palmOne Tungsten E2 review

The rumour mill kicks into overdrive whenever a new handheld gears up to hit the market, grinding the grist of blog-based guesswork into speculation. So while everyone knew that the palmOne Tungsten E2 was imminent, this PDA is finally out of the oven, and we've got all the final details.

As the successor to and the replacement for the popular Tungsten E (according to the company, the top-selling PDA across all price points for the past 17 months), the Tungsten E2 boasts the same sleek and compact form factor as its older sibling, but ups the ante with performance-enhancing features, such as an updated OS and a brighter colour screen. Factor in impressive battery life and an affordable £145 price tag, and palmOne has another winner on its hands. Unless you need a powerhouse PDA with integrated Wi-Fi and a faster processor, the Tungsten E2 should do the trick for any home user or mobile pro.

Design
We're glad to see that palmOne didn't mess with the Tungsten E2's design. Like its predecessor, the Tungsten E2 sports a sleek and compact form factor, though it adds just a hair more weight and depth (79 by 115 by 15mm; 133g). An attractive dark-silver finish wraps up the package, although you'll need to keep a chamois on hand with this machine; it tends to hold fingerprints and smudges. Still, the E2 is a sophisticated beast and appropriate for any boardroom -- a far cry from its similarly priced and featured cousin, the Zire 72, which has a more colourful and playful look.

Like the Tungsten T3, the E2 has a classic executive look

The E2's improved 94mm (3.7-inch) TFT colour screen shines brightly, taking centre stage. While it keeps the 320x320-pixel resolution of the Tungsten E, everything looks sharper, a little brighter and a little more vivid, and it's readable even in direct sunlight. Just below the screen is a virtual input area with one-touch access to the Home page, with Menu on the left side, while Favourites and a search function sit on the right.

Unlike the Tungsten T5, however, there's no handy taskbar along the bottom to launch other applications or to switch the screen to Landscape mode. You do, however, get four standard customisable shortcut keys (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notepad, by default) and a five-way navigation toggle. The keys are spacious, though set deeper within the case, rather than slightly raised above the surface, so they require a little effort to press -- not a deal-breaker, but something to be aware of.

In sync: the palmOne Tungsten E2 now features the multiconnector USB cable with one-touch HotSync operation

On top of the device, you'll find an SDIO/MMC expansion slot, a power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones, and an infrared port. There's a stylus holder on the right and, as with the T5, the stylus is elegant and sturdy like a fine fountain pen, as opposed to the dinky, plastic variety.

Like all the new palmOne devices, the Tungsten E2 now uses a multiconnector USB cable with one-button HotSync operation. Extras are sparse; there is no desktop cradle included in the box, but it comes with a faux leather flip cover, which slides into a slot on the left side, and a power adapter. With the added Bluetooth technology, you can take advantage of other accessories, such as keyboards and GPS receivers.