Best overall PALM device out right now

Author's Rating:

Pros: Has every function out there. Battery life. Multi-media. Camera, MP3s. Will get cult following?

Cons: It needs to rotate Excel and the web browser.

The Bottom Line: 
Great Palm. Moved all my data painlessly from old Palm. Has all the multi-media options of a modern handheld and is still as easy to use as a Palm III.

Author's Review
My Handera 330 died a slow dead and I was missing it. Handera is defunct. The 330 was basically a Palm IIIxe with a virtual graffiti area, voice recorder, CF and SD slots, and ability to rotate the screen sideways. It was 3 years old and there STILL aren't many palms that do all that unit did.

Competition: The Palm T3 is the closest competitor to the Sony TH-55. Both run Palm OS 5. Both have voice recorders and have virtual grafitii so the screen can be rotated. Both are about $399. The Sony adds Wi-Fi and a camera, so the Sony was the one to replace my Handera.

Positive Experience: The Sony color display is sooo nice! It is easier to read than the Palm III in bright light, dim light and everything in between. Moving from my old Palm to the Sony was easy. I uninstalled the Palm desktop and installed the Palm Desktop For Sony Clie. It found all my old apps and data and moved it into the Sony on the first HotSync. (NOTE: if you have a Clie already, you must use the Sony Clie migration tool to get the data to move. A guy at work had a hard time moving from an old Clie to the TH-55.)

-Once up, I uninstalled any Handera specific software that didn't run on the Sony and installed the Sony apps from the Sony CD. I used the Sony CLIE organizer for a week and just didn't like it. This replaces the standard HOME and with a Sony designed desktop on the palm. It wasn't buggy and worked like it should, but it takes more steps to do things than the standard Palm display that we know and love. I turned off the Clie Organizer to "unSony" the unit and am much happier with it.

- I used the Wi-Fi connection to hotSync to my laptop and browse the web. The web browsing is relatively fast, as long as you turn off Power Save move for the network connection. Sony has some type of problem that won't allow connections to certain Wi-Fi access points when power saving. There is a patch on the Sony web site, but it didn't fix my problem with power save mode. Not using Power Save, seems to be pretty hard on the battery. (A SMC access point works ok, a D-link one doesn't with power save on.)

- The camera is a cool addition. Picture quality is pretty poor for 640x480 however. It won't replace your digiCam anytime in the future. You can take pictures and attach them to enteries in your address book.
-(Even with the pictures, the address book looks like it just has a link, so the database can probably be moved to a different brand palm in the future when this unit dies and something better is out. I didn't want to be stuck with "Sony-only" apps so I would have to buy a Sony only in the future.)

- The voice recorder is allot more sensitive than my old one. The sound quality is much better also.

- MP3s play great and sound good on head phones and gets loud enough for my 30 something ears. There is a "hold" mode that will continue to play music, but disables all the buttons and shuts down the screen to save the battery. Even playing MP3s on the speaker is ok. Tinny, but ok.

-Connect USB to computer and the memory stick can be mounted just like any other USB memory device, Compact flash , SD, USB memory key, etc. That is how I moved my MP3s to the unit.

-Battery life is great. I am on 11 days right now and the battery is at 54%. I have plays some songs, taken some pictures and used it as a PIM. in that time.

-The case is very durable. The texture and color are great at hiding dirt and scratches. It should last a long time.

-Can play whole movies off the memory stick. I haven't done it, but read about moving a 2 hour movie to 2-128meg memory sticks.

-It just has the feel of a device that will obtain cult like status! Hacks are coming out already to change the function of some of the buttons.


Cons:
-Documents ToGo (MS Office like program) doesn't rotate sideways. My 3 year old Handera had a special version of QuickOffice that DID rotate sideways. I've taken a step backwards here. This function would help make Excel doc easier to use.

-Web browser doesn't rotate sideways. The web is just begging to be seen sideways on this unit. SONY, please get a patch to rotate this application.

-Sony Clie app is not as easy to use as old Palm P.I.M. Can turn off Sony version, but by default Sony desktop is on the Palm.

-USB connection through dongle unit, not directly on unit. Dongle is used for both power and USB connection. It is bulky and just another thing to carry while on the road. The Palm T USB connects right to the device and will even charge off the USB connection!

-Doesn't come with a cradle. Would be nice.

-Graffiti 1 is missing. My wife has a Palm IIIxe also with graffiti 1. Now I have to learn the graffiti 2 changes and then I will make mistakes when I use her unit. 'T' and 'I' are the biggest problems for me, as you can now lift the stylus to make these characters. I THINK the Palm T3 allowed a choice between graffiti 1 and 2. Sony offers graffiti 2 or their own decuma input mode.

-IR port should be out the front, not on the side. The front is move convenient for beaming to other Palms.