13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Tungsten E2 - Worth more than they money it costs...
Date of Review: Nov 22, 2005
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this as it's an outstanding handheld for the money and can be used almost anyone with ease.
The Tungsten E2 is worth more than it's price when you consider the functionality of what this handheld can do for you.
I've owned many Palms in the past (Palm III, VII, Vx, Palm m100, m130, M515, T2, and the E2. Each Palm served its purpose and as time went on, I wanted to be connected with the newest gadgetry around.
In terms of this handheld, I will break it down by Price, Features, Accessories, and Value.
Price: This is considered a medium priced handheld, as the beginner handhelds are around $100. With the introduction of the TX, the E2 has dropped in price and makes a great addition to anyone in the market for a PDA. This is not solely for students or people on a budget I use this at work all the time and I d have to say that giving it s sleek metal look, it could be used for fun or business. The price is definitely affordable for students, college grads, business professionals, or anyone that is willing to spend $200.00 on a handheld.
Features: The E2 ships with a software CD that includes Documents to Go 7, an invaluable way to get Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents onto your Palm. With this software, changes that are made on the handheld are synced back with the computer when you hotsync and vice versa. The E2 also can be used as an MP3 player, though I would not recommend this as an MP3 player that is used solely for that purpose. It uses RealPlayer, which allows you to create playlists and add files to SD cards (I have a 1GB card in mine) and you can listen to MP3s on the Palm. You can listen to MP3s and switch applications, though I noticed a lag in sound and almost a skipping as the handheld was trying to accommodate playing music and running apps. It s good in a pinch, but not something I would as a sole MP3 player.
The E2 also comes with Bluetooth, allowing you to sync wireless with your Bluetooth laptop or desktop (with adapter). You can also utilize Bluetooth keyboards, connect to Bluetooth phones to create a wireless modem connection and much more. Note that if you are going to try and connect to a Bluetooth phone, it uses PhoneLink software (Palm.com) and only allows certain models to connect (it does not work with the Blackberry 7520).
Without the universal connector on the bottom, you will not be able to use the cradles from former handhelds, other accessories, etc. It ships with a separate USB syncing cable and a separate power cable.
There is a new calendar view that resembles the Today from PocketPC s. It allows a day view that shows calendar appts, to-do items, etc, all on this one view. Very handy.
Accessories: The E2 can be used with quite a few accessories on the market right now. For starters, SD cards can be used to provide additional storage. I have a 1Gb and a 512MB, both working perfect. I have movies and pictures on them that I use with SplashPhoto and Kinoma, two software titles that are not included, but worth owning.
The Palm SD Wi-Fi card now works with the E2, thanks to updated drivers from Palm (the one I bought came with them, but those that have the earlier version, the new drivers can be downloaded). With the Wi-Fi card, you lose the ability to use your SD card as it occupies this slot, but you can surf the web, check email, etc using the card.
Covertec and RhinoSkin make excellent cases for the E2. I own one of each and both provide excellent protection and a great way to carry the Palm around. There is a universal travel kit available that works with the T5, E2, and others available from Palm.com. Boxwave make a retractable sync cable that is great as well, and will charge and sync with the same cable.
Value: For the money, this handheld cannot be beat. You get business functionality with the ability to sync documents, 32MB of storage on the handheld itself (this is smaller than stated). This is a great handheld for a beginner or someone that s had a few Palms (like myself).
I highly recommend this handheld to anyone looking to organize their calendar, keep contacts and keep a To-Do list. This can be used with either Palm Desktop or Microsoft Outlook (software included allows for this).
