Palm E

I purchased this item to replace my old Palm m515. As you probably guessed, I have to have a small handheld. In my opinion, if it isn't small enough, you won't bring it with you and actually use the thing. I also have been a fond lover of this form factor (very thin and light with double-stylus holder, etc.

Well, they finally listened to us complaining of the previous left side "flap holder" and made the flap slide in from the bottom of the palm as apposed to the top!

The good: This palm has an astounding display! It literally feels as though you have a small computer in your hand as other reviewers have mentioned. Quality all the way here. Large enough to be easily readable, and a brightness level adjustment that gets quite bright! The buttons on the bottom "mostly" have a positive feedback. This palm accepts SD cards and has a headphone jack on the top. Processor is incredible compared to my old m515 and especially the V. Power button is recessed so you can't "accidentally" turn it on as easily as past models.

Honestly, I must mention that I've tried to purchase quite a few MP3 players out there and they have all had quirky problems. I didn't even expect to use the mp3 capabilities of this PDA but look at that -- it works/sounds better than anything I've purchased for the same cost that was dedicated to MP3s!!!

The bad/interesting: The buttons mostly have tactile feedback, but that square ring of a button-pad in the center is a bit odd because pushing down requires quite a bit more force than up and does not result in a "click". Hrm...I guess it just sort of happened because of the small size of this unit (4.6 oz folks!!)

Finally, that bottom connector issue that has quite an argument brewing. This is the only Tungsten lacking a universal connector on the bottom which means you can't use all those old accessories which utilized that port. Lets look at some other aspects here....It uses a standard USB cable which means you're not restricted to palm to purchase additional hotsync cables. Also, it has a small power cord which plugs in the other port on the bottom. This I think is wonderful because I can actually take the power cable/charger and charge it on vacation or wherever I am. No longer do I have to lug around the cradle in my suitcase!

Finally, the iffy: This palm looks like metal - but alas is made out of plastic. Rest assured it is extremely sturdy plastic - no creaking or anything Handspring-like and the plastic is actually the color you see - that silver color. So we shouldn't have to worry about any coating chipping off and revealing an ugly color underneath.

So far, I'm extremely pleased with this palm, and though it has these minute setbacks, I still think it is a wonderful unit especially for the price. I was able to keep my small form factor and get a wonderful display and an overall great feature set. Finally, I must mention that this comes with a LOT of software. Documents to go Ver 6 which allows you to read/write word, excel and powerpoint docs, an mp3 player by realone, photo viewer, and the list goes on and on. Add that to their new personal manager programs like Contact and Calendar and you have a winning combination! If you're on the borderline between this and the new T3. Well, I chose it because I'm not all that trusting of the slider mechanism. I like a palm that sits there with the least amount of moving parts/possible failure points. Hopefully this review helps out in your search for the perfect PDA!

Others can afford Smart phones. Me? Old tech, like this PDA. As a middle ager with decreasing memory, the extra memory of a PDA sure does help. You can't call anyone with it or surf the web, but it will keep all of your info in one handy place that fits in your pocket. Getting a Palm Tungsten E with a color screen and plenty of memory including the SD slot expansion for $30-50 on eBay is a deal, much better than trucking around a Franklin Planner.
My uses are primarily the Calendar and the Contacts features. Calendar items can be posted with chiming alarms (or not) up to 99 minutes prior, and any kind of recurring items are easy to set up. Contacts keep all the info about someone handy. You can make typical Office docs portable with the built-in Documents-To-Go conversion app. You can download apps, like Adobe Reader or even games to play. The Memo and Notepad features are helpful for jotting down a serial number, model number, note-to-self, etc., like when you finally go to the hardware store or want your shopping list for the grocery store. Of course, all of this Hot Syncs with Palm Desktop for your PC so that you can use the same Personal Info Management (PIM) features while on your PC or laptop, copying the info in a Hot Sync as well as backing it up.
And do back it up - Hot Sync regularly. For those prone to discharging static electricity, the snap of static from a doorknob can zap the PDA in your pants pocket. The battery seems to discharge and the memory is erased - it's happened many times to me. Recharging (sometimes resetting) and then Hot Syncing brings it all back to your last Hot Sync. The battery will last several days with light use, 2 days with medium, and if you're using it constantly, you'll need to recharge daily. The color screen is nice but it sucks power.
I've had several Palms and the majority had a problem with the On-Off button not working, although not this one. It's annoying but worth the hassle for a reduced price. The Palm has an auto shut-off that powers down after 1 minute. To turn it on, there are shortcut buttons on the bottom that will power it up into a certain app, and you can navigate to where you really want to be from there.
The hard plastic case does a great job of protecting it. Depending on your lifestyle and how you're carrying this, the soft case or screen cover may be sufficient. Shop for one with the silver plastic case or get one separately, just to be safe.
Don't bother with the keyboard accessory. It looks like a neat and useful item but it's highly unlikely that you'll find it useful, assuming it works - these things have a bad rep. If you think you need the keyboard, maybe you should get a netbook, eh? Remember, you can use your PC and Hot Sync and your PC has a keyboard, right? Besides, you'll be tapping along with the built-in touchscreen keyboard pretty fast before you know it. (I never use the Graffiti script-reading feature, but maybe you'll get the knack of that where I didn't.)
This is a good product. It won't last forever (once the battery dies, get a new unit - you can't replace the battery without soldering; it simply isn't worth the effort), but it's pretty cheap to replace. Like I said, it's a good piece of old tech.

I've been using this PDA since around the time Palm first came out with it. Battery life is average, and on about the same recharge time as my cell phone. I've run the battery to almost nothing a few times though with no loss of data. When the battery gets low enough, it will give you a warning that the battery is low before turning off again to save battery life and memory.

The color screen is bright and big, an improvement from the hand-me-down Palm V I was using before this. The brightness of the screen is also adjustable so you can save battery in low lighting vs sunlight.

It comes with a SD card slot to expand memory and will take up to at least a 1GB card with no trouble. A SD card is required to use the audio player - a striped down version of RealPlayer - which plays good sound with earphones (even over the noise of a bus). There is a tinny sounding small speaker in the device, which doesn't play to loud. You can add songs to the Tungsten via RealPlayer or add it to the music directory of your memory card with a card reader.

It comes with a flap to protect the screen. I would, however, invest in a case if your as clumsy as I am. I have dropped it a few times, both in the first soft case I got, and then in the Rhino-skin case I got and it still works fine with only a few dents on the edges. The silver plastic case does smudge easily.

It uses the standard Palm software to sync with the computer, and runs Palm OS5. Along with the regular organizer software standard to Palm PDA's, it also comes with with a striped down version of MS Word and Excel, called Documents to Go. You can save files to the PDA in either a regular format or a memory saving format. These files can be saved to either the PDA internal memory or a memory card.

Palm did come out with an "E2" model - giving it flash memory not dependant on the battery, wireless connectivity, and a brighter screen. These are slight improvements and something to consider when buying a used E or a newer E2.

It's a good deal for the price - just under $200 when I bought it. It's still going strong even after about 2 years of use.

After deciding that I wanted a PDA I researched them thoroughly. I knew I wanted a color screen and one big enough so I didn't have to squint. I wanted a glorified calendar and got so much more! I settled for the Tungsten E because it met my needs and fit my budget. I bought my PDA used on Ebay and haven't been dissatisfied at all with it. It is very easy to use and had everything I needed included. The Tungsten E came with programs for Contacts, Calculator, a Calendar, Notes, Word, Excel, and more! I've since added a Weight Watchers program, Avantgo (from MapQuest), and Backgammon. With it's 32MB of storage, it's more than capable of holding all my information without the use of an expansion card!

It was easy to find screen protectors and extra stylus' for at a reasonable price - they are all over Ebay!

I found most all of the programs installed were pretty easy to use with the exception of VersaMail - still haven't figured that one out yet!

I use my PDA a lot. I keep all of my appointments in there and set alarms for them, I have yet to miss one! I write my grocery lists and to-do lists in it too! In addition, I set reminders for sending out B-day cards and playdates. This is a must-have for busy moms! Also, I'm addicted to the stupid Backgammon game I've downloaded! I'm on my PDA at least 45 minutes a day. It will hold a charge all day long and give you plenty of warnings when the battery is getting low. Even if you run out of battery and have to reset, you won't lose your information. I like that I don't have to "save" everything - it saves my info automatically! I charge it every night.

In addition, it is very easy to sync to my computer, through a USB connection and do so on a weekly basis. It's nice to know that my info is backed up in case anything were to happen to my little PDA.

I went ahead and got the hard case for it being that I keep it in my purse and didn't want anything to scratch it.

The only downfall I have come across is the stylus. Although, the screw off end is nice for pressing the "reset" when needed. The writing point broke off when I dropped it. Also, the graffiti II that you use to write letters and numbers takes a little getting used to but you can always pull up the keyboard.

By not replacing the stylus right away, I have damaged the screen on mine. It still works alright but sometimes needs to be tapped a few times in order to get the command to take. This of course can be avoided by changing the screen protector as soon as it gets worn and also by keeping your stylus in tip-top shape.

I’ve been using the Tungsten E for several months now, and though I’ve passed it on to a family member in favor of a BlackBerry, I thought it was such a great PDA that it was worth writing a review about. More than anything, it’s the best value out there for a feature-rich PDA, and since there are a lot of these Tungsten's on eBay it won’t be hard to find a good deal.

The Tungsten E delivers a lot of familiar Palm OS features, and they’re packaged in a great form factor. My favorite feature is the awesome, super-sharp color screen. The backlight is powerful and the color and contrast is excellent, making reading notes, appointments, and even Office documents easy on the eyes. The portion below the screen will be familiar to Palm users – you have the standard application buttons and handwriting area. The navigator is a bit clunky, but works just fine.

Other features include a digital card slot, infrared, and an audio jack (though I’ve never actually used this feature). There is a nice, weighted stylus made of metal that slides right into a small silo on the right edge.

There are two complaints I have about the Tungsten E – one is a minor issue and the other is more significant.

The first one is purely cosmetic. Even though there is flip cover for the screen, there is no protection for the back of the PDA and thus it tends to attract a lot of scratches. I’ve never dropped it, but even normal wear-and-tear (e.g., carrying it in my pocket with keys or loose change) results in surface scratches. If you buy this PDA I would finding a simple cover (there is a huge selection on eBay).

The second issue is battery life – while it’s not horrible, it’s not great either. For users that are constantly connected and are used to charging devices like your cell phone or Bluetooth headsets, this is no big deal since you just make it part of your daily routine. However, if you happen to be traveling or if you’re going to be disconnected for a while, battery life will definitely be an issue. Since there is no external battery you have to rely on recharging the internal battery. Just something to keep in mind before you make your purchase decision.

Overall I like the Tungsten E and highly recommend it for anyone looking for a feature rich PDA at a great price.