Part 4: Palm TX Overview and Conclusion
Blog By James McCarthy | April 06, 2006
Category: handhelds (eg, PalmOne, HP, etc.)
Thirty days later; still using the Palm TX and the hp rx1955 sits in my work bag. I am pretty sure the battery is dead by now, but I have no reason to dig it out and check because for what I use a handheld for the Palm TX has worked flawlessly. This is not to say that the rx1955 would also work flawlessly for me. My problem with the Microsoft, ActiveSync 5 and Windows Mobile 5 is the Mac OS compatibility short coming. And, I can't really blame Microsoft either because they clearly state their opinion about Mac users and that as a company they could care less about any other operating system but their own; perhaps, rightly so. However, the third party vendors like MarkSpace and PocketMac should be able to get pre-release support from Microsoft so that they, as the peace makers between the two evil empires, could at least deliver a product in a reasonable time-frame. Instead Microsoft shames them as well with their arrogant "go a buy a PC" attitude. Okay, so I am bias to my beloved Apple PowerBook. With that out of the way lets take a quick, but closer look at Palm's TX handheld.
Since this blog is about my experience between the hp rx1955 and the Palm TX I will be writing more about how I used it and my visual first impressions of the Palm TX versus a formal review.
My first impression when I removed the TX from the box was "this sucker is solid". It looked pretty much exactly like the T5 except the buttons were mapped differently. The TX changes the e-mail hardware button to an icon of a world indicating "Internet" which launches the Blazer web browser. Inside, it has 128MB of RAM and a industry standard SDIO expansion card slot. The stylus slides along the right side of the device. The TX 's metal casing adds a little more weight to the device in comparison to the rx1955, but not enough to deter you from carrying it in a shirt pocket - it's not that heavy. In fact having a slightly heavier, yet more solid casing is encouraging because it feels like a better made product that is less apt to break by an accidental fall or by sitting directly on it (if it's in a pants pocket for example).
Like most mobile devices, phones and handhelds, the screens make the device. A device with a bad screen is about as useful as a device with a cracked screen. And Palm's screen on the TX is good. It's not super bright like the rx1955, but the color saturation on the Palm TX is frankly better than the rx1955 which equals overall superior picture quality. Looking at photos of my three daughters was unbelievable because the JPG images were so rich in color. Where as, viewing the same photos with rx1995, they surprisingly looked dithered down to a point where some areas of color were actually distorted. This was an extremely disappointing moment for Windows Mobile since it had nothing really to do with the operating system.
Unfortunately there isn't much to say about Palm's built-in software on the TX - it hasn't changed in the last decade. The PIM apps are exactly as I remember them in 1999 and Dataviz' Documents To Go is also still bundled. Palm added a "Media" app to view videos and photos which is basically a re-branded version of SplashPhoto and the popular PocketTunes is preinstalled in ROM as the default audio player. Wireless features have been added to the preferences and actually updated from earlier versions of Palm OS 5. The WiFi package now includes the "whoops we forget about the SCAN for networks" feature and improves reliablilty quite a bit.
What I have always like about the Palm OS is the simplicity. To edit an event in the calendar you tap on it and edit, to view your application list you tap on the home soft-button, to view what's on your expansion card you select it from the application menu's category list and to connect to a network you just tap on it. The Palm OS has been designed for quick access to core functionality so that the user can complete the task in the shortest period of time in the least number of taps. I think this is mostly because the Palm OS was never designed as a handheld computer operating system and is desperately trying to not cross that line which is why their technology is still desktop focused through synchronization of files.
 
The biggest complaint that I hear from Windows Mobile users is why doesn't your Palm let you open native files. They are speaking specifically about MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, MPEG, JPEG, MP3, and so on. It's a fact these file types can not be installed into RAM on a Palm OS device. they can be installed onto an expansion card in native file type and then read in native file type by many programs like Dataviz' Document's To Go, Resco Photo, Pocket Tunes and some other third-party programs. Still, if you want to install a Word file into RAM on your Palm OS device you will need to synchronize it through your desktop with an appropriate file translation program.
Out of the box, the TX includes synchronization options with Outlook and the standard Palm Desktop program. This will synchronize all your basic PIM data including contacts, calendar, tasks and notes. Mail from your default Outlook Inbox can also be synchronized, but the majority of users today just use VersaMail on the Palm and send/receive over the built-in wireless connection. If you're on a Mac however you will need to either use Palm's standard Palm Desktop program or run Microsoft's Handheld Sync tool to enable synchronization with Entourage 2004 for Mac. Another option for Mac OS users is to use Apple's iCal and Address Book. The downside to this is that there are no compatible Memo/Note sync tools, where as syncing memos is part of Entourage 2004. If these handful of sync options still don't work for you try looking to IntelliSync for a solution.
 
While on my journey looking for a suitable handheld solution the Palm TX hits 90% of all my requirements. At times I miss the "computing" experience that a Windows Mobile device provides but most of the time if I am looking for a "computing" environment my laptop is in use, not my PDA. The TX is just that a PDA with wireless and is ideal for keeping my on top of my appointments, in touch with my contacts and lets me know dabble notes when I need to. Plus at $299, it's a good price for the technology and craftsmanship.
So, did I keep it? No. The Palm TX was a loaner from Palm, Inc. and I had to return it after a 30-day evaluation period. I do however still have my hp rx1955, however it sits in the night stand next to my bed charging.
Part 1: rx1955 or Palm TX
Part 2: rx1955 First Impression
Part 3: Palm TX First Impression
Part 4: Palm TX Overview and Conclusion
http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/pdf/datasheet_Palm-TX.pdf
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