PDA News

Palm Debuts Two Tungsten Handhelds with Innovation Software
By Amy | Reporter
Date: 10/06/2003

Expanding the Tungsten family of business handhelds, Palm introduced two models -- the Tungsten T3 handheld, for the most demanding professionals who need a best-in-class color and wireless handheld; and the Palm Tungsten E handheld, for cost-conscious professionals who need premium power and performance.

Both handhelds feature substantial software innovations, including significantly more capable Personal Information Management (PIM) features and productivity software. In a separate announcement today, Palm also introduced the Palm Zire 21 handheld, designed for first-time consumers and priced at $99 (estimated U.S. street price).

Tungsten T3
The Tungsten T3 handheld is Palm's first device that supports a high-resolution color screen in landscape, as well as the typical portrait mode. The handheld offers greater input flexibility, streamlined access to key features and optimal viewing in either mode. The screen display is 50 percent larger than on any previous Palm branded device, and the new soft input screen area provides a virtual Graffiti 2 writing area. With faster Bluetooth setup embedded in the handheld, a wireless communications suite, fast XScale processor, 64MB of RAM (52MB user available), and superior office and multimedia capabilities, the Tungsten T3 handheld offers exceptional performance in a compact design for an estimated U.S. street price of $399.

Tungsten E
The Tungsten E handheld features 32MB of RAM (28.3MB user available), a crisp high-resolution color display, updated core applications, multimedia software and expandability through cards or add-on accessories. It retains the classic Tungsten appearance, with its compact, sleek modern form and improved 5-way navigator for one-handed navigation. This handheld gives professionals an upscale handheld with premium features for an estimated U.S. street price of $199.

New Software: Improved Personal Information Management
- A new agenda view that shows future appointments and daily tasks, while color-coded calendar options lend schedule and viewing flexibility to the day, week, month and an all-new year view;
- Improved scheduling that lets users beam multiple appointments with a single command, schedule events that last past midnight and view appointment location details;
- More contact information, including multiple contact addresses;
- Repeating tasks and alarms for easier scheduling of Tasks for reoccurring assignments and chores;
- Larger memos and notes, which allow for entering and syncing more data than has been possible before; and
- Advanced built-in Microsoft Outlook compatibility for seamless synchronization of new fields.

Java Virtual Machine Available for Free Download
Palm Solutions Group has licensed from IBM a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), WebSphere Micro Environment, for Palm Tungsten handhelds. Now, the more than 3 million members of the Java development community can write business applications for mobile workforces and consumer applications for gaming and information on the go, effectively increasing Palm Solutions Group's development community tenfold. It is available today for Tungsten handhelds users. Tungsten T3 and Tungsten E handheld users, as well as Tungsten W, Tungsten C and Tungsten T2 handheld users, that purchase their handheld on Oct. 1 or after can download the JVM for no cost. Users interested in deploying Java applications can download the JVM from www.palm.com/support/jvm.

Palm Tungsten T3
New Display Enables Horizontal and Vertical Viewing
The Tungsten T3 handheld's stunning 320 x 480 color transflective TFT display expands as the slider is opened, allowing landscape as well as portrait modes to be used by a simple tap on the screen. Users can rotate between modes in one tap. Traditional portrait mode is ideal for most applications and for one-handed navigation. Landscape mode often is better when viewing spreadsheets, email, web pages and multimedia clips. At the bottom of the display, Palm added a new status bar -- a toolbar with icons to give users one-tap access to screen rotation and other frequently used features.

Powerful Performance and More Expansion Options
The Tungsten T3 handheld comes with a powerful 400Mhz Intel XScale processor and 64MB of RAM (52MB user available), allowing plenty of space and speed for complex documents or applications. Expandability options using the expansion slot or Universal Connector include a digital camera, MARGI Presenter-to-Go, Palm's Power To Go charger, and a variety of keyboards.

Preloaded Business and Multimedia Applications Save Start-up Time
The Tungsten T3 handheld is compatible with today's most popular business file formats -- Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint - using DataViz Documents To Go Professional Edition. Multimedia applications such as RealOne Mobile Player, Palm Photos, Kinoma Player and Voice Memo Recorder deliver support for MP3 files, JPEG photos, video clips and voice notes. For the first time, these applications are built in, saving new buyers valuable time and memory since they do not have to load this software on their handhelds.

Enhanced Bluetooth Capabilities Create More Seamless User Experience
Built-in Bluetooth wireless connectivity gives mobile professionals the ability to access wireless content and stay connected while out of the office with the Tungsten T3 handheld. By using a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone as a modem, users can access the web and email or swiftly initiate a phone call using Quick Lookup. Users also can perform a wireless HotSync operation with Bluetooth-enabled computers and share information wirelessly with other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Palm Tungsten E
High-resolution Screen Improves Clarity and Readability
The Tungsten E handheld's 320 x 320 high-resolution color display -- the same premium transflective TFT screen first introduced in the Tungsten C and Zire 71 handhelds -- supports more than 65,000 colors. The sharp display makes viewing text, photos, VersaMail messages, Documents To Go files, and video easy and helps prevent eyestrain in dark rooms or bright sunlight.

Multimedia Software Adds to Versatility
The Tungsten E handheld's powerful Texas Instruments OMAP 311 ARM processor and 32MB (28.3MB user available) of internal memory make listening to music files and playing movie trailers or home movie clips easy. It ships with RealNetworks' RealOne Mobile Player as well as Kinoma Player and Producer. Users can store MP3 or RealAudio files on an expansion card and listen through the built-in speaker or via the stereo headphone jack. With RealNetworks' RealOne Mobile Player software, users can create and manage play lists, as well as run music in the background while using most other Palm applications. With Kinoma Player and Producer, and a free downloadable QuickTime application, handheld users can transfer and display their own home movie clips on the device, as well as download movie trailers and other preformatted material from the Internet.

Availability
Palm Tungsten T3 and Tungsten E handhelds are available now in consumer- electronics outlets, major retail chains and online e-stores in most countries worldwide.

Back to PDA News