Product Requirements:
Device:
PC running Windows 2000 or XP (Windows 2000 and XP require admin rights to install)
or Mac OS X, v10.2.6 to v10.3 (Mac OS X requires admin rights to install)

I haven't reviewed a palmOne PDA in almost exactly a year. That last review was the Tungsten E. Today I'll be reviewing the Tungsten T5, which curiously enough looks almost identical to the TE at first glance. The T5 is palmOne's new top of the line model set to replace the popular T3. In the year since I posted that last palmOne device review, they have released 3 other PDAs (not including the T5). The Zire 21, 31 and 72. At the time of their releases, neither Judie or I felt these models were interesting enough to us to warrant reviews. To be truthful, palmOne has left me less than excited the past couple of years, and I'm pretty certain Judie feels similarly.

This time around, palmOne is only offering one new model to consumers. Is this just an interim device to compete against the latest Pocket PCs before the new OS 6 devices are ready? Or is the T5 a compelling new PDA that T3 owners should consider upgrading to? Read on to learn my opinion.

Hardware Specs

Processor: 416MHz Intel XScale Processor
Operating System: Palm OS software version v5.4
Memory: Total 256 MB (215MB actual storage capacity; 160MB internal flash drive, 55MB program memory)
Display: TFT color display with backlight, 320 x 480, 65,000 colors
Interface: USB (for HotSync� operation), Infrared, Bluetooth
Dimensions and Weight: 4.76 x 3.08 x 0.61in, 5.1 oz. (including stylus)
Power: 120VAC, 60Hz, 100mA
Battery: 1300mHa Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery (internal - non user removable)
Expansion: SD card slot (Secure Digital), supports MMC and SDIO cards

Package Contents

Tungsten T5 PDA
Stylus
Flip cover (wasn't included in my review sample)
USB cable with sync button
AC adapter
Graffiti 2 sticker
Read This First document
License Agreement
Accessories Catalog
Software Installation CD

I had a real sense of Deja Vu when I first opened the T5's box. This new PDA looks almost identical to the TE. Same color, same shape, same application buttons and same 5-way navigation pad. In reality, this PDA is actually about .25 inches longer, slightly thicker and heavier than the TE.

Although the T5 looks like it has a metal shell, it is only made of plastic. This was the first of several disappointments regarding this new model. As the T5 is set to replace the T3 which does have a metal shell, I was very surprised that the T5 was left lacking one. Even though the case is plastic, it does have a solid feel and did not creak, crack or flex when I performed the good ol' Gadgeteer creak test on it. That said, the case does show fingerprints and smudges. In hand, this PDA feels balanced and comfortable to hold and use. It might be a little too long to be considered a good candidate for a shirt pocket, but it does fit nicely in a side cargo pant or jacket pocket.

On the front of the PDA there are 4 application buttons, the 5-way navigation pad and the color display. The buttons have the same layout as the ones on the TE. They are small, flat and square with good tactile feedback. From left to right, the application buttons are assigned to the Home, Calendar, Contacts and File Manager applications. Like other models before this one, the buttons can be reassigned to launch other applications by modifying their preferences.

The 5-way navigation pad allows you to scroll up/down, left and right. Pressing in on the center button performs a select function. Using the nav pad, it is relatively easy to perform some tasks such as address look ups and application launches with just one hand. The nav pad also makes game play more enjoyable for certain types of action games.

Tungsten T5, Zire 31 and Tungsten T

One of the most exciting changes that the T5 has over the T3 is the lack of a slider. As a matter of fact, the T5 is palmOne's first PDA that has a 320 x 480 display that does not also include a slider. This is a big advantage in my opinion as I grew very tired of having to open the slider on the T3 in order to view the entire display in full screen mode.

The display itself is very nice. It is bright, crisp and easy to read in most lighting conditions. The colors are not quite as vivid as they are on my new HP hx4700 Pocket PC, but I suppose it's really not fair to compare the display from a $400 PDA with one from a $650 PDA.

As far as stylus sensitivity with regards to writing on the display, I have found that the screen is smooth and not overly spongy. There does seem to be some lag time when writing Graffiti, but I'll get to that a bit later.

The left side of the T5 has a slot for the included screen cover, while the right side has the stylus silo. The included stylus is better than average. It has a polished metal barrel that is thick and heavy. The top screws off to reveal a reset pin.

The top of the PDA has the IR port, SD slot, power button and earphone jack. In some quick tests, I found that I was able to beam an address to a Zire 31 from the T5 at a maximum of 3.5 ft. Not too great... Regarding volume levels through earphones, WOW!  The max volume level on this PDA is fantastic. I believe that it is the loudest of any PDA I've ever reviewed. For me a comfortable volume level in a quiet room was at less than 10% of maximum. Sound quality is very good using the included RealPlayer software. Music lovers will really appreciate this PDA. I did notice one thing though... when earphones are plugged in but no music is playing, you can hear some white noise...

The bottom of the PDA has the new Multi-Connector. I guess the universal connector is now truly history folks. Don't expect to use any of your old sync cables or cradles with this new model. They won't fit... Which brings me to another disappointment. The T5 does not come with a cradle. You'd think a $400 PDA would warrant one, but nope. Instead a USB sync cable is included. The cable does have a hotsync button integrated into it, so it's not that bad I suppose. Unfortunately the USB cable does not sync AND quick charge the PDA. You have to plug in the included AC adapter either directly into the T5 or into the USB cable to charge. By itself, the USB cable does offer trickle charging, but it seems to take a very long time to charge a depleted battery.

The back of the T5 has the reset switch and speaker grill. Speaker volume is impressive. You can easily use this PDA as an alarm clock. But guess what? The alarm sounds have not changed with this new model. You still get the same seven lame sounds we've had for what seems like forever: Alarm, Alert, Bird, Concerto, Phone, Sci-fi and Wake up. I read somewhere that the T5 was supposed to be capable of playing polyphonic alarms. I'm not sure if this is true or not. I tried installing some alarms that were only tested on a CLI�. They didn't show up as choices in the alarm preferences dialog <sigh>.

Do you use your PDA as a voice recorder? Sorry, you won't with this one. That feature is missing from the T5. Also missing are vibrating alarms and LEDs for alarms and charging status.

It's not all bad news though, you do get a few cool new features with this PDA. The biggest goodie is the 256MB of memory. It's non-volatile memory too. If you happen to let the battery run completely down, you'll not lose any of your info. As a person that has run into problems with Pocket PC batteries spontaneously draining, this feature is very nice indeed!

The 256MBs of memory is partitioned into two chunks called 'Device' and 'Internal'. The Device partition holds the OS and is 64MB with 54MBs in use. The Internal partition is set aside for the USB flash drive. it is 160MB with a little over 157MB available.

Using the included USB cable and the Drive Mode application, you can connect the T5 to any computer and it will mount as a removable hard drive. Drivers are not necessary, it's all plug and play. You can drag and drop files to it just as you would any drive.  

Another nice feature is the 1300mHa Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. I had a real hard time trying to run it down. I played MP3s for an hour, played video and photo slide shows for 30 mins and was only able to get the battery to go down to 95%. I'm pretty sure the average person could get at least 2-3 days of work out of this PDA before needing to recharge.

Bluetooth fans will be happy to know that it is built into the T5. WiFi fans will be annoyed to learn that once again palmOne is ignoring us. Yeah I know you can get an SD WiFi card, but I personally don't want to futz around with a card that sticks out of the top of the PDA. I also don't really want to shell out an additional $130 or so for the card. I want it to be built in!

As far as overall system performance, I have only one complaint about the T5.  While the system feels snappy and responsive, there is one feature that seems to have a small lag problem: Graffiti. I've noticed that while I'm writing, the system is always lagging a letter or two behind the current one that I'm writing.

Although I really liked the form factor of the TE when I reviewed it a year ago, I am disappointed that palmOne used the same design for the T5. Where's the imagination and innovation guys? I guess we just have to wait for the OS 6 devices huh?

Software-wise, the T5 comes ready for both business and pleasure.

Included in ROM:
Quick Tour - Simple overview of features.
Addit
Bluetooth - Control panel for the Bluetooth features.
Calc - Same old calculator.
Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Memos, Note Pad - PIM applications.
Card Info - Displays data about the SD memory card in the slot.
Dialer, and SMS � Mobile phone applications.
Documents to Go v7.0 - Word, Excel and PowerPoint viewer and editor that can read and write native files. No more conversions are needed.
Drive Mode - Simple toggle application that turns on/off USB mode.
Expense -
Favorites - Simple application launcher
Files - Finally, an actual file manager. Not nearly as good as File Man, but it's a start.
Hotsync
Media - Picture and Video (MPEG1) viewer
Prefs
RealPlayer - Digital audio (MP3, Real Audio) player
VersaMail - Email client
Blazer - Web Browser
World Clock

Included on the CD:
Palm Desktop 4.1 for PC and Mac
File Transfer (Windows only)
Microsoft Outlook Conduits (Windows only)
Phone Link Updater
Quick Install (Windows only)
Documents to Go Desktop and Conduit (Windows only)
Send to Handheld Droplet (Mac only)

Bonus Software:
Adobe Acrobat Reader - PDF file viewer
eReader - My favorite eBook Reader
RealPlayer Desktop - Desktop
Audible (URL)
VPN (URL)
Websphere (URL)
AOL Mail access software

Not a lot has been changed / added to the T5 as far as software goes. The interface remains pretty much unchanged from the T3. The bottom toolbar still gives you access to the quick screen rotation and soft Graffiti popup. Clicking the clock display will allow you to see more info about the PDA and change the screen brightness setting.

Click thumbnails to see full size images.

The agenda screen still exists in the Calendar application. I like this overview screen as it gives me all the pertinent info I need for the day like the Pocket PC's Today screen.

All the other standard calendar views are there as well.

The new additions to the OS include the Drive Mode toggle application, the File manager, Media viewer application and the new Favorites launcher.

The Drive Mode application is simple to use. When you launch it, there is one big button to tap to turn the Drive Mode (USB mounting) on.

If you have the T5's USB cable plugged into your PC and turn the Drive Mode on, it will instantly mount a drive on the PC that you can drag and drop files to.

The new file manager called Files, is a simple application that allows you to navigate through the Internal memory partition. You can copy, delete, move, rename, beam and open files.

The Media viewer is an easy to use picture / video (MPEG1) viewer and slideshow program.

The Favorites application is basically just a simple launcher that you can use instead of using the application view. You can arrange icons on 4 different screens and have a background image. Personally, I just use the good old application view...

On the desktop (Windows only), we get a new program too. It is called File Transfer and is a drag and drop file manager for the T5. With this program you can copy, move, delete, and rename files in the internal memory partition, SD cards. Copying files to and from the PC are pretty quick.

So, what's the bottom line on this PDA? I would have to say that my overall feeling is ho-hum when it comes to the T5. Yes, it has 256MB of memory which is nice, but SD cards are really cheap these days, so who cares. That said, the fact that the memory is non-volatile is a great feature. The only other halfway interesting feature is the USB mode which really doesn't give me any goose bumps. Why oh why couldn't this PDA have had OS 6 and WiFi built in?

T3 users, I suggest that you not upgrade to this new model unless you're just dying to spend $400 on basically the same thing you already have minus the slider and extra memory. Those of you that have PDAs that are several years old and are looking to upgrade to the T5, I would say that if you can't wait a few more months for the OS 6 devices, the T5 is a solid performer and should serve you well.

Price: $399 Find best prices here.

Pros:
256MB of memory
Non volatile memory
USB Mode
No slider

Cons:
Plastic case
Lack of built in WiFi
No voice recorder