Palm TX PDA mini-review
Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 8:34 pm
4 out of 5 STARS!!!
Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because a 5 star review would imply it's perfect. Very few things are perfect, but this is darn close as long as you're a fan of the Palm OS. If you do love Palms like I do, this is probably the best Palm PDA there is.
I debated long and hard and decided against a Palm cellular phone because I find that the phones have a tiny cramp screen, a nearly useless thumb keyboard (at least to someone like me with really big thumbs) and that the phones seem to trade off too many PDA feature for the sake of phone functionality.
I ordered a Palm TX to replace the aging Sony Clie Palm PDA I bought used an eternity ago. The Clie is still running which is an amazing testament to it's batteries (it has to be what, 6 years old?) but the battery only lasts a few days now instead of a week or more, and I figured I needed something with more memory and a brighter and easier to read screen.
I wanted to stay with the Palm OS. I love the Palm Desktop. People grumble that it's dated looking, but it's an excellent and efficient design that gets the job done. Plus all my data is already in the Palm Desktop so the migration to this new device was wonderfully painless.
ANYWAY ordered the Palm TX from Amazon for $267 on 12/21/08 (it sells for $300 most everywhere else and $320 at Best Buy). Ordered it with 2 day shipping along with a bunch of other stuff I needed for Xmas and it got here frighteningly fast considering it's so close to Christmas. Kudos to Amazon: I ordered 3pm on 12/21 and it arrived on 12/23!!!
ANYWAY I just love the screen on the Palm TX. It's so much brighter and larger than my old Sony Clie. I did not install any software since I already had the existing Palm Desktop 4.1.4 on my PC that was being used with the old Sony Clie. First time I synced the new Palm TX the old Palm Desktop just asked me if I wanted to sync to the new device, and it synced without any problems. Absolutely painless migration.
I am running Windows XP-64 bit edition which does not support USB syncing for the Palm (this is also true for Vista 64) but I already knew that ahead of time. I used to have to sync my old Sony Clie with a serial cable to get around that, but with the new Palm TX I instead decided to use Bluetooth for sync although I could also have used Wifi (Bluetooth sync seems to be faster and easier though). I ordered an IOGear GBU321 USB Bluetooth adapter from Amazon along with the Palm TX. I had done some research prior to ordering and the GBU321 does work with XP and Vista 64-bit (many Bluetooth adapters don't) HOWEVER you need to use the generic Microsoft drivers (allow the Windows Device Installer Wizard to search for them from the Internet - DO NOT use the drivers that come with the GBU321). The MS generic drivers work fine, and you can use the Windows built-in Bluetooth manager (in the Windows Control Panel and it can be put on the taskbar) to manage your BT devices. I never needed to look at the Palm TX manual - the device itself walks you through a wizard for setting up your sync connection and it was intuitive enough that I setup the Bluetooth connection in about 10 minutes without much of a hassle. You have to setup your Bluetooth connection in Windows as a virtual COM port, but this is very simple and done through the Bluetooth Manager in Windows. Bluetooth syncs are fast - nearly as fast as using a USB cable.
As for the PDA, it's a wonderful step up from the Sony Clie. The newest version of Grafitti (the letter recognition language) is much better than it used to be. It was almost worthless on my Clie. I still enter text faster just using the tap keyboard, but with the newer Grafitti I am finding myself entering it that way more often. Calendar and Contacts works the same as it always has on a Palm device, just more legible on this much brighter and bigger screen. I use large fonts since I can't easily see default small fonts without my reading glasses and they aren't always handy.
This is my first PDA with Wifi. It's not something I need, but it is handy. It easily connected to my home Wifi using WPA encryption. I setup the email client to access one of my spare Gmail accounts so I can send and receive email if I need to (I see more of a need to send emails than receive). It was easy to setup - the Palm TX already has presets for Gmail and other popular email services so all I needed to do was give it my email address and password - it already knew the POP3 & SMTP server settings for GMail. Mail downloads and sends are fast.
As for web browsing, I really haven't used it much yet except for news and maps. The browser is nothing like an iPhone so like most mobile devices the browser is fairly limited, but if you stick to mobile websites it works fine. The default Palm Portal homepage is nearly useless though. The homepage you WANT to use (trust me) is Google's mobile home page: http://m.google.com. Google really has it together. For instance I tried using Mapquest on Palm's Portal but it was worthless. So I went to Google mobile, clicked on Google Maps, it detected I had a Palm PDA and had me download a Google Maps application and BAM! I have access to a Google maps interface that's nearly as good as using it on a regular browser, including satellite image views and traffic information (if available for your area). Maps load fast. A nice feature is that Google maps can pull an address directly from your Contacts list.
I've also used Google News and NPR News on the device and both work very well. The PDA itself feels very snappy. It doesn't lag like some underpowered PDAs and PDA phones I've tried. Even running Google maps in satellite view - which you have to assume is taxing it's little processor pretty heavily - it's very snappy.
There's other features on the phone, but I haven't used them yet. My major need is Contacts, Appointment Calendar and writing notes. Frankly I have no need for music & video (I have a Zune for that).
Not much comes with the PDA: a USB cable (which I wouldn't recommend you use except in an emergency - it's hard to disconnect and feels like you'll break it when you do as you have to twist and yank it), a wall charger, a clear screen protector, and that's it. I ordered spare styluses and a docking cradle (just for charging - I'm used to using a cradle with my old PDA) from Amazon at the same time so the AC charger that came with it will go in my laptop bag for travel (unlike my old PDA you can't charge the Palm TX from the USB cable which is one of the very few disappointments).
The Palm TX itself is built well enough. It's plastic as opposed to my old metal Sony Clie but then again it's also lighter than my Sony Clie.
Pros: bright display, fast response, does the job
Cons: can't charge via the USB cable, USB cable is not easy to disconnect, dated looking Palm OS GUI if that bothers you (it doesn't bother me)
Palm TX running Google Maps:
Palm TX (on left) versus my old Sony Clie. Taken without flash to compare relative screen brightness. Notice that although both devices are about the same size, the Palm TX has a much larger screen:
Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because a 5 star review would imply it's perfect. Very few things are perfect, but this is darn close as long as you're a fan of the Palm OS. If you do love Palms like I do, this is probably the best Palm PDA there is.
I debated long and hard and decided against a Palm cellular phone because I find that the phones have a tiny cramp screen, a nearly useless thumb keyboard (at least to someone like me with really big thumbs) and that the phones seem to trade off too many PDA feature for the sake of phone functionality.
I ordered a Palm TX to replace the aging Sony Clie Palm PDA I bought used an eternity ago. The Clie is still running which is an amazing testament to it's batteries (it has to be what, 6 years old?) but the battery only lasts a few days now instead of a week or more, and I figured I needed something with more memory and a brighter and easier to read screen.
I wanted to stay with the Palm OS. I love the Palm Desktop. People grumble that it's dated looking, but it's an excellent and efficient design that gets the job done. Plus all my data is already in the Palm Desktop so the migration to this new device was wonderfully painless.
ANYWAY ordered the Palm TX from Amazon for $267 on 12/21/08 (it sells for $300 most everywhere else and $320 at Best Buy). Ordered it with 2 day shipping along with a bunch of other stuff I needed for Xmas and it got here frighteningly fast considering it's so close to Christmas. Kudos to Amazon: I ordered 3pm on 12/21 and it arrived on 12/23!!!
ANYWAY I just love the screen on the Palm TX. It's so much brighter and larger than my old Sony Clie. I did not install any software since I already had the existing Palm Desktop 4.1.4 on my PC that was being used with the old Sony Clie. First time I synced the new Palm TX the old Palm Desktop just asked me if I wanted to sync to the new device, and it synced without any problems. Absolutely painless migration.
I am running Windows XP-64 bit edition which does not support USB syncing for the Palm (this is also true for Vista 64) but I already knew that ahead of time. I used to have to sync my old Sony Clie with a serial cable to get around that, but with the new Palm TX I instead decided to use Bluetooth for sync although I could also have used Wifi (Bluetooth sync seems to be faster and easier though). I ordered an IOGear GBU321 USB Bluetooth adapter from Amazon along with the Palm TX. I had done some research prior to ordering and the GBU321 does work with XP and Vista 64-bit (many Bluetooth adapters don't) HOWEVER you need to use the generic Microsoft drivers (allow the Windows Device Installer Wizard to search for them from the Internet - DO NOT use the drivers that come with the GBU321). The MS generic drivers work fine, and you can use the Windows built-in Bluetooth manager (in the Windows Control Panel and it can be put on the taskbar) to manage your BT devices. I never needed to look at the Palm TX manual - the device itself walks you through a wizard for setting up your sync connection and it was intuitive enough that I setup the Bluetooth connection in about 10 minutes without much of a hassle. You have to setup your Bluetooth connection in Windows as a virtual COM port, but this is very simple and done through the Bluetooth Manager in Windows. Bluetooth syncs are fast - nearly as fast as using a USB cable.
As for the PDA, it's a wonderful step up from the Sony Clie. The newest version of Grafitti (the letter recognition language) is much better than it used to be. It was almost worthless on my Clie. I still enter text faster just using the tap keyboard, but with the newer Grafitti I am finding myself entering it that way more often. Calendar and Contacts works the same as it always has on a Palm device, just more legible on this much brighter and bigger screen. I use large fonts since I can't easily see default small fonts without my reading glasses and they aren't always handy.
This is my first PDA with Wifi. It's not something I need, but it is handy. It easily connected to my home Wifi using WPA encryption. I setup the email client to access one of my spare Gmail accounts so I can send and receive email if I need to (I see more of a need to send emails than receive). It was easy to setup - the Palm TX already has presets for Gmail and other popular email services so all I needed to do was give it my email address and password - it already knew the POP3 & SMTP server settings for GMail. Mail downloads and sends are fast.
As for web browsing, I really haven't used it much yet except for news and maps. The browser is nothing like an iPhone so like most mobile devices the browser is fairly limited, but if you stick to mobile websites it works fine. The default Palm Portal homepage is nearly useless though. The homepage you WANT to use (trust me) is Google's mobile home page: http://m.google.com. Google really has it together. For instance I tried using Mapquest on Palm's Portal but it was worthless. So I went to Google mobile, clicked on Google Maps, it detected I had a Palm PDA and had me download a Google Maps application and BAM! I have access to a Google maps interface that's nearly as good as using it on a regular browser, including satellite image views and traffic information (if available for your area). Maps load fast. A nice feature is that Google maps can pull an address directly from your Contacts list.
I've also used Google News and NPR News on the device and both work very well. The PDA itself feels very snappy. It doesn't lag like some underpowered PDAs and PDA phones I've tried. Even running Google maps in satellite view - which you have to assume is taxing it's little processor pretty heavily - it's very snappy.
There's other features on the phone, but I haven't used them yet. My major need is Contacts, Appointment Calendar and writing notes. Frankly I have no need for music & video (I have a Zune for that).
Not much comes with the PDA: a USB cable (which I wouldn't recommend you use except in an emergency - it's hard to disconnect and feels like you'll break it when you do as you have to twist and yank it), a wall charger, a clear screen protector, and that's it. I ordered spare styluses and a docking cradle (just for charging - I'm used to using a cradle with my old PDA) from Amazon at the same time so the AC charger that came with it will go in my laptop bag for travel (unlike my old PDA you can't charge the Palm TX from the USB cable which is one of the very few disappointments).
The Palm TX itself is built well enough. It's plastic as opposed to my old metal Sony Clie but then again it's also lighter than my Sony Clie.
Pros: bright display, fast response, does the job
Cons: can't charge via the USB cable, USB cable is not easy to disconnect, dated looking Palm OS GUI if that bothers you (it doesn't bother me)
Palm TX running Google Maps:
Palm TX (on left) versus my old Sony Clie. Taken without flash to compare relative screen brightness. Notice that although both devices are about the same size, the Palm TX has a much larger screen: