Palm Tungsten E handheld Review

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The Palm Tungsten E. Designed for the budget-conscious, yet still stylish and professional, 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.

The Tungsten E display sports a bright 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. Multimedia options include 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 past Palm's despite being about the same dimensions as the m515 (4.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 inches). The 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 , but the Palm cradle omission is a con.

Features:

- 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.
- 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

Pros: Good feature set and OK performance for the price. Great display; MP3 capabilities.

Cons: Hardware reliability spotty.... Lack universal connector on the bottom.