The newest member of palmOne's Tungsten T family is here, although it has been cross-bred with the Tungsten E line and evolved new features.
Click here to read infoSync World's preview of the palmOne Tungsten T5.
palmOne has taken the wraps off of its latest handheld, the much-anticipated Tungsten T5.
 | The T5 merges the TE, T3, and Zire 72 feature sets with some novel features
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Eschewing the sliding design of previous T-series devices, the Tungsten T5 is based on the case design of the company's popular Tungsten E handheld. Slightly larger than the Tungsten E at 121 x 96.5 x 15.5 mm and 144 grams, the T5 brings together features from several of the company's recent models with some novel (for palmOne) design elements.
The screen is the same 320 x 480 16-bit color TFT display as the Tungsten T3, complete with the same virtual handwriting system. The usual IR port, expansion slot, headphone jack and button layout are present, essentially unchanged from the Tungsten E save for the fourth application button, which is now mapped to the new Files application.
Running on a 416 MHz Intel XScale Bulverde processor, the T5 also includes a new memory architecture. That includes 55 MB of user-accessible RAM, the same type as all Palms to date have used, while adding 160 MB of non-volatile flash ROM that is used as an internal flash card. The "internal storage" area supports all file types and directories, not just Palm OS databases, but does not support eXecute-In-Place so, just as with removable storage cards applications and data must be copied to RAM in order to run. Another 41 MB of system ROM for the OS and applications brings the total memory up to a whoping 256 MB. An included Files application lets the user manage ROM-based files, and the device can also function as a removable USB card for a PC to let users transfer files to and from it the same as a USB key.
Also new is palmOne's new "Mult-Connect" port, slated to replace the Universal Connector as of now. The main difference between the and Universal Connector and Multi-Connector is that the latter has separate ports for power and data, allowing users to carry just a charging cable or just a sync cable without packing a large cradle into a suitcase. The company has also introduced several new accessories to support the new device and connector, including an optional cradle with a stereo audio-out jack for speakers.
On the software side, the T5 runs Palm OS 5.4 rather than the much-anticipated Palm OS 6 Cobalt. The included software suite is large, however, including the palmOne enhanced PIM suite, Documents To Go and VersaMail with support for native MS Office files, the aforementioned Files application, the audio and video multimedia suite and SMS/MMS messaging application previously seen on the Zire 72, and a new launcher (the old one is still available), all stored in ROM by default.
On the wireless side, the T5 includes Bluetooth 1.1 support with the revised Bluetooth tools from the Zire 72. It does not include Wi-Fi support, although palmOne claims that the palmOne Wi-Fi card will work after a driver update, expected shortly. The T5 also includes an 1300 mAh battery, larger than the 950 mAh battery of the T3.
The company did not comment on the decision to skip "Tungsten T4" in its naming system, although it is likely that it was the same reason as why there was no "Palm IV" handheld; the number four is considered unlucky in some Asian countries, and marketing a product named "Four" would have proven very difficult.
The palmOne Tungsten T5 will be available on 3 November for $399 USD. Meanwhile, the company has lowered the price of its Tungsten T3 to $349 USD. The Zire 72 has a $50 USD rebate available until 5 February. Company representatives say they have no immediate plans to phase out any of their current models as a result of the launch.
An additional high-resolution image of the palmOne Tungsten T5 is available on the following page.
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