T5 Cradle a P.O.S.!

Archived from groups: comp.sys.palmtops.pilot (More info?)

"Harrzack" <avres@comcast.net> wrote:

>Unless you ABSOLUTELY need a cradle for the Palm Tianium T5 save your
>$$... This is the cheeziest product I've seen in a long time. And badly
>designed too. The now infamous Universal Connector...

The T5 doesn't have the "infamous" Universal Connector. That was on previous
Palms. The T5 has a new connector, apparently soon to also become infamous from
what you say...

Archived from groups: comp.sys.palmtops.pilot (More info?)

This is my first ever experience with a PDA so I don't have much
perspective. For the most part it seems pretty good. There have been a
few odd crashes. Graffitti can be maddening - I'm trying to use the T5
in a retail sales environment and it can be a bit clumsy to enter data
"under fire" so to speak. I had read complaints that the T5 was slow.
Generally it doesn't seem that bad. I'm now using Mobi-Systems
"Spreadsheet" and there is significant delays when they "import" a
sheet from the card. But that could just be their programmng style.
Smart List To Go corrupted its files on the card when (I think) I
deleted files that were related. I like the idea that it is using Flash
mem and I don't have to worry about data loss if power fails. And the
250MB is going a long way. I"m not loading it up with pix and MP3's so
I should get pretty good mileage. The sync connector is a real sore
spot. Whatever it's name is sure is a fragile affair - tiny plastic
guides sticking out for easy breakage. I don't need any form of
wireless (yet) so that hasn't bothered me.
Overall I would give the T5 a 4 star rating.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.palmtops.pilot (More info?)

"Harrzack" <avres@comcast.net> wrote:

>Whatever it's name, the connector used to sync the T5 is certainly a
>deliciate affair and you don't wanna be just jamming it into the Palm!

Can't say about the T5 connector (yet), but the old Universal Connector (such as
on my m125 and Zire71) seem quite robust. I never had a problem with damage. But
it seemed such a poor mechanical design. The Z71 has to be wiggled on the cradle
to make sure that a charge is actually in progress, and when I am using a UC
cable both units needed to be laying or held very still during hotsync to avoid
losing the connection. I though the problem was solved very nicely on models
like the TungstenE and Zire72 with their separate miniUSB and charging
connectors. I could hold them up by their cord/s and swing them around (though I
wouldn't) during hotsync or charging and not lose the connection. With the
redesign of the UC such mechanical stability would have been nice...