Palm Tungsten T5

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Digital Cameras | PDAs | Communications

Palm Tungsten T5

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Richard Poelling
Kurtis
PalmOne
Jan. 31, 2005

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Testing

So how does one go about testing a PDA? Well, the best way is to just use it. Carry it around with you and bang it up in a bag just like you would any other pocket organizer. I set the T5 to hotsync with both my home and work machine using the enclosed software. As expected, I had no problems with the standard USB hotsync. If you are going to sync at multiple locations, I would definitely suggest acquiring a second USB cable or at least a Bluetooth enabled system. It is nice to be able to just plug it in and go rather than pull out a cable and hook it up at each machine, although with front USB ports becoming the norm this may be less of a hassle for you.

Did I mention the T5 does NOT come with a cradle? Well, it doesn't, and if you want one I hope you don't mind shelling out the extra $50 for one from PalmOne. This was a major disappointment, especially for such a high-priced PDA. The T3 costs $50 LESS than the T5 and comes with a cradle, so why not the T5?

The T5 includes Bluetooth technology which will allow it to sync with other Bluetooth devices such as phones and computers. Unfortunately, this is all the wireless technology that is included. There is no Built-in 802.11 wireless - that will cost you extra for their wireless expansion card.

Speaking of Bluetooth, the initial setup was a miserable failure. A good system wipe (the PDA) and a fresh start cleared up any problems that I was having. Once set up, I was able to hotsync the T5 with my computer wirelessly. I will admit that the novelty of connecting my T5 to the computer via Bluetooth wore off very quickly when I realized just how long it was taking. Unlike the USB connection, the Bluetooth connection runs, at most, 1 Mbit. That is a far cry from the speeds acquired with USB. Syncing anything besides a few contacts will take forever. Installing software or any large files should best be left to the USB cable. The Bluetooth connection is probably best left to syncing with your cell phone and making wireless calls and internet browsing through it.

The battery life initially on the T5 was terrible. Just sitting in my bag, the thing was dead in a day. Only after trying to use a dead PDA twice did I realize I still had the Bluetooth radio engaged, oops! This setting will eat your battery for lunch. After disabling Bluetooth, I was able to keep a charge without any problem. The device will also charge from the USB cable without the power adapter connected, but it won't charge nearly as fast.

As with other Palm PDA's, the battery is inside the unit somewhere and not easily accessible. I know that usually the battery will last longer than the PDA, but still, give me the illusion that I can change the battery if I just happen to get a dud. For $400, I would certainly hope the T5 will outlast the battery.

Expansion Card

As with other PDA's, you have the ability to expand the T5's base memory with the addition of a memory card. The T5 Supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCard expansion cards. Palm was nice enough to send me a 64 MB expansion card for testing with the T5, but they won't be doing their customers the same favor. As with the other Palm models, you can't just hotsync MP3's to the T5. This was a big complaint of mine with the T3, and I am disappointed to see this problem in the T5. This being said, it is possible now to just drag and drop MP3 files using the drive mode functionality of the T5. Doing music transfers this way was a snap. Palm may not have fixed the original problem, but at least there is a nice workaround. As for the memory card you are only limited by your pocketbook.

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Page 4 of 6

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions & Getting Started
Page 3: User Interface
Page 4: Testing
Page 5: Quality Check & Software
Page 6: Conclusion

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3 User Comments

1 - Posted by EmoMakesMeCry on January 31, 2005 - 11:54 am

the T5 seems pretty sweet but i prefer pocket pc's over anything running the palm os. like the ipaq rx series, the old hp 1900 series, dell axim x50, x30, and of course the fujitsu loox.

2 - Posted by Rich on January 31, 2005 - 12:58 pm

The T5 is nice, but by the time you add the WiFi card and a cradle, you could buy one of the new Axim x50's which I think have a better screen anyway. I am currently using an old HP Jornado and I like it alot. It is using an old version of pocket PC but runs nicely.

3 - Posted by Guest on April 11, 2005 - 8:44 am

Helpful, thorough, guided me to a (not) buying (for now) decision.

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