The TRGpro

Recently I had the chance to test one of the new PDA units from TRG.

You may know the name TRG from the memory expansion cards they make for Palm Pilot PDA's. Recently they have expanded into the sale of their own PDA based on the Palm IIIx design. The premise is simple - take an already great product, the Palm IIIx, and add the thing that every Palm user craves, more memory and expandability.

First the Specs:

• Palm Computing platform Palm OS 3.3
• CompactFlash Expansion Slot
• 8MB RAM
• 2MB Flash
• Motorola DragonBall-EZ MC68EZ328 operating at 16MHz
• Enhanced Audio
• Built-in applications include: FlashPro, CFpro, and CFBackup
• Compatible with most Palm III & Palm IIIx third party hardware add-ons
• Capable of operating industry standard CompactFlash cards including the 340MB IBM MicroDrive

OK, so they added 8MB of RAM standard to the unit. They then upgraded the Flash to 2MB. They also a added the Compact Flash (CF) slot, which allows for CF cards, similar to what is in most digital cameras, for instant memory expansion. They also added one of the best features - a REAL speaker that will actually turn heads with its volume.

	The 9-hole configuration on the back of the TRGPro houses a powerful mono speake

Simply put, they took the Palm IIIx added more memory and added a Compact Flash (CF) slot to the unit allowing for instantaneous memory expansion. (The unit I tested had an 8MB Flash card installed.) The new speaker is phenomenally better than its predecessor is. Granted it is still mono, but anything is better than the speaker of old.

My first mental image of this unit was one approaching the size of the WinCE units however, this unit is only slightly and barely perceptibly larger than the old Palm IIIx. For almost a week I carried both units in the pockets of my lab coat, and blindly reaching, could rarely ever tell the difference between the units.

As you can see below, the back has a few noticeable new changes. The 9 holes in the back are not just for show, they house a relative powerhouse of a mono speaker (when compared with that of old). Also you will notice the new contours of the new unit's back. This area houses the CF card and the IR port.

	The TRGpro CF Slot

Well, I tested the pre-production unit that had 8MB RAM, 2MB Flash and a CF card that had 8MB. Let me just say I played for hours the first night I got it. My current unit is a Palm III and I was amazed at the speed and the agility of this new Palm device. I loaded several large databases including ePocrates qRx and was amazed to see the speed with which this unit handles large and very complex databases.

Now for the CF card: I was admittedly skeptical at first, because this was a pre-production model that was meant to be a demo and so was "tweaked" to impress me. So, I did a hard reset and loaded my data and used it as my machine for a week and had not a single problem!

Prior to the delete, this unit's CF card had The Physician's Desk Handbook, Treasure Island, The New Testament, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (twice), Principle Centered Leadership, Surgical Pearls, and Call of the Wild, and I still had plenty of room to spare. In addition, being a demo, it also had some extra goodies on-board to show-off its abilities. I had over 2MB of WAV files on the CF card that played via the new speaker. Granted, this was not surround sound quality, but it served its purpose.

My one complaint about the speaker is with all this added memory and sound quality why did they not add a microphone?

	Standard CF Card and CF Modem Card

At this point the CF card is purely storage. This means that programs cannot be executed FROM the CF card. You can store the app in RAM or traditional Flash memory. But the card, at this point, is simply for storage. I am told that there are several different individual programmers who are beginning to write their apps to accommodate the CF address so that apps will run from the card directly, but at this point, it is simply a storage unit. Still the ability for me to be able to store 8 or 9 large texts on my pocket sized Palm OS unit is invaluable. Especially since this is non-volatile memory that is not subject to hard resets or power failures.

I had no problems with the functionality of the card and no problem exchanging cards from a digital camera and viewing small pictures using an image viewer program. Another nice side to this CF slot is the ability not only to exchange data stored on CF cards either between users or have different cards for different needs, but there also exists the ability to add additional peripheral devices via this new port.

	Socket Serial I/O CF+ Peripheral

For example, the CF slot can hold the Pretec Compact Modem 56K as well as Socket Serial I/O CF+ card and the Socket Bar Code wand CF+ card pictured below.

	Bar Code Want Peripheral

So, you can have added memory and a modem with little more than the swapping of a very small card.

In additon to all the essentials that come with every Palm Pilot device, the unit comes loaded with several programs that automatically give you functionality of the optional CF card. In addition, each unit comes preloaded with TRG's ever popular FlashPro to allow you instant access to the approx. 780K of free Flash ROM (non-volatile memory). But just remember that the CF card is optional, it does not come standard with the unit. They are quite cheap though, an 8MB card goes for about $32 and Kingston has one advertised on this site with 32MB for ~$100.

PROS:

I was very impressed overall with the functionality of the unit. (Granted, TRG did little to this area of the Palm-OS as they built on the Palm IIIx).

• I like the fact that TRG took a later generation Palm to build their system from. I also like the fact that they added more memory to the basic unit (8MB) rather than starting us with a 2MB base that we felt compelled to upgrade immediately.
• My two favorite TRG improvements to this unit are the improved speaker and the CF slot. I think these alone made the unit what it is. I have added bug-me to this test demo and have found that this program makes a huge difference now that I can HEAR the alarms when they happen. As for the CF card. I am very happy they chose to use a CF card, the industry standard, as opposed to the proprietary memory cards of the Handspring model or the soon to be extinct "smart-card."
• Software. TRG provided you with all the software you need to manage the new components, even the optional ones. They give you Flash/CFPro as well as CFBackup. With added memory and therefore added data the ability to manage and update this data effectively becomes essential. These programs, written with this unit in mind work flawlessly in that manner.
• Price. It's hard to beat $329 for 8MB of memory and the ability to expand at whim. This is cheaper than the less equipped 3COM model.
• Support. A Pro/Con (see below). 48-hour turn around for repairs/replacement which is far superior to most all of the competitors, EXCEPT 3COM, their biggest competition.

CONS:

• I wish they had put these same changes into a smaller, newer, footprint like the Palm Vx. This would have been the ideal combination of form and function. Hopefully, a later model will take this into consideration.
• The lack of a Microphone. This seemed to be the logical extension of expanded memory and a better speaker. This would allow you to create voice notes. The obvious use I foresee, at least for me, would be the ability to record a message to yourself, set an alarm time, and then at the appropriate time, hear yourself, or some voice character of your choosing, reminding you of what you need to do. Also, with a speaker and better memory, maybe someone will write an MP3 player, so you could drop a CF card full of your favorite tunes into the unit and go anywhere, in mono!
• CF Card. OK, I'm greedy but while they were rewriting the OS to accommodate the CF card I wish they had allowed applications to run directly from the CF card. I guess we'll leave that one to the very active world of independent programmers to write a hack or start writing their apps so they can be run directly from the CF card.
• Support. You must send in YOUR unit. Although the are promising a 48-hour turn around, this is paltry compared to 3COM that sends you a replacement in the mail, and gives you 30 days to return your original unit
• Non-Palm Files. There are a few non-traditional ways to load non PRC/PDB files to the unit but they are not very easy. The official story from TRG on how to load WAV files directly to the CF card is to buy a CF reader for your PC, load it onto the card and then insert the card into the unit. This is relatively easy, but it entails buying more hardware and thus makes the memory upgrade relatively more expensive if you are going to use it for nontraditional files. It would be nice for them to devise a conduit to accomplish this same action without the need to buy additional software/hardware.
• CF Card Cover. They did a very nice job of concealing the new CF slot and retaining the IR Port with a nice looking cover. The problem is that cover is not attached well. It won't come off by itself, but if you take it off and set it down you may lose it. My thought would have been to hinge it as it doesn't slide back into place really easy either.
• Clock. In the unit I tested the clock tended not to count minute to minute but update every 5-7 minutes and therefore you tended to lose alerts that were set for specific times. This may have been just my unit or a software conflict, I'll alert TRG and let them know.

This is an incredible first effort, far superior to the first PDA by Palm Computing. The difference here is TRG had the ability to see an already great product (PalmPilot) and repackage it, in part, with items they already sold as upgrades.

The bottom line, I am getting rid of my existing Palm III in favor of this unit. I have hopes that TRG is listening and will consider additions/changes to an already outstanding product for maybe a TRGPro "II".

If I were a first-time buyer and was looking for a unit that was not too expensive and had the greatest ability to update/upgrade, I would purchase the TRGPro. As an existing user looking to buy a newer/better/faster model, the TRGPro meets all of these too. I personally am really picky though; and wanting and seeing a way to improve this unit I might hold off a while and keep looking to the horizon to see what the TRGPro "II" or "IIx" might yield. However, most of the "cons" I cited are my own personal biases for a "perfect" unit and really do not detract from the function of this device. This obviously true since I am upgrading to the TRGPro in favor of waiting for those items to be fixed.

Overall, a very strong product that I think will offer real competition to 3Com and may force some real improvements and changes in what is offered in a basic unit in terms of memory and expandability.

The first-run units have begun to ship and orders can be placed now for units directly from TRGPro at the price of $329. Expect initial ship dates atround the middle of January if all goes well.

My thanks to TRG for allowing me to test and review this product.