Palm Tungsten E Handheld OS 5.2.1 / 32Mb

If you're looking for a basic and rugged little PDA - this is the one for you. Increadibly lightweight and with an expansion card so you can add all the extra software titles you need from the thousands that are available - many of which you can find for free on the net.

Most people who buy a PDA just want their Outlook diary, contacts and tasks synch'ed onto a PDA that's light and rugged enough to carry around in their jacket pocket. The software supplied allows this and more - you can open Word, Powerpoint and Excel files, plus copy your e-mails over, so you always have them at hand.

Whilst the machine is not powerful enough to accept add-on cards such as sat-nav applications etc., you will be amazed at what you can do. Whilst on a recent business flight to the States, I watched a film, sorted all my e-mails, played a few games and listened to MP3's - all from the one device, and without having to lug my laptop around.

Buy it - if only because your task list in Outlook will actually resemble what you need to sort, because with this PDA - you'll be using it every day.

For essentially Palm's entry-level colour PDA, the Tungsten E is a pretty good buy. The hi-res screen is really nice to look at, and the on-board memory isn't too bad (32mb stated, 28mb usable). Although maybe after a few months use you'd need a SD card. It's worth noting that you need an SD card to play mp3's. OS5.2.1 is fast, easy to use and it seem's fairly compatible with older programs.

The slight downsides are:
The finish of the unit is a nice silver. This looks pretty good new but I'm left wondering how it is going to look with a few scratches! The supplied clip on screen cover isn't too good (I'm currently looking for a hard case). It doesn't quite cover the whole unit and when 'closed' the cover can move around revealing the screen - defeats the point of a cover? Also it doesn't come with a dock, because of the lack of universal connector which makes it incompatible.

Having said all that, I'm really pleased. Battery life is good, I haven't really tested it as it's still a novelty so I'm using it 24/7 but it would be fair to say you'd easily get a weeks normal use out of it. It also has and upgraded version of the calendar which gives a nice agenda view!

Verdict: Thin, very easy to use with a great screen!

Having used a Palm IIIc for years (With no trouble) I decided to upgrade to an affordable Palm with room to grow (Buy using SD cards). The first Palm I looked at and bought was the Palm Zire 31, and I did not like it due to the fact it wouldn't hotsync on FOUR of my pcs and I thought the color screen was not the best. So I brought it back and got the T|E. All I could say was WOW. The 320 x 320 High res screen is amazing (Excellent for Photos and Games ;)), 32 MB Memory will hold thousands of text files and contacts and a good lot of games as well ;)
The Pros:
320 x 320 High res transflective display: This is a fantastic color screen that is excellent for viewing photos or for reading a full e-book. I also can say the screen is EXCELLENT in sunlight compared to my old Palm IIIc. The brightness control is excellent although the lowest brightness is bright enough)
Battery: I hear many complain about battery life. True the battery goes fast if you listen to mp3s for a couple of hours on full brightness but in all my time in over a month using this Palm I NEVER drained the battery fully down. The trick is keep it charged and plug it in whenever you can. It charges very fast for me!
SD/Multimedia Cards: This Palm allows you to insert stamp size cards (Secure Digital Cards) to the back of your Palm and allows you to add Music, Video clips, Games, Applications and photos to the card! If you run out of the 32 Megs in the Palms rom, you can buy a 512 MB SD card to expand.
Games: ALL the GAMES I've used are excellently played on this Palm and no slow downs or choppy graphics have I noticed yet.
No Cradle, Just cables to recharge your Palm: Maybe some people hate the idea having no cradle; well I'm different. I can bring a small charging plug with me, Plug it in like a mobile phone and use it to my hearts content, No need to worry about draining battery.
Palm OS 5.2.1: An excellent suite of tools, which are really useful. You can save contacts, Write on-screen notes, Manage your day to day routine with calendar, Save memos in the memo app, set yourself tasks and loads more+.
Lightweight and Stylish design: You would hardly notice this device in your pocket! For what it does it is ultra light. The casing is also steel (Or is it plastic?) which looks good and elegant (You will notice your thumb makes marks on it though!).
Bundled Software: Documents to go brings MS Office to your handheld (and is sold for around 50 online.) Versamail can receive emails via a mobile phone (Thru Infra-Red) or you can use the desktop software to hotsync your emails ;). Real One is a respectable app for mp3 playback on your Palm and two handmark titles are free for you two. You also get the Power One Personal calculator, which is an excellent App.
Multimedia: You can easily receive images from infrared red mobiles, Listen to MP3s in excellent quality (There is a headphone jack for you as well) or simply hotsync photos from your pc. You can also watch video clips using Kinomas software.
Price: This price is excellent. I would definitely give this Palm 5/5.
Cons:
Okay, There are a few. I will tell here.
No vibration: Why... I would like my Palm to vibrate as well as ring on an alarm!
No LED Light: There is no light to say it's charging. That's a problem...
No Palm Universal Connector: As there's no cradle, The Palm is limited to accessories you can buy.
No Zoom button in photos app: Really annoying
Speaker is at back: The flip cover covers the speaker, so mp3 playback is affected.
The T|E logo rubs off because of the flip cover stitching: Remedy: Get clear selotape and cover the stitches.

This is a Gaming, Multimedia, and Business Palm all in one. If you don't need WiFi, Bluetooth, Expanding screens, Get this! This is an impressive Palm at an impressive price.

5/5 Definitely.

Good luck.

Nick