Which Tungsten?

A

Airfridge

New member
I'm thinking of getting a (used) Tungsten as a replacement for my PalmV which has issues.

Thought a while about going back to my Revo (also broken :rolleyes: ), but I think I'd miss the rather nice To Do app in the PalmOS (I'm a programmer and practically live in lists, plus I'm dabbling with GTD).

But now there are so many PalmOS devices! :confused: Please help me pick one that meets my needs!

Here's a prioritized list of requirements:
  1. Battery - Long battery life is very nice, but even more important is keeping memory alive when the battery dies (too many bad experiences with lost data :( ).
  2. Build - I plan to keep it in my coat or pants pocket, so it needs to be small (collides with Screen, I know) and sturdy. A good --useable-- screen cover is essential.
  3. Screen - 480px would be nice (but not absolutely required) I don't care about colour, but b/w is probably obsolete by now, right?
  4. Memory - I don't care. 8 megs are oodles for my needs.
  5. Input - No qwerty keyboard (I use Dvorak); stylus-only is just fine -- and likely smaller.
  6. Wifi - Nice but no requirement. Is connecting to a WPA2-secured LAN easy or hell?
  7. Bluetooth - Never used it, probably never will; but as with colour, it's probably unavoidable. I have a GPS that will act as a BT speakerphone, but don't have a BT phone. Are PalmOS-based phones any good?

I am drawn towards one of the Tungsten models. Are there any issues or typical worries I shold know about before going shopping for a used unit?

Best regards,
*
 
Say, is there no cradle for the new (well, current) Palm PDAs? If not, how fiddly is attaching he cable? Can it charge and sync at the same time?

Also, since I'm using Lotus Notes at work, is there a chance to sync the calendar and address book between Notes and the PDA?
 
I have a cradle but the cables are not hard to plug in. As for Lotus notes...there may be a third party app that will allow sync with notes but maybe someone that knows for sure will answer.Also, if you can find a deal on the TX with the free keyboard go that route. The keyboard is worth it even if you buy it.
 
The T3 was discontinued when the T5 came out, only has Bluetooth and no NVFS. You loose everything if the battery drains.

I'd suggest at least a T5.
 
I'll second the T5, I have one and if you can live without a built-in wireless capability, it is basically a T|X as far as I can tell.

And the memory is saved if the power drains.

All in all, a great PDA.

Cheers! M2
 
I've been looking at the T3 vs. T5/TX again, and I must say I do like the T3's smaller size and vibrator, even at the cost of nonvolatile ram. But that got me thinking about using SD instead of volatile ram...

So, where can I find out (prior to actually owning a T*) how the SD card works in practice? I mean, would it be possible to use the SD instead of the built-in ram, or have some sort of backup/restore solution that works between the ram and the card (that is, a backup solution that is not depending on a pc sync)?
 
Yes. You need a program called Resco Backup which can do scheduled backups of your device to an SD card. I have a T3 with this app and have never lost anything. Of course, I also don't let my battery run down. But even if I did Resco still backs up and restores everything based on my experience with having to do a couple hard resets.

I thought about the T5, but when with the T3 for the size and because I'd read some things about the NVFS being kind of flaky with some apps. I love the T3.
 
One more question, this time regarding battery life. I'm already a bit worried that the battery might not last even across a long weekend :(

What kind of battery performance can I expect from a T3/TX? Assuming zero network usage (apart from syncing, but that's by cable, right?), and probably next to no audio, but plenty of on-screen use (writing notes/managing GTD lists; reading ebooks, playing minesweeper).

My current phone lasts a good week (when not in use much), my old Psion Revo did about the same, and my (ancient) Palm III way more (albeit on replaceable AAA cells). A PDA that needs to be charged every 40 hours is no good for me. Am I expecting too much? :o
 
Back
Top