2 1/2 years later, and I still love my Tungsten E!

If I were a poet, I would write a sonnet about my Tungsten E. I can't live without it.

I bought it 2 1/2 years ago because it was cheap, about $199 at the time, before the Tungsten E2 came out. The longer I have it, the more uses I find for it! I won't go into the technical side - there are some great reviews here already that outline the specs quite well. Rather, I'll tell you what I use it for on a day-to-day basis. The decision to purchase a PDA is all about what you use it for, so this should help.

1) Sync with Outlook. I mostly depend on it for my Calendar and Contacts. Task list and Memo (Notes) is also very handy. The included Versamail program will sync with my email as well, although I rarely use it for this purpose.

2) Mp3's, especially audiobooks. If you're an audiobook fan, I recommend the third party program PocketTunes (http://www.pocket-tunes.com/). It's much better than the RealPlayer program that comes with the software CD. It has all the must-haves for audiobooks: unlimited bookmarking, resume, even jump buttons +15 sec, +30 sec, +1 min, +2 min, +5 min. I love it. It's great for playing music, too. You can dim the screen and keep playing audio to save on battery life.
(Speaking of battery life, it's not the greatest with audio. It lasts for days without using audio, but audio does take its toll on the battery. I'll get into the must-have accessories to solve that problem below.) The Tungsten E is compatible with Audible; with PocketTunes you can play any mp3 or wma file, which includes free audiobook downloads like NetLibrary and Overdrive. Can't do that with an iPod!

4) Laptop for Office products. Yes, that's right. I own a laptop, but I hate to lug it around. I take a night class and bring along a wireless keyboard (also about the size of my Palm) and take notes on my Tungsten E using Word to Go. My notes sync to my computer as a Word document using DataViz Documents to Go. I've used it occasionally for PowerPoint presentations and Excel documents, too. Everything fits in my purse - it's beautiful.

5) AvantGo. Mapquest, My Yahoo, Washington State Ferry Schedule - those are my favorites. But there's tons available. Love it!

6) WW Calc. A program that not only journals Weight Watchers for you, but you can upload all the point values in every food companion book plus every menu item in hundreds of restaurants. You just search and choose them, then put them into your journal. Keeps me honest. (NOT available for Pocket PC)

7) French Dictionary
8) Metro/subway Guides for multiple cities (e.g., Paris, NY)
9) Store photos of my beautiful kids
10) Calculator
11) Games (rarely, but they're there when I need them)

Must-have accessories. I use it a lot, so I require some extras to get the most out of it. My toys include:
1) Covertec flip case (can't close it while using my headphones, but that's ok)
2) Audio wire to connect to my car stereo's auxiliary jack (for listening to mp3s and audiobooks in the car). I used to use a tape deck converter with my old car stereo - worked just as well!
3) Headphones
4) PalmOne wireless keyboard
5) Car charger (absolute MUST - the audio drains the battery, and I listen to it a lot in the car)
6) Extended battery - takes 4 AA batteries. Just in case I need extra juice and I'm not in the car or near an outlet (like taking notes in class) I haven't needed this yet, but it's really nice to have.
7) 512mb SD card. I have a 1GB card, too, but I haven't needed it. I probably would if I started to listen to more music, but for the most part I use it for audiobooks, and I only listen to 1 at a time.

Sidenotes. I don't miss the cradle. This is my 3rd Palm, and it took about a week to get over not having one. I missed it even less when I figured out that the USB cable pulls a charge from the computer. Less still when I figured out that the USB cable is a standard 5-pin cable, the same as my digital camera and a half-dozen other electronic devices I have, so I don't have to carry a proprietary cord or cable around. I have one at home, work, laptop case, etc.

The battery did stop keeping a charge after 2 years. I had about a month left on my extended warranty, which paid for the battery replacement, then extended the warranty for another 100 days. ALWAYS get a 2-year extended warranty on a PDA. It's worth it even if it's just to replace the pricey proprietary battery.

Despite my devotion to this lovely machine, I'm only human. I'm frequently tempted to trade up for a LifeDrive. Wireless would be nice (*sigh*), but I would say that's the only thing I really miss. And considering the price now that the E2 has come out, I'd say it's a steal for all it can do.