palmOne's newest high-end PDA is the Tungsten T5. It comes with some nice features:

• 256 MB total memory. This includes 55 MB of non-volatile RAM as well as a 160 MB of flash memory that acts like a memory card (the rest is used by the OS itself).
• 320 x 480 high-resolution screen in a traditional slate form-factor (no slider)
• Built-in Bluetooth like the previous Tungsten T-series models.
• Can be used as a USB Flash Drive on any PC without installing any Palm software on that PC.
• Fast 416 Mhz Intel Xscale processor

• No built-in 802.11 Wi-Fi (Bluetooth only)
• No vibrating alarm
• No LED alarm/charging indicator
• No voice recorder
• No desktop cradle included (available separately)

See our article palmOne Announces the Tungsten T5 for more information, including our mini-review of it. Be sure to also check out our My Tungsten T5 page for tips, software, and more useful information.

Tungsten T5 Compatible Software

Dynamic Input Area (DIA) Skins

As of right now there are no Tungsten T5-specific DIA (Graffiti area) skins available. However, you can install the myriad of T3 DIA Skins on your T5 using the SkinDIA application.

One of the best add-on features of this program is that it can be set to show the Graffiti Area icons in COLOR, instead of standard drab blue-and-white.

• SkinDIA - Lets you manage all of your T3 DIA skins. Also lets you install T3 skins onto a T5. This app is shareware. The cost is $8.

There are many places to get Tungsten DIA Skins. We have highlighted some of our favorites here and provided links to these sites.

• There are tons of T3 Skins in our PalmZone.net Software Store powered by PalmGear.
• You can also create your own DIA skins with the T3 DIA Skin Maker from Festus. There are over 200 hundred icons that can be changed to make a skin.
• Here are some skins that we like that you may want to check out from some individual authors, such as Velo and Mythomania Factory:
  • Alubreeze DIA Skin is like a brushed brown metal.
  • Poulidor DIA Skin is a brown and gray background with blue and red buttons. Its a very nice look. Mythomania Factory has several other Sony skins that are ported over to the T3.
  • SilverBlue, Yellow Revival (Yellow and Black), Blue Revival, and Red Revival skins. View all of Velo's DIA skins here
  • ZenBlue skin is mostly grey with some blue accents.

Replace Graffiti2 with original Graffiti1

The safe way to replace Graffiti 2 with Graffiti 1 is to purchase the CIC Jot handwriting recognition system. These are the folks that licenced Graffiti 2 to Palm and their product still supports Graffiti 1 as well! Its a bit pricey, so consider the bundle of Jot and WordComplete for a few bucks more. WordComplete suggests words based on the letters you've started to enter and lets you pick one from a list. This greatly speeds up data entry on your Palm.

In addition, Igor Nestorov has figured out how to patch the original Palm Graffiti 1 files so that they work on the Treo 650 and Tungsten T5. The files can be downloaded from here. Thanks to a 1src member for this information.

Increase your Battery Life While Using Bluetooth

BtTogglePro saves significant battery life but automatically disabling and enabling the BT radio as needed.

More T5 Compatible Software

1src.com has started a great list of software tested to work with the T5. It also points out software that will cause problems. You don't have to read through the whole thread because the original post is constantly updated with new information.

• If you are moving to the T5 from a Sony CLIE, you MUST uninstall the CLIE Desktop before installing the palmOne T5 desktop. These applications are incompatible and cause many problems.
• Rename your internal flashROM drive to something other than its default name of INTERNAL. For example, rename it to "FlashROM". Use the included CardInfo app and select "Rename" from the menu. Many third-pary applications are not case-sensitive and view this as the same as the Palm "Internal" memory (RAM), which can cause problems. It's best to do this when you first get your T5, but it can be done at any time without issues. You'll just want to synchronize after changing it so that DocsToGo and SplashPhoto and other third-party applications are made aware of the name change.
• If you need to reset your Tungsten T5 because of a crash or even a "reset loop" that prevents your T5 from rebooting, see our General Tips section. Essentially you make sure a password is assigned to your T5 and perform a normal Hard Reset.
• You can change the quality of your video's using the palmOne Media Desktop. You can change the frame rate and bitrate to either improve the quality or decrease the file size. Read this palmOne knowledge-base article for the details.
• Red Mercury has a good description of how the Tungsten T5 Memory works if you're interested in the technical details.

More Tips

• Memory Card Tips - More Palm memory and storage cards tips as well as 3rd-party memory card applications.
• BlueTooth Hotsync - Bluetooth Hotsync is covered in our Bluetooth Guide.
• Enhanced PIM Applications - These are covered on our Personal Information Management Tips Page. Third-Party PIM Software is covered here.
• General Tips - General Palm-related tips, such as shortcuts for adding items, the various ways to reset your device, etc.
• Screen Tips - Recommendations on screen protectors and styli and instructions on how to solve common screen problems.
• Power Management Tips - Battery life and charging tips as well as tips on conserving battery power.

Tungsten T5 Battery Comparison

We will post actual battery benchmark tests as soon as they are available. In the meantime, its worth noting that the T5's processor is more power-efficient than the T3's and the T5 has a 1300 mAH battery instead of a 900 mAH model.

Our first informal test lasted 5 hours and 20 minutes with brightness set in the middle. This included two bluetooth Hotsync's (big battery drain), but also a couple hours of being idle with just an alarm active and the screen on (due to a bug in the auto-off function). This compares to roughly 3-4 hours of similar usage on a Tungsten T3.

Tungsten T5 Accessories

Note that the Tungsten T5 has a completely unique "Multi-Connector". This is different than the prior "Universal Connector" and other previous Palm connectors.

• Tom Tom Navigator Bluetooth GPS for Tungsten T3/T5 - Bluetooth GPS navigation
• palmOne Universal Wireless Infrared Keyboard - Almost full-size keyboard with 5 rows of keys that works with just about any Palm PDA and even Pocket PC's.
• palmOne Wi-Fi SD Card (from palmOne) - Provides 802.11 wireless access. T5 drivers have been released. The palmOne Wi-Fi SD Card (from Amazon) is also available from our Amazon eStore.
• Tungsten T5 Cradle Kit
• palmOne Travel Cable for Tungsten T5 - USB sync cable.
• palmOne Tungsten T5 Leather Case
• Vaja Tungsten T5 Leather Case with Ultra Clip - Wonderful leather care for your T5.
• Vaja Embossed Tungsten T5 Leather Case with Ultra Clip - Personalized version of above.
• palmOne Tungsten T5 Hard Case
• palmOne Vehicle Charger for T5
• T5 Accessories from our Amazon Store - Hard case, leather case, cradle kit, travel charger, desktop cable, car charger, travel cable, replacement stylus. All at discounted Amazon prices!
• Boxwave ClearTouch Screen Protectors - Same great screen protectors as the Tungsten T3.
• JavoEdge Accessories - Screen protectors and other accessories.
• Proporta T5 Cases - Two different models of leather cases with hard aluminum lining.