Rumor: New palmOne Tungsten Image on Amazon

Where are you getting all this from, considering the only info in the Amazon posting is the info for the case?

Also, if you click through to Amazon's site, or click the image above, you can see in the full-size version that the handheld shown is from the "T" family. Of course, it COULD just be a mockup.

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What do you think, sirs?

But wasn't the new TE supposed to be delayed until the spring? It might just be a prototype that was leaked (as comment below reminds us, it's the same picture leaked at Brighthand).

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IIIx > m130 > m515 > T|T > T|T3
"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?" - Groucho Marx

There is NOTHING on this model (if the rumors are correct) that I'd find attractive in the slightest over my T3 to consider upgrading. Well, the fixed tablet shape is nice but not nearly enough to make me give up my T3.

This thing, whatever it is, SHOULD be called the T|E2 and priced at $300 max. It'd sell like hotcakes as the successor to the original T|E, regardless of OS version. Otherwise, I predict a slow death for it at $400.

But by calling it a T|T5, P1 is throwing all prior chronology out of whack. Unless their devious plan is to basically drop all of the current Tungstens other than the T5 & TC and just go with two Zires for the lower end of the market.

I still think it's far too early for them to gamble so much on the smartphone market. The presence of just one single Smartphone candybar formfactor makes it very worrying to me as well.

Predictions for October/November:

Zire 21: officially discontinued, unofficially still avaialable in stores through early '05, new MSRP <$100
Zire 31: Unchanged
Zire 72: New MSRP of $250 after current rebate offer ends

T|E: Discontinued as it'll steal sales from T5 and it still offers too much bang for the $
T|T3: Discontinued with a final price cut to move out existing units (also all remaining UC accessories are heavily discounted as well)
T|C: Stays around until spring '05 with new P1 packaging and a $50 price drop. P1 quietly ignores the fact that it is the lone unit still with UC.
T|T5: Launches at $400 to lackluster sales. P1 quickly comes up with a $400 bundle of T5 & Wi-Fi card and drops MSRP of handheld-only T5 to $300-$350.

Treo 600: MSRP dropped by ~$100 and all sorts of other deals depending on carrier
Treo 650: Launches with Sprint only for remainder of '04. Sells decently at $600 but not well enough to bet the farm on.

I own a slider device and I massively detest it.
I think you make great software, Jeff, but you have lousy taste in hardware. ;-)

I am not a very good artist, but I lay down this challenge:

Take a T3 and open the slider. On a sheet of paper, make an outline of the device and, as best you can, overlay an outline of the full, expanded screen. Now close the device and line it up with your previous paper outline. Draw where the bottom of the collapsed T3 case goes relative to the previous outline.

Now take a look. You'll find that below the screen outline and above the outline of the collapsed case there is PLENTY of room for a D-Pad and hardware buttons.

In other words: It is very, very possible for P1 to design a device with the best of both worlds: no slider, yet still the size of the T3 collapsed.

There is NO size advantage to the slider. It only takes a little bit of thoughtful design to get your cake and eat it too.

I agree.. 100% I have the T3 and I LOVE the silder design. I love taking it out of my pocket and sliding it open to turn the unit on. then closed when I want to turn it off. In addition, I read books with the slider closes as it does not seem to use up battery as quickly (I think it doesnt light the bottom 1/3rd of screen closed).
Hotoru

Patrick, to get a real picture of things, you need to remove the slider and measure what is really below the screen. There is only 4.2 millimeters of hardware below that point without the slider. The bottom of the slider itself is 7mm below the bottom of the screen. Keep in mind that the physical screen is larger than what you see, the actual bottom is not the bottom of the status bar. The current T3 button layout is 22mm high and 45mm wide, with the d-pad itself being 15mm by 22mm.

The 7mm space you are proposing as plenty of space would be pretty tight, seeing as just the select button itself is almost 6mm high. palmOne would have to make a slider-less T5 longer than a closed T3 just to have enough room for the buttons. On the plus side, they could also make the device thinner and have a larger battery. However, it will not be as small as a closed T3.

This is actually why I like the slider... I get generous buttons and enough device to get a good grip on, as well as a large screen, all on one of the most compact devices around. Despite being an extreme user, I don't need any more memory or speed, just more battery and ocassional wi-fi.

Patrick, the unit you are describing exists (or at least existed). It's the SonyTH55 and the instant I started operating it, I realized that the buttons and the "d-pad" were a disaster. Much too small! Your design sense is fooling you because you are using the dimensions of the Palm and its slider without considering the dimensions of a person's hand and fingers (and FYI I have small hands). I do like the slider, but I could also use a unit without one (and did for a quite a while). For those like me, however, for whom size is a crucial element, the slider is a brilliant solution. Philippe Radley

Radleyp ... Sorry, but I could never accept Sony hardware button design as an argument to prove anything. Not even that the sky is blue. You may be right, but not because of the fact that Sony's buttons are crap.

I like the slider IF the measurements are the same as the T|T1 - NOT the T|T3. IMO the look and feel of the T|1 is much better than the T3. It feels more solid and is more pocketable. Although the T3 has obviously better specs (and has been universally praised as a success by comparison) than the T1 - the T1 beats the T3 hands down in terms of ergonomics. It just feels much nicer and more solid than the cheapo feel of the T3 case. Yes - the T3 screen won't quite fit the T1 case - but it is close and i believe they could have done a much better compromise (or at least they could now). And it goes without saying that the T1 has a D-Pad that is 100x better than the crap square plastic thing that is supposed to be the T3s D-Pad. I own both and i end up using the T1 more for daily, on the road activity because of the afore mentioned ergonomics and superior battery life. If i get a new game the question i ask first is: will this run smoothly on my t1? If yes - then the game goes on my t1 where i can enjoy better playability because of the DPad. If not i put it on my T3 to get the extra horsepower (or extra heap if thats what the game needs). Getting off topic but oh well...

But it could use some Teutonic execution.

My T3 loosened up somewhat, giving a slightly vague feel. For the first two weeks, it was terrific. If it *stayed* as tight as a SigSauer or hk, that would be a whole different story.

But, I'd be sorry to see the slider go. I want a lot of screen but in a form smaller than my iPAQ. (In fact, I'd love to see P1 bring out an updated Vx/m515. Svelte is good!).

I'm kind of wanting a Wi-Fi/BT Tungsten smaller than a breadbox.

We'll see what next week brings. My T3 still has some miles left, so I won't be heartbroken if the T5 doesn't WOW! me.


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