Pros: A lot of new features
Cons: Palm OS is antiquated.
The bottom line: The Palm as a platform is dead, no point in purchasing this obsolete device.
Overview
The Palm T|X is the top of the line hand held personal data assistant manufactured by Palm. It is the most advanced of the traditional Palm PDAs, using a similar operating system and possessing pretty much the same interface. The T|X is a sleek device, not as pretty as the Vx but still a handsome gadget and much nicer than older Palms. The T|X has a dark metallic blue case, but the central part of the T|X is its large colour screen. The T|X is probably the best Palm ever made, it is definitely one of the most feature packed. The concern with the T|X is the available software, and the competition from smart phones and other devices.

Broken screen
My T|X has a busted screen, specifically the sensor that recognizes strokes of the stylus does not work properly. About 60% of the sensor closest to the centre does not register input from the stylus. This is probably due to the amount of pressure I apply to the stylus when I am writing. Of course as the sensor became less sensitive, I applied more pressure thus making the problem worse. I would also like to point out that this T|X is about two years old, and using the stylus is the expected primary operation on the T|X. As a result of this failure, it is difficult to input information and thus my T|X is of questionable utility.

Hardware
The T|X comes with WiFi, from my experience it can connect to about 70% of the valid networks. Where valid implies my notebook would make the connection. There is VPN software for the T|X, but it is a commercial program and I have not purchased it. The T|X supports both Bluetooth and IR for wireless synchronization. I have never gotten either to work, in the case of IR it is not present on my notebook. And in the case of Bluetooth, it is not properly documented on both ends. The T|X supports the SD card for removable storage, I have used third-party SD cards of 2G with my T|X without any problems. I would argue that some hardware manufacturers, like Shuttle, could learn from Palm on this front. The T|X comes with a permanent battery, but it does have battery management software. It turns off the radios (WiFi and Bluetooth) and the screen when the device is not in use.

Ease of setup
Getting the T|X to work is not the issue, the actual concern is where you reach the point of diminishing returns as you attempt to get its many features to work. And I think this is fundamentally a personal choice, even though I purchased Bluetooth for my notebook so that I could wirelessly sync my T|X, I gave up trying after a few days but I consider that my T|X works. The basic Palm applications work well, and being able to sync them with the Palm desktop is a straightforward operation, over the provided cable. Since purchasing my T|X the Palm desktop software has been upgraded, I don't think Palm will include the new software, but if they do the experience should still be straightforward.

As an Organizer
The T|X contains the same software that shipped with the original Palm Pilot, or rather it appears to be functionally the same. The basic applications are Calender, To do list, Memo and Contacts. These applications can be synchronized with the proprietary Palm desktop, or with Outlook. I have never used Outlook with the T|X, so I have no idea if it works. The interface of the Palm desktop is odd, it does not appear to be a significant improvement over that of the accompanying application on the T|X. With all due respect to the Graffiti, a full sized keyboard is a vastly superior interface but the Palm desktop does not seem to exploit this. I am not suggesting you don't type into the program, I am merely stating that the program seems to be a poorly made afterthought. Having said so, it is a full functioned application, with no major shortcomings. The T|X has a loud alarm, and the productivity applications are useful. But at the end of the day, the same programs were available on the Palm Pilot.

The T|X also includes Word-to-Go, which allows for the viewing and editing of some Office documents and text files. While it allows for editing, the limitations of the interface are such that viewing is a reasonable limit. I use this application mainly to view text files, I don't use the sync feature as it didn't work the way I expected it to.

As a multimedia platform
The Palm T|X ships with the free version of pTunes. The full version of pTunes is without question the best music software I have ever used on a computer. I did not buy the program, but would suggest any PDA owner try the demo version. The included free pTunes is not as full featured as its big brother, it provides basic functionality and not much more. It is a nice mp3 player, with playlists and all the other accoutrements of a modern mobile player. But after using the full version, the free is a sad let down.

The T|X supposedly ships with the ability to play video, this is allegedly provided by the included Media application. I will confess that I have never been able to play video with this application. I looked for information on how to do so, but could not figure out the secret. The program I use is The Core Pocket Media Player, which is a GPL'd program that is available for a few mobile platforms. TCPMP is no longer being developed, the developers are now producing a commercial version of the player. The old player does still exist, but is one of the more difficult programs to find. The TCPMP does not have a great interface but does support a wide variety of video codecs, nothing is as sublime as watching a movie on the T|X.

Email and Web
The VersaMail client is a disappointment, it appears to be a full featured client, but execution was sadly lacking. After getting over the initial euphoria of mobile email, I quickly abandoned this program due mainly to the size of my emails and the size of the screen. VersaMail's maintenance interface does not help matters, as you are constantly worried that you will trash your inbox. The included Blazer web browser, gets points for working on the real web rather than a restricted subset ... like some phones. It renders most sites well, including pictures, the browser interface is simple and easy to use. It doesn't compare to modern desktop browsers, but given the relative resources on the two devices this is understandable. I like the browser, I don't like the email client.


As an application platform
Based on pTunes I would say the T|X is a powerful application platform. It looks good, like a program that could not work on the older Palm models. It also has interesting, or infact innovative features. pTunes is able to tune into Internet radio stations, and it does this over the T|X's WiFi connection. In a shocking turn of events pTunes internet radio interface is easier to use and more responsive than iTunes, Winamp and Media Player. It is truly inspired, and I? tip my hat to the developers.

None of the other applications I have tried on my T|X are as well made. Two of them, Avantgo and Google Maps appear to require a WiFi connection to work properly. Given their travel based nature, this seems like a major oversight. And this shortcoming is indicative of the handheld developer, as it presumes a lot about the user. These and other commercial made applications look as good as pTunes, but they are sadly lacking as programs. I have not found any freeware Palm applications that I felt the desire to use for longer than a week. Also these are developed for compatibility, and generally look awful. TCPMP does not have a great interface either, but it does bring glorious video to that lovely screen.

Alternatives
The T|X is probably the last handheld from Palm, they are trying to save the company by moving to the smartphone. With a keyboard and the ability to make phone calls, the smartphone is a superior tool. The problem with smartphones is vendor lock-in, you really shouldn't trust that you would be able to move you phone and data to a new provider.