Palm TX Handheld

im a nurse practitioner student and i use the palm tx with epocrates essentials daily. it has never let me down. the wifi is slow but if i want to surf the net, i would get on a mac. dependable, customer support has always been very friendly to me. i have had this unit for almost a year with no problems. i have ordered a cheap t5 for my wife on ebay and will review it later.

the iphone/ipod touch is gaining on palm, especially with the epocrates essentials coming out in 2009. But, the palm tx has a word, excel and powerpoint applications that the apple handhelds don't.

a stylus is always more professional than touching a screen with your grubby fingers. i hope palm stays around. look on ebay for good prices of tx, t5 and lifedrive.

I had to recently return my second palm PDA, I could not sync my medical software from my mac os 10.4.11 laptop. My palm would not turn on after trying to reset, I'm still waiting for a refund, for two shipping charges and the price of the Palm PDA.

Thank you,
Victoria Barnum

I have had it for 3 years. The touch screen worked for less than a year then dead. The cursor lands now about 1 cm from the thumb. File management is nightmare, never know what are installed and what not. The WiFi for web browsing works better than I expected, 2 star there. Prepare a week of study before you can fully understand how the soft and hard ware pieced together if you incline to give a try.

Do NOT buy this Palm! I bought this product in January and have spent more hours trying to de-bug it than I have time for. Who knew recurring appts that do not end until after 2020 will keep you from syncing? or that time zone conflicts will also mess up your software? Tech support's main goal is to keep you from making a warranty claim. If you are super tech savvy or have tons of hours to spend solving problems, then maybe this product is for you--otherwise don't waste your money!

Do not pay more than $150 for the TX. The large screen is really nice. The best feature. The large screen is nice for sharing snapshots with friends. I use the TX as a toy. The wifi is nice for web browsing on the road. Video capability is limited. Plays short videos OK, but larger videos (TV shows, movies) do not work well or not at all. Web browser does not play videos. Programs to overcome these limitations are availabe from 3rd parties, but cost extra money. I do not like to spend extra money, hence the low rating. Bluetooth to cellphone connection for internet connection does not always work (yes, I have a data plan). Probably because there is no way to manually set a DNS as I can do when connecting a cell phone to a PC. I would recommend the XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child Foundation as a better value for the money for a small basic function portable computer over the Palm TX.

Nothing wrong with the TX, I have used one for years. The problem is with Beach Camera who (I didn't realize it until it was too late) Amazon used as a partner for this purchase. I ordered a new TX from Amazon (I thought) then when I got a confirmation from Beach Camera, I knew I was in trouble. The first unit shows up used and damaged. When I called them, they said send it back but I ended up having to negotiate with the guy for I didn't want to pay postage a second time. Beach Camera reluctantly picked it up for free. Now, well over a month later and quite a few calls to Beach, I finally have received a new unit.

I like the T/X for the most part but have spent a number of hours trying to figure out how to get it to work with MS Vista, finally had to disable the documents to go. Didn't get much help from the Palm website, but did from the users blog that it referred me to, but still hit and miss. The calendar is great and the ability to access the internet is nice.

The PalmTX is a great product. Well designed, light, reliable. The processor seems quick enough for most tasks and the display is easy to read. It is certainly a step up from previous products and I especially enjoy the WIFI access. The one disappointment I have is that it is a little slower in translating graffiti strokes to text. I have not yet learned to slow down and so I must correct many mistakes. I'm sure I will adjust, but I do miss the previous speed which appraoched normal printing.

...and I should have sent it back, but I didn't get around to it. I've reloaded the software a few times. it never boots, it never syncs, and then it just dies by repeatedly rebooting. it even wore out it's battery doing that. ugh.

I loved my earlier Palms and I like the operating system and the ease of use, but I've grown weary of having to carry a phone and a PDA. I tried a Treo but that had it's challenges, so believe it or not, I've got an iPhone. as a PDA, it pales, but as an overall, I'm satisfied. Sigh. I miss by Palm Tungsten-3 with the slide up and down feature.

Having owned a Palm III, my first impression with the TX was that it is cheaply made. The TX is slightly bigger than the III but much lighter and feels "plastic." The Palm III worked well for contacts and appointments. The TX does a lot more, but not very well. If you want to email, web-surf, and use Words & Excel on a handheld, opt for a device with a finger-size keyboard. For the price of a TX, you will get a lot more by paying only a little more.

The bottom line: If you are a diehard Palm user, the Tungsten will do you fine. If you really want more out of your Palm, go for the Treo, or even a Blackberry.

I'm not exactly sure who to blame for the problem - but here it is:

Palm TX was great - once.

Palm TX (nor any palm from the Googling I've been doing) does not hot sync with Vista (especially Vista 64, which I have) and Palm is doing nothing about this. Why?

The Palm Desktop software (and hotsync tool) was made by a company called "Access" which is mostly defunct now.

All newer PDAs run Windows for Mobile devices and those will sync.

So - if you're running Vista or at some point will be upgrading your Windows XP box, don't expect your Palm to sync if it is not running Windows for Mobile devices.

I'm saddened that Palm would show so little support for a good product. Me? I'm going to buy a PocketPC to replace my working Palm TX. I'll give that thing away.

I've owned several Palm devices over the years, and have been a loyal customer. I was excited to buy the TX, as it has a lot of the features I look for in a handheld. When it works, it is great -- wifi, Bluetooth, great resolution, etc. It really has a lot of nice features -- the two stars I give it are for those features. Unfortunately, the sub par construction of the unit itself makes owning it more hassle than it's worth.

Over the last year, the device has had to be replaced under warranty for a faulty screen twice, and it's starting to develop the same problem again. It was also replaced once for a faulty memory card slot (that was on a replacement I'd just received). Each time, the device was replaced and not repaired, so in all I've had four TX's, and each of them have had significant problems. I think that's a fair sampling of the device to know problems are persistent and significant.

The faulty screen issue is well known and has been experienced by several owners (a quick tour of Palm's help forums bear this out). It becomes horribly uncalibrated and no amount of software calibration can fix it. Replacing the device with the same model does no good, because the problem will just happen again.

Never have I been told by Palm why the screen issue occurs, and obviously they don't do anything but replace it with another unit which is pretty much destined to develop the same problem.

I can literally see bubbles just under the outer plastic of the screen on my current unit, and parts of the bottom of the screen are faded, not to mention the battery on my recently replaced device is already draining far too quickly. I've only had this latest replacement for about four months.

Now that my device is no longer under warranty and is once again faulty, I'll be switching another manufacturer. I don't want to, as I have a lot of purchased software for the Palm OS, but I don't see another alternative.

Over the years, I've had HP, Sony and others. This unit is by far the best. Fast, hi-res, beautiful. Wi-fi is excellent. I've used the wi-fi at airports in NY, PA, FL, SC and NV. I have a keyboard as well. Much more portable than my laptop, don't have to turn it on when going through airport security, GREAT.

I was thrilled to get my TX. It seemed like the perfect machine. And it should have been. And, at first, it was.

This is my fourth different model of Palm Pilot in ten years and I have always been loyal to both brand and the Palm OS. My last was a Tungsten and I decided to move to another model when I became tired of re-calibrating the screen every time I turned it on to use it.

THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE! I can barely use it now, and rarely do. The screen needs to be recalibrated badly, but whenever I try, I cycle through the loop endlessly and eventually have to do a reset. In addition, the screen itself is not sensitive to the pen anymore. I try to draw one letter and get several letters and a few periods. It really is useless. I've had it for a year and a half and started having problems after just a few months.

I'm absolutely disgusted by this especially now that I've realized that these problems aren't unique to me. It seems many users of the TX experience the same issues, with no resolution from Palm.

After 10 years, I'm doing the unthinkable. I am going to purchase an iPAQ. I never thought I was capable of giving up my Palm OS, but after two models that were substandard, I have no choice. I need a handheld that WORKS.

My husband got this for me. I've been making computer lists to track my grocery coupons, and restaurant and services discounts for years; printing out hundreds of sheets of paper over the years. This Palm is just the thing I needed. I've now converted my 7-page grocery coupon list and 3-page "other list" and am starting to learn how to use the Palm's grocery shopping feature that allows me to check off if I have a coupon. Anyway, so far I love it. I've just begun to learn the Palm's many features and have found it very easy; and a handy item to keep in my purse. I'm 62 and frequently think of something I need to buy or do. It's really nice to grab my Palm to make a note to myself, rather than the old fashioned way. :-)

I love the Palm T|X. I have been using it daily ever since I purchased it on a whim in the airport during a business trip two years ago.

I use it to access the web & email via the built-in WiFi, I use the calendar, contacts, note pad features constantly. I'm also a big fan of the games on the Palm to pass the time while waiting in airports, etc. I also read books on the Palm.

The display is crystal clear and the interface is so easy-to-use with the touch screen. I did take the time to learn the Graffiti 2 system to make input even easier, but it's not necessary to learn. There is a virtual keyboard that you can use to type also very easily.

I also use Yahoo contacts & Calendar, and have depended on the ability to sync my Yahoo contacts and calendar with my Palm T|X contact list and calendar. I also read my Gmail on the Palm via the VersaMail app.

The only negatives I've seen are that you can't POP Yahoo mail (not a fault of the Palm), and also you can't listen/watch iTunes files (audio/video) on the Palm -- also a limitation of Apple iTunes, not the Palm.

An all-around winner of a PDA in my opinion.

I like the palm TX. Faster and easier to install and get up and operating than my old T5. I still like the T5 better, because you can change the brightness of the Backlight.The TX touch screen also freezes up and needs to be resett. Battery life could be better. I probably would buy another. Over all a very good tool.

This is one of the best products I have ever owned. I can keep my work
inventory, Music, Games, Alarm clock, Ebooks I want to read in my spare time, 4 different versions on the Holy Bible, my passwords for all my various web subscription, pictures, search the web from anywhere with wireless wifi network...... what more could I want in a palm that is smaller than my wallet?? And I have room for allot more even without adding a 2gb chip...

The TX has a lot of useful functions built into it. It has so many that I haven't had a chance to use them all after owning min for about a month now. I have found it works great for what I use it for, which is scheduliing appointments on the spot when I am working out in the field. The battery seems to hold a charge for a long time. The only glitch that I've noticed so far is using the syncing software on my Windows Vista Laptop. It's also kind of a hassle to download music into the unit because of the programs it uses. Overall, I think it is well worth the price.

I've had my TX for over 2 years now. It's my third PDA, so I'm not a newbie with these things. The first two were Visors. This is my first Palm-manufactured device, though the Visors both ran on the Palm OS.
Within 6 months, the TX started having screen problems, both registration (press T on the on-screen keyboard but get D or nothing) and lack of response (press really hard and still not get anything). I put up with it for a while, then sent it back for repair in warranty and they fixed it, but did not tell me what they fixed or if the repair was warranted past the end of the initial 1 year device warranty. When I called to ask, I was referred to a line that never answered. Within another couple months, the problems started again.
I bought mine directly from Palm, and got a flip up leather case for it (from Palm, on the same order) which holds credit cards and a couple SD chips in the part that flips down to cover the screen. I'd lay odds that the credit cards and chips have pressed against the screen and caused part of the problem, but, then, Palm sold it to me, didn't they. Guess nobody at Palm thought about what effect that could have on the screen. Also, the Palm forums tell me that I'm far from the only person to have these screen problems, so I doubt that my flip cover and cards were the sole cause.
Other than the screen issue, the unit has been good for me: doesn't lose programs, syncs well (not since my new router, but I think that's the router), nice resolution on the screen.
Personally, after this I will never buy another Palm-manufactured device. I wish they hadn't bought Visor, because those were well-designed and well-manufactured units. I don't know if Palm's quality control is bad that they had some bad screens out there, but I do know I don't like their customer service. All in all, I don't care to risk it.

When I was graduating from community college and moving on to a four year university my parents decided they'd get me a gift for graduating with honours. I decided that I wanted some sort of handheld device to keep me organized and save on paper (I'm a compulsive list maker).

After reading tons of reviews on this very website, reading product specs and even visiting office max a few times I decided on the Palm TX. It has the same calendar, address book and to do list features as every other handheld I've seen. I use them all regularly. The reason I picked this one was the things that made it different from all the other handhelds. I was drawn to the WIFI, which was a major selling point for me. So was Documents To Go, as I am an avid reader and writer of fanfiction.

Well, it was over a year ago that I finally choose my TX, so I feel I'm armed with enough info to write a review now.

I use the WIFI all the time, at home and at school, (and even a few times at coffee shops or McD's). I've found it indispensable. When I bought this handheld, it was the only make and model that offered WIFI, though more might have come out since. The only time I use the BlueTooth is when synching my Palm to my computer, which is not very often. I prefer to plug it in to the wall to charge it. I know you can also go online using Bluetooth if you have a web-enabled phone, but I don't, so I've never used this feature.

My computer has a Vista operating system, and the version of Docs To Go that came with my palm has trouble synching with Vista. The easy way around that is to buy a memory card, and transfer docs manually. There's a new version of Docs To Go (I believe it works with Vista) but I'm a poor college student, and a memory card was cheaper. Since it's been a year, the newer version might even come preloaded on the Palm.

I found the to-go version of PowerPoint helpful for studying. Since many profs include PowerPoint in lecture, this made having the palm nice (some images won't display, but the words all work). I also made slides myself and used the palm as a kind of electronic flashcards for studying. The only annoying bit is that you can't edit the to-go version of PowerPoint slides on the Palm, so you have to edit them on a computer and transfer them over. Still very worth it, and the Word and Excel files CAN both be edited on the palm itself.

The battery life is good and still going strong. I've found that using WIFI and BlueTooth drain the battery pretty quick, so I turn them off when they're not needed. When just playing games, reading fanfic, or using any of the typical handheld features, I'm just having to plug it in overnight once every week or two. I'd estimate I average about 2-4 hours of use a day.

A few recs on accessories I've found crucial:
1. A 1 gig SD card - to transfer files to the palm if they won't work when synching

2. A Krusell Orbit Multidapt leather case - has slots for debit/credit cards, IDs, and two SD cards and has kept my palm looking pristine, comes with a belt clip.

3. The CheckBook app from the palm website - I don't even use my paper ledger any more, and since so many places no longer take checks, why carry a check book? I just stick my CheckCard and drivers Licence in the case and use it as a wallet. It's too bulky for a guy to wear in his back pocket, but I'm a girl and either hold it in my hand like a clutch, stick it in my backpack, or put it in a purse when I carry one. Plus, there's always that belt clip.

I called to on 9-15-08 9:45 est Tech support and i was routed to India. The rep gave me hard time to assist me with the palm tx. I purchased the Palm less than 30 days ago. The Palm was not turning on and the tech requested to fax her a copy of my receipt. I will not recommend to anyone to buy any Palm products as long as the tech support is routed outside the USA.

I bought this device for my wife for her medical references needs (using epocrates and other medical tools).
Pro: fast, a lot of memory, big screen
Cons: does not show charge process in progress when power is off

Had to "upgrade" from a T5 because of critical software that was going to be supported on TX only. Had no choice, so didn't research processors, speeds, etc. Was hoping TX would be faster. It isn't. Seems to crash more and if anything be slower. Bummer. Can't comment on WiFi since don't use it. Bluetooth works as expected. (I don't really need the WiFi, just Bluetooth at this point.)

When I first got this device, I absolutely loved it. It did everything I wanted it to do, and there were only a few things that bothered me at first: It froze up occasionally and the web browser (called "Blazer," which is ironic considering how slow it is) will not load up most pages (more often than not it gives an error message "This page is too large to be displayed"). Even the freezing didn't bother me much because it usually happened when I used third-party programs that I knew to be unstable. There was, however, something more sinister looming on the horizon (and you can skip to the end of the review if you want to know what that is immediately-- It's the section that starts with the **).

There were several things about it that I noticed, including several things about it that I love, and I'll list the most important characteristics (good and bad):

--The default video program is terrible, requiring a long and tedious process of converting every single video to a Palm compatible format before it can even be transferred to the device, but I installed a program called TCPMP that does a great job playing DivX and XviD files without conversion directly from an SD card. Quick, easy, effective.

--The music player (PocketTunes) is pretty good, though it takes some getting used to because it's so heavily playlist-based instead of library-based (there's a library, but it's effectively useless). Of course, it doesn't play DRM-ridden files you'll find on iTunes or Walmart.com, but I would suggest avoiding such files at all cost anyway (as a side note, Amazon has DRM-free mp3s for the same price as iTunes DRM nonsense). I found that adjusting the volume inside the program was annoying and I therefore got some headphones with an in-line volume control, but since getting those I've had pretty much no problem listening to music, and I see no need to get a separate portable mp3 player.

--Though Adobe Reader for Palm is pretty bad, a free third-party program called PalmPDF is very good (even though it can be fairly slow).

--Documents-To-Go, the included Office Suite, though limited, is absolutely fantastic, and that's pretty much one of the biggest reasons I went with Palm instead of Apple, Symbian, or Blackberry (though now DTG is available on Symbian and Blackberry). It won't do any fancy formatting, but you're probably not going to be doing any of that when you're on-the-go anyway (at least I don't). I use this program all the time and I love it. More formatting can be done with a pay upgrade to a better version, but I have no personal experience with it so I don't know about the upgraded versions.
--With the version that comes with this device, though, you can edit Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets, and Powerpoint Presentations (though presentations are viewable only in outline mode). (.docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files are not supported out-of-the-box but require a pay update to the program, because the edition of Docs-To-Go that comes with this model was released before Office 2007.)
--You can use a file format native to DTG or you can edit .doc and .xls files directly from an SD card (not PPT files, though; those you must edit in the native DTG format, not sure why).

--The native web browser is pretty bad. It's unbearably slow and 90% of web pages come up with an error saying "This page is too large to be displayed," including Palm's own homepage. It's not useless by any means, though. I use it to check my email, run through Facebook, and maybe catch a news headline or two. Once in awhile I'll even browse Amazon. But I have to view almost all pages in the "mobile version." This basically means the "nearly useless version." It's the same as browsing on a cell phone that you get for free when you sign a contract. To be fair, though, it's easier to browse on the T|X than a cell phone since you can use a touch screen, making scrolling easier, but most mobile sites are nearly useless. Not all pages have a mobile version available, however, and in this case, assuming it actually does load, you do a looooooot of scrolling and you have to view what's normally bizarre distortions of what the page is meant to look like. Of course, there's no flash. It's not uncommon for me to click on a link and it'll just bring me to a completely different page... I have no clue what's causing that! Web browsing is, in my opinion, the ONLY significant thing that Apple has over Palm, but they've got it WAY better than Palm.
--There is a free third-party program made by the same people who make the famous Opera browser for PC, Mac, and Linux, and this program is called Opera Mini. It is, however, worse than Blazer. Though it will load some pages that Blazer will not, it runs the pages through Opera's servers before sending them to you, making the page smaller in size so that the mobile devices can handle it. This means that you can barely see most pictures (and it's not uncommon for pictures to just not load at all) and that most features in web pages are nonexistent. (Take, for example, Amazon's drop lists-- On a computer you simply hold your cursor over it and a drop list comes down. In Opera Mini, using these drop lists require reloading the entire page.) But what's much worse than this, though, is the fact that Opera Mini is unbearably buggy. It, more than all other programs combined, causes the T|X to abruptly restart without warning. It freezes up constantly. It'll take five minutes to load a simple page (no exaggeration). It brings up an annoying message every time you boot the program asking your permission to use the WiFi. If you turn off the screen while using the program or if the screen automatically turns off (which happens quite often during the long periods of user inactivity you spend waiting for the pages to load), then the entire program freaks out and you have to exit and restart the program. I used Opera Mini exclusively for quite some time before finally going back to Blazer, though now I switch back-and-forth between the two.
--(As a sidenote, if browsing is that important to you, then you may want to research a fantastic mobile browser called Skyfire that is available for Windows Mobile and Symbian, but NOT Palm. As I write this, it is currently in the beta stages and therefore it's hard to get your hands on it, but it even includes flash support.)

--I could not get the email client, VersaMail, to work correctly with my gmail. As I mentioned before, I use the browser, Blazer, to check my email, and the reason for this is because VersaMail just doesn't want to cooperate with gmail.

--The 3.5mm (standard headphone) audio output jack is kind of annoying, but workable.

--There's a fairly good amount of first-party and third-party software (some free, some not, some from respected companies, some from guys in their moms' basements) that you can find online. I myself frequently use a Bible program from a company called OliveTree (that also includes many classic religious eBooks), a calculator program called "EasyCalc" that, though not very user-friendly, would rival a TI-84+ in functionality (as a Math major, I find this very useful, and it eliminated the need to carry a calculator with me everywhere I went), and GoogleMaps (possibly the most incredible mobile application ever created, but it requires you to have an internet connection). Of course, what I listed in this section is just aside from the other programs I list elsewhere in this review, and there's plenty more software for Palm OS.

--With a standard SD card and SD card reader/writer, you can transfer files quickly and easily from any computer (even a Linux computer).
--If you have a Word Document or Excel Spreadsheet, you can put it right on the card and start working on it on the Palm without even dealing with hotsync!
--Like I said before, you can also copy video files and view them using the third-party program TCPMP (though not with the default program).
--You can copy PDF files directly to the card and read them using the third-party PalmPDF (though not the default Adobe program).
--You can put mp3 files directly on the card and listen to them via PocketTunes (that one actually IS the default program).
--You can also add some files through hotsync (mentioned before in this section, "hotsync" is how you synchronize the device with the computer), but using an SD card reader/writer is much more effective (an SD reader/writer is not included with the device). Hotsyncing files takes longer, and for some reason doesn't always work. More importantly than that, however, is that hotsyncing will not transfer PDF files, video files, or most other files without converting them to some annoying format first (see the sections on PDF files and video files). You can also hotsync Docs-To-Go, which seems like it would be convenient because a file that you work on on your Palm will be updated on the computer, but it's easy to accidentally modify one then modify the other before the next hotsync, so I just use the SD reader/writer to put the files directly on the card. This can't be done with .ppt files, though (again, not sure why).

--And, of course, it's a fantastic organizer. Task lists, Calenders, Alarms, etc. The most important function of hotsync is to synchronize the Palm's organizer software with the Palm Desktop software on your desktop computer,

**But here comes the surprising, sinister side of this device. There is something that made this device unusable after about eight months of use. The hardware falls apart due to something called "digitizer drift." It starts out with the touchscreen not being able to calibrate properly, so you tap one place and it'll think you tapped in another. That can be fixed with a third-party payware program called PowerDigi, but then it gets worse. Eventually, the touchscreen develops dead spots, so that it will not detect input at all in certain places. This is not on the side of the screen where you would rarely use it: This mostly occurs where you write, and these spots get bigger. Eventually entering text into the device becomes impossible, even by the on-screen keyboard alternative. It's gotten so bad on my device that I can't even backspace to correct the incorrect text. Instead, I'll move the stylus from right-to-left in the text input area, and it'll spit out three periods. I'll write one thing and it'll say I wrote nothing or something completely different. For example, this is what it said when I wrote "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." -- "T.. ............. .........dv . .. . .....d.d." That is copied and pasted, and unedited. This is not me not knowing how to input the data (it worked great when I first got it), this is hardware falling apart. A temporary fix is to move the input area to another place, but then the dead spots just develop there, too. Do you have any idea how much panic this induces when you discover it while frantically trying to write down something important?

After some research, I find that this is a common problem among this device. If you contact Palm support, they send you a refurbished (not new) replacement device, and as a result you lose any payware third-party software that you may have. And the replacement device that you receive soon develops the same problem because Palm doesn't seem to care to fix it. I've come across stories of people who have gone through four or five devices (and each time having to pay for shipping).

There is an alternative to Palm's warranty, though. You can get a replacement part, a glass digitizer ($45-$80, depending on where you get it) that fixes the problem entirely. The problem, though, is that you either have to send it off to a professional to install it or install it yourself. If you install it correctly, it works but you've voided your warranty. If you install it incorrectly (which seems to be very easy to do), you ruin the device and void your warranty, in which case you have a $250 paperweight because Palm will do nothing to help you.

Therefore, once this problem starts, you have the agonizing choice of playing Palm's warranty racquetball game (paying for each return by postage), shelling out money to send it to a third-party repairman, or repairing it yourself and praying you don't screw it up. I'm facing that problem now, and reluctantly choosing to play racquetball for the time being.

Hopefully you see what I mean. I absolutely loved this device, but this digitizer drift is ludicrous. I am personally extremely disappointed in Palm for not recalling this, and not even attempting to make amends to its customers, and continuing to produce and sell products that are known to be faulty!

Started off freezing a couple of times, but I decided to give it more time considering all it was capable of doing. It has always been great with WIFI connecting to internet. It has just been freezing up pretty frequently. I have had it since around July 9. It has been doing a lot better. I don't download software to it and I admit I don't use it to its full capabilities so I can't speak to those. But for my use (just checking my email when I am away from my laptop), my calender and my address book, memos, notes etc. It works fine. I don't watch videos, listen to music or play games. If I could have found the same thing as a tungsten e but with internet capabilities for cheaper, I would have bought that.

So if your needs are simple, this is expensive. If your needs are more complicated and require everything this is suppose to do, I would be cautious.

Hello, I was wanting to write a review for this when I went to the website and couldn't find a place to put the review in. So I'm glad when this e-mail came! I haven't had a chance to explore my Palm TX too much but from what I have seen so far - it is great! The order came in less than 5 days and it was great to have free shipping on it as well! Thanks so much!

I have purchased my fifth and probably last Palm. I am trying to transfer my information (on my PC) to this new Palm. I have had no success. I spent about 5 hours with the "customer service" rep and the self help web site. This was a total waste--I still have not been able to hot synch to get the information on the PC to the new Palm. As it is the new unit is in the box and I guess I will donate it to a charitable organization in that it is useless to me.


Ernie Lathem

The Palm TX goes beyond the traditional PDA. Built in Wifi works great. Areal plus when you are on the road. With all the added palm feature this is great for work or relaxation.

So far I have had no problems with my Palm. I only use it for basic things such as the calender and internet, but it's been great!

Wow, can't believe I've settled on other Palms til now. I began my love affair with Palm Pilots beginning with the Handspring Visor, then the Visor Deluxe, since then, I've owned the Palm M500, Zire 72, and now the TX.


1. WiFi - Awesome! I've been connecting everywhere I go. granted, sometimes it's hard to find a hotspot, but after only three weeks of use, I've been able to connect at shopping malls, coffee shops, and two airports. Think of it, you're traveling and you need to get that e-mail off right away. What better way to do than with this device. I was very pleased with the speed of connection and ease of use.
2. Bluetooth - I haven't had an opportunity to use the bluetooth feature, my generic bluetooth keyboard which worked with my Zire 72 would not work with this device. It took a bit of messing around to get the bluetooth to work. I decided to replace my generic keyboard with a palm keyboard. Hope that works.
3. Screen - Wow! 480x340 bright color screen! How awesome is that! Also, the ability to flip the screen is awesome for photos and videos. I haven't tried watching a movie on the device yet, but am hopeful. (Would be nice if Palm would include an app in its software bundle to resize and/or covert movies. Oh well, finding a freeware should be no biggie.)
4. One of my favorite uses of the palm is that I can take all my earthcomber maps with me. Though the amount of memory is nice, I was a bit frustrated that my maps seemed to get hung up more on the TX than it did on my Zire 72.
5. Favorites - it's a cool looking splash screen, but in my opinion, it's a bit redundant. I'd rather eliminate the favorites and go directly to my apps. SIMPLICITY IS ALWAYS BETTER, GUYS!

Bought this for my husband. In a word he loves it. Is it the lastest in technology? No, but personally we don't need or want an expensive smart phone contract.
This is a gadget for professionals. He needed something to take information in Office formats from the house in his travels. He also needed something to access the web. The editing option if fantastic. Saves the day many times.
We have Vista. Downloaded the patch from Microsoft and the two have had no problems playing nicely. Forget the old reviews about this topic. It is fixed. Just get the patch.
This is a great grown-up toy. Does it play games and music? Yes, but that is not his thrust of interest. It is a great tool.

I bought this Palm TX to replace my old Tungsten E2 and I am pleasantly pleased and very satisfied. So far, so good. The price was an excellent value as well. Thank you.

Nice screen, good size, effective PDA. The PalmOS is good, but crashes too much for my liking. Don't ever let the battery run out ... you will think you lost the device for good. The wireless transfer, VersaMail, and web browser are very nice to have. Having a 2GB SD card really helps.

PC software is clunky, but effective. Seems like the "good enough" attitude prevaled over the "seek perfection" zeal I would have wanted. Stops short on so many fronts. Why can't you duplicate an appointment?

Overall, I use it for my church related volunteer work because I can keep so much on it (tons of books, spreadsheets, contact lists, etc.) but I wish it were faster and the software designs were more flexible.

PDAs are going out of style ... I wish my work BlackBerry had some of the features of the T/X and my church T/X had the intuative design chracterisitics of the BlackBerry.

I've been a Palm user since 1997. I never thought I would upgrade from my trusty and reliable Tungsten T3 until I got the TX. It works great. It's got plenty of speed, more than enough for what I need it for, and plays videos smoothly using the TCPMP freeware player.

The Pros:
- lots of memory (100MB available to user)
- memory is non-volitile flash memory, so when the battery runs down, you don't lose anything (I had to charge my T3 daily because of this)
- bright screen
- wifi
- bluetooth
- Docs to Go v7

The Cons:
- it comes with a plastic digitizer, which if you don't use screen protectors, will wear out very very quickly. Once my warranty with Palm expires, I'm going to replace it with a glass digitizer. (This IS the solution to digitizer drift for the TX)
- the hotsync and charger cables are completely separate (unlike the old Tungsten TE which had a split cable for syncing and charging via usb, but you can find a combo charger/sync cable easily)

Soft Resets: Okay, I've only had this happen once since I've had the unit. The reason was because I had a piece of 3rd party software that was totally incompatible with the new Palm OS and NVFS. Once I got rid of that one piece of 3rd party software, no more crashes. (Mind you, I have 127 software programs installed on my TX or memory card and they all work well without crashing the unit.) If your TX soft resets on you, it's guaranteed that it's some piece of software that is incompatible. Most likely, it's the one piece of software you were using just before the crash.

Final Thoughts: I still like my T3, but my TX can do much much more and I can go hours on a single charge. The most I've had it on constantly was 4 hrs 2 min. I could have gone much longer, perhaps up to 5 hours. Your mileage will vary based on what you're doing. Docs To Go plus mp3 playing will get you 4 to 5 hours. You can watch 2.5 - 3 hrs of video on a single charge.

If you need the speed and power of a unit like this, plus wifi, it's highly recommended. The Palm OS may be old, but it's way more stable than Windows PCs.

I actually choose to bring this with me on trips (along with my folding IR keyboard) because it's move convenient than bringing my laptop. I can read eBooks, watch videos, listen to mp3s, edit Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents, and use the wifi feature to download, read, and respond to email. It doesn't get any better than this!

I've had about seven PDAs over the years. I've had the Palm TX for a year & a half now and simply love it. Honestly, my life is pretty much in this thing. I keep track of all kinds of information including the drugs my family takes, when I need to refill my elderly mother's pill boxes, grocery lists, etc. I don't know what I'd do without it.

I had previously owned a Palm Tungsten E which was really a nice PDA but it's memory was just too small for my needs so I gave it to a relative and purchsed a T/X. Bad Move.
The unit has some very good points. It's fast, has an excellent display and comes with great software. My problem is the touch screen. The screen on my original T/X was damaged so I sent it off to Palm for repair, paying full price for the screen repair. What followed was an exercise in pure frustration. I would get a unit back from Palm (6 units in all), it would last about 2 - 3 months and then the digitizer would go out rendering the touch screen useless. Each time I sent it back I would be without my T/X for a couple of weeks. After much complaining, they finally sent me a unit that held up, to just one week after the warranty ran out and then it's digitizer went out. Now I'm looking at paying Palm, or another service company, to replace the digitizer. Supposedly there is an aftermarket glass digitizer that works better than the plastic one that Palm uses.
Just understand that as good as the T/X is it does have a problem with the digitizer. And even purchasing an aftermarket alignment program didn't help mine. You can to the Palm Forum and check it out yourself.

I love my Palm TX. I've had it for a month now and I haven't had not one issue with it. It does exactly what it's supposed to do and it does it well. It's the perfect size and one of the best things about it is it's large screen. And you can't get that with the phone Palm's. The only thing I would add to it is vibration and customized tones for the alarms.

AM MOST HAPPY WITH THE SERVICE I RECEIVED IN PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT. IT CAME EARLIER THAN EXPECTED AND AN ITEM MISSED IN SHIPMENT WAS SENT IMMEDIATELY ALONG WITH A GIFT. AM VERY IMPRESSED.

Palm will not support its product if you try to install it or synchronize it with MS Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE). I was unable to make it work, despite the varied fixes I found on the Internet. The Palm technician was NOT helpful, except for the fact that midway in our conversation he said that Palm did not support MCE installations. Palm claims compatibility with Windows XP, but it will not support XP with MCE. Thank goodness that Amazon is willing to let me return my Palm TX, so I'm not out any money. But thanks to Palm's refusal to mention MCS incompatibility, I am out 100+ hours trying to make this work, along with the hassle to both Amazon and me for having to deal with a return. Beware! Bravo, Amazon. Pooh-Pooh, Palm.

After about one month, I am well satisfied. I am cautious, however, as this one replaced a Palm T|X that started failing just over a year after I bought it. Parts of the screen no longer responded to the stylus.

I've been using a Palm for over 10 years, and when I bought the TX, I expected that I had the ultimate in Palms. It is packed with features, the screen is bright and sharp, and it was going to fulfill all the needs I had developed for myself by using a Palm for so long.

Unfortunately, the TX is plagued by a well-known problem with the DBCache, which means that it essentially gets its memory constipated, let's say, and has to reboot, which it does automatically, but unfortunately, often in the middle of an activity such as searching for or entering an event. And when it doesn't restart on its own, it freezes. I've had the unit for more than a year, and have searched the internet for solutions. While there are a few downloadable programs that promise to purge or keep the DBCache clear, I haven't had much success with any of them. I get p.o'ed frequently at the TX, since i depend on it so much. Occasionally, an expected alarm doesn't go off because it has frozen.

I'm just not happy with it, and I keep considering buying a new battery for my previous Palm and downgrading!!

I have used Palm PDAs for a number of years. I tried a device running Microsoft software a few years ago - far slower and harder to use. The Tx works well with epocrates and Skyscape for Griffith's 5 min clinical consult and so on. Browser software is a little slow, but then again I can't fit a laptop in my shirt pocket.

I love my Palm! It has helped me organize my life! This seller was very prompt in mailing it to me and it was exactly what I paid for. No complaints!

My Palm TX was a birthday gift....I spent 7 hours of the big day talking to Palm's tech support. The handheld was unable to access Yahoo email--yes, all the settings were correct and I have a Yahoo Plus email

After two days of trying to resolve the issue, Palm gave up and said I should return the item. This problem also occurred on the PDA that tech support was using to simulate conditions. Moral of the story: buy something that works. This product sucks, the tech support was agonizing++. The only bright light was Amazon's customer service. They could not have been better about the return.

The Palm TX is Palm's new wireless handheld. It features a improved 320 x 480 pixel screen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless and 128MB of nonvolatile memory. The TX adds Wi-Fi at a very competitive price.

Palm has announced a new partnership with Microsoft, so the Palm TX may have the last Palm OS version that there will ever be. The Palm TX crams a lot of useful features into one tiny device that will many any gadget lover drool. In the Palm TX, they were able to fit Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity into one gadget, which is rare for Palm. It's a pretty well-rounded little PDA, but how does it all come together? Let's take a look...

At first glance, you may mistaken the Palm TX for PalmOne's earlier Tungsten T5 due to it's design. The traditional silver case is replaced with a sleek bluish-gray case. The Palm TX is quite compact too, measuring only 5 x 3 x 0.5-inches and weighs about 5 ounces, which is very pocket-friendly. Text and images are quite sharp and brilliant on the Palm TX's 4-inch diagonal LCD display. On the bottom of the display, there is a little toolbar for commonly used features, similar to what the Tungsten T5 has. At the top of the Palm TX, there is an SDIO/MMC slot for expansion,
stylus holder, power button, and a headphone jack.

Internally, the Palm TX features a 312-MHz processor, 128MB of memory, and wireless connectivity. The Palm TX's Wi-Fi capabilities are compatible with both WEP and WPA encrypted wireless networks. You can also access the Internet via using the TX's Bluetooth connection to connect via a Bluetooth cell phone. The SD memory slot can accept up to 4GB (I am not sure about the 8 GB Cards as I don't have one) of added memory, which makes storage for the TX almost unlimited. Also, DONOT use SDHC with the Palm TX as it will not work with it.

Software included with the Palm TX include the Palm OS 5.4, VersaMail 3.1, and Document To Go 7. There is also Pocket Tunes, which is a portable media player that will play your MP3, WMA, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis audio files. Palm also includes a few games and handy programs, like a nice calculator and world clock.

I have an iPod, and without a doubt, the Palm TX could never be compared to it for playing the music files. The iPod is easier and more flexible to use as a music player, So, your palm can play music files but don't expect too much.

The Palm TX performed pretty well too with me. It smoothly plays video, opens Word documents, and opens Web pages. The internet browser is not that good but it is still usable, don't expect the flexibility of the iphone's safari browser. The only weakness to the Palm TX is its battery life, which is just above 4 hours with the Wi-Fi antenna off. The average PDA gets at least above 5 hours and even up to 8 hours of battery life.

The main advantage of the Palm TX, its ability to run lots of medical and pharmaceutical software that can help medical students and professionals to make their job easily. I mainly bought it to run my favorite Pharmaceutical software such as Drug IX, Martindale, Medical directories and all of the nice pharmaceutical software library for the palm OS. It makes my life easier while working in research and in public pharmacies. It is a very good choice for medical students. Although, I think the iPhone will change these concepts when the same software is available for the iPhone.

Also, the palm TX freezes from time to time but it reboots after reset very quickly not as slow as the Palm LifeDrive.
In conclusion, the Palm TX is a welcomed addition to the Palm PDA family. It brings a lot to the table, including excellent Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity features as well as a lot of expansion opportunities, including large Secure-Digital memory cards. The included multimedia applications also make the Palm TX an excellent portable media player. The TX is great for the on-the-go
person who wants all their data in one place and the chance to listen to some music in between.

Finally,

Advantages:

* Excellent Screen
* Dual Wireless (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi)
* Rich Software, one handed operation
* Very good for medical software

DisAdvantages:

* not 100% stable
* Low battery life
* No Voice Rec, Vibrate, LED
* No included cradle

Finally,

It is a very good buy for the Price (259 $), Highly recommended for medical students.

excellent product. wi-fi is fantastic, and does what its supposed to do. arrived fast, and in excellent condition. bluetooth is a great tool to have for transferring pictures from a phone to the handheld. excellent tool.

I've owned a Palm Vx since shortly after they first came out, which was probably about 7 years ago. I've used it off and on up until just recently, and even today with its grayscale screen and 8MB of memory it's still a solid little PDA that gets the job done.

Still, I knew it was time to upgrade because so much of the software I wanted to use simply wouldn't work on the Vx's minimal memory and antiquated (albeit stable) OS. So I asked for and received a Palm TX as a gift recently.

Here are my impressions after only one week of use:

PROS

- The Palm OS itself. There's nothing sweeter than turning on your Palm and instantly the screen comes on right where you left off. No booting up, no shutting down, just instant gratification the way it should be. Now if only the people at Microsoft could figure out how to do the same with Windows!

- Great graphics and screen quality. The included music video clip looks very good, although I'm sure it falls short of an iPod/iPhone.

- Navigation has a very "fluid" feel to it. Screens appear and disappear smoothly. You can tell Palm has put some thought into the interface design of the latest OS.

- Expandable memory slot. I have yet to use it, but I'm looking forward to popping in an SD card loaded with MP3s and trying out the TX as a portable MP3 player. It's also a great way to keep your data separate from the programs, assuming the program you use supports storing its data on a memory card.

- Collapsible graffiti area. Gives you full access to the screen real estate when viewing photos, videos, spreadsheets, the Internet, or other documents.

- Rotatable landscape/portrait mode. 'Nuff said.

- WiFi. I did have some trouble setting it up at first, but the problem turned out to be mine and not the Palm's. I finally sorted it out and bingo: I had the Internet in the palm of my hand!

- Bluetooth enabled (although I have yet to try it out).

- Decent collection of software to use right out of the gate. So far I've only needed to install a few of my trusty old programs to the TX. Documents To Go is especially cool, giving you the ability to open and work with MS Office Documents.

CONS

- Graffiti 2. Ugh -- I'm already looking forward to reverting my TX back to Graffiti 1, as soon as I get up the nerve to do it (apparently you can't go back to Graffiti 2 once you convert to Graffiti 1). Yes, I know Palm had no choice because of a legal settlement, but they should have at least settled out of court and bought the rights to Graffiti 1 or something.

- Tactile feel of the graffiti writing area is kind of mushy, as if you're writing on a thin film of Jello. My Vx had a hard glass surface that took a real beating, whereas the TX screen feels soft like I'm going to dent it with the stylus. I think a good screen protector film is needed here, something with some texture to it to give it a better tactile feel.

- Palm Desktop. Yes, it works, but Palm has done little to enhance this software since I bought my Vx back in 2001. That's a long time to go without a significant upgrade, if you ask me.

- The bundled encryption feature is painfully slow, too slow to make it useful on a regular basis, which sort of defeats the purpose.

- Although it's got 16x the amount of memory that my old Vx does, 128MB of onboard memory just doesn't seem adequate in these days of multi-gigabyte iPods and other MP3 players. I have an MP3 player that's at least 3 years old and barely the size of a pack of chewing gum, and even that has 1GB of flash memory.

- The sync cable has a terrible plug on the end. The engineers at Palm really botched this one. You have to push hard to get it into the TX, and each time I go to remove it I feel like I'm going to break it off. Plus it's all too easy to accidentally press the HotSync button when you're trying to remove the cable from your Palm. A major engineering faux pas, in my opinion.

I'll probably update this review as time goes on and I've got more to add, but for now if you're a Palm enthusiast you'd be doing yourself a favor to upgrade to the TX if you haven't already done so.

I have been a Palm user ever since they were owned by 3Com and haven't switched to a smart phone... yet. I was a brief Pocket PC user but that platform sucks.
This product was to replace a LifeDrive that died and frankly was never more than barely alive. Although it is already more dependable than my LifeDrive I have had continual problems with syncing, resetting and just plain poor reliability. It may be due to 3rd party software I have downloaded but even still in this day and age of tech "necessity" these things should be worked out.

This is my 2nd TX - the first damaged by an unfortunate accident. Went back for the successor unit as I'm extremely pleased with the product.