find out what I was missing. Even the battery wasn't an issue for me! Im a very avid palm gamer. I play on the T3 for at least 6 hr on a full charge. Indeed after palmsource updated the ROM of the initial T3, everything is going real smooth. The batt life of course cannot be compared with a m505 or m515 ( my first unit was a m505) but considering the meatier processor, jucier screen, this is indeed the best Palm for a while. Go for the T3 man, or wait out a while longer. I expect the prices to drop evener further. I got mine abt 1 wk ago at USD246. way cool.
 
Keep in mind if you do consider the Zire line that none of the accessories that you may have with M515 will work (modem, GPS, cradle, etc.). I had a Palm Modem, Magellan GPS, car charger, etc., for my M500, so the T2 was the upgrade for me. I'm still able to use all these accessories, even the GPS. Does the Tungsten E have a universal connector? I know the Zires don't. Just thought I'd point that out.

By the way, I really like my T2. The screen buzzes from time to time (nothing too annoying or constant), which I'm sure is a digitizer issue, but otherwise the screen is fantastic, and the extra memory is worth the extra money for me. With the much more modern processor (over my M500), I found myself doing more things with my Palm, including watching DivX movies on it now with MMPlayer. I pretty much have half of my RAM available now, so if I had bought the T1, I'd be near full (if not completely).

I wouldn't wait for the new batch of Palms -- they're going to be very pricey (as usual).

Good luck with your choice.
 
That's made my DAY! To repeat some of what I said above, I'd love a 2nd T3 for $246 and stick with T3. What's NEW for me to report here is the following:

It is VERY important to realize that RAM is not the big issue any more for 3 reasons, only 2 of which I can talk about here:

1. JackSprat/JackFlash will, on a T3, give up to 10MB of flash room and I'm running 53 apps (eliminated a few with housecleaning this weekend) - and 98% free of RAM.

2. TealAlias allows a 4k alias to run any size app AND accompanying databases/libraries FROM THE SD CARD, only placing their "impact" on RAM while you're using the app - they can be launched with your launcher/quicklauncher/hardware buttons.

3. There is a new product coming within weeks which unfortunately I cannot comment on which will REALLY revolutionize "RAM" being a problem - it will not matter ANY LONGER how much RAM your handheld has either in total or "free." It is being tested and further developed now. That would enable a T1/T2/T3 or other Palm PDA to have virtually limitless RAM and is very exciting. I'll keep you all posted on that, to be sure. Right now it's a developer's privacy thing & I'm sure you understand.

I'd go for the T3 at $246 or even $346 - ESPECIALLY if you're like me and have "oldies but goodies" in terms of apps you run that are "indispensable." Some of mine are 11k, 39k, etc -- but won't run on OS6.

If I did NOT have those, I might wait for OS6 since they can't be more than PocketPC models to be competititive - I'd say $500 would be the "cap" and within 45 days they'll either drop to $400 or there'll be a new "ultimate behemoth" for the same price (remember the 515 with 16MB shortly following the 505 with 8MB? I got stung on that one myself!). It's always a tough decision as to "when" to buy a Palm - but glitches, warts and all I think the T3 is their best ever and I'm impressed with mine. It's been very "resilient" considering what I've "tweaked it" with and personally the battery life is GREAT despite others complaining. Turn off Beam Receive and Bluetooth, and keep the screen brightness at 1/4 - 1/3 (bright enough!) - you'll get plenty of use. I was adjusting TealScript macros last night for almost 3 hours straight and went to bed with 1/3 battery left.
 
Oh yes. I got my T3(new) on ebay for 246. lm stil being rocked by the t3. i got frenz raving abt the processsor of the T3. And considering just less than 5 years ago my PC was running at 166mhz! And now my T3 is far superior to it! there was even once I tried tweaking it to 600mhz and the OS5 was still very stable. Kudos to palm for improving on palm, but if we ever were to catch up with PPC 2yr headstart, I'd really suggest palmone start taking our needs seriously.
Cheers,
 
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