Entered CNET Catalog: 04/06/2005
SKU: 1971034
Manufacturer: Palm
Product summary
The good: Integrated Bluetooth; outstanding battery life; compact and sleek; faster processor; sharp color screen; includes Palm OS 5.4 and Documents To Go 7.0.
The bad: Lacks Wi-Fi; no voice recorder; sluggish when numerous apps are open; no user-replaceable battery.
The bottom line: The Palm Tungsten E2 delivers the sleek and affordable combination of productivity and entertainment in a package that should satisfy mobile professionals and consumers alike.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/13/2005
The E2's improved 3.7-inch-diagonal TFT color screen shines brightly, taking center stage. While it keeps the 320x320-pixel resolution of the Tungsten E, the new PalmOne now displays 65,536 colors instead of 64,000, and the difference is noticeable. Everything looks sharper, a little brighter, and a little more vivid, and it's readable even in direct sunlight. Just below the screen is a virtual input area with one-touch access to the Home page, with Menu on the left side, while Favorites and a search function sit on the right. Unlike the Tungsten T5, however, there's no handy taskbar along the bottom to quickly launch other applications or to switch the screen to Landscape mode. You do, however, get four standard customizable shortcut keys (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and Notepad, by default) and a five-way navigation toggle. The keys are spacious, though set deeper within the case, rather than slightly raised above the surface, so they require a little effort to press--not a deal breaker but something to be aware of.
On top of the device, you'll find an SDIO/MMC expansion slot, a power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones, and an infrared port. There's a stylus holder on the right, and as with the T5, the stylus is elegant and sturdy like a fine fountain pen, as opposed to the dinky, plastic variety.
Like all the new PalmOne devices, the Tungsten E2 now uses a multiconnector USB cable with one-button HotSync operation. Extras are sparse; there is no desktop cradle included in the box ($50 optional), but it comes with a faux leather flip cover, which slides into a slot on the left side, and a power adapter. With the added Bluetooth technology, you can take advantage of other accessories, such as keyboards and GPS receivers.
PalmOne wasn't shy when dishing out the upgrades to last year's Tungsten E. Building on that solid foundation, the Tungsten E2 is powered by a faster 200MHz Intel XScale processor and comes with 32MB of nonvolatile flash memory, 26MB of which is user-accessible. The latter is important: it preserves your precious data if your PDA decides to call it quits, and it increases the battery life in the same breath. This amount of memory will provide you plenty of storage for your PIM needs, but you'd better stock up on a memory card or two for storing music and videos.
Integrated Bluetooth also makes a debut with the PalmOne Tungsten E2, letting you Web cruisers, e-mail addicts, and mobile professionals make the most of your time on the road. There's a Bluetooth utility to turn on the radio and to set up compatible devices. We were able to connect to a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC and wirelessly beam contact information with no problem. Alas, there's no built-in Wi-Fi on the E2, but we're not quick to criticize this omission. Although there's no excuse for the lack of Wi-Fi on the Tungsten T5, the E2 is more of an entry- to midlevel gadget. If you still crave Wi-Fi, PalmOne says it will update the driver to its Wi-Fi card in May to support the E2, and the price will drop to $99. Another item worth noting: the E2 battery isn't user-replaceable. And once again, we're disappointed by the E2's lack of a voice recorder--generally a must-have in a business-friendly device.
On the software front, the E2 gets an upgrade to Palm OS 5.4, which includes DataViz's Documents To Go 7.0, though there's still no sign of Palm OS 6.0. The latest edition supports native Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint (view-only on Macs) so that you can view and edit documents on the go. In addition, the program boasts an improved user interface and supports active Web links in Word documents. Also new to the E2 is the Favorites view, first introduced in the Tungsten T5. This gives you quick access to your most frequently used applications and files (up to 32), including Web links, while the traditional Applications view displays all the programs on your handheld. Other software goodies include Acrobat Reader, SplashMoney, Web Blazer 4.0, and Memos. And when you feel like a little break, you have RealPlayer for MP3 playback, Kinoma Player for videos, PalmReader for e-books, and of course, Solitaire for amusement.
Overall, the PalmOne Tungsten E2 provided outstanding, though not perfect, performance in our tests. We'll get the bad news out of the way first. Although the company ramped up the device with a 200MHz Intel XScale processor, we experienced small but noticeable delays when switching screens and programs. On the other hand, video performance was smooth, and MP3s sounded loud and clear, with and without headphones and even in noisy environments.The big news here is the outstanding battery life. For CNET Labs' test, we looped a video clip using Kinoma Video player and set the screen at 50 percent brightness. As a result, the new, larger cell ran out of steam after an impressive 5.5 hours--2 hours longer than the Tungsten E. But we were most anxious to test out the company's claim of 10 to 12 hours of MP3 playback--and the E2 delivered with an astounding 11 hours. This is in tune with some of today's top MP3 players and almost on a par with the Apple iPod. It's certainly the best time we've seen to date on a PDA, leaving one CNET editor wondering when she would be relieved of battery-watching duty.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145out of 145 user reviews
dependable, easy to use and lots of apps
Pros: I got a BlueTooth keyboard and I use BlueTooth to sync to computers. The SD expansion allows me to keep updated pictures of my saltwater fish and the family handy. I bought a second one for my wife to track her diabetes.
Cons: Built-in GPS would be nice. I haven't tried the Bluetooth version yet. The touch screen gets hung up in setting mode (touch here, touch here, etc) and I have to reset it, but I believe I got dirt along the edges of the screen protector
out of 145 user reviews
I am hugely disappointed in Palm products
Pros: I should have known better than to buy the second Palm pilot. My first one fried and all the information got lost. I liked the E2 compared to my original E because it had bluetooth and color screen, now it's blank screen. That's right, again!
Cons: The reliability and durability of these products is pathetic. I bought my first Palm pilot in 2005, loaded all of my clients in it, etc and within 1 year, it just didn't power one day. Bought a new one and guess what, yup, same thing.
out of 145 user reviews
It has a digitizer problem after 8 months.
Pros: The Documents to Go is a great program
Cons: Not worth the $180 I paid for it and not worth the time to troubleshoot and fix it myself.
out of 145 user reviews
Don't buy!! Quality Control POOR it's not worth $190
Pros: It has some great application programs to run
Cons: The touch screen went out in 8 months from the time I purchased. Customer Service is not a good troubleshooting site. I was told without troubleshooting the problem to go buy a new digitizer because of my touchscreen issue.
out of 145 user reviews
Lousy Product. Do NOT Purchase.
Pros: I liked everything about it until it stopped working and PALM refused repaid unless I paid for it because I bought it at Staples and not directly from PALM.
Cons: PALM does not stand behind their products. They allow them to be sold in office supply stores, but will not honor the manufacturer's warranty if you do not buy directly from them.
out of 145 user reviews
$200 POS! never works correctly
Pros: nothing works right on this thing. it's been a flop from day one!
Cons: it flashes, won't accept stylus taps, and freezes CONSTANTLY
out of 145 user reviews
Worst electronics product I have ever purchased
Pros: Big screen.
Cons: It only lasts a year.
(I must use this device for work) The battery continously fails and the unit must be opened to disconnect and reconnect the battery for it to work. This ALWAYS happens after the warranty period expires.
Support is non
DO NOT BUY ANY PALM TUNGSTEN E2!!!!
out of 145 user reviews
Wow this product is still being sold
Pros: Nice looking exterior case.
Cons: junk software, doesn't integrate with home PC. many errors on touch screen. no wifi.
There had been numerous errors on the screen. Of all the palms I owned this is the one I bought a OfficeMax no questions asked 1 year warranty. I tried for over 9 months to get the thing to work right. Because it is such a screwy device I didn't have time to waste all day with all it's integration problems and so I finally used my officemax warranty to return it. I did buy a case and several other products that I lost money on but all in all I got rid of the headache. Buy a smartphone
I bought a mobile 6 smartphone that I will be replacing with the blackberry storm thursday.
Updated on Nov 16, 2008I can't say it enough times, buy a smartphone instead, just as long it isn't a Palm. My friends with Palm 700s lose calls all the time. It just doesn't ring when the calls come in.
out of 145 user reviews
fragile, buggy, battery-draining, and expensive
Pros: The theory is brilliant, as is the screen. The desktop calendar for your computer is terrific.
Cons: I've had four: the first two broke their screens in my back pocket, even when in leather cases. The third froze and wouldn't come back to life. The fourth wouldn't hold a charge and froze repeatedly.
out of 145 user reviews
Can't stand it
Pros: Applicatons
Cons: Screen freeze
out of 145 user reviews
Worse Than Useless
Pros: Absolutely None
Cons: Looses charge, re-sets, and data is wiped out.
Therefore it is worse than useless.
out of 145 user reviews
Calibration way off when older.
Pros: Size, battery life,
Cons: Calibration s/w
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent device
Pros: Great color, graphics
Cons: Memory card max is 1GB
out of 145 user reviews
Unreliable touch screen and keyboard
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: Failure of touch screen and keyboard function
out of 145 user reviews
Great when it works
Pros: Easy to use. enough memory for a moderate user like myself - no photos or videos, just programs. But I use it very frequently for calendar, journal, notes, tasks, and other apps.
Cons: It breaks down too quickly. Problem of view screen in bright light. I had a problem that the touch screen wouldn't calibrate properly.
I love it when it works; but it isn't very reliable. The customer service people are very nice to work with; but you don't want to have to work with them as often as I have.
out of 145 user reviews
Not user friendly- Poorly build
Pros: Good toy/nice for kids
Cons: Not for proffesionals
out of 145 user reviews
GREAT product, little support, poor componets.
Pros: Stylish design, wide selection of programs, and execellent expandability.
Cons: Wiring/battery componets.
out of 145 user reviews
Awful. Don't buy it
Pros: When it works it is wonderful, but it doesn't work
Cons: Software glitches and just stops working
out of 145 user reviews
An intermediate product, perfect for beginners. When old, can be used as an ultra-MP4!
Pros: The simplicity, great resolution and brightness, perfect media support (especially the MP3 files) and it's very nice to editt files.
Cons: Low memory capacity, no Wi-Fi, bad Bluetooth conection and that hateful Graffiti space under the screen.
Talking about the product, in general, I can describe it with only one word: INTERMEDIATE. The product is good for tech-beginners and it's equally good for profesisonal users. It has so many good point as its bad points. Depending of the use you will make of it, the Tungsten E2 can be and excellent investment... or not.
With little program updates (I reccomend, for new users, to update the Documents To Go and buy new music and photo programs) it becomes an excellent product. It's very nice making charts in the Excel and writting documents with the Office, supported by Documents To Go. The bad point is the awful PowerPoint edition, that allows the user only to write a few words in the slides.
The media support is Tungsten's trump: the sound quality (only MP3, but new programs can enlarge the sound files supported) is perfect and the videos' display is good (Palm INC says that it supports MPEG, AVI, WMP and WVA, but don't believe it. The unique excellent supported video file is the AVI). About photos and other images, it supports almost all the existing image' files. If you bought a new PDA or laptop, or the Tungsten E2 simply become to old, it can be used as an MP4.
Tungsten's worst imperfection is it's mediocre memory capacity (32MB), but that problem can be solved with a SD Card (it supports the maximum of 512MB - more than that can damage the product). There's no wireless conection, but you can buy a Wi-Fi Card (be carefull: this card consumes a lot of battery power). It's bluetooth conection is terrible, so don't even try to use it or you will have to "fight" against lots of bugs! Oh, and there is that detestable Garffiti space under the screen! It reduces thet screen size and it's completly useless! If Palm INC persists in making this thing, it could be, at least, digital (like the TX one).
In brief, the Palm Tungsten E2 is an ideal product for any non-exacting user. It's a product with a solemn design and a simple and useful operating system (the nice Palm OS), perfect as being "the first palmtop you've ever bought".
out of 145 user reviews
Expensive paper weight
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: The digitizer is a piece of crap.
out of 145 user reviews
At its best, this device is only so-so; this one failed early.
Pros: Easy to back up data on PC or laptop, accepts memory card.
Cons: Undependable, rather ho-hum features, mp3 player is mediocre, and no voice recorder.
out of 145 user reviews
Digitizer design flaw
Pros: Basic functions do what they are required to do
Cons: The digitizer is defective. When you attempt to use the keyboard, particularly on the left side of the keyboard, you must strike the key to the left of the key that you actually want.
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent PDA for casual use; good for higher level use
Pros: screen, SD card slot, applications available
Cons: lack of memory, some applications are difficult to run
out of 145 user reviews
What a joke!
Pros: Nice features
Cons: Doesn't work
Not compatible with my phone
Not compatible with my operating system
Not compatible with my Bluetooth dongle
Took many HOURS to set up hotsync due to incompatibility issues.
Stopped syncing after a few syncs.
Now I need to start from scratch, but I'll loose important info from my Palm.
I can't count on this product, and I need to be able to.
I was a diehard Palm fan. I'm looking for new options.
out of 145 user reviews
Do not waste your money
Pros: None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
Cons: The whole thing is junk.
I have had three of these things over the past five years, an average of one every 19 months. The first one, an original Tungsten E lasted 2 1/2 year. the second (an E) lasted 23 months. The last E2 lasted a lousy 6 months. Everytime it's been a battery issue. These supposed Palm engineers need to design this thing with a consumer replaceable battery. They just have no longevity to them. When they worked, they did what they were supposed to do.
But the worst part of Palm is their absolutely fictional excuse they call technical service. It's just not there. When you contact them, all you get told is to either do a soft, warm, or hard reset. They do not have any desire to aid the customer whatsoever.
And a 90 day warranty? I got a better warranty on my electric toothbrush at Walmart.
Once they have your money that's it; next sucker, I mean customer.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!
out of 145 user reviews
Problems after four months
Pros: Easy to use desktop
Cons: Unit freezes - locks with white panel until runs out of power.
out of 145 user reviews
Bad Battery Life
Pros: Bright Screen, fast system, great operating system
Cons: Bad Battery, lousy and expensive accessories
out of 145 user reviews
This is definately the best handheld that I have ever used.
Pros: Memory card reader (SD); Graffiti 2; Bluetooth; Flash memory
Cons: External speaker located on the back, facing away from the user; no Wi-Fi
out of 145 user reviews
A good basic hand held/w some good featrues
Pros: Bluetooth capable, Rechargeable, Bright Color Screen, Expandable Memory up to one gig per card
Cons: Bluetooth has limited phones to connect to, Wireless sync works and sometime not, No user replaceable battery
out of 145 user reviews
slow response & poor quality
Pros: palm os, screen resolution
Cons: slow, poor quality case & digitizer
out of 145 user reviews
A COMPLETE Waste of money
Pros: None
Cons: Where do I start?
I took it back for a refund, and I am now using a HP hx2190.
Also, the screen makes an annoying high-pitched noise, which Palm considers 'normal'.
Steer clear of ALL Palm devices.
out of 145 user reviews
Functional for 1 Year -- Poor Response to Stylus
Pros: Bright, Sleek looking,
Cons: Freezes, No WiFi, Low Memory for pictures
E2 did OK--it's slow in loading pictures and the quality of picture were only OK also. The E2 has just frozen for good on me. It does not respond to the stylus at all, although the buttons work. It froze when I tried to recalibrate the stylus but the software went into an infinite loop, I was tapping forever before I figured out I was getting nowhere. It's a disappointment that the E2 didn't even last me 2 years.
I bought the extended repair warranty and they're giving me some money back...time to shop for a better PDA.
out of 145 user reviews
Hide more than you might think!
Pros: Battery duration; slickness; screen quality;
Cons: Short rom; pre-installed softwares; lack of wifi;
more than one year that I buyed the E2, I'm using it everday everywhere: with a portable keyboard, an usb roller extension and a rescue charger(It doesn't need one but I really use the tungsten so it's a security mesure for long hard work). I'used to be a laptop users for many years, but my work as stud being essentially reading, studying and typing report, the E2 imposed itself as a great office tools. I've got a bluetooth gps adapter that works really well, the bluetooth phone linking works perfectly for my nokia(6230), so email, gps, documents to go and many other tools are fiting perfectly in it. Otherwise they are some default that really pissed me off: the major one- the more u adds softwares the more it's being buggy(many many reset), I think i've never had a session that last more than 5 minutes where I didnt'have to reset it. The other one: 28mb of ram, it's a joke! with those pre-installed softwares which are sorts of premium version of the officials sharewares . So when u need to upgrade those rom software you lose the place occupied by them. And with 28mb it's going really fast(I'll never understand why so few mb, although an ipaq 3years older has already 64mb). So you're really limited with the improvements. But palm os stays a really light platform, so you can manage. moreover, it's no-more-than-one GB sd slot might be frustating, if you want a sort of ipod-pad. Despite those fact, it's a great compagnion for moving students that need a kind of a little laptop that you can put in your pocket without creating a great hole in it.
Summary: It can be a totally versatile device but you need to perform some tricks on it.
out of 145 user reviews
Custer service is the worst I have ever had!!!!!
Pros: The machine is great when it stays running.
Cons: The service I received from Palm and Best Buy where by far the worst customer sevice I have ever received.
out of 145 user reviews
Worst Palm Ever - A Real Zero
Pros: It is compatible with previous palms.
Cons: We have had 2 quit in less than 6 months
Please be warned that the E2 has serious screen problems and is not the quality product of previous Palm products.
out of 145 user reviews
DON'T BUY THIS ONE!
Pros: Bright Screen
Cons: "FIND MORE" doesn't work. Palm doesn't care.
There is a find button to search for information in your Palm. It brings up 8 lines of information. HOWEVER, the "find more" button doesn't work! It simply repeats the same 8 contacts again and again. My Palm Vx did not have this DEFECT.
Unfortunately I didn't read any reviews until after I bought this. ALL users have this same problem but Palm refuses to do anything about it. I thought I could trust Palm to produce a product that works.
This isn't a user issue or a broken product issue.
This is a functionality issue.
The "solution" from Palm is to PAY a 3rd party at your own expense to make this function work.
out of 145 user reviews
What a stress reliever
Pros: I can keep track of everything I need to
Cons: No instruction manual
Keeping track of everything I need to is no longer a stress on my work life all because of the E2. No more little memo's all over my desk, or loose papers all over the place. Definitely helps me be more organized, at work and home. The graffite feature takes a little getting used to, but once you do it's really handy.
(could have came with a manual though)
out of 145 user reviews
..e 2 hakkýnda...
Pros: elektronik teknisyen
Cons: .............
out of 145 user reviews
Initially nice, overall - never again
Pros: Price and previous reputation.
Cons: Poor reliability and very poor warranty and customer service.
out of 145 user reviews
Watch Out!
Pros: Looks nice on your desk.
Cons: Too easy to delete all files.
out of 145 user reviews
Have sent it back for repair three times
Pros: When it works, it has been a good product
Cons: Cant get the power button to turn on : constant problem
out of 145 user reviews
not good-wouldn't buy it again
Pros: larger fonts
Cons: doesn't sync with outlook using outlooks features
out of 145 user reviews
As the saying go's You get what you pay for....
Pros: Cheap, has nice features only for the first couple of months
Cons: You get what you pay for. This to me is not a good deal.
out of 145 user reviews
Good for everyday use. Not great for multi-tasking
Pros: Easy to use, good desktop application use. good clarity and storage.
Cons: Battery dies too quickly. Slow transition between applicaitons. Cache memory size too small.
out of 145 user reviews
Good for non-demanding users
Pros: Good screen size, SD slot (not Micro-SD, which is nice) good customizability
Cons: Touchscreen is a bit glitchy, mediocre performance, runs slow with some programs, and only 32MB Memory
Having only 32MB of space was a pain, having an SD card is a necessity. As a result of low storage, it has abysmal memory. 4MB of memory for running programs, and the processor speed doesnt help that very much.
Any demanding program will at least slow down, if not crash the E2.
The Five-way nav in the center was good for vertical and confirming, but I still havent gotten used to using it for left or right (after having an E2 for a few months now) which can be frustrating, as the touchscreen has a few glitches.
If you dont press hard enough on the screen, it thinks you're touching it an inch or two toward the top left corner, which can throw you off with the keyboard.
Overall, as long as you dont use a lot of games or demanding programs, you should be fine. Battery life is pretty nice, has Bluetooth, MP3 playing, and several other capabilities.
out of 145 user reviews
Very good, but could do with more features
Pros: large screen, sleek design, good battery life
Cons: sometimes hangs when changing apps
out of 145 user reviews
Do not purchase Tungsten E2
Pros: Good functions, color, memory. Easy to navigate.
Cons: Input device flawed.
out of 145 user reviews
Good product if you don't have high expectations
Pros: Does most of the basic Palm functions well.
Cons: Find function is flawed. Writing area wears out.
out of 145 user reviews
Great, handy PDA for the money.
Pros: Beautiful screen, Bluetooth, flash memory.
Cons: Case shows smudges/scratches easily, screen whine, built-in Media app does a horrible job with videos
out of 145 user reviews
Buyer Beware
Pros: Good screen resolution, Color display
Cons: Crashes a lot, horribly sluggish response, unresponsive input, cumbersome hot sync cable, cumbersome "quick unlock" feature
So after deciding to return to the palm market I learned, much to my dismay, that there are now only three Palm OS devices on the market in the major electronics stores. The Z22, the Tungsten E2 and the TX. The Z22 was an obvious piece of crap from the first time I laid my hands on one in the store. It had a horrible screen resolution, tiny screen, and toy like interface with only two front panel buttons. So I decided to go with the Tungsten E2 since I didn’t really need the WiFi available in the TX (see my above reasons for owning a PDA). I was immediately disappointed by so many things. The cumbersome hot sync cable (no cradle included) which you have to force into the base of the unit, the small screen size, the often unresponsive screen which has difficulty recognizing the already cumbersome graffiti strokes thus requiring multiple corrections (it’s actually faster to hunt and peck on the tiny virtual keyboard), the multiple crashes and resets (so many I have lost count but greater than 50 in 10 days), the excessively sluggish response when changing screens. I realized when I bought the unit that there might be “small but noticeable delays when switching screens and programs” as indicated by the CNET editor’s review. Unfortunately I think that the two lines of text mentioned in that review about response time drastically understated this problem in that I have had to wait in excess of 20 seconds for the E2 to think about how it was going to get from one screen to the next. This is more than “small but noticeable” in my mind. Furthermore the added “security feature” of a “quick unlock code” is more cumbersome than entering a long code using the unresponsive graffiti. This feature used a graphical interface that allows the user to program a series of (unnumbered) icon presses (icons are shaped like directional arrows) in a particular order that is supposed to allow for more “quickly” unlocking the unit when reentering this same code. These TINY icons are arranged around a circular image (which also functions for input). The icons are so tiny that they allow successful pressing only those with the greatest of dexterity and keenest of hand-eye coordination. Unfortunately due to the previously mentioned unresponsiveness, often the pressed icons are not recorded and you cannot back up to correct the entry, you have to clear the entire entry and start again. Add to that, when reminders occur and the device was locked, I could not input the code to unlock it until I had acknowledged or postponed all of my reminders, which, with the sluggish response time, took about 7 seconds per reminder. Do the math… just 4 reminders took almost 30 seconds to clear and that doesn’t include the time it took to fumble through the cumbersome unlock sequence. So much for a “quick” unlock feature. Heaven forbid you need to access what's on the PDA quickly. I’m not even going to get into the useless flap of cardboard wrapped in faux leather that Palm calls a “cover” which only served to get in the way while I was trying to “crack the code” to get into my PDA. True screen protection requires the added expense of a separately purchased protective case.
I have no idea why this unit has so many design flaws and still made it to market. The resolution, the memory, the Bluetooth compatibility, the reportedly outstanding battery life, and the theoretical possibilities purported by Palm do not come close to making up for these ridiculous nuisances which render it impractical if not virtually unusable inspite of these supposed advantages (thus the extremely low score). Additionally, I would have hoped for Palm to have eventually graduated from graffiti to true handwriting recognition like the Decuma Input software that was available on my Sony Clie (which uses Palm OS), particularly in light of the increasing memory available on today’s handheld PDAs. But I know this is too much to expect given that it seems they can’t even design a basic smoothly functioning unit anymore. I guess I will give it one last effort to see if the TX is any better and, if not, I will regrettably have to move to a CE device, or worse yet…a PDA phone/brick.
out of 145 user reviews
Very Bad Customer Service
Pros: Accessibility is excellent
Cons: Customer Service Sucks!
out of 145 user reviews
Great PDA. It is definitely an improvement.
Pros: Sleek, large screen, bluetooth
Cons: Wifi seperate, no media player software.
out of 145 user reviews
not worth it
Pros: good display, most programs work, easy to manage
Cons: non digital writing area, always crashing, hard time playing videos
out of 145 user reviews
Hotsynch problems abound
Pros: long battery life, good color
Cons: Hotsynch problems abound
out of 145 user reviews
Poor quality control, cheaply made, limited universal search, frequent crashes, annoying support
Pros: Great form factor , screen readability, battery life
Cons: Poor quality control, limited universal search, frequent crashes, annoying support
What happened to the quality of the III and 600 series? What happened to American tech support? I love speaking to Carmelita in Manilla, who calls herself Megan and makes me repeat everything 6 times, until she can repeat it herself. "Is that right, sir, you are having a problem with your Palm Pilot E2?" No, I called hoping to find a Phillipina nerd mail-order bride.
If you can stomach the tech support, get the Palm extended warrantee. They have an advance-return feature which mean's they'll send you a refurbished unit which works worse than your broken one, before having to return yours. You have to give them a credit-card number for collateral, but it's better than being without your data for weeks.
I'll probably buy another one, not because I like the E2, but because they only last 3 - 6 months and there don't seem to be any good alternatives out there. There used to be a very talented electrical engineer who would upgrade the memory on Palm pilots - it worked extremely well; orders@palmpilotupgrade.com
out of 145 user reviews
Do not buy this product! - what happened to Palm?
Pros: Looks good
Cons: 90 day guarentee - internal battery lasts 6 months only
out of 145 user reviews
Lack of QA, both in hardware and software, ended it for me
Pros: Inexpensive; simple to use familiar key strokes; tons of 3rd party app support
Cons: Quality control and support fail the E2; Windows sync software lacks ability to work with restricted users without unsupported hacks
1) There’s no support for users with restricted Windows accounts (e.g. not local administrators) without unsupported hacks. With Windows Vista this should be very interesting given how Vista handles even domain admin accounts.
2) Base level support outside US. Reps have been difficult to understand.
3) The included "cover" if opened for a long time will not stay closed as it gets a "memory" of being opened and tries to reopen. One must rest the E2 face down to get the memory to return to "closed" from open.
4) The screen "buzz" is so loud that in a room with multiple computers the E2 is all you hear when it's on. Tech support reps, which again were difficult to understand, tried to tell me that it was "normal for a LCD screen to buzz" and I even found an article on their web site, Solution ID: 31651, that claims it's normal. I've personally never heard a LCD device buzz/hum at all, let alone so loud that it's the loudest thing in a room. In my experience LCDs make no noise, even 24" wide screen LCD Dell monitors are absolutely, 100% quiet when on (or off).
5) No support for Windows Vista at this time (as of 28 Dec 2006) even though we have licensed Vista RTM here as part of a Microsoft licensing agreement. Palm said it will would be sometime in 2007 before they supported Vista, but they would not commit to a date nor on support for older Palm-based products which could leave many out in the cold. Here’s hoping that Palm will support all viable Palm products, state-of-the-art or not when they finally ship Vista-compliant software.
Needless to say, with the screen buzz/hum, I’ve returned mine and will be looking for another brand that better support Windows and doesn’t sound like a dentist’s drill’s buzz.
out of 145 user reviews
Many steps backward - avoid like the plague
Pros: Can't think of any
Cons: Fatal bug in search function, SLOW, connection confusion
The search function is crippled, since you only see the first 8 matches. I tried to download some patches but they didn't fix the problem. I gave up. This thing is supposed to make me more productive, not soak up spare time that I don't have.
The thing is SLOW, much slower than the Tungsten E that I was using (and was perfectly happy with until the battery stopped charging). There is a very irritating lag between drawing the script and seeing the result... by the time I realize I've entered the wrong character I have written a couple more, which makes it more difficult to correct.
Finally, a pet peeve. Palm have introduced not one but two 'innovative' connectors, one for power and one for data. THE WORLD DOES NOT NEED YET MORE INCOMPATIBLE CONNECTORS. If this was the only device I connect to the wall plug and my computer, it would be no big deal, but it's not. Why can my Blackberry both recharge and sync via a standard USB cable, while the Palm requires me to keep track of two additional connectors, snaking the data connector to the back of my computer whenever I want to sync the Tungsten?
I have used various versions of the Palm for years, but the company has lost it. The only reason I'm still using this is that I haven't settled on a replacement. Any suggestions?
out of 145 user reviews
Good PDA for value
Pros: Easy to learn, not expensive
Cons: Poor battery life per charge cycle, unable to read windows applications.
out of 145 user reviews
Very Disappointed
Pros: Good Device, but with major problems
Cons: I have not had one last more than 4 months
out of 145 user reviews
Have been using it since 2003 with no data failures
Pros: No cradle; takes memory cards for extra storage; plays music
Cons: Battery life only @ 4 hours with full charge; incompatible with freeware Metro (public transport software)
out of 145 user reviews
Product has a programming flaw with NO free fix.
Pros: New screen is much better than older units
Cons: The Find function only returns one screen of data - if you want a fix you must pay for it out of your own pocket!
That's right - I called Palm offshore support and they said there isn't a fix, I needed to go to an aftermarket vendor, and buy a new 'find' program at an additional cost. That's like buying a car that won't turn left and being told to take it to a mechanic and pay for it out on your pocket.
I'm upset to say the least.
Palm had gone down the tubes in my opinion.
out of 145 user reviews
Unexpected problems
Pros: A PALM - easy to use, especially for PALM users
Cons: Reliabilty is an issue
This one is different - sleak, less heavy, with a colour display (of course), still a PALM and easy to operate - but it lets me down more than once in a while. It crashes more or less regularly when performing a free text search, but worse: since recently its touchscreen has started losing alignment BIG time all the time, and often is difficult and very tedious to re-adjust, if possible at all. I have talked with PALM support about the problem, but they dont want to know about it since the 1-yr-warranty has expired. Shame! It will be my last ever PALM.
out of 145 user reviews
too many bugs
Pros: Nice color
Cons: Freezes to often
out of 145 user reviews
I had to replace 3 Tungsten E's under extended warranty
Pros: It does all I want it to, and more. Still on the first one!
Cons: The E will read a 2GB card. The E2 will not..
out of 145 user reviews
Good start. Bad down the stretch.
Pros: Convenient on-screen interface. Good desktop interface.
Cons: Freezes ona regular basis. Battery life degrades quickly. Charging circuitry unreliable.
out of 145 user reviews
Does everything I need
Pros: Really easy to use
Cons: Way too many "fatal faults that require reset or actual replacement of the unit.
I love it when it works, but I have to spend an incredible amount of time reloading software and restting the PDA to eliminate fatal faults. I have just had to trash my second E2.
out of 145 user reviews
Pretty Good But Mine Has Been Quirky
Pros: Nice Size, Great Screen and Like the MP3 player
Cons: Sometimes slow accessing pgms and crashes
out of 145 user reviews
Great Handheld until it hits 10 month mark
Pros: Light. Simple to use.
Cons: No idea of when it's time to recharge. Need to reset to get system to turn on.
out of 145 user reviews
what happened to the pda?
Pros: clean looks/styling, modestly priced, nice features (for lower end model)
Cons: poor ergonomics, lack of durability, expensive accessories
this is actually my fourth palm pda ever, and sadly the one i'm the least impressed with. i picked this one up as what appeared to be a nice balance between cost and features (ones i wanted like bluetooth and dock compatable, and ones i didn't want like wi-fi). at the same time, i purchased the hard case. i also found a dock after some hunting...
i paid $40 for the case, and $50 for the dock... the case broke after a few months (cheap internal clasp snaped), and the dock is just cheap...
enough about the accessories, though. here's the things i've experienced... the finish on the stylus discolored very quickly. it's not been good for any sort of extended use (being so thin makes it a bit harder to hold, and the buttons aren't the most thought out). it's developed this faint, high-pitched whine to it - probably from repeated screen tapping maybe a bit too hard. (my usage didn't change, and this the first palm to ever suffer from this.)
if you want to look at this is a generic pda, don't have the greatest of expectations over what it is and will be, and find appox. $200 to be inexpensive, feel free to take a chance on this... this is the only poor palm i've ever owned, 3 out of 4 kicked butt, so i can't suggest avoiding palm altogether. if i were to do it again, i'd invest the extra $100 and get the t|x model...
out of 145 user reviews
First time buyer
Pros: start right out the box, easy of use & sync
Cons: no wi-fi, bluethoot hard to config,
the palm cover must be a sad thought from someone at palm's design department
out of 145 user reviews
TUNGSTEN E2 IS BAD FOR BASIC PALM FUNCTIONS
Pros: New look. Smoother screen. Better colours. More functions.
Cons: Very bad find function. Abysmally slow speed.
(a) FIND FUNCTION. The find function is faulty. In any of the other Palm handhelds including the Sony Clie series, once the find function was used, eight matching sets would come in the first window; on tapping 'find more', it would be on a global search and find the next eight matches and so on. In case of the Tungsten E2 only first eight entries located, when 'find more' is pressed, it goes back to first eight and thus does NOT EXECUTE A GLOBAL SEARCH.
(b) SUPPORT SITE. I queried this from the 'Support Knowledge Library' on Internet and found that this was a universal problem (solution ID: 38782). I was asked to procure additional software. I think this is a very incorrect and improper. The find function of the Palm Tungsten E2 does not work as it did in previous models and is expected. This is an obvious shortcoming. It must be corrected without any charge for users. Ironically this problem in a Tungsten T5 can be corrected by installing a Tungsten T5 update.
(c) EXTREMELY SLOW SPEED. Unlike the Sony Clie TJ27 or the Palm Tungsten E, the 'find function' was very slow. I found it to be abysmally slow as compared to my old Sony Clie SJ22 which is over four year old and Sony Clie TJ27 which is exponentially faster. With upgradation of model from Tungsten E which functions perfectly, it is not understood how the find function has got these shortcomings and is so PAINFULLY slow. It cannot be accepted. Most of the time the PDA goes off after the 'find' is pressed and first few entries are found.
(d) COVERING (SMUDGING) OF ENTRIES. In the find function, the entries get covered or smudged by some other portion of the data entry in reverse highlight. In the earlier models, the find function correctly highlighted the entry made in the find dialogue box in reverse highlight. In this case the entry is 'overlaid' by some portion of the data in the same entry and one has to go to 'edit mode' to actually read the original entry which was to have been found.
(e) FIVE WAY BUTTON. In the previous models of Palm as also Sony, individual page entries in 'contact' and 'memos' mode could be changed by pressing the five way button up or down. This was so in all other Palms including the Tungsten E where by using the five way button or jog dial, one moves to the next entry in the 'page mode' whether it be a contact or memo. In the memo mode if the entry was long it would not only move to the next entry but, if at the end of a category, would also jump to the first entry at the next 'Category'. In the Tungsten E2 if one is scrolling by using five way navigator it goes to the bottom of each page each page entry. Once comes to the end of the contact it goes back to the top, ie it does NOT go to the next page. In the Memo mode it simply goes to the end of memo and one gets a 'beep' alarm. It is thus very exasperating whenever one wants to pan through contacts page by page, one has to go back to the index mode in each case and press to open each individual page entry. As mentioned above, this too, is an obvious defect which was not there in earlier Palms.
(f) ON SCREEN KEY BOARD. In the On Screen Numeral Key board (ie, 123) when pressed is OK. However, when the cursor is blinking on the text the top line of the numeral block ie, 1, 2 & 3 is cut off as also some of the figures.
This product just does not match up. I will not recommend it to any one!
out of 145 user reviews
Works Great! Just remember to restart the computer after installing sync software
Pros: Affordable, Bright Screen, Ease of Use, Bluetooth sync worked first try, Mac OS compatible (iCal, iSync, Address Book)
Cons: Not a transreflective display (hard to see screen in sunlight), multimedia capabilities out of box is lacking
That said, when I first got this PDA and installed the sync software on my computer, it would not finish syncing no matter what. It turns out that when they say to restart the computer after installing the software they really ment it, I wasted 6 hours of my life trying to get this PDA to sync and all I had to do was restart the computer first. Boy was I angry at myself!
In all this time I have really come to rely on this pda for my organization, my only wish would be a transreflective screen (think gameboy color/advance screens) where you can see the screen just fine in bright sunlight. When I bring this pda outside, I can barely see anything as the backlighting barely outshines the sun.
out of 145 user reviews
Poor Quality - What happened to Palm?
Pros: Nice Colors on Screen
Cons: The connections are horrible
I am done with Palm.
out of 145 user reviews
Bluetooth connection a big problem
Pros: Memory and "Documents to Go" are OK
Cons: Software would not download on Windows XP Professional
out of 145 user reviews
Not what I expected
Pros: Great for storing information, The battery will last for a long time.
Cons: It does not have Wifi. Bluetooth sucks
out of 145 user reviews
Palm fan no more
Pros: Great when it works
Cons: 90 day warrant on a new product -Joke
out of 145 user reviews
needs more applications for music.
Pros: finding applications and useage is somewhat easy.
Cons: music is limited when downloaded,connection with web.
out of 145 user reviews
Tungsten E2, Good Palm. Could be Better
Pros: Bright Screen, Bluetooth
Cons: Lacks Wi-Fi
out of 145 user reviews
Great for First Six months.....then its useless!!!!
Pros: Worked great for 6 months, batt life WAS great, was reliable
Cons: Battery won't charge, crashes, only 3 MONTH WARRANTY
out of 145 user reviews
Do not buy a Tungsten E2.
Pros: Better handwriting recognition than earlier models.
Cons: Crashes for no reason, worst customer service ever.
When I emailed the company's tech support, I got an email saying I would receive a response within 12 hours, and then a customer satisfaction survey about their service 5 days later. Notice there was no advice on troubleshooting between the two. Needless to say, they got 0/10 on all aspects of the survey.
Another member of the lab called their tech support department (which is, apparently, a $40 call if you purchased it more than 90 days before) and was shouted at by one of the customer service reps.
I would not recommend this product to anyone, and am, in fact, going out of my way to inform people that 1) the Tungsten E2 is unstable, and will give you many problems if you had a Palm previously installed on your computer; and 2) their customer service is either rude or entirely absent.
3/10
out of 145 user reviews
Affordable and Very User-Friendly Multi-media/tasked device!
Pros: All the functions of a PDA and a multimedia device
Cons: Small amount of built-in storage
Me and my husband use Pocket Tunes on it to listen to tons of songs when traveling (via our car's tapedeck through the pda's headphone jack).
I like the media player though the converted media being played (video) on it becomes rather large. There's alternatives to this though (i.e, Kinoma Player, Mmplayer).
I'm really happy with my purchase. If it had a built in phone I'd really be set. It can function as one though with its built in blue tooth (by connecting with bluetooth enabled phones).
When I don't feel like sitting at my PC and want to read e-mail or do some other online reading, it connects very fast (even faster with images disabled).
I've used the documents to go function but havent fully utilized it, I just sync a spreadsheet I use daily on it. The little I've done with it makes it very functionable. The PDF reader has also come in handy with some of my e-books.
So far, I use it for web, music, videos, organization and even as a universal remote. Where there's a web there's many more ways to use this device. I say, its a great buy if you're looking for affordability with multi-functions.
out of 145 user reviews
what a waste of my time
Pros: same features as E
Cons: doesn't work anywhere near as well
I have just spent 5 weeks exchanging machines thinking that it was a problem with one palm certainly not all of them. Now I have a $200 store credit at Staples and I have no idea what to do next.
out of 145 user reviews
It won't last...
Pros: sleek, easy to use, cheap
Cons: multiple crashes, poor warranty
Once the warranty was up it started to crash. The screen would go white and you could not reset it. I had to let the power run down and then reset with a power cord. This happened around ten times. Now it will not turn on and will not respond to any type of reset or hotsync. This is even when I plug it in. What good is a PDA if it is unreliable.
The only consolation is that it looks like I'm not the only one. I wonder if the units sold to Staples are defective. Total garbage.
out of 145 user reviews
A great handheld for the low price
Pros: Very long battery life; can do anything the expensive ones can
Cons: Sluggish while doing alot; have some trouble with bluetooth
out of 145 user reviews
Very good overall, but a few small annoyances
Pros: Great Screen, Great Battery life, Bluetooth, expansion slot
Cons: Screen developed a high-pitched hum
out of 145 user reviews
I may be in love
Pros: easy uplink, nice graphics, great price
Cons: expansions questionable, bluetooth...eh
-Mysty
out of 145 user reviews
Piece o' Junk
Pros: Palm OS works nicely
Cons: Everything else
Thanks.
out of 145 user reviews
THEY KNOW THAT THERE SELLING DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY MADE THERE WARRANTY ONLY 90 DAYS.
Pros: It worked fine the first 2 weeks, then the problems started
Cons: Of course like so many others it just stops working, too many too mention
So I call palm and explain my problem and they send me a e-mail 24 hours later threatening me that if I do'nt do exactly what they say in the email that my pda will be refused repair or delayed. How dare they sell me a defective product that so many others are having a problem with and is fully known that so many of these devices are defective and then they send a such a harsh sounding e-mail. And it's a automatically generated e-mail, so it's not like I had a rude customer service representative send it to me. The least they could is appreciate me as a customer.
And you know what the funny thing is that they must know that there selling lots of defective products because they made there warranty only 90 days. It's so obvious.
out of 145 user reviews
Some problems, but good for the basics
Pros: cheaper, does the basics good, bluetooth
Cons: slow when listening to music, small onboard memory
All calendar and stock applications run great, and the computer link to the PDA is good too.
When equipped with a 512 mb sd card, mp3 music is very good quality and there have been no problems getting it on the device.
I am dissapointed at the fact that there is no WiFi, you must purchase a wifi card from palm for 99$, a little steep for me.
The bluetooth did not work as advertised: i can do file transfers with cell phones, other PDA's and computers, but when i connect to my brothers' Apple Ibook with bluetooth, i cannot connect to the internet, even after intense troubleshooting.
overall it is a decent platform that is a good intro, beginner, or cost effective PDA from Palm.
out of 145 user reviews
Into use on Friday. DOA on Tuesday
Pros: Brighter screen. Battery life looked better
Cons: Unit would not turn on.
out of 145 user reviews
DO NOT BUY!!!
Pros: Nothing Good About It
Cons: It has crashed twice in the 5 months that I've had this
This has crashed on me twice already!!! Luckily, the first time it crashed -- it was about a week before the warranty expired, I shipped (at my expense) it back to Palm for repair. It has crashed again -- but now the warranty has expired!!!!
Palm customer service is worthless.
I love the convenience of the PDA.
But, I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER PALM PRODUCT AGAIN!!!
I am not going to waste my money on a bad product and with a company who doesn't care about the quality of their product.
out of 145 user reviews
Good affordable PDA
Pros: Battery Life, Documents To Go, Decent MP3 player
Cons: No Wi-Fi, Only 32MB mem, No multitasking, Graffiti 2 sucks
out of 145 user reviews
Very very poor quality
Pros: Nothing good about it
Cons: Crashed 1 week after I got it
I will never another Palm product again.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
out of 145 user reviews
Great for 60 days.
Pros: holds down paper in high winds
Cons: disposable after 60 days
out of 145 user reviews
Seriously- This product is a dud in disguise
Pros: Great display- decent pre-packaged apps-mp3 support
Cons: Unit died after 8 months
Unfortunately, after 8 months my unit would no longer turn on. I discovered that there are hoards of others out there that have had the same problem and apparently, Palm is refusing to address the fact that there is a serious defect in this product.
After trying all of the online support options - I'm done..
If you want to purchase a device that you'll end up junking after 5-8 months then buy this product.
If you want something reliable then you'll do better to look elsewhere..
out of 145 user reviews
This is a great PDA
Pros: I use this for organizing and some games but the video is okay too (1GB expansion card). Lots of cool utilities and games...
Cons: the screen protectors wear fast and result in choppy performance.
If it needs anything, it is a faster processor (funny how quick you acclimatize) and more on board memory...but for the price, a great PDA.
out of 145 user reviews
Good, but not great
Pros: Sleek, fast, fun
Cons: No built-in wifi
out of 145 user reviews
sleek and easy
Pros: appearance, ease of use, screen quality
Cons: non replaceable battery.
out of 145 user reviews
Russian roulette with your data
Pros: When it works, it's a decent PDA
Cons: Screen stops working without warming
Palm was mediocre, but workable at first. Pros were that it had a nice screen (at first) and good battery life.
CONS-aside from the fact it resets itself several times per day, the screen stopped working shortly after buying it. It was unreadable, with multicolored stripes through the screen. They also will not ship you a replacement in advance unless you pay an extra $40 (if you bought a palm to manage your schedule, chances are you can't wait several weeks to mail it in, have it repaired, and get it back, right?).
After getting the repair, a few months passed, the warranty expired, and the screen broke again. This time it stopped working all together. Palm wanted over $100 to repair it (a month out of warranty). The repair was more than 1/2 the cost of just buying a new one!
Since I did not plan on buying a new version of a model that broke twice and had horrible customer service, I looked for help in the Palm online forums at their website.
Searching for help with "Tungsten E2 won't turn on" I found out many other users have the same problem. So far, around 90 other posts by people with the same problem.
BOTTOM LINE: Palm has a defect in its product, but has horrible customer support and will not acknowledge it. So a flaw in its production may cost you over $100 for a repair. True, most people won’t have the same problem, but would you buy a car from a company that covered up it’s defects and made the consumer pay for it rather than fixing it?
out of 145 user reviews
Tops my "Worst PDA out there" list
Pros: Not a one- it's junk
Cons: "Find" feature useless
out of 145 user reviews
Wonderful!!! But Beware of Retailers
Pros: Fast, Amazing Batterylife, Light, SD Slot, Comes with screen protector in box
Cons: Without a screen protector, screen scratches easily
out of 145 user reviews
I am very disappointed with this device.
Pros: Bright screen and colors.
Cons: I have lots of complaints listed below.
*-> When you're plugging in the cables, if you hold the device from the top, you will inevitably push in the expansion card, causing it to eject and possibly get lost. Bad design.
*-> I had huge problems synching with Lotus Notes. After researching on the web, it seems my version of Palm OS (5.4.7) and HotSync (6.0.1) introduced lots of problems with sync software. My old sync software wouldn't work so I had to trial 3 different sync products before I found one that worked at all and it will cost me an extra $75.
*-> My old Palm IIIc had an LED to indicate the device was charging and would go out when the charge was complete. Not on this one.
*-> The stylus feels like it's dragging the screen - you can feel the friction. Probably because the screen is cheap plastic instead of thin glass as my previous Palm device was. I would prefer the extra weight of the glass and have a slicker, more durable surface.
*-> The flip cover that came with the device is cheap and stiff and doesn't cover the face right. It doesn't fit properly.
*-> The PalmOS interface is crap - the PocketPC is far superior.
1: Unless you install third-party tools, you can't even see files that you've copied to the device. For example, I transferred several MP3's and JPG's to the expansion memory card. Now I don't see them listed anywhere - not even in the Delete or Beam list. I can only see them in an app that recognizes that particular format, but nowhere else. How do I copy, move, delete these files?
2: You get a single level of organization (categories) and that is for applications only. You have almost no control of where files get put or how to find them. Why can't I organize my applications and files in a hierarchical folder system like I can with PocketPC?
3: Apps don't have a 'Close' or 'Exit' function (with very few exceptions). This means if you have an app open, then go to another one, you can't simply close the second app and have the first one still active on the screen. To get out of an app, you only have one choice - go back to the main screen. And that usually means several navigation steps to get back where you were a minute ago.
4: The search functionality crashes my device every time with a "Fatal Error" and requires a reset.
To be fair, here are the things I do like about it:
*-> Small, lightweight case.
*-> Nice bright screen, good colors and resolution.
*-> Metal stylus, heavier than the old plastic one, it feels better in the hand.
*-> Came with Docs-To-Go for no extra charge. This is nice software.
*-> Included a 128 MB memory card.
*-> The Palm Desktop software looks good and is easy to use.
Overall, the more I use this device the less I like it and I'm planning to send it back. This will definitely be the last Palm device I buy. PocketPC costs more but I've learned from this purchase, it's worth the extra money.
out of 145 user reviews
$130.00 to fix a 6 month old E2
Pros: served my purpose
Cons: Only a 90 day warranty
This is no help when the E2 unit dies after 6 months, and Palm wants $130.00 to fix it. For a few dollars more, I can buy a new unit, but it won't be a palm product.
When buying beware of the warranty.
out of 145 user reviews
Great Handheld
Pros: Lots of features,Great Battery Life
Cons: Screen, No WIFI
After Using this product for about 2 years I find myslef to love it even more. It still performs well and the battery has given me no trubble at all. This is a great product but if I wouldn't buy it again I would buy the iphone instead.
out of 145 user reviews
Find function does not work
Pros: bright screen, long battery life
Cons: Find function has not been fixed
What use is a PDA without a Find function? It's about as useful as a database without the ability to Find records.
Palm has known about this problem since the Tungsten first shipped, but has not issued a fix.
I have made several requests for a fix to customer service and even wrote the president a letter. Customer service keeps changing it's story. In August I was told that management decided users did not want a Find function. Now Palm says are working on a fix. The president of Palm never responded to my letter.
I am looking elsewhere. I suggest you do also.
out of 145 user reviews
Not too shabby. it has everything i really want. With a really nice screen.
Pros: Nice and sleek design.
Cons: NO WIFI!!!!
out of 145 user reviews
Hugely unreliable Palm sells too many lemons
Pros: Very nice PDAs if they work
Cons: They don't work far too often
out of 145 user reviews
My first pda
Pros: charges while hooked to computer, security features, audible alarm, easily usable calendar, can program repeating tasks
Cons: Connection cord hard to hook-up, connection cord in a terrible spot
A few pros in case you know nothing about pda's.
1)Has a scribble page where you can scribble down notes on the screen & keep them for later.
2) can set audible alarms at any time before a meeting, or a task.
3) set alarms to notify you of the tasks to get done before the day is over.
4) has a security feature that lets you easily in (if you know the code)
5) has calculator.
6) can import excel, word, acrobat, pictures.
7) has a purchases page to help keep track.
Some cons.
1) There is no clock timer
2) The pda can only be set to stay on for 3 minutes. Terribly Annoying (especially with the security feature) - would be nice to let user determine how long it would stay on.
3) The pda link is on the bottom of the machine - power button & memory stick is on the top. Makes it difficult to plug in my pda.
4) When I connect the pda with the computer, I often get 2 sets of tasks or meetings. This bugs me, but I can live with it. (There are settings to let your pda or computer override the other)
5) could also use a mileage feature (hopeful thinking)
I would buy another.
out of 145 user reviews
Great Organizer
Pros: Easy to read, light
Cons: Software bundle is lacking
out of 145 user reviews
very good for the price
Pros: screen, battery life
Cons: it has no wifi
out of 145 user reviews
Not the best Palm I have owned (and I have had many!)
Pros: Lightweight, Great Screen, Some good software
Cons: Crappy casing, Calculator failed its maths exams. Search function doesn't work
Don't buy this Palm, spend some extra dollars and get the TX instead, or buy a Pocket PC.
out of 145 user reviews
Fair except for ths software bugs
Pros: Color display
Cons: Basic calcualtor percent coding bug
out of 145 user reviews
It Was Love Until.....
Pros: Ease of use, color display, bluetooth connectivity
Cons: Screen cracked within one month of ownership
It's truely disheartening to find that despite the use of a Proporta aluminum-reinforced protective case, without any kind of banging or dropping, the screen has developed a major crack after only one month of use. Investigation indicates that the solid-looking case flexes placing stress upon the screen which caused it to crack.
Although I hope this crack is a one-off fluke kind of thing, I see at least one other complaint from a reviewer on this site about the same type of problem. Noting that there's also a complaint or two on a couple of the Palm user message boards, I have sort of a bad feeling.
Forgot to note in my original review that for users of earlier Palm handheld devices, the switch to Graffiti 2 is somewhat of a hassle, even after a month of use. Considering the brains and capacity of the device, I'm a bit disappointed not to be offered a "original Graffiti" compatibility mode.
out of 145 user reviews
I like my Clie TJ-35 more
Pros: Very bright, sharp screen indoors, excellent battery life
Cons: Constant hiss from headphone jack, poor visibility in sunlight, lack of file manager and USB drive mode, poor program compatibility, crashes, and slowness
The clincher for me to send this thing back is the very noticeable hiss from headphones that is present whenever the power is on, not just when playing audio. Second to that, the poor screen contrast when in sunlight was the next reason for returning it. My TJ-35, while not very good in sunlight, is better than the E2.
The other things that bother me are mostly software compatibility. The Asia game from PDAMill crashes on the E2, and I tried v15 and v16, with and without audio. Also, I use HandBase from DDH Software. One of my databases locks up the E2 with an error, but the same database works fine on my TJ-35. There is no medium font on the E2 in handbase. The small font will give you a headache, and the large font does not show enough info in list view. Also, none of the rocker button directions on the E2 will effect a PageUp or PageDown function. In a long list, you can only move the list one line at a time.
I also use ePocrates, a free drug database. At the end of a HotSync, ePocrates runs what is called DocAlerts. On the E2, this hangs for quite awhile after HotSync is finished. Also, I noticed this first in ePocrates but it happens in other applications: when there is a text entry line, such a search field, it looks like the line is ready to accept text--whatever letters that are in the search field are highlighted, as if anything you wrote would replace them. Not so! Write away, but your text will not show up. You must re-select those letters and then write.
I am also not happy with the stylus. There is a lot of friction or resistance when writing on the screen, which improves slightly with a screen protector. Programs launch slower than on my TJ-35. Graffiti also seems slower to respond--the characters you have written do not show up immediately.
Also, there is no small icon view. There is also no file manager or high speed USB file transfer mode, which is standard on my 2 year old TJ-35. I also think that at least 64 MB of RAM would have been nice.
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent PDA for the price!!!
Pros: Excellent price, Nice style and very bright screen
Cons: Videos are not to good, WiFi card sold separately
out of 145 user reviews
Just what I needed
Pros: Easy to use, long battery life
Cons: Get the hard case
out of 145 user reviews
The Tungsten E2 fits my needs perfectly.
Pros: Fast, easy functioning and quick up-dating of old pilot files
Cons: It doesn't brush my teeth.
out of 145 user reviews
At long last, worth an upgrade from your old PDA
Pros: Great color screen, good programs, quick re-charge
Cons: No wi-fi, inferior graffiti, poor datebook/caledar
The E2 is everything I expected and more. Nice sleek design, beautiful color screen, and able to run 1000s of free and cheap programs. And the new Palm Desktop software is one of the few programs to run properly right out of the box. Within a few minutes my old data was synched onto the E2 and I was up and running. The E2 re-charges while you synch, so I have yet to actually use the charger cord!
On the downside, lack of Wi-Fi is quite annoying and largely eliminates the usefulness of the email features (might as well read it on my PC). The graffiti program is inferior and inefficient for those of us who were raised on handsprings, and the built-in datebook program is mediocre compared to the handspring's datebook+ (though fortunately you can find comparable programs at handango). Re-loading avantgo and vindigo was a bit of a hassle. But these are minor quibbles.
In my opinion, at its current price the E2 provides the best bang for the buck and is worth the upgrade. With an upgradeable OS and expansion slots, the E2 should (hopefully) provide years of pleasure.
out of 145 user reviews
OK Price/Performance
Pros: Nice screen, Bluetooth, MP3 player, WI-FI capable
Cons: Not very quick response, Batteries doesnt last very much
So now, with my new E2 y am pretty happy, but I can see there are better choices
One important thins to understand is that this is a "budget" Palm, so, try to compare with similar equipments in order to choose
Thats why I choose a "GOOD", a 6 points
out of 145 user reviews
Great as my first palm!
Pros: Sharp display images, email on the go, organized
Cons: Not Wi Fi ready
out of 145 user reviews
Poor reliability, brief warranty period, abysmal customer support
Pros: What can be said about a prodcut that doesn't last more than 4 moths?
Cons: To numerous to mention
After 3 weeks of vacation I recharged the battery and the device refused to boot. After yet another bout with the web site tech support informed me that I was out of the 90 day warranty period (90 DAYS!!!!) and that repair would cost $150 US. That's fully 3/4 of the purchase price less than 4 months ago.
I am thoroughly disgusted with Palm One and will never purchase another of their products.
out of 145 user reviews
Amazing PDA
Pros: Affordable, Amazing Battery Life, Comes with case/pens/covers
Cons: Doesn't have built in 802.11b, sluggish if too many apps are open
out of 145 user reviews
Very Reliable, Excellent Battery Life, and Easy to Use
Pros: Light and Compact, Elegant, Stable, and Very Versatile
Cons: 200 mhz processor, 32 mb of Ram but what can you expect from a sub $300 PDA
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent purchase for any serious user
Pros: good battery life and excellent screen
Cons: bluetooth more difficult to set up
out of 145 user reviews
Great PDA for a very reasonable price
Pros: Great battery life, blue tooth, nice display and affordable price
Cons: No built in WiFi, Small built in memory for all the functions
Other than the memory problem, E2 is a great palm like tungsten E. Being a 100 bucks cheaper than T5 its a great value for price.
out of 145 user reviews
major software bug
Pros: bright screen, bluetooth
Cons: "Find" function inoperative beyond 8 contacts
what irritates those of us who bought E2's with high expectations is that Palm refuses to admit a deficiency in this feature, and to ask its clients to wait for a bug fix to be released.
out of 145 user reviews
Tungsten E2 stacks up well with Tungsten E
Pros: Good Screen, Helpful apps
Cons: Slightly Overpriced, but what isnt?
So when the E2 came out it just seemed to be a good move, the new OS and screen work well and we can both use the same apps (Pocket Money, Diet Analysis).
As for stability my E seems to freeze more than the E2, so far...
Over all I am very pleased.
out of 145 user reviews
Lousy support, nice product
Pros: Good display
Cons: Not upwardly compatible.
Upgraded to Tungsten E2 from Tungsten E, lost third party apps databases, palmone memos, palmone contact info(Catagories)
Paid for upgraded ($49.00)phone support and after FINALLY getting thru, was hung up on TWICE.
Will be buying another product soon.
They need to bring their support department back to the United States!!!
out of 145 user reviews
Great Price, Great Product.
Pros: Everything I needed. Great screen, ease of use, and ease of Sync.
Cons: Lack of Wi-Fi without card, Music with MP3 files only. No camera.
out of 145 user reviews
Buyer Beware Dont Waste your Money
Pros: Bluetooth, Battery LIfe, MP3 Player, Great Software
Cons: Screen Cracked after a month not able to fix after I payed for an extended warranty.
out of 145 user reviews
Clear screen, clear software.
Pros: I Like the bright screen.
Cons: The grey screen cover that comes with it, it started to tear immediately. Replace with a proper case.
Only had one fatal error uptil now, while using it about a month already. It may sound 'cliché', but couldn't live without it.
out of 145 user reviews
Specs misleading/Excellent handheld however!
Pros: Compatable with other T line handhelds
Cons: Won't work with some accessories (travel adaptor)
I think the T/E2 is a great handheld, even though I got it as an upgrade when (get this), I CRACKED the power button on my E. Best Buy upgraded it with no problems, and I wasn't even aware that I was being given a E2, until I was given the box. I had bought my T/E when it first came out, and had no complaints, as I wanted an MP3 player, and for the same price could get a Palm handheld too... much better than my Visor Prism. I have had to upgrade no programs, although Laucher X doesn't display percentage of battery usage anymore, but I find that a small thing. Now, with the standardization of the port at the bottom of the E2, I can finally use accessories that I've wanted to for the other members of the T family, like GPS. Only thing I can't use is my travel adaptor, but I count that a small loss... I'll just have to get a new one. What I want to know however, is can I recharge my E2 through the USB port, like I could my E? That worked great when I was on the road, and and I could plug the USB adaptor into the cigarette lighter, and the normal transfer cable into my E.
out of 145 user reviews
Fatal Errors and Hard Resets...
Pros: Display is excellent
Cons: Incompatible with lots of older Palm OS programs
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent Device!
Pros: Great screen, battery life and software improvements.
Cons: a dock would be nice
out of 145 user reviews
Excellent handheld!!
Pros: Has all the features I need
Cons: freezes up occasionally
out of 145 user reviews
Crashes constantly
Pros: None that I could find
Cons: System failure, programs crashed
out of 145 user reviews
Bluthooth communication is a problem
Pros: Great screen
Cons: Cannot get Internet through my cell phone and bluethooth
out of 145 user reviews
Its a good PDA, though the video review is deceiving
Pros: Bright screen, good battery life, fast processor
Cons: Doesnt yet work with WiFi card yet, NVFS can be slow, uses an older processor
out of 145 user reviews
Stick to the Tungsten E not the E2.
Pros: Nice Screen. Updated program layout is nice as well.
Cons: Its the T5 in disguise as the Tungsten E's offspring.
Palm is no longer the leader in easy to use PDAs.
I love my Tungsten E. Its simple. It does what I want it to do - keep me organized. I bought it after I returned the "paper weight" called the T5
So I bought the E2 thinking it can only get better. Well, no. Its seems that they repackaged the T5 as the E2.
I bought the E2 with the WiFi card that Palmone's website promotes as the best thing since sliced bread.
I couldn't get the E2 to synchronize with my old Outlook info without doing some technological acrobatics. Deleting here and there and adding files here and there.
I go to install the WiFi card and the installation software tells me its incompatible with the E2. Must I point out that Palmone's website specifically says that the card is compatible.
Now I am popping antipsychotics to keep from flushing it down the toilet. I try to sync its new Bluetooth capability with my phone. I found out there are only a limited set of phones that can be easily connected. I proceed to manually connect the phone...the PDA will not recognize the phone either!
Arrrrgh!
Time spent = 7 hours trying to get it to sync,30 minutes fooling with the WiFi card, and 30 minutes fooling with the Bluetooth. This includes waiting time for outsourced tech support that was of absolutely no use.
The only thing good to say is, the screen is brighter.
Do not buy the Tungsten E2. Palm is no longer the leader in easy to use PDAs.
Matter of fact I'm going out to buy another Tungsten E, just in case the one I have breaks.
out of 145 user reviews
Why choose a palmone e2 when the Tapwave Zodiac is available?
Pros: It is an improvement over the tungsten e.
Cons: It is not a ground-breaking palm os pda.
The dimensions (length, or mass), or maybe the fact that the landscape orientation is the preferred launch mode for apps on the Zodiac might be a deal-breaker for some people (even though you can rotate the screen mode), and maybe the Zodiac's ergonomic design isn't preferred over a less ergocentric rectangular form, but the Zodiac still has its place in a professional setting. And one deficit, the lack of a car charger, may not be optimum for some people. But there are many things that the Zodiac can do besides the basic pim functions where it has advantages. It is a fully-functional Palm OS pda with other features that happen to be optimized for multimedia applications. And with the potential of the BetaPlayer/TCPMP (The Core Pocket Media Player) that is now in pre-alpha (and some people think it's better than mmplayer or kinoma already for the videos it can handle that choke with the other players) for Palm OS handhelds, you can see more of a video on a Zodiac's 480x320 display than a 320x320 one. But if you want to go with a known name, then maybe the e2 will be what the more "average office pda user" might buy.
If you wanted to, you can search with froogle or pricegrabber and find comparable prices for either the Zodiac 1 or 2.
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3767270/search=tapwave
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=3767272/search=tapwave
Just thought I'd mention another Palm OS pda, even if it isn't a main competitor.
I didn't remember the value correctly. Sorry 'bout that.
out of 145 user reviews
Good, with Enfora it's dynamite!
Pros: Easy to use, w/Enfora battery life for 1 day, WiFi connection
Cons: Total cost of Tungsten and Enfora
out of 145 user reviews
Simply put, dissapointing.
Pros: Improved screen quality.
Cons: 32MB of Ram, still no Wifi, 5 year old processor technology, square screen.
out of 145 user reviews
a slight improvement, but far from groundbreaking
Pros: a bit better than predecessor, added bluetooth
Cons: new filesystem less stable, inexcusably little memory, same res. and size screen
I got one because I needed a PDA and it is not quite as much of a rip-off as the treo which, at more than three times the cost of this unit, isn't much better.
Makes me want to go into the PDA manufacturing business: slap together some cheap components that have been out for years and charge a pretty penny. I break it down like this: If you buy in bulk, the components to make the new E2 probably cost palm the following:
-crap resolution tiny touch screen & controller they are using
$40
-rechargeable battery $7
-old processor w/ main logic board, 'memory' and other circuitry for things like sound and stuff $40
-much touted integrated 'bluetooth' $3
-case and buttons $10
Total cost of a tungsten E2: $100 (give or take a few bucks for things like lisencing the palm software)
They charge: $250.
Nice 150% profit.
Basically yes, it is a nice toy, but I am totally unimpressed. If it came out 5 years ago I would be impressed.
out of 145 user reviews
Great All Around Palm.
Pros: Size and Bluetooth Capabilites
Cons: Layout And Color Support
