A First Look At PalmOne's T5

NEW YORK - If PalmOne's Tungsten T5 handheld was an automobile, it would be described as being a facelift rather than a complete overhaul of the model that preceded it, the Tungsten T3.

	PalmOne's Tungsten T5

As such, the T5--PalmOne (nasdaq: PLMO - news - people ) is apparently skipping the T4 designation--builds on the excellent feature set of the T3. The company only allowed a quick look at the T5, but from outward appearances, the biggest change is that the T5 doesn't have the T3's sliding case that conceals/reveals the bottom third of the screen. At 4.8 inches, the T5 stands a wee bit taller than a closed T3 and a wee bit shorter than a fully opened T3.

While keeping the T5 not much taller than the T3 in the closed position, PalmOne abandoned the elegant button arrangement of the T3 and returned some of that real estate to the screen-area buttons. The four main function buttons on the T5 are arranged horizontally, and flank the center five-way navigator pad. Two function keys sit on each side of the center navigator control. Another change: The T5 has a dark metallic-gray case, whereas the T3 has a silvery finish.

At a quick glance, the T5 bears a close resemblance to PalmOne's less-powerful $199 Tungsten E model, although the E has a smaller viewing area.

Some things haven't changed from the T3. The unit has the same 320-by-480-pixel view screen, with excellent color resolution and detail. Users still can toggle between landscape or portrait view. But the T5's rechargeable lithium ion battery is rated at 1,300 milli-amp-hours, versus the T3's 900 mAH. Power to the people!

When the T3 was released just a year ago, its 64 megabytes of memory seemed like a lot, but this has been boosted to a whooping 256 MB in the T5. And all of this memory is now flash memory, which means that even if the T5's battery is completely drained, its software and data won't be erased. Thanks to this memory lode, it is less necessary to have an expansion Secure Digital memory card to store and play audio files with the preloaded version of RealPlayer software from Real Networks (nasdaq: RNWK - news - people ).

The other big advance in the T5 is its file transfer and viewing software. PalmOne's new desktop utility provides the same type of "files and folders" metaphor as on a personal computer. By using drag and drop commands, files can be moved from a computer to a specific location on the T5's onboard memory or expansion card. By default, the device button in the lower right-hand corner of the PDA activates the file transfer software.

It is even possible to use the T5 to store and transport files that aren't readable on the T5. All transfers are done in "live" windows, without synching the computer, and can be executed from any PC running Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Windows 2000 or XP that has a USB port, even if the computer doesn't have Palm Desktop software. Users of Apple Computer's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Macs can use Drive Mode for the same functionality. It's not terribly different from using a keychain USB flash storage device.

PalmOne upgraded the processor in the T5 to an Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) 416-megahertz XScale chip; the T3 has a 400-MHz processor. The T5 runs Palm OS 5.4, the latest version of the Palm operating system from PalmOne's sibling company PalmSource (nasdaq: PSRC - news - people ), which allows implementation of the flash-memory architecture. Another improvement to the T5, which isn't OS-specific, is the new "favorites" view on the handheld.

The T5's software bundle includes version 7.0 of DataViz's Documents To Go Premium Edition, which now allows transfer and viewing--but not editing--of PowerPoint presentations on the handheld. Also included with the T5 are VersaMail e-mail client, a PalmOne Media application for viewing photos and video, a Web browser, SMS to send short text messaging using a cell phone's Short Message Service capabilities, AddIt for purchasing and testing software, a solitaire game and a program for viewing e-books. Of course, the unit comes with the typical personal information manager, or PIM, including an address book and calendar.

PalmOne's suggested retail price for the T5 is $399. Upon the release of the T5 today, the company is reducing the T3's price tag by $50, to $349. This is a step that PalmOne typically takes when it phases out a model.

Other than the loss of the sliding case, the T5 is a better deal than the T3, but the unit falls short of being a quantum jump. The T5's onboard Bluetooth is a nice feature, but 802.11b wireless networking would have been even better. Those who want Wi-Fi will need PalmOne's $129 SDIO card. And the more-powerful battery helps, but what road warriors really want is the ability to pop in a spare battery when the power runs low.

Those still scribbling Graffiti on an ancient PDA, such as a Palm m505, can easily make a ''business case'' for upgrading to the T5. Such an argument is less compelling for people who already own PalmOne's older Tungsten T or one of the higher-end Zire models.

This release takes place against the backdrop of PalmSource's unveiling of the next-generation Palm OS, Cobalt (aka Palm OS 6.1). That operating system is built from the bottom up for wireless functions, which means that new devices can't be far away. And, separately, rumors are rife that PalmOne is pretty close to updating its Treo 600 smartphone, so if wireless functionality is a must-have feature, it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit before buying.