Customer Reviews
Its getting dated.. but sure does the job 
2007-05-14
One of the reason I do not let goi ts voice recording capability.. I can live without the wi-fi, but not without the voice recording.
I see that this recording feature does not come in the recient models and that is a shame.. also, this device can accomodate for a camera add-on which is imposible to find.. so, yes it has its limitations but is more faithful tha Lassie
Awesome PDA! 2007-04-28
I just love this PDA. It's the only fast model from PAlm to feature voice recorder, which is fundamental for me cause I tape my classes at the uni. The mic is just good enough for that and voice memos.
The palm is fast enough to be able to play crystal-clear mp3s and also movies (if you care to recompress and watch it a tiny screen).
I also bought a GPS for less than 90 U$S and now mount the PDA in my car for GPS navigation. I just saved $200~400 on a GPS! :D
You can also load it with games and lots of interesting software, and the accessories are inexpensive to boot.
The only things that I don't like are:
Collapsible design (seems floppy)
Screen brightness (can't see much in direct sunlight)
Battery autonomy (not enough)
Luckily you can remedy the battery thing by buying a car adapter and/or the Power-To-Go, a sleek external battery that works like a charm :D
If you see one of these cheap, grab it!
More than 3 years of faithful service! 
2007-02-12
All,
This it the more reliable PDA I've ever owned and I've owned many starting with a Pilot. I've owned everything from HP iPAQs and Jornada 728s and this is the one I kept, while selling the rest. 'Nuff said!
Bill
Mine Died 
2006-04-27
My Tungsten T# just died. It is in a forzen state. It will not reboot or even turn off. It is just over a year old and I am now looking for a new PDA.
Palm T3 disaster 2006-01-23
I was about to write my miserable experience in agonizing detail, until I found that others have traveled the same path. It is a pity that a product that has come so far was (in my case, also) mercilessly deserted by its maker in the clinches - in this case a hotsync failure that eventually destroyed not only the data stored in the handheld but also the backups of those data that were religiously placed on the "official"
Secure File PDA Backkup SD card. I am now laboriously retrieving my "essential" passwords (and from now forward keeping copies on the old reliable - PAPER!) It may interest others that I tried the path of logging my problem with an internet chat-group hosted by Google that is focussed on T3 hotsync problems, where I found lots of company, but no answers after waiting several weeks. The best information I have found by far is that in the group in which I am now participating. What a pity! I do not have a beef with the product - even a Rolls has been known to miss a beat occasionally. I do have a serious beef with the maker. But, heck - even GM can screw up, so why not Palm? Where do I go from here? My T3 makes a rather mediocre paper-weight.
Still a great PDA in (almost) 2006 2005-12-20
The Tungsten T3 handheld comes packed with power and boasts Palm's new breakthrough Stretch Display.Slide open to reveal the 320x480 display with 50% more viewing area (than other Palm handhelds) and twice the resolution of Pocket PC 2003 handhelds. Keep it compact for easy, one-handed access to information. It instantly rotates from portrait to landscape, and a new status bar provides one-tap access to battery and memory levels, Bluetooth status and more from a single location.With an ultra-fast 400MHz Intel XScale processor and 64MB of internal memory, it handles Word, Excel and PowerPoint-compatible files, wireless applications and multimedia tasks with lightning speed and room to spare. Its new and improved organization stores more of your important information and provides better synchronization with Outlook. The ultra-capable Tungsten T3 handheld also features MP3 and video playback software, built-in Bluetooth, voice-recording, the latest Palm OS and more.
A workhorse, even though it's an older model now. 2005-08-12
This is my 5th PDA, if you count that Newton MessagePad 120 I started with back whenever. The Tungsten T3 has impressed me for a few reasons, not the least of which has been it's all-around usefulness. Stuffing a powerful processor, a voice recorder, SD card slot, big display in a collapsible shell, and Bluetooth have all been key to having the Tungsten survive well beyond the usual 1-2 year usable lifespan of the other PDA's I've had before.
The one gripe I do have with the Tungsten T3 is its battery life. Perhaps because of its supercharged processor (which manages to even run video smoothly -- google for TCPMP, which is a free & open source media player) it guzzles down the battery. Though it's a standard battery, between the display and the processor needs, I only get maybe 3-4 hours continuous use, though to be fair, that's with Bluetooth running. That's been upped by an hour or so by using another utility called "FullPower", which allows me to turn off the battery warnings until a lower voltage, but it's a risky proposition -- too low, and all the memory gets lost.
But the display is really quite nice and bright, and I've used this PDA now as 1) a medial textbook reference, 2) a way to read web sites offline with Plucker & AvantGo, 3) a voice recorder, 4) a GPS navigation device with the NavMan 4460 (see my other review), 5) an mp3 player, with the bundled RealPlayer, 6) a movie player, with TCPMP, 7) a portable email/web access device, using my Bluetooth connection to my GPRS-enabled cell phone with T-mobile, 8) an automatic podcast catcher/mp3 player, using QuickNews from Standalone software, 9) a Word/Excel document editor, using the built-in/bundled Documents-To-Go application (made easier with a Palm Portable Keyboard), and 10) oh yeah -- a handy datebook, contacts, notes, and to-do manager.
Sure, WiFi or a built-in camera would have been neat to have -- but the unit, as is, packs in more than enough functionality for most users. That, and everything seems to have a low-quality built-in camera these days. I bet even cameras will have built-in cameras some day soon.
Mediocre 
2005-06-11
I wanted to try it out, I did and now I know. - First for the good points: it's practical to have an electronic agenda - although good old fashioned scribbling by hand onto paper is more convenient than typing in letter by letter on the tiny keyboard or using the handwriting application. It's practical to have all your addresses incl. telephone nos. and e-mails always with you. It's pleasant to listen to mp3's while sitting on the train or waiting for a plane. - Now for the bad points: The making is rather flimsical. Forget about going into the internet while on the go. Most webpages are not made for it, especially the interesting ones. The only thing that goes is reading news - but you can as well read a newspaper or wait until back in your hotel room and turn on the tv. You don't want to recieve e-mails while sitting in a taxi in Jakarta (if it works in the 1st place). If it's urgent they'll call you. Otherwise you can certainly wait for the next opputrunity to hook up your notebook somewhere. SMS function doesn't work with Nokia 6230 (one of the best mobiles according to test results). Dialing function doesn't work either. You definetely don't want to use Word, Excel or Powerpoint with this thing (unsless you want to carry around a magnifying glass). Downloaded some games (made sense to me to listen to mp3's AND playing chinese chess while hanging around airports) but installing didn't work within one hour and I'm not interested in spending another hour finding out why. You don't want to look at photos on this thing (well, again the magnifying glass comes to my mind). I didn't try the movie solution because I refuse to carry that magnifying glass with me. Palm's webpage is a maze (in particular when it comes to support). Customer support is awkward. - As an alternative I suggest you buy a simpler solution with merely an agenda, an address book and mp3 function (you hear me Steve?). Games maybe?
Why a T|T3 is still a great PDA as of May 2005. 2005-05-10
As every product review arises from the unique preferences and tastes of a particular individual, I begin with the following disclosures. (a) I'm a medical professional and I think that the volume of medical references and tools available for PDAs, and especially palms, is transforming the medical professions for the better. (b) I do research and I use Windows laptops, and UNIX workstations, regularly, almost all day. (c) Scheduling and reminder notices are a key part of my work and
personal life.
More on (a): It follows that I'm partial to the Palm platform and the medical software for PalmOS that I've accumulated over the years. The medical software available for Palms makes continuing medical education a pleasure for me. In a few free moments, or even as a break from the work routine, I like to read up on medical subjects from 5MCC or Harrisons' or epocrates. In casual interactions with other medical professionals, or while reading the newspaper, or looking over
content.nejm.org, sometimes I want to look up some quick information to refresh my memory. Medical information on a Palm is often at the perfect level of detail. It's key, however, that the Palm be accessible, that it be in my pocket with my wallet or in my labcoat. If it takes me more
than 20 seconds to find the information I am wondering about, often, the information may not be worth tracking down. The T|T3 has a near ideal size, the size of a wallet. I would think that the T|T5, the T|Es and the Sony TH55 would be very comparable, but the T|T3 is still smaller. The upcoming LifeDrive looks too large and heavy. Many of my medical programs want to reside in
volatile RAM; that argues against the 16MB limit of the TH55 and, perhaps, the 32MB limits of the T|Es. The T|C appears to be an important contender, but I prefer the security of short-range Bluetooth to 802.11b WiFi without WPA-PSK/AES. Also, it is likely that unencrypted 802.11b violates HIPAA.
More on (b): For research work, there is a clear separation from the heavy-weight computing tasks for which I need a workstation, the medium-weight tasks for which I need a luggable laptop, and light-weight scheduling, quick notes, reminders, etc. that a PDA does well. I don't want my PDA to
be a database or have the feature sets of office productivity suites. Still, adding research info. management to medical info. management increases demand on volatile and non-volatile storage. This argues for the T|Ts, the T|C and the LifeDrive.
More on (c): I want my PDA apps to be useful day-to-day, quick to launch and nimble to use. Keeping this in mind, I was disappointed that PalmOne did away with voice recording on the T|T5. I like the idea of using voice recordings for quick memos while driving or just before going to bed or adding voice-over notes on calendar and to-do apps. The T|C will do voice recording, but with the hassle of an external mic. Unfortunately, that little hassle could be too large a barrier to my using a voice-memo feature regularly. That takes me back to the T|T3.
The Treo 650 would be a reasonable contender. But I like my PDA to be available for scheduling and note-taking while I am talking on a cell-phone. So for me, the two should be separated. Besides, I've recently signed up for another two years with Nextel. That excludes the Treos. In the back of my mind is also the fact that cell phones aren't compatible/safe with many hospital wards. Unfortunately, as of today, there precious few sources of new, warrantied T|T3 available in the US. Amazon & associates just sold the last of the warrantied OEMs; I squeaked by and managed to get one of these. Ebay may be the only remaining source. I bought a spare T|T3 and some spare parts from ebay last week and I've been happy with this route.
To conclude, I assert the T|T3 is still a great PDA as of May 2005.
Great product, except for the screws! 2005-04-12
Great product! My wife works in real estate, so the Tungsten T3 is invaluable to her. Easy to use and durable EXCEPT for the 4 little screws on the side of the slide part. They are NOTORIOUS for coming loose and falling out.They are so tiny that you do not even notice them come loose untill they have fallen out and are gone. However, I have contacted PalmOne and they graciously sent me 4 new screws for no charge. Great customer support!
