Palm TX - Good on Internet with current websites?

[Techuser694]

Hi,
I've never owned a Palm TX, so I was wondering - how does the browser handle current websites? Does it handle HTML 5 and flash correctly and properly?

I have my first opportunity to buy one used, so the battery will be questionable but I'm interested. I happen to think the Palm TX was reliable, durable and was ahead of it's time. It just feels intuitively better than the Ipod Touch 4G, which I have.

But I don't want buyer's remorse. I'm spending good money on really old tech.
I don't want to sit at home wondering - I could have bought a kindle or kobo.
(Or kindle fire)

There are 126 negative reviews (1 star) on Amazon for the Palm TX.
How seriously should I take them?

I'm a very gentle user of technology and especially my Tungsten. I wouldn't install many programs or rough handle it (TX). I wouldn't leave it on for 2 hours.
I'm a modest power user.

The negative reviews on Amazon really scared me away from the E2, to some extent the E, and in some ways the T5.

My main interest is wifi and pdf reading.

What do you think? Go for it? For wi-fi at McDonald's?

[Hook]

If you are buying for web browsing, don't. I'm sorry, but while the Palm TX probably was better at web browsing than most other Palm PDAs, it isn't very satisfying by modern standards. It does not do flash or html5. You are much better off picking up an ipod Touch or Samsung Galaxy Player 4 for that.

As a Palm TT replacement, the TX is fine. I loved my TX. I wouldn't buy from Amazon, however. I would look at Chris Short refurbs which will have glass backed digitizers, new batteries and probably even a reinforced on-off switch (the original plastic digitizer and on-off switch were major sources of quality control issues with the TX). Another surce of one star complaints at Amazon was Palm's customer service which, by the time the TX came out, was horrible. You won't have that problem with Chris Short either. ;-)

The only other issue with the TX is that not all older Palm apps are compatible with the non-volatile memory of the TX (most are). Make sure, if you go for a TX, that you follow the upgrade instructions stickied in the TX forum very carefully.

It is old tech, so keep that in mind. As much as I loved my TX and there are still some things it can do better than any other device, I wouldn't go back to it from Android. Ever. It is now just something I play with once in awhile. (and I'm an old guy).

[RickAgresta]

I agree with Hook's advice. As you already have a 4th-gen iPod Touch, your wifi access should already be a done-deal, so to say. Frankly, other than either Personal Information Management apps (PIMS) or any Palm apps that you just can't do without, at this point in time, the TX isn't a better choice than the iPod Touch (this is something I'd not have said a couple of years ago, but tech does keep changing...).

[Varjak]

It definitely does not handle HTML5 or Flash. And unfortunately, more and more websites default to the mobile version with Blazer on the TX. It's adequate for me at this point, but it's getting to the point where it will not really be functional as a browser anymore.

[raspabalsa]

The TX's severe limitations as a browser were a major factor in my decision to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy Player. Another was the TX's impossibility to connect to newer WiFi networks, as the TX can only connect to b or mixed b/g networks. It won't even see n or b/g/n networks.

If your other main use is going to be PDF reading, then the TX is definitely not a good option. The TX does not have enough RAM or CPU power to handle PDFs smoothly. Only when I had no other choice did I resort to opening PDFs on my TX.

That said, my TX served me well for 5 years. Of course, I had to learn to live with its limitations, but there were many tasks at which the TX performed very well. PIMs are much better than on my new Android devices, video playback is very good, if you take the time to learn what's the best way to re-encode your videos, and programs were more productivity-oriented than the current Android trend.

However, I wouldn't recommend a TX today for someone looking for a PDA or reader. Five years ago it was the opposite: about 8 friends purchased the TX based solely on my recommendations. It's sad that technological advances can render a fine device obsolete in a relatively short span of time.

[Techuser694]

It definitely does not handle HTML5 or Flash. And unfortunately, more and more websites default to the mobile version with Blazer on the TX. It's adequate for me at this point, but it's getting to the point where it will not really be functional as a browser anymore.

Are you finding that the mobile versions of websites are truncated or missing content you need?

[Varjak]

Yes. For example, I can't see the comments on the NY Times blogs anymore. It severely curtails the usefulness of sites like Wikipedia and IMDb, which both worked okay before, if you turned off CSS. You used to be able to 'force' Blazer to use the normal sites in many cases; but no longer. I can't be too angry, it is an old device, but it's hard to understand too. Part of it is that most websites get ever more elaborate.

[John Tighe]

Hey, the TX isn't all that bad,
it runs Flash just as good as the most recent iPhone or iPad !!

[Hook]

Hey, the TX isn't all that bad,
it runs Flash just as good as the most recent iPhone or iPad !!

Bwahahahahahahahaha!!! Calling zippy...

[Varjak]

Actually, it runs it better; because some apps will on Palm will play Flash. Do any of the 3rd party browsers for iOS do that?