Palm 3199WW Cradle Kit for Tungsten E2/T5/TX and LifeDrive

I bought this to go with my Palm TX and would not go without it.One touch transfer is so easy. I purchased one that did not function correctly and Amazon had a new one in the mail within a day for replacement and sending back was postage paid and very easy to do. I got the replacement within a couple of days and it works perfectly.It has a light, so easy to spot for setting your PP in the cradle each night.I like it so much better than the cord USB transfer...though that is nice to take with you if you are on the road.I highly recommend this product.

I was displeased with the cords that came with my Palm E2, unsightly, loose connection (can't move the palm when syncing or connection might be lost). This is a nice alternative and I don't have to plug and unplug two cords all the time. It looks nice on my desk and I personally like the light that stays on all the time. It's not distracting to me at all. I recommend this over the charger/syncronizer that came with my unit any day.

Own a Palm TX? Avoid this at all costs!As others have noted, and as documented on the Palm support forums, this cradle has a major incompatibility with the Palm TX. It will cause the Palm TX to lockup, requiring a soft reset (using the reset hole on the back). There is unfortunately no solution, and no predicting when the lock will occur. Sometimes, after one HotSync it will lock, sometimes if the computer is placed into sleep and then reawakened, other times just sitting there.Palm has a patch on their site that supposedly fixes this problem, but it actually makes matters worse - with the patch installed, the TX will lock when not even docked. DON'T install the patch!Interestingly, the problem appears to be a hardware design flaw of the cradle itself. If you plug the TX into the included connector, and NOT the cradle, no problems! I suspect it has something to do with the silly LED light that always stays on - perhaps a static discharge problem.

I use this cradle because it is handy for syncing and to keep it on and charging next to my desk. Still, there are lots of things I don't like:1. The plug is hard to use. I constantly have to fumble to get my T|X plugged in. The fit is tight and I wonder if a piece of the plug won't break off in time. My last PDA, a Clie, just slipped on the cradle and started charging immediately2. It is light and there are is no anti-slip bottom. When I push the hot sync button, I need two hands, or at least three nimble fingers. I will be buying some non-slip mat for it soon.3. You won't be able to use most cases with the cradle. It doesn't make any sense to me to have to pull the Palm in and out of the case to use the cradle. I bought one case where I did this and have stopped using it. (I didn't like it for other reasons, and the manufacturer was nice enough to give me credit for other items. This is why I am not mentioning their name.) I just got the Fortte/Bellagio case, which you can use with the cradle and it seems pretty good.The light that bothers others, doesn't bother me, other than it seems unnecessary. I know it is a tiny amount of electricity, but you take all the electronics that trickle electricity for lights, clocks, and so forth, and over the entire country, I think you are talking about a big deal. Okay, rant over.In all, I would buy it again, but grudgingly. If someone offered a better cradle (just making a better plug would do it), I would happily junk this unit and buy it.

I purchased this cradle to use my Palm TX as a music player, like the iPod cradles.The first 4 times I tried the cradle, with only the power cord since I don't intend to use it to sync, my Palm TX locked up. At this point I decided to return the cradle and went to the Palm website to get the name of the cradle patch file that I no longer need. I deleted the cradle update, but decided to try the cradle once without the patch.The Palm hasn't locked up since, so I hope that the problem was the cradle patch. I will test it thoroughly over the next few days to make sure it is working properly.HOW TO DISABLE THE LIGHT!My Palm TX syncs perfectly when using the original sync cable connected to the cradle. One bonus of using the original sync cable is that the cradle charges my TX, but the cradle light doesn't come on. The light only comes on if I connect a power cable to the cradle.

Palm has stopped including charging/synching cradles with its PDAs and Treos. Cradles have some utility, so Palm offers you this kit at an exaggerated price for recent-vintrage Tungsten PDAs. (Be sure to check whether the kit you'r ordering is compatible with the Palm model you have!)You're buying both more and less than you think with the kit. You get a light cradle, smaller than a pack of cards and weighing about an ounce. You plug the square plug of the power adapter that came with your Palm Tungsten or other compatible Palm device into the cradle, and then you plug in the USB synchronization cable that came with it. When you're done you have what Palm should have given you in the box with the Tungsten.To justify the price, you also get: A large power adapter that has interchangeable plugs compatitble with US & European wall outlets and a "real" USB cable that boths synchs and charges a Palm device. The "real" USB cable works for a wide range of recent Palm devices, including Treo 650 and newer smart phones. It's very useful for travel if you carry a laptop that has a USB port.The cradle is worth about two bucks, but the rest of the package makes the price more or less reasonable, considering that accessories are always high profit items. Shame on Palm for not including the cradle in the box with all its products. But if you want a cradle you do get a couple of other potentially useful accessories to make you feel less ripped off. If you just want a combination USB synch and power cable, you can get that from aftermarket suppliers for a lot less than the cradle kit.