Palm launches Tungsten T2

Handheld maker Palm has introduced a new model to its Tungsten range of corporate PDAs. The Tungsten T2 updates last year's original Tungsten by adding a transflective screen and larger memory, but it keeps the stylus-driven user interface. The move comes as figures show Palm is expanding its share of the European handheld market against rivals such as HP.

Palm's Tungsten T2, available now, is basically the same design as the first Tungsten T introduced last October, but it has 32MB of memory compared with the 16MB of its predecessor. It also features a silver casing instead of the gunmetal finish of the original.

"The Tungsten T was looking a bit under-specified since we launched the Tungsten C [in April], so we felt it needed a bit of an update," said Colin Holloway, Palm marketing manager for the UK and Northern Europe. The doubling of the memory to support larger applications, and the clearer transflective display will appeal to corporate buyers, he added. However, this still leaves the Tungsten T2 with 32MB less memory than the Tungsten C; and it has only a 144MHz processor, compared with the 400MHz processor of the Tungsten C.

Holloway said the specifications differ because the two models are aimed at different types of user. "The Tungsten C is for campus-based workers who will be using the device for much of the time, and it needs a big battery to support a wireless LAN connection. Tungsten T2 is for mobile workers that won't be connected all the time, so it is smaller and more compact," he said.

In line with this thinking the Tungsten T2 keeps the Bluetooth wireless interface for comms via a mobile phone connection. It also has the sliding cover of the original Tungsten and features a Graffiti input area instead of the Tungsten C's mini keyboard. However, the Tungsten T2 now features the Graffiti 2 pen input system, which supports writing anywhere on the screen, even when the device is closed.

Other new features include Documents To Go 5.3, which supports editing and viewing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files; and version 2.5 of VersaMail, Palm's email client.

Palm's new focus on designing handhelds to meet the needs of specific types of user seems to be paying off, as the firm is seeing increased sales after several years of decline. Figures released by research firm Canalys last week showed that Palm sales in Europe were 45 percent higher in the second quarter of 2003 than in the same period last year. HP, the largest maker of PDAs based on the rival Pocket PC platform, only saw a two percent growth in sales during the period.

Palm's Tungsten T2 costs £280 + VAT.

Have your say: reply to IT Week