Palm TX

With Palm announcing a deal with Microsoft recently, we can't help wonder if this could be the last Palm OS 5 PDA. If so, the Palm OS is going out with a bang. The terrific Palm TX is the paragon of the Palm PDA, and an excellent all-around handheld that gets our Editors' Choice.

A long, slim slab that closely resembles Palm's (actually palmOne at the time) earlier Tungsten T5, the TX has an SD memory card slot, a headphone jack, and a huge, 320-by-480 screen, which is excellent for surfing the Web or reading documents. At $299, it matches the HP iPAQ rx1950's price tag as the cheapest PDA with built-in Wi-Fi.

The TX replaces the Tungsten T5 in Palm's lineup, and it's interesting to see what Palm tweaked in the new device. Out goes the 416-MHz processor, 256MB of storage, and unusual flash-drive mode. In comes Wi-Fi, a 312-MHz processor, 128MB of storage, and a $100 price drop.

Though this might look like one step forward and one step back, we think it's in line with what users want. It's easier and cheaper to add more storage to the TX than it is to add Wi-Fi to the T5. Even though the TX has less memory than the T5, it still has more memory than the HP iPAQ rx1950. And the $300 price point is a very sweet spot.

We connected easily to both WEP and WPA-enabled Wi-Fi networks on our TX, viewing Web pages in Palm's Blazer browser and downloading e-mail using Palm's VersaMail program. The TX can also access the Internet through Bluetooth phones. Its list of supported phones is better than the T5's, though there are still some conspicuous omissions, such as the Nokia 6620.

We were surprised to find that Palm's Blazer browser was more compatible than Microsoft's Mobile Internet Explorer on some Web pages (such as Amtrak's home page). We were less surprised to find that, compared with the new Pocket Office suite on Windows Mobile handhelds, the excellent Documents To Go suite from DataViz (bundled with the TX) opens Microsoft Office documents faster and maintains formatting just as well. We were also excited to hear that the upcoming Version 8.0 of Documents To Go promises a decent PDF reader, something Palm OS devices have never had.

Palm Desktop syncs well with Microsoft Outlook PIM information. And yes, the TX comes with Mac support.

The TX also beat the iPAQ rx1950 on all of our performance tests: it plays video more smoothly, opens Web pages and Microsoft Word documents more quickly, and is easier to set up on Wi-Fi networks. We used the included PocketTunes for MP3 playback and the free Core Media Player for video; both work well, and PocketTunes' Deluxe version ($34.95) supports protected WMA-format audio. Yes, the high-end Dell Axim X51v beats the TX in most ways, but it's also $200 more expensive.

The TX's main weakness is its battery life. At just over 4 hours with Wi-Fi off, it's almost exactly on a par with Palm's LifeDrive. Most modern Pocket PCs come in at 5 or 6 hours. The Tungsten E2 and T5 lasted nearly 8 hours and 5 hours, respectively.

Palm's switch to Windows Mobile 5.0 for Treos is a nod to corporate buyers who prefer that OS's seamless integration with Exchange servers and other Microsoft infrastructure. But the Palm TX proves that the Palm OS can still hold its own for PIM, Web surfing, and even some multimedia uses. We think it's the best midrange PDA available, even though its battery life leaves a bit to be desired.

SPEC DATA :

• Type: Palm
• Screen Size: 3.8 inches
• Operating System: Palm OS 5
• Processor Speed: 304.7 MHz
• RAM: 128 MB
• Networking Options: 802.11b
• Flash Memory Type: Secure Digital