First, a big round of (figurative) applause for PalmAddicts (http://palmaddict.typepad.com) for getting this information out before anyone else (ok, 1src (http://1src.com) has it too - not entirely sure which was posted first ;)).

Next, on to the actual devices!

Zire 22 (http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/z22/)
Find the specs over at Palm's website (http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/z22/specs.epl).

From what I can gather, the Zire 22 is very, very similar in capabilities to the Zire 31, except it's $30 US cheaper. :) Very nice, in my opinion, for an entry-level PDA. Palm seems to be quite good at designing such devices, but they have a much more hit-and-miss record with the category the other new device is in...

Tungsten TX (http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/)
Find the specs over at Palm's website (http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/specs.epl).

Looks like the early information was bang-on. 312 Mhz, 128MB of memory, Bluetooth (only 1.1), and wifi (802.11b), and the standard 480x320 screen. Visually and in size almost identical to the T5, but with half the memory, a slower processor, wifi, and a cheaper pricetag. The TX comes in at $299 US. Not bad at all, for the specs. Now, is it reliable? Only time will tell if this turns out to be another seemingly rushed job, riddled with flaws at the time it's launched... Or not. (An interesting thing to note is that the TX appears to use the same grey colour scheme as the LifeDrive did, and not the blue scheme of the older Tungstens.)


So, now we know exactly what Palm's new models are (officially, anyway - the rumours appear to have been dead-on, for once)... Any opinions or discussion over these, now that they're confirmed? :)


[Just to link to PalmAddicts again... Zire 22 announcement (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/palm_debuts_its.html), Tungsten TX announcement (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/palm_delivers_a.html), Zire 22 datasheet (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/zire_22_the_fac.html), Tungsten TX datasheet (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/palm_tx_the_fac.html), picture of the TX (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/official_pictur.html), picture of the Z22 (http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/10/official_pictur_1.html). Long list - Sammy at PalmAddicts has been busy!]

$299 is a very good price for such a feature-packed handheld. This will be a huge seller, surely. Only thing that puzzles me a bit is the 128Mb. There doesn't seem to be a "drive mode" like on the T|5, nor does it have a camera or a voice recorder. What are you going to be using the memory for then?

Nevertheless, this is probably the PalmOS handheld many people have been waiting for.

There doesn't seem to be a "drive mode" like on the T|5, nor does it have a camera or a voice recorder. What are you going to be using the memory for then?
Well, drive mode isn't the only way to transfer files, although it's probably the best...

And, since this is MobileRead, might I suggest filling it up with many, many e-books? :crowngrin

DriveMode has been replaced by an application called Avvenu (http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/avvenu.epl).

BargainPDA (http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=2691):

Palm's last several high-end models have had bug issues, neccessitating updates and patches that some models still haven't gotten. The good news is that during my testing, I ran into no major bugs or issues with the TX. To be completely accurate, I've only had a little over a week with the TX, so it's still possible that there are bugs somewhere that I simply haven't encountered yet, but my experience has been smooth sailing.

PalmInfoCenter (http://palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=8140):

With all the reported instability of the Tungsten T5 and Treo 650, the T|X seems to corrects a lot of issues. I found the T|X to be a very stable machine, and it hasn't crashed on me yet.

Yeah, I think this is a great pda at a great price also. It competes well with anything on the market along those lines in that price range. If I didn't currently need a phone/pda combo, I would probably buy one myself.

Basically I think it's the pda we have been waiting about 5 years for from Palm. It always seems just around the bend, we just didn't realize how long the bend was!

Hm... they're kind of expensive over here (http://www.pdashop.nl/). 329 and 129 euro respectively. IIRC, the Zire 32 cost 139 euro. (They no longer have it.)

Lot's of memory, Bluetooth, WiFi and the typically gorgeous screen make this the best handheld bargain I've seen as of late. My biggest hope is that Palm will use the TX as its new price ceiling for future Palm PDAs.

Off-topic: Laurens I didn't you were from the Netherlands. When I was in high school, I once travelled to Amsterdam, and if my memory serves me well, it was a beautiful city!

more reviews:

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/Palm-TX.htm

http://www.mobiletechreview.com/Palm-Z22.htm

(An interesting thing to note is that the TX appears to use the same grey colour scheme as the LifeDrive did, and not the blue scheme of the older Tungstens.)

You must mean the Zires, all of the Tungsten models have been some shade of gray. It's a ticky-tack point, I know. :wink:

I'm loving the T|X specs, and yes, I've been waiting about 5 years for them in a Palm product. Unfortunately, since it's taken so long, I've been researching the PPC world and I'm now convinced that my next PDA is going to be a Windows Mobile PDA. Sorry Palm, you dropped the ball.

OT: MarbleMadness, great handle. :laugh3:

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) has a good review of the T|X here (http://www.tuaw.com/2005/10/14/impressions-of-a-new-palm-t-x/).

It's a tempting device, but then again, with my SanDisk Wifi SD card, I can pretty much do everything the T|X can do with my Zodiac 2, and then some.

I've also posted a review at my website. I caved in an picked up a TX, I love it!
http://www.gadgetsonthego.net/2005/10/palms-tx-one-helluva-handheld.html