T3 vs T2 LONG!

[TSN]

I'm considering the purchase of a new palm and I'm not sure what the difference is between T3 and T2. I've read all of the reviews between the two and this is where the difficulity lies.
Here are the high lights:

T3 faster processor but drains battery quicker thean the T2. Also, when the reviews state mobileMIPS the T2 can do 544 mobileMIPS which was touted to be faster when bundled with something called DSP (I think) then the 400mhz Intel.

Both have bluetooth and play MP3s.

T3 bigger screen.

Software packages are similar.

Memory is not a big deal since I could buy SD cards.

Battery life is less with the T3 (large screen and processor). But I'm not sure by how much. The reviews don't really have equal tests.

Price. The T2 is about $100 cheaper.

It looks like the T3 is over kill but since I have neither I'm only making assumptions. Can anyone help me out here?

[mocha]

Titan,

I had a T3 for a couple of weeks. It was very nice but not worth the $350 for the differences between the T2 & T3. There was very little difference in performance, even on the advanced apps. I rarely used the extra screen real estate. Plus, I missed the T2 form-factor & button layout. All these factors combined, I sent it back and continue to use my T2 (just waiting for the next great PDA to come out).

Hope this helps.

[Vidge]

I had a T2 and now a T3. Coming from an NR70V, the T2 was fine but I really missed the extra screen real estate. The T2 is a great machine, but I'm very happy with the T3. In addition to the larger screen, I enjoy the extra memory, speed and the new PIMs.

Memory to me WAS a big deal - and was what drove me away from Sony back to Palm in the first place. Now my SD card is used for storage, not programs. Running programs from the card is much slower than in RAM.

Yes, the battery life isn't the best (I'm getting 3-4 hours). But I'm usually close to an outlet so it is really no issue to me.

HTH

[TSN]

Thanks for the replies. They were very well thought out not just a this ones the best because it is the fastest. I'm heading out to check out the T2 since I've already played with the T3.

[matrix42]

T3 is a great device, I've gone from the T - T2 and now T3, and IMHO if your're' only talk'n about $100 then the larger screen and 64M of memory are worth it..

Check and see if the software you use and like supports the T3 screen size (good thread on this subject here) and then compare. i.e working with spreadsheets in landscape mode for me is great compared to 320x320 portrait. After all it's really about the software you use every day and if the larger screen makes that experience better than go for it!!

-S

[TSN]

Should I wait till after Xmas to pick one of these up? I'm not sure if the Palm's will drop in price since the new model just came out and like any wise buyer the cheaper the better ;)

[pigburger]

I didn't even consider buying a Pa1m until the T3. I owned several Sonys with Hi-res+ screen and had no intention of ever going back to regular res. After owning an NX for 8 months, I again got the upgrade bug, but Sony's refusal to improve the processor, RAM or size of their devices was a real put off. Then I saw the NX80's stylus and that did it. I really didn't consider the T2, mainly because of the screen size. Though I use it 50/50 between the big screen/small screen modes, I really like the landscape option for reading ebooks. The extra RAM and more horsepower were just icing on the cake. The T2 is nice, but the T3 is just that much better.

[PatrickS]

If you are a heavy Palm user, then I dispute your statement that the extra memory can be made up for by SD cards. I went from a T1 to a T3, so the effect was more dramatic for me, but there is a huge difference in usability with the extra memory. People will say to just move your apps to the card and use something like ZLauncher or PowerRun to run them from there. However, that has the side effect of pretty much tying you to one card. You can't swap the card for content (videos, mp3, eBooks) without losing access to a lot of your apps.

All of my apps, other than games, are in memory now and the SD card is a true content provider. Even so, I have well over 50% of my T3's RAM still free.

[cyclinghermes]

HANDS DOWN THE T3 IS THE BEST

thats my 2 cents

[wakatam]

Originally posted by cyclinghermes
HANDS DOWN THE T3 IS THE BEST

thats my 2 cents

I'd agree almost completely if it weren't for the numerous quality issues that T3 has been having... particularly

1. bad screens
2. 1st ROM slowdown problem and SD Card frying (addressed now though, but still a hassle for early adopters)
3. digitizer problems

... and the short battery life is a bit of a nuisance.

But seeing what's available out there, T3 IS the best!

[Ddeath]

Bad screens? Guessed that depends on your luck whether you got the good ones or the bad. I think it should be fixed now, hopefully.

At least the ROM and the SD card problem has been fixed with the update.

Dun have any digitizer problem like what you mentioned. Guess if the T3 has the problem, just go and change it.

To improve the battery life, we just have to underclock the T3 using applications out there like PXA Clocker. This will drastically improve the battery life of the T3. The basic PIM dun need that speed anyway.

If one can live through that, like what wakatam said, T3 is outstanding! ;)

[karan701]

Originally posted by Titan
Thanks for the replies. They were very well thought out not just a this ones the best because it is the fastest. I'm heading out to check out the T2 since I've already played with the T3.

The T2 was sweet, but if you think abt it, there's not much of a quantum jump between the T and the T2. The jump between the T2 and the T3 on the other hand, is pretty huge. I had a m515, and used a T2 for a while... but the feel-good factor of the T3 is amazing.
The virtual graffiti area rocks... couple this with the fact that you can switch between portrait and landspace modes, and youve got a really cool pda.
The 400 MHz processor may seem like overkill, but keep in mind that palm apps are getting more and more processor intensive... so having the extra cache right now will help out in the future.

Also, the additional 32 MB onboard that you get with the T3 helps, because even though you can buy storage cards, accessing the card takes longer, and drains the battery faster.

I thought abt all this, and chose the T3. Worth every penny.

[samnjoe]

Originally posted by Mocha
Titan,

I had a T3 for a couple of weeks. It was very nice but not worth the $350 for the differences between the T2 & T3. There was very little difference in performance, even on the advanced apps. I rarely used the extra screen real estate. Plus, I missed the T2 form-factor & button layout. All these factors combined, I sent it back and continue to use my T2 (just waiting for the next great PDA to come out).

Hope this helps.


WOW! Where's the $350 difference? I'd buy lots of T2's!!

I see the price difference as $70 -- NOT $350.

T2 = $329
T3 = $399

:eek:

[wailly]

I bought my T2 not too long before the launch of T3, and arrrg... should have wait for just a few more months. Anyway, the T2 is great; it was on sale, and well worth the money. If there's anything T3 might lure me into buying, definitely the big screen and more memory. I'd wait awhile until Palm iron out most of the first batch production bugs though.

[mocha]

Originally posted by samnjoe
WOW! Where's the $350 difference? I'd buy lots of T2's!!

I see the price difference as $70 -- NOT $350.

T2 = $329
T3 = $399

:eek:

I already owned the T2. Buying the T3 involved $400 and passing my T2 to my wife...

[gklinger]

C|Net is showing $334 (http://shopper.cnet.com/4014-3127_9-30557627.html?tag=pl) as the current lowest price for the T3. $399 is the price from PalmOne but there are retailers that are doing some serious undercutting. By the same token, C|Net is listing the cheapest price for the T2 as being $229 (http://shopper.cnet.com/4014-3127_9-30460866.html?tag=pl). I guess it's all relative. Either way, it's nice to have choices.