by Anthony Khoo

Created on: April 16, 2008

Upon the introduction of the Palm Tungsten E2 in 2005 it quickly distinguished itself as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with an incredibly fast processor speed and sharp well-defined graphics. With its powerful Intel 200Mhz processor it remains one of the fastest PDAs of ever manufactured. This meant that unlike other more sluggish PDAs, the Tungsten E2 is almost unique in the smoothness of its performance and the rapidity of its responses.

In any device, whether it be a computer, phone or PDA, there is a certain amount of 'lagtime', which refers to the time between the user issuing a command and the device responding. Due to its fast Intel processor, the Tungsten E2 has a very short lagtime and can open applications much faster than other PDAs on the market. This makes it the ideal device for those running tight and busy schedules, and those who get frustrated by slow device responses.

With its striking appearance and large 3.7 Inch LCD screen, the Tungsten E2 continued the trend of the Palm Tungsten Series as perhaps the most aesthetically pleasing PDA at the time of its release. Connecting the Tungsten E2 to computer is easy and is accomplished through the use of a standard USB cable. However, connectivity is perhaps one the greatest disappointments of this particular PDA, as whilst it has Bluetooth and Infrared technology, it does not feature wireless internet capabilities.

This meant that the Tungsten E2 is unable to access or connect to wireless networks and browse the Internet, and this results in it being unsuitable for those whose business or lifestyle revolved around mobile internet.

Additionally, in order to fit in the large LCD screen, the Tungsten E2 does not have a keyboard, and this makes typing messages and emails very difficult and laborious. Again, this means that this particular PDA is ill suited to business, which often requires quick and easy messaging and connectivity.

The area where the Tungsten E2 really excels is in graphics and sheer processor power. This makes it an ideal media station which can play both audio and video files smoothly. The SD card slot enables easy memory expansion and this allows the Tungsten E2 to rival even dedicated media players such as the Apple Ipod.

In conclusion, the Palm Tungsten E2 is a striking and high performance PDA, but is lacking in several areas such particularly business connectivity. This makes it less suitable for business, but a much more popular choice to those for whom aesthetics is a high priority. Although by modern standards the Tungsten E2 is slightly outdated, it nonetheless can match some of the PDAs that have entered the market this year with its high speed processor and outstanding LCD graphics.

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