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T615 review by Iku Kawachi (04/03/2002)

This T-600C is actually my first PDA, but I'm not a newcomer to this market. I have used my dad's original PalmPilot as well as his Palm IIIc extensively. However, there was no way to prepare for the extraordinary features of the T600C. Everything is awesome, starting from the case. I bought the metallic blue version, and it looks cool even after sitting on my desk for two months now. The aluminum aroud the jog dial looks impressive, and overall, the case looks (and is) very sturdy. But when you turn the thing on, man, it blows you away. 320 x 320 is hugely different with 160 x 160, and when you compare it with the older PDAs they look *very* pixellated. And, as mentioned numerous times, it's almost too bright. The screen is perfectly readable, and about perfect at the darkest setting, for any use. Seriously. The only issues about this setup would be the fact that the Grafitti area isn't lit, but when I use it at night I'm usually in a well-lit area, so it wasn't really an issue for me. The range of programs that you can install with the CD - as well as the ones already installed - is equally impressive. For multimedia geeks, there is Sound Utility, which can be used to play MIDIs - I loved this - as well as PictureGear Pocket, for displaying pictures, and CLIE Paint!, which also includes a number of cute "stamps" like water droplets, etc. Both battery life and HotSync speed is excellent. HotSync usually takes only 12-14 seconds when for me, with about 35 addresses and 20 memos - ok, so my synchronization is minimal, but it doesn't take much longer even when installing new games of 200 or 300 kilos. Battery life is perfectly fine for me and I suspect it would last even longer than the advertised 6 hours should I not play so many sound and graphics-intensive games. (I sound like a PDA gamer geek.) I have only two small complaints, which aren't a big problem but would be nice to see fixed somehow. The first is the aboslutely TEENY up-down button, which is the smallest I've ever seen on a PDA. In fact, it is impossible to use without hitting the address book and to do buttons on either side unless I use my fingernail. However, in most circumstances, the Jog Dial serves the exact same function. So it's not really a problem. The second complaint depends on way of use. it's the finish of the case. I discovered - and I should have known this earlier, silly me - that placing it in a pocket along with money chips the paint A LOT. Both the painted BACK letters and the blue paint will chip very easily. However, this is probably less noticeable on the silver version. Overall, this is an excellent PDA. I get stared at when I go on the train, and my friends are always begging to use it. I give it a 9.4 out of 10.