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Palm Tungsten T has just officially launched today by the developer, and we still, unfortunately, has not arrived. However, foreign colleagues have already managed to feel a long-awaited innovation, so we use the information portal infoSync, to acquaint our readers with a new Palm'om as soon as possible. It's no joke - the new operating system in action! When new gets into our greedy clutches, be sure to share personal experiences. Thus, the ice was broken! Anticipated for several years now the transition from the Palm OS platform to Motorola DragonBall processor chips ARM has finally begun. Now the process enters the first stage - optimization of the "lower half" (the operating system kernel) to work with the new hardware. The second phase, the optimized "top" (ie, custom applications) will appear in OS versions 5.5 and 6. However, now companies spare no effort to design and manufacture of new devices, whose owners will feel the full benefits of the new hardware. And despite the fact that Palm is not the first litsenzentom new operating system, which produced machines for Palm OS 5 (it ahead of Sony), Tungsten T for some settings is "unique in its kind." This is a very nice little device, and saying "small", we are fully responsible for his words.
Iron
Usually, support for virtual domains for handwriting recognition following arguments: 90% of the time working with the device the user carries, receiving or reading the information. At this time, he does not need to write anything. So why waste valuable screen space on a fixed area for Graffiti?. Palm decided to answer this question differently: "Why do spend on this place in the CCP?". The most noticeable feature of the new Palm - sliding front panel, the solution used in Palm'ah the first time. The handheld "extendible" in two, the lower portion of the device in its closed position covers the area of Graffiti, and in the open gives the user access to the usual small screen. In the compact case (closed) Palm has dimensions of 101x77x15 mm and it is the shortest device based on Palm OS is not today. In the unfolded state machine is 20 millimeters long. In this case, the Tungsten T for height and width like a typical PDA with Palm OS. In this case, it is slightly thicker than the Palm V. The shell itself is made of dark gray brushed metal. To touch the whole design seems pretty robust, but apparently it all looks very elegant. Well, it is not surprising, given past successes Palm to create attractive external devices: Palm V, m500, Palm Zire. Unfortunately, all this metal makes the device somewhat more difficult than it might seem by eye, the machine weighs 158 grams - almost the upper limit of weight that is comparable to Sony CLIE PEG-NR70v.
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Inside this lovely shell hides compatible with ARM architecture processor Texas Instruments OMAP1510, running at 144 MHz. In the OMAP1510 processor is also integrated DSP (Digital Signal Processor), who takes on work with multimedia applications, in particular, encodes and decodes the audio. Thus, Tungsten T can play digital audio on how to use the built-in speaker or through the supplied headphones. The sound quality is much higher than in any other Palm'e or HandEra. Supports MIDI and WAV. The processor is also fully capable of playing mp3-files, but no bundled applications to play this file format. Palm claims that the company is working with Real Media to create MP3-player, which after a while you can download for free.Unfortunately, the sound quality is lower than the new Sony Clie, which have a built-in music FM-synth. The sound of Tungsten deeper than Sony, but Clie take purity and clarity. Another innovation of Palm Tungsten T - built-in Bluetooth 1.1. The software allows you to immediately, without additional equipment to connect to the Internet via GSM / GPRS mobile phone with Bluetooth. It also supports synchronization via Bluetooth, and wireless printing with some models of printers. Naturally, Bluetooth can share contacts and notes. In Tungsten 8 MB ROM and 16 MB of RAM (of which the user is available 14). Finally, Palm moved to high-resolution screen, which used the API (application programming interface) High-Density screen from the company PalmSource. In particular, the Tungsten T uses display 320x320 pixels that supports 16-bit color (65,536 colors). The colors are bright and saturated, light - a real flashlight. First, we set it at 33% brightness, and decided that this was the maximum. And at this maximum Tungsten T noticeably brighter than the CLIE PEG-NR70v, but also heats more. Tioplenky this! In general, this is the best screen out those that we saw on Palm'ah. Another innovation: the traditional buttons "up-down" has been replaced five-way joystick, as on many Pocket PC. The center button serves as a "Select". Buttons four main applications are quite small, but even they can be quite comfortable playing with toys. Power button is located on the left-top, it's pretty tight - just to comfortably push it deliberately, and to avoid accidental clicks. On the left side headphone jack and power button voice recorder - it must be used and the recording starts (in the right location at the front of the microphone). Of the expansion slots are only SDIO - for cards Secure Digital / MultiMediaCard and peripheral devices in this form factor. In addition, there is a standard Palm Universal Connector. Since it can run all the old jackets extension (either open or closed machine), so only need new drivers for the new operating system.
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Tungsten T runs on lithium-polymer batteries. According to Palm, Inc., Under normal conditions (ie, when turned off Bluetooth, which "otzhiraet" a lot of energy), the new product should work without charging roughly the same as Palm m515. To test was conducted the test - running graphical "demo" AtomSmash, disabled Bluetooth, lights turned on at full power (as already mentioned, in most cases, this brightness is simply not needed). As a result, Tungsten shut down after 3 hours 24 minutes. And this despite the fact that the backlight automatically "prituhla" when the battery began to weaken. Recharge took an hour and a half or two (more precisely is difficult because there is no indicator - rather, it is, small and green, but it does not change its state when the device is fully charged). The stylus is shorter than in other Palm'ah (same, it just would not fit in the device when it is folded). But if you click on his cap, he lengthened about a centimeter. Stylus itself is quite a nice, metal, plastic-ending. Tip, incidentally, very thin, so that it can be used for rebooting the device. The set comes transparent protective cover of the screen, which slotted hole for the joystick. Thus, work with the Tungsten is possible, and without removing the cover, good through it all clearly visible. Cut out holes for buttons, application buttons.
System
Tungsten T - the first device on Palm OS 5 on Palm. However, at first glance, from a user perspective, anyway, the new OS differs little from the fourth version. But, and this is visible to the naked eye, it works much faster. Much of the transformation lies deep beneath the user interface and should worry only developers. In fact, the system does not appear this multi-tasking or multi-threading, but the protection of applications, at least, improved.For example, if a program tries to access the system data to which OS 5 turn bans, but have been available in OS 4, the system will display a warning message, and then either allow the program to continue or close it, not "damaged" by the other processes. This is, perhaps, better than the message "Fatal Alert", terrorizing users of earlier versions of Palm OS. In addition, as previously assumed, are not working "hacks" - a small utility, working with system components and alter their function. But the new API for controlling the display of high resolution of PalmSource is very intelligent and, for example, he adapts the old program under a new screen size. Palm also included a set of fonts specifically to the text look better on high-resolution display - the letters are thicker than on the new Clie. The eye looks nicer. Discovered and a new panel Preferences, divided into three categories (one of which is for third-party programs). Here, all the usual settings plus a few new ones - to control and Bluetooth connection with a cell phone. Here you can set up a "binding" of hardware buttons (eg button, which earlier in the Graffiti caused calculator to anything not tied and waiting for the user to assign the application). Changed and the panel sound settings that the user has the ability to specify more parameters, including the management clock alarms. This, incidentally, can be not only the usual sound, but the LED-blinking LED on the front panel or vibrate mode. Last, the feelings, the same as on machines series m500. Importantly, what to expect from the new processors ARM - the general increase speed. However, PalmSource for quite some time chastened optimists: "Everything will depend on the program. Annex, specially written for ARM will work much faster, the same old programs will be hampered by the need to translate the instructions DragonBall processor into a form understandable ARM'u. Well, PIM-application (built, like the address book and calendar) to recall just instantly. AtomSmash, which is pretty much load on the hardware, worked about as a 33-MHz Sony CLIE PEG-N610c, but more slowly than in the more modern 66-megahertz typewriters, nevertheless it is quite possible to play. Zap! 2016 also worked with quite a reasonable rate. In order to make the tests a bit more objective, was set WordSmith 2.2 (on the Tungsten T, CLIE N610c c 33 MHz and CLIE NR70v to 66 MHz). Was then prepared a Word document of 5000 words (without errors), and on machines was run spell check - who is faster than its finish. In N610c, it took 693 seconds, NR70v spent 389 seconds, and Tungsten T 387. It's 7.21, 12.85 and 12.91 words per second, respectively. Well, this confirms the assumption PalmSource that most of the applications, "third party" on the new Palm OS 5 will operate in much the same as the old DragonBall 66 MHz. Program is specifically optimized for the new hardware is much faster. For example, Palm says that the company is developing a version of Kinoma video player specifically for the Tungsten T, and available at the moment, "beta" easily reproduced at 30 frames per second.
Additional programs
With old programs, we understand, but a special attraction gives Tungsten T Applications, designed specifically for him. In the ROM, according to tradition, recorded only necessary PIM-application. They are little changed compared with the previous OS version, except that he worked on the Palm so that they have better used the possibility of navigation joystick. In general, Palm Tungsten T - the most convenient model for Palm OS to manage with one hand. For example, using a joystick, not pushing the device itself, and not even opening the protective cover, you can find the desired entry in the contacts list and make a mobile phone with Bluetooth call the number you want. Other PIM-programs can also be controlled with a joystick. As already mentioned, is placed in ROM and software for Tungsten T as a voice recorder. They also can be controlled with one hand, although there is an algorithm conceived not as well as in other embedded software. Entries are saved in WAV (internal memory or card), you can listen directly on the machine or transferred to a desktop computer.In addition, such a record can be one-time use as a sound alarm. But the most interesting is one of the two discs supplied with the Tungsten T - there are half a dozen third-party programs (part of - in the full version, with some restrictions). Surprisingly, in the Tungsten T does not use the browser Net Front, developed by PalmSource and Access Systems America, which hodilo so many rumors. Stead Palm offers its own browser Web Pro, developed together with the company Novarra. All traffic passes through a proxy server that Palm provides free to all users. Proxy, by the way, translates and compresses data to save valuable paid traffic in GPRS or 1xRTT. The browser supports the latest standards including HTML 4.0, XHTML 1.0, cHTML (iMode), CSS 1, Javascript 1.5 and WML 1.2. In addition, the CD can be found SMS client for sending short text messages via cell phone is connected, a simple WAP-Browser, Phone Dialer - program to dial phone numbers, and VersaMail - a new client for e-mail. VersaMail supports synchronization messages via HotSync, can work simultaneously with multiple accounts via POP or IMAP. It also has several predefined settings for popular email providers (Yahoo!, NetZero, EarthLink). The program can convert embedded Microsoft Office documents into a format DataViz Documents To Go.
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Utility Phone Link simplifies the setup of Internet connections via cell phone. It contains ready-made options for working with U.S. mobile operators standard GSM. In the European version, obviously, will be setting the operators of the Old World. BlueChat BlueBoard and intended for communication between the two Tungsten'ami by Bluetooth - a BlueBoard can even be together at the same time draw on the same "sheet of paper" that is simultaneously edit the same picture. An important addition to work with office documents - Documents To Go Professional Edition.
Conclusion
In general, Tungsten T, the first Palm on an ARM, produces a very favorable impression. He has a great design, very nice thought out navigational joystick, and general control system with one hand. Excellent solution appears and telescopic stylus. Extension housing - is also the original deal, but many users probably closer to the field of virtual Graffiti. In this case, a definite plus - a big screen at a more compact overall device. Attractive to buyers would be built-in Bluetooth and a "master" set of telephone connection. On the other hand, a very frustrating lack of built-in player, mp3 (even given that such promises in the future), limited infrared (traditional 20-30 inches). And indeed on multimedia Tungsten T, although superior to other Palm'y, still loses the new Sony Clie. Machine is already possible to buy the company's website for $ 499. Sources, Materials:
infoSync
The authors, translation:
Konstantin Vorontsov