8. Palm OS PDAs

Palm Tungsten T

The Tungsten is the first Palm to use the Palm 5 OS. The system is optimized for ARM CPUs, just like PDAs in the Pocket PC camp. The 144 MHz OMAP CPU from Texas Instruments takes the PDA to a completely new level of performance. For a handheld in this class, the battery life of four hours and 31 minutes is good.

Palm's flagship PDA comes in a sturdy, beautifully designed metal case. A pullout mechanism reveals the Graffiti writing area and extends the 156-g Tungsten by two centimeters. The moderately bright (40 cd/m2) display is marred by reflections on the visor, but is otherwise perfectly legible. The 320 x 320 pixels specification plays its part in ensuring a comfortably high resolution. Until now, only Sony has had Palm OS PDAs with a resolution greater than 160 x 160 pixels.

There is a choice of infrared or Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. Bluetooth settings for popular cellular phones from Nokia and Sony Ericsson are supplied. Additional settings are expected to be available for download shortly.

The Tungsten's compact dimensions, well-designed exterior and long battery life are all commendable. If you can live without multimedia features such as a digicam, the Tungsten is highly recommended.

The Tungsten reveals its typical Palm Graffiti area only when you slide the display up.