*scottstuff*

Engadget is running a rumor about PalmOne’s next handheld–the Tungsten T4.

The basic specs look promising–802.11g, bluetooth, 320x480 display, faster CPU, more RAM, yadda yadda. The are a couple little issues with the rumor, though. First, it’s claiming a 450 MHz CPU. I thought that Intel’s newest CPUs are 624/520/416/312 MHz. I don’t know where 450 MHz comes from–an underclocked 520 in an attempt to save power? Also, the rumor calls for 96 MB of RAM, which is unusual. Memory sizes in handhelds are usually a power of 2, so I’d expect either 64 MB or 128 MB. There’s a chance that there’s really 128 MB in the thing, with 32 MB reserved for something else–Sony and Handspring have both done similar things in the past.

Finally, the T4 is supposed to run PalmOS 6/Cobalt. It was announced months ago, but none of the (rapidly shrinking) pool of PalmOS manufacturers has yet produced a handheld that uses it.

All in all, this sounds exactly like the device that PalmOne needs to replace the T3, but it’s still a little short of the next round of PocketPCs. HP has a couple 640x480/128MB/612 MHz models due for release soon, and Toshiba and ASUS already have similar models on the market.

Which brings up another question–since PalmOS and PocketPC handhelds are now using almost exactly the same hardware, is there any chance that someone will start using the same hardware platform for both OSes? ASUS in particular could easily produce a PalmOS version of their handheld without really surprising anyone.

Finally, what about the Tungsten C family? The handheld that I really want is the Tungsten C2–a cross of the T4 with the current Tungsten C. I’m really slow with graffiti, and a keyboard would be great, even though it adds a couple inches to the height of the thing.