Palm Tungsten E2

I am a third generation Palm user. I received a Tungsten E2 for Christmas last December 2005. I was very impressed with the added functions, the slick design and the long lasting rechargeable battery. I wrote a glowing review of the product on Amazon. The only complaint I had was the 90 days warranty period. I thought it was too short. Four month later, I encountered a problem trying to power up the palm. It just won’t power up. I tried various “reset” modes and none worked. I finally contacted Palm support and they informed me that the warranty period had expired and that it would cost me $149 to repair it. The original cost of the Palm Tungsten E2 was only $199. Obviously I declined. I started searching on the web and I found out there are many others with the same problem. It turns out to be a defect of this particular device. I am positive Palm knew about this and yet they choose to deny any problem and cover it up. What a sad position for a Corporation to take. I later discovered that the battery is defective in my case and I was able to buy a replacement part from ebay for $20 and a special tool (TORX T5) screw driver. I replaced the battery my self and it is working now.
I am writing this follow up review to warn other customers of Palm. They are not playing fair. They will make you pay for their mistakes. This new culture is very disturbing. They have made the financial calculation that it is cheaper to ignore and deny a problem than to offer a recall and an apology. This is clearly a defect of one of their products which they knew from the start. Why else would they only offer a short warranty period? As opposed to 1 year on the other model T2. I will not buy another product from Palm and I would not recommend this to others. Buyers beware!!! It is a shame that an otherwise excellent product should suffer because of bad judgments on the part of their Corp. Executives. I have written a formal complaint to the head office and have not received any reply. I guess it was too much to expect.

-Jack Lee
Yorktown Hts. NY
May 12, 2006

I purchased a Palm Tungsten E2 advertised as new. It came it an open box with all the cables, software and even additional software. Ebay dropped the seller for unknown reasons and pulled his listings but I had already paid by then. The handheld worked great for a week. I synced the handheld with Outlook and was a happy camper until one day it wouldn't turn on. It had a full charge the day before. The unit wouldn't come on even with a soft reset or hard reset. Palm user support was worthless, they checked my serial number and they deemed my unit as refurbished, so the 90 day warranty for new devices did not apply. They were willing to fix the handheld for $149. That's how much I paid for it supposedly new. They also tried to charge me $25 for the service call since they deemed the unit outside of the new warranty. I refused to pay the service fee and the support person dropped it because they know that they are selling defective units. After reading many forums, this is a common problem with the E2. Some users have had success with removing the back cover and disconnecting the battery and reconnecting. This voids your warranty but I don't have much choice. If you are thinking of buying one, don't end up like me with a worthless piece of electronics.

I have been using PDAs since the original Palm Pilot (which I still have, and works perfectly!) Although the Windows Mobile based PDAs are more elaborate and powerful, I think their features distract from the real use of a PDA, that being a personal assistant.

The Tungsten E2 is the perfect blend of technology, value and usefulness in my opinion. It is very easy to use, and I mean VERY easy. It has a very nice screen and a sleek compact design as well as high-tech features like Bluetooth and a web browser built in.

However, the most attractive feature is its price. I was considering to buy one of the Zire models which can be aquired under $100.00, but when I considered the fact that the E2 comes with the Full Version of Documents to Go (which is worth around $60 by itself) the decision was a no brainer, especially since the Achelle's Heel of Palm-based devices is its weak MS Office integration. And I can assure you, with Documents to Go, that is a thing of the past, as it makes seamless and easy to carry your MS Office data with you.

One minor gripe, especially for international buying customers: THE TUNGSTEN E2 interface CANNOT be changed into Spanish or any other language. But that's a minor thing (unless you dont know English at all of course).

Overall, the Tungsten E2 is the perfect choice for an entry level PDA, and has enough room to stay with you as your mid-level PDA as well thanks to its great mix of value performance and style.

Sure, there is better handhelds with bigger screens but WHO REALLY CARES? The Tungsten E2 is the dream handheld with an already good size screen. It has the latest version of the Palm OS , Garnet 5.4 This handheld has everything, From Bluetooth to Microsoft office Mobile! You can even get a WIFI chip and browse the internet, or connect it to certain Bluetooth or IR Cell phones and browse the web that way. I’ve hand my handheld for about 5 months now and its good for anyone, If your working you can take notes, or on a trip why not watch a movie on it, (provided you have an SD card then load the movie onto that) listen to music, Play games(palmgear.com) Edit Microsoft Word, Browse the web, Check email and more! Why waste your money on a laptop if you can get a cheaper and smaller version in the palm of your hand.

A++++++++ WELL DONE PALM!

Having owned several previous versions of the Palm, they just seem to keep getting better. While there is still software flaws between Outlook and the Palm in the form of reminders, and appointments that suddenly double, they're small annoyances. I carry a wealth of information on my Tungsten, the screen is much easier to read these days and its battery life is now vastly improved, going days between charges as opposed to seemingly hours. My experience with Palm, the company has been miserable, however, which is why I went to Ebay to buy a used Palm instead of give a company with such appalling lack of service and scrupulous 'partner vendors' who outright STOLE my old Palm that I had sent in for trade for credit on a new one. Palm has not responded, nor has the vendor, to multiple calls, formal letters and emails. My recommendation is buy a used Tungsten E2 on Ebay, it's the best route.

In my business I measure windows for myself and other decorators for alltypes of blinds and top treatments. I fill out a measure sheet with all the details about the windows and the distances around it. Some of the time it can be hard decifering my writing so i made a spreadsheet which helped. Then the idea came. I wonder if could be put into a PDA. With a little investigating it seemed it should be possible if I where to find one with documents to go. I decided to try to find a used one on ebay rather than to just go out and buy a new one for full retail since this was just an idea so far. Well I bid on a few till I got one for under $100.00. When it came in I got myself familiar with it and installed my spreadsheet and viola it work great. Actually it worked better than I expected be cause I did not not know about the "write 2" software. The fact that I can write in my own handwriting with a stylus and it change it into a typed number or letter is unbelievable. Show I have to say my first experience with a pda has been great and I am also taking advantage of the other feature as a calender and putting all my appointments into it also the calculator come in handy.

I bought the Tungsten E2 three weeks ago and was immediately impressed with the number of features available on this inexpensive palm. The Tungsten E2 size is perfect for carrying in a pocket and the battery has a pretty good lifespan of roughly 10 hours. My only complaint is the support at Palms website isn't that great for plug ins to view docs in Microsoft word or Microsoft Excel and other products with my office package

I have used a Palm m130 for about the last 6 or 8 years, but lately only to manage my calendar and address book. It has served me well but is worn out, and some buttons no longer work. I upgraded to the E2 when I won an eBay auction, and I really love this device. I chose the E2 for its long rated battery life and fast processor.

The E2 is very fast, and very bright, and does a lot more than my ancient m130. I have now added a hard case, cradle, and wireless keyboard, all purchased on eBay. I synch daily and use AvantGo to keep up with news, etc when on the run and away from my computer. I also use the E2 as a Bible reader with the free software available on the web. The bonus software for this model is far superior to the earlier versions for the m130, especially Documents to Go. The ability to view smaller text on this unit makes the spreadsheet so much more useful and practical. I was able to transfer some of the compatible software from my m130 by beaming it to the E2, but some cannot transfer because it's incompatible with the newer Palm operating system. Overall, this is a great unit and so far I am really enjoying it.

Another thing I like about the E2 is the battery is user replaceable, and available for around $20. I wondered if I would need a new battery when I purchased the E2 used, but so far, the battery seems to last forever. After one day's typical use, the battery only drops down to about 90% to 95% full. I took this unit on vacation for 12 days, and didn't need to recharge it at all while I was away. If you charge it in the cradle for a half hour or so, often you can use it continuously for 20 minutes and it still registers 100% full.

I have also beamed some phone numbers from the E2 to the cell phones of some family members and that was pretty convenient. I'm a photographer, and I have a depth of field calculator program loaded on the E2. That program works much faster than it did on the m130.

The only negative I know of is that it occasionally comes up with a fatal error and needs to be reset. But I suspect that it's probably caused by some old software I've loaded on it. My device was purchased used, but is in pristine condition, and I got it for less than half the cost of a new one.

The Palm Tungsten is great. It has a large memory so you can have multiple applications in addition to the standard applications that come with it. It is completely compatible with my apple computer and its software. The color and graphics are very sharp and clear. The expansion slot allows me to play mp3s and carry actual documents produced on my computer. The price is reasonable. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.

The bidding process went OK.
The bid was a little high for what I received.
I was a little unhappy about the product. It was advertised as brand new, never been used but it was not in the original factory packege. It was repackeged. Not as shown in the picture. Obviously not as advertised.

After much research and deliberation, I decided to purchase this unit. The Palm Tungsten E2 is a very nice PDA. It has be reliable and easy to use. There is a plethora of free software out there to suite whatever you want the PDA to do. It is becoming a indispensable addition to my daily life.

I realize that I could of bought a smart phone and it would do the same functions, like the Palm Centro. But I decided with my line of work and the smaller screen, I would buy two separate items. And I am very happy with my decision.

If you are considering this PDA, you will not be disappointed.

I wanted to get my wife, who teaches school and also teaches music, away from a paper calendar.
With the Palm E2, she can enter items and then synch with her Macbook pro. Once items are synched with the laptop, we use Mac's Mobile Me to sync My calendar on my computer so we can coordinate our schedules. Technology is Great!

By buying on Ebay I save big bucks over the price of a new Palm.

Excellent little gadget! A little slow with the wi-fi, but that is to be expected as technology has advanced since this model came out. GREAT for organizin your life. Easy to use and with lots of useful features.

I agree with at least part of almost every review so far - in other words, this unit has extreme good points and extreme bad points. It's a good device (feature-wise) but it is definitely fraught with problems, and Palm's service has gone from bad to worst possible scenario (which will eventually catch up with them, so the future of their products is in doubt). I've had several palm units over the years, mostly good, but the Tungsten E2 is perplexing. I agree with the person who wrote "Although the Windows Mobile based PDAs are more elaborate and powerful, I think their features distract from the real use of a PDA, that being a personal assistant." That statement hit the nail on the head, but I might still have to switch to a "Winette" (programmer's term for a Windows version PDA) one of these days because Palm's customer service is quickly approaching that of the airlines (willing to kick their own customers in the teeth). Anyway, the Tungsten E2 is great when it works, but the last couple months this thing has been developing many problems (it's two years old). One I've learned to live with is that the power button on top works only occasionally (I have to push it several times to get it to turn on or off), so I usually turn it on with the one of the four buttons at the bottom of the screen, and just let it turn off by itself (I keep it set to power itself off after 30 seconds, for that very reason). Another is that the alarm sound works when it wants to - sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't (make a sound), so that feature simply can not be trusted. Once in a while it will not power on, but so far I've been lucky because pushing the reset button did the trick. All in all, though, it seems as if the unit is withering away fast. I had a Tungsten E1 before this one and it was too horrid to mention (due to near PTSD). The best one was the M515 I had several years ago, but I accidentally went swimming with it and it's been toast ever since (my own fault, of course). Anyway, they've gone downhill ever since, and judging by the trend, I can not rely on this type of track record for the important issues I use it for (business apps). Five years ago I was Mr. PalmOS and vigorously discouraged people from getting a Winette but now my attitude is changing rapidly because of where Palm (the corporation) seems to be heading. They had the market as far as true effectiveness in a PDA, but due to their brazen greed and belligerence they're losing it fast. I predict it will be all over with them in a few years at most. Ultimately, the options seem to be either (A) switching to a Winette, or (B) buying used Palms frequently and keeping a few backups in stock - the latter option being a pathetic way to keep serviceable equipment in operation.

I bought the Tungten E2 because the *&%*$#*& Microsoft Vista rendered my beautiful Palm Tungsten T into an expensive paperweight. The E2 works well and is a slight improvement over the Tungsten T in a couple of areas. The downside is my Tungsten T accesories do not work with the E2 because Palm decided to change the bottom connector which makes my current keyboard, synch cable and charger useless. All of this because I bought a computer with Vista.
My suggestion to potential buyers. DO NOT GET A VISTA BASED COMPUTER!!! I cannot stress enough my hatred for Microsoft and the troubles I have encounted with the MS Vista OS. My Tungsten T worked great with the Microsoft XP OS. The VISTA program is a POS, figure it out. I suggest buying an XP equipped computer even if you have to buy it used. Then you can use virtually any Palm device you want without problems.

Jeff
maloney1@pacbell.net

I love my Tungsten. I works wonders keeping track of all my personal and business appointments. The only thing that would make it better is if I could make the alarms louder.

It is a solid product, with very good speaker, add on WiFi card is amazing, browser loads images and wide pages. nothing to hate about this unit. People who want to be organized and connect when they want needing a gadget without a phone can opt for this unit. I personally dont like cell phones and this gadget has all that you need but phone.

nice PDA...resonalble price..and has bluetooth. The color screen is also nice and the Desktop software is excellent

I needed something for time tracking, for a small business. It helps me to keep accurate time for billing purposes.. and I enjoy reading a book on it in my free time.

I bought the Tungsten E2 at a good price.. a little under 50% of new cost, about $85 total. It came with the charger and usb cables, so I had no trouble syncing it on either my windows XP or linux partitions. (Download the palm desktop and install it to the windows side of life, and a simple 'sudo aptitude install pilot-link jpilot' took care of my ubuntu linux partition that I usually use.) Both worked perfectly.

Solid construction on the palm, the screen is a little tough to read in bright sunlight, but I can deal with that. All in all, a good purchase for my needs.

This pocket size PDA can be a huge help with managing diabetes. It makes the database of the CalorieKing book and website available whereever I am for checking carbs before eating. The battery life is good. Downloading is easy once the software is correctly loaded on the computer. Other tools and features can make life much easier too. I transfer numbers from my phone for easy access via the Palm. Very glad to have this tool without paying the large montly fee of the Palm phone services.

I didn't get my E2 on eBay, but since they are sold here I will tell you my story. I've bought two of these and I bought extended warranties on both too (thank goodness!). The first one I had to replace because something happened to the display screen...after the 90 day warranty ran out of course. The second one decided not to turn on after I had it for about 6 months. Since it was under the extended warranty I purchased, it got sent off to be fixed. I had no problems with it for a couple of months...then a couple of days ago it does it again. Again I contact the people who I needed to contact under the warranty. They decided to send me a card with the amount of the purchase price to buy another one. So...I go shopping around for a replacement as I wait for the card. Guess what!!! Not only is this a chronic problem with the E2...but it's also a chronic problem with all the other Palm pdas!!!!

I have no idea what I'm going to do about this. I need the pda for my job (EMS). The E2 was great while it lasted; very easy for me to work with. Just be warned that it does have this problem and they haven't been able to fix it yet.

I've had three Palm devices over the years and they are wonderful--when they work. If you have a problem, Palm will not only charge you for the time to talk with customer support but ignore their responsibility. PDA#1 developed a display problem. I replaced it with another Palm PDA BUT I got the $45 service contract because it supposedly included the display. Several years down the road, I had problems with--you guessed it--the display. Palm would not honor the extended warranty because it was bought over the phone and not at the PalmOne store. I will NEVER deal with them again! Great units--LOUSY service!!!

I like the Tungstun E2 Palm PDA. I loved the features it has. What I disliked about the reconditioned ones is you never know if everything will be working properly when you recieve it. The other thing is they have minor scratches which for me doesn't appeal well with me in most cases. Most reconditioned ones are rated with a C rating unless they were new and just retuned for an upgrade. Reconditioned one are fine for the occasional user. I found that I needed to buy new to insure reliability for my business need. I decided to try reconditioned to save money that is all. The product came highly recomended by a friend. Good Luck on your purchases.