Customer Reviews

Palm TX Handheld with Hard Case

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

This item bundles the two essential items you need immediately with your new Palm: screen protectors (3) and a sturdy highly protective case. The well designed case is lightweight, sleek and slim, and is made specifically for the TX. This case is easy to slide into your pant/jacket pocket, it will hold two memory cards, provides high protection from spills (it completely encloses the Palm), and unlike many other hard cases, the lid swings a full 360 around to the backside so you can hold the palm as if it were not in case at all!! The Palm swings on a hinge to allow you to plug things in while the TX is still attached to the hinge.

Outstanding product. If you are considering purchasing the Palm TX, this product is precisely that but accompanied by a metal case for the handheld. For the same price as the Palm TX alone, you get the case free. If you prefer, buy the Palm TX and spend an additional $40 for the case.

This is a well kept secret, and a real buy. For some reason, I could find no mention of this combination package on the Palm website nor amy indication that it is available anywhere except through Amazon. Even on their site I only found it in looking for accessories.

I'm a long-time Palm user with limited money to spend tech-toys, so I have to make my investments count. Most recently, I had a Palm Zire 72 that I have absolutely worn out. Awesome machine that I needed to replace.
I purchased the Palm TX after much thought and review. I find it as easy as my Zire was with some neat enhancements and great tools -- and some odd hitches.
First off: WiFi. Easy to connect, easy to use, smooth and fast. Blazer is a dream and the combination make it my favorite way to browse Bloglines.
The switchable views, landscape to portrait and back, smooth and nice. Combined with my Palm Keyboard, I have a useful writing platform for just about any situation.
I know the Palm OS is old, but this did have some nice improvements over my three-year-old Zire:
I like that I can click and hold the "Home" Button to instantly switch between applications, without having to go through the "Applications" menu.
What I don't like: Versa Mail. I cannot get it to work to save my life, and Palm has been little help. I've given up for the moment and use Blazer and Gmail for my emailing needs.
I don't like that Blazer does not support uploads, which is an issue for me.
I also don't like that two security upgrades were not installed on the system when I unboxed. I have yet to install the second -- which cost $5, by the way -- because it requires a full reset and I will have to reset my preferences and third party applications by hand. Both security upgrades should have been part of the ROM from the very beginning.
All in all, however, quite pleased with this.

I had to replace a Treo accidentally damaged. I found after trying it that having both phone and PDA in one unit was unsatisfactory for me, largely because the unit was too bulky to wear comfortably on my belt. Going back to a tiny phone (Razr) and separate PDA has been a relief. And what a PDA. This unit comes without a keyboard, but the virtual keyboard is so easy to access and the graffiti writing recognition system has been so improved, that I don't notice the absence of the keyboard most of the time. Adequate memory, expansion card slot, and excellent resolution of the LCD screen are all bonuses. And the hard case even has two slots for keeping extra memory cards handy. I have a language translation card and a game card handy all the time now, and not separately stored.

I bought the PDA instead of the Treo because I didn't want to pay for a data plan as well as a voice plan. I chose the Palm TX with the hard case because it could go online, keep my calendar, lists, memos, and Office documents/sheets.
Overall, it works well. I haven't used the Office stuff much, but the Word works well. The colors are bright on the screen and the different apps are fairly easy to get too. It is a bit of a bummer that you have to go back to the main page/table of contents in order to get to another application.
The hard case works well although it is slippery. Plus, it's hard to get open at first. Remember to push the side with the arrow back a little bit.
I like my purchase and it does make my life easier. I wish it would stay on longer though.

I purchased this product as an upgrade for my Palm Tungsten C. I like the product (although I miss the Tungsten C keyboard) and the hard case has already proven very useful (when I dropped the machine on a tile floor). I did, however, have a number of problems with the migration of my old programs to the new machine. Some of the new versions of programs didn't install properly (Versamail and Documents to Go were particular problems). I would suggest that you check out the Palm website before running the install -- following the advice there will prevent a number of costly (in terms of time) problems. The online Palm help was mixed -- one person gave me bad advice and another got me going in the correct direction. Make sure you have your registration keys handy because you may need to reinstall some of your software.

Your process might be also be easier if you keep the following in mind:
1. Whenever you need to do a hard reset of the machine, Wi-Fi connectivity information isn't restored on your next Hotsync -- keep any Wi-Fi security keys handy.
2. Documents to Go may detect some documents that it can't actually work with (in my case, documents that were meant to be used with the eReader software) and won't fail gracefully if you try to use them within the app (it will try to convert them and may require a hard reset -- actually I still have lingering problems after a Hotsync that I think are related to a failed conversion).

In summary, good product, but beware the upgrade path!

So this is a great product. I have used Palm for 10 years and agree with other glowing reviews above. Will spare you the rosy and get to the point. Palm is shipping this with TWO MAJOR software flaws:
1) The Desktop Tasks app will not allow you to create tasks with no due date. It will force a due date of 12/31/2031. This a major known issue that Palm is sitting on for more than a year (I discovered this post-purchase on Palm support forum).
2) The Handheld Tasks app does NOT allow you to "Show only Due items". This can become a big deal is you have tons of tasks set for the future, and have to scroll through all of them to find the important ones.

By charging so much for this product, and shipping with such fundamental flaws, and not doing anything about it for over an year despite knowing about it, PALM IS INSULTING its loyal customers.

If Palm support does not respond these issues actively, I will be returning my product. Afterall, Contacts and Tasks are the Bread and Butter of Palm.

Purchased this for my wife, as a replacement for an old Handspring Visor, after reading both positive and negative reviews here and with the realization that Palm may not be around much longer. Have thought about the Treo before but decided against it for various reasons. Too bad Palm isn't doing so well with their smart-phone sales and it is a pity they seem to have largely abandoned development of their organizers. It's somewhat understandable, though, in light of digital device convergence.

She now much prefers the bright color screen over the old unlit, black and white LCD of the Visor. We set it up for 802.11 wireless in our home network but doubt that will get much use due to the limited browsing capabilities. It has more applications that she will probably care to learn.

After the initial syncing with her work desktop, the TX failed to sync again due to the (third party?) Documents-to-Go conduit (or application) hanging, apparently in an infinite loop. Canceling the sync didn't work requiring us to terminate the application under Windows. After trying a couple of different things, and searching on Google, we were finally able to make synchronization work by disabling Documents-to-Go. This seems like a known problem and is ashame for out-of-the-box behavior. We were also dismayed with the USB cable as the portion which fits into the TX does not have any release buttons and must, apparently, be removed with enough force and in such a way as to cause concern and fear of bent pins. So far, though, the USB cable and pins have survived so maybe the concern is for naught. Still, release buttons would have been nice. Finally, the case that comes in this package seems poorly engineered - with a closing clasp/method that looks prone to being difficult to work and wearing out.

Here's the breakdown:

Pro:
- Bright, colorful screen
- Easy to use Palm OS and applications
- Many applications
- (Relatively) new technology and hardware
- Rechargeable battery
- 802.11

Con:
- Battery is not user replaceable
- Case clasp is difficult to work and will likely to wear out quickly
- USB cable has no release buttons making removal difficult
- Software (specifically, Documents-to-Go) is buggy out of the box, causing hang
- 802.11b instead of 802.11g
- Limited browser and screen dimensions for browsing
- Most unfortunately, I fear Palm probably won't be around much longer

I had a Palm Zire that was starting to act up, so I got a T/X. It is much better and I like to be able to use MS Word and Excel. The case that comes with it is just fine. Some small problems getting good with Vista, but it all worked out. Getting on the internet was good, too. I didn't have to carry a heavy laptop on a recent trip.

Third unit. 1st wouldn't get past the CD install stage, 2nd bricked completely (battery issues), 3rd remains to be seen. Don't want everything on my cellphone. I've used Palms for 10 years but may go back to paper. Device has lots of capability but quality control is gone. Palm only cares about the Treo anymore. And Palm customer support on #2 above informed me re: serial number - despite my registering my Amazon "new" purchase in 10/2007 - that the unit was actually registered (!) before in 5/2006. So I got an "open box" old refurb unit, not a new one. Not even close. Lesson to be learned there about both Palm and Amazon. With these toys it's really "buyer beware".