CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/12/2005
- Released 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. Continue readingMost helpful user reviews
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Where to buy
Palm Tungsten E2:
$499.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$499.99 | See Site |
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