PalmOne Tungsten T5 Handheld

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002Y7DO0
• Item model number: Tungsten T5
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (103 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,753 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Computers & Accessories > PDAs, Handhelds & Accessories > PDAs & Handhelds

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 4, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description PalmOne stretches the possibilities with the Tungsten T5, the first handheld from PalmOne to utilize flash memory. In addition to a groundbreaking 256 MB of memory, the sleek, slim Tungsten T5 features a high-resolution 320 x 480-pixel screen, a fast 416 MHz Intel Xscale processor, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and a Secure Digital memory card expansion slot. And, of course, the Tungsten T5 features PalmOne's suite of information management applications, the ability to edit Word- and Excel-compatible files, and synchronization with Microsoft Outlook (Windows only).

See a detailed diagram of the PalmOne Tungsten T5's features

Internal Flash Memory Built for today's mobile professional, the Tungsten T5's 256 MB of memory actually provides 215 MB of user-available memory (55 MB for built-in applications and 160 MB of internal flash drive memory). Connect it to your PC or Mac and use it as you would a USB flash memory drive to transfer data and multimedia files from work to home. To access files stored on the handheld, simply select Drive Mode on the handheld and plug the included HotSync cable into a USB port. To add files, just drag and drop them from your PC desktop to the new File Transfer application (installed with Palm Desktop; Windows only). A live desktop window gives you instant access to data and information stored on the handheld's internal drive--without the need for synchronizing the handheld to move files.

Multimedia
The included RealPlayer for Palm OS enables you to listen to MP3s stored on optional expansion cards via the built-in speaker on the Tungsten T5 or, for stereo sound, on optional stereo headphones or ear buds. The updated Media application lets you view (and show off) transferred photos and videos.

Display
Unlike the Tungsten T3, which required you to slide the handheld's bottom open to activate the screen's landscape mode, the Tungsten T5's screen offers widescreen viewing at all times. The bright 320 x 480 transreflective TFT color display supports more than 65,000 colors. You can easily switch between portrait and landscape view, as well as open an active input area at the bottom of the screen.

Connectivity and Expansion
With built-in wireless Bluetooth connectivity, you can synchronize the Tungsten T5 with a Bluetooth-enabled computer from across the room (within a range of 10 meters, or approximately 30 feet). But that's just the start. Using a compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can send and receive e-mail and connect to the Web, send multimedia (MMS) or text (SMS) messages, and even automatically dial any number in your handheld's Contact's application. You can also synchronize data the "old-fashioned" way via the USB connection at the base of the handheld.

The Tungsten T5 uses MultiMedia Card and Secure Digital expansion cards, which instantly add software applications, additional memory, large databases, and more without taking up built-in memory space.

Operating System and Software
Veteran Palm OS handheld users will immediately notice the new Favorites view, which provides easy access to applications, files, and folders. The installed Palm OS 5.4 also introduces the Files application, which enables easy navigation among folders and files. It uses the intuitive and easy-to-learn Graffiti 2 writing software to input data into the handheld (as well as an on-screen keyboard). Windows users can synchronize their calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes with Microsoft Outlook. The Palm OS features the following organizer applications:

• Contacts: Lets you store several addresses for each contact, and with new fields for more phone numbers, multiple e-mail addresses, instant messenger IDs, and Web sites.
• Calendar: Use the new Agenda view to see upcoming calendar events, tasks due, and important e-mail, and color-code your events to provide an easy way to reference your calendar in the Agenda, Day, Week, and Month views. Take more notes, or synchronize more details from your desktop, in the larger Memos and Notes fields.
• Tasks: Use tasks with alarms and repeating tasks to set reminders for important commients.

Additional Software
The Tungsten T5 includes Documents to Go 7.0, which provides the ability to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible files and view and carry PowerPoint files (in native format) with no desktop conversion required. The included Software Essentials CD-ROM also contains eReader, Acrobat Reader, Solitaire, and Audible Player for palmOne handhelds (Windows only).

What's in the Box
This package contains the Tungsten T5 handheld, a built-in rechargeable battery, a carrying case, a USB HotSync cable, a power cable, a stylus, a CD-ROM with Palm Desktop 4.1 software for Windows and Mac (as well as bonus software), and a printed Getting Started guide.

Tech Talk: Flash Memory
Flash memory, a form of electronic memory, is used for easy and safe information storage. Its low power consumption and light weight make flash memory ideal for mobile devices. In addition, flash memory holds information without a charge or power, just like a memory card saves pictures when not connected to a digital camera. The flash memory in the Tungsten T5 handheld will maintain its data even when power is exhausted. Simply charge the handheld again and the data is there.

Tech Talk: Macintosh Users
While the Tungsten T5's new File Transfer application is a Windows-only feature, Mac users can simply mount the handheld as an external drive, and then proceed to drag and drop files from the Finder to the handheld. Note, however, that the Tungsten T5's Palm OS environment is unavailable when connected in this mode.

Product Description

With great amount of storage, the Tungsten T5 handheld from palmOne lets you carry more and do more. Word documents. Spreadsheets. PowerPoint presentations. Photos. MP3s. The works. And because it's flash memory, all that information is saved even if the power runs down when you're on the go and don't have time to recharge or synchronize. Better yet, the stunning 320 x 480 color screen lets you see more in both landscape and portrait modes.The real beauty of the Tungsten T5? You can transfer files and even whole folders from your desktop to your handheld, so you have what you need on the road, in a meeting, or when working from home. Even use it like a USB removable drive to work on those files on another computer. Just when you're thinking there couldn't be room for anything more, with built-in Bluetooth wireless technology you can check email and connect to the Internet on the go. All this and the Tungsten T5 still fit right in your pocket.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

320 of 357 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If you own a T3, this is a downgrade, October 11, 2004

By	Peitron - See all my reviews

Compared to the T3, this "upgrade" lacks:

* metal casing
* voice recorder
* silent alarm
* slider
* cradle (extra $39.95)

In addition, the new T5 does not come with Wi-Fi (an overdue spec for the T series).

The updated OS 5.4 hardly justifies the upgrade (T3 comes with OS 5.2), as is the case with the flash memory spec (a keyring flash unit has twice the capacity and doesn't require you to haul around the USB cable).

Most everyone agrees that this unit is really a TE2, and not an upgrade for the T3.

At $399, this is the most overrated and overpriced Palm PDS in the market.

291 of 329 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Here it is, the worst handheld ever, October 6, 2004

By	Simon Kowalewski (Stuttgart, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I didn't buy the T3 because of the many known issues like the bad battery performance and because I wanted to wait for the next handheld expected this fall. So here it is, and oh what a disappointment.

First, it doesn't have a slider like all the other Ts. This might be a matter of taste, although very practical, but the fact that a 400 dollar handheld looks just like the cheap Tungsten E is a strange thought for me. Also, the case is made of glossy plastic, and judging from the experience with this kind of case that many Tungsten E users made, it will catch visible fingerprint grease within seconds and ugly scratches and discolored spots within weeks. If PalmOne had only stayed with the matted metal which made all the other Tungstens feel and look very well.

Second, it doesn't have the universal connector which was on all business models for the last four years. I have a cradle on my office desk, one on my desk at home and one even glued to my car dashboard connected to the GPS receiver, let alone all the accessories, and now I'm not going to dispose of all these investments.

Third, it doesn't have OS 6 although this was delivered nearly a year ago now. The new OS has big advances in many important things like multimedia, database organisation and so on while being downwards compatible, so not putting it on the new Tungsten is very stupid.

Fourth, it doesn't have WiFi. You can get an expensive WiFi-add-on-card, but this will take up the only SD slot and stand out of the device for at least a centimeter. So it makes the device even uglier while taking away the possibility for other accessories like a memory card.

Fifth, it doesn't have a microphone. Voice notes were introduced with the first Tungsten T and have been a killer feature ever since. And now, PalmOne is taking them away without even saying sorry.

So, I can only hope that PalmOne can live through this poor attempt at presenting a new handheld. Or perhaps they want to force the classical handheld into ruin to make way for the Treo style smartphone. But they shouldn't expect me to be their customer again in the near future.

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simplicity and power, October 27, 2004

By	todda "Longtime fan of tiny computers" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

The Tungsten T5 is a fast, simple Palm PDA with a superb screen, lots of memory, and pretty good battery life for a PDA with a comparable display and performance. It lacks a lot of features that one would look for in a top-of-the-line PDA: silent (LED or vibrating) alerts, voice recorder, international AC charger, Wi-Fi, camera, etc. If you are looking for a feature the Tungsten T5 lacks, if you don't find it on PalmOne's older but still current Tungsten T3 model, you'll find it on Sony's Clie TH55, an excellent PDA so crowded with features that they almost didn't have room for the jog wheel but included it anyway!

And that's the beauty of the T5: it's small, lightweight and uncluttered, with a longer battery life than the Tungsten T3 or the Clie TH55. That said, PalmOne shouldn't be charging a premium for a lack of features, but that seems to be what they're doing. The T5 costs the same or more than PDAs with more features. If these are features you don't want or need, than perhaps you're paying extra to not have to carry them around with you. Decide if that's worth it to you: it might be. It is worth it for me. I find the Tungsten T5 to be attractively designed and convenient to carry and use, though many people don't like its looks and feel offended by the price/feature proposition. I've only had it for a week, but it shows every sign of being reliable and well put together. The display and audio quality (through not-included headphones) make it enjoyable to use as a book reader and MP3 player, though it takes no more room in my pocket than a bare-bones PIM would.

Another consideration: with the Tungsten T5, PalmOne introduces a new "universal" connector that is not backward-compatible with the one they've been using for the last three years, but which, presumably, they'll use on some or most of their PDAs and smart-phones for the next two or three or four years. If you already own peripherals that support the old connector, the Tungsten T5 is an even worse value for you. If you don't, then any new peripherals you buy for it should be supported on new PalmOne devices for the next few years.