PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld
by Palm
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Our Price: $298.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $49.49 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld
Customer Review: A Top Rated Review from an Avid PDA Owner
Summary: 5 Stars
I own quite a few handhelds. I'm always trying different models. So, when I saw the Zire 72 at a very affordable price, I thought I'd give it a try. I wanted to see if it would live up to the camera and video promises I'd read about in reviews. I also wanted to see how it played encoded .avi movies.
Well, despite the problem that I hear the paint rubs off with the blue Zire (and now Palm is making a silver issue), I got it, and I am very pleased with it. Since I didn't want to face seeing my paint fall off, I bought a designed case called Piel Frama, which protects the paint. Since the case has a belt clip, and I bought it in black, it makes the Zire look very professional.
Now, practical uses. I own, and use with true regularity - the Tapwave Zodiac 2 and the HP iPAQ 4355 PPC - but neither boasts a still picture and/or video camera. So, would I make good use of my time by dividing up my PDA use with yet another PDA - this one being the Zire 72?
- Videos - excellent - just adjust the lighting and do a couple short clips until you find the correct setting. The videos may not look like much on the small 320x320 screen, but hotsync them to your desktop or laptop, and you might find yourself quite pleased.
- Pictures - excellent - as the resolution is quite high. Again, lighting is a factor - but once the settings are correct, you get wonderful pictures that look fine on both the PDA and your computer.
- Media - for pictures you transfer - in any number of methods - via hotsync for one. Or take your SD card right out of your camera and put it into the Zire, and you can have your pictures right on your handheld. Skip the transfer from the camera to the computer and then to the handheld if you are pressed for time. You won't be disappointed. Also, with Media, you can make any number of albums - including separate albums for pictures and/or videos. With larger SD cards being extremely affordable these days, there's just no end...
- Use a third-party viewer to watch encoded movies if you like. Crisp and clean.
- Listen to music for hours on end and you'll just dent the battery power maybe by half.
- Read ebooks.
- Use many third party programs, including a Launcher manager, and run applications from the SD card, thus stretching the limited 32 mb capacity.
- Play games - if there's any time for those, lol.
- PIM synchronization - even with multiple PDAs, using the supplied software, or existing software on your computer.
- With a Bluetooth enabled phone or device - surf the web, send messages - either email or SMS.
- Use Voice Recorder to record brief notes, or even extended notes (send extended voice notes to your SD Card).
- Use your Zire as a Remote Control for your home electronic devices.
I will stop here, for lack of space. But for something you can get for roughly $200, you will be getting a heck of a device!
Robin Taylor
Customer Review: Fantastic little device.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking to replace my aging Palm V (has served me very well, but the lack of proper back lighting and 2 meg storage started to annoy me). I also wanted to play mp3's, but don't listen to them enough to shell out for an iPod. I looked at Pocket PCs, but they were far to large and clunky for my liking. Also heard horror stories about applications running on them requiring contant resets.
But I *do* use my palm all the time, so something that combined all the things I loved about my Palm with MP3's was worth a shot. The screen on this is just fantastic, bright, crisp and easy to read. Just like the screen on a laptop. I've also found the camera handy for taking 30seconds or so video of my daughter. I'll never watch stuff from a video camera, but 30 second clips are easy to transfer and email around.
Sure there are other electronic devices that do specific things better than this. If you really want to listen to MP3's, don't kid yourself, buy an iPod its the best on the market. If you want to take pictures, buy a digital camera. If you want to play games, buy a Gameboy SP. If you want to edit documents & spreadsheets & send emails, buy a laptop. Videos ?, buy a camcorder.
However, as far as calendars, odd notes, addresses and to do lists go, nothing beats the palm OS. Its simple, quick and fully functional. I've also found mini applications I now can't live without. I use CityTime and Sydney Trains (Realtime Sydney-Australia Rail Timetable) all the time. This little device does a bit of everything and is well worth 240 greenbacks.
Some people have a few gripes about it. Yes, battery life is not fantastic, if you use it all day. But then again, if I talk all day on my cell phone, it only lasts a few hours. Be fair, the thing weighs only 150grams, has a screen that can be used as a torch. Use it like you would a palm v and it lasts ages. Use it constantly with the screen on it lasts about 4 hours. The volume on the headphones is loud. Get a set with a volume control.
My bigest gripe is the lack of a cradle. Yes you can sync off bluetooth, but nothing beats coming home and poping it in the cradle for a charge and quick sync. I considered the Tungsten line, but the slider device really drove me nuts, and the Tungsten C only has mono sound. Hopefully someone will develop a cradle for it soon.
Overall, I'm really happy with my decision to buy this little gem.
Customer Review: Zire 72, Bluetooth syncs with Mac OS X
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is of the Zire 72, and its ability to sync with the Mac using both USB and Bluetooth, and using iSync and iCal and the mac Address Book.Getting everything to work was extremely difficult. The documentation provided, in both paper and electronic PDF form was little help. For that, I almost gave it 4 (if not 3) stars. I am a computer consultant, and while this was my first time with bluetooth, this comes no-where near the grandma test. This might even challenge teenagers.
I had to install the Palm Desktop Software, which the 3 page glossy help managed to give innacurate directions for, then tried to use bluetooth. It didn't work (as I had skipped many steps) so I tried to sync with the USB cable. After a bit of fiddling, the palm synced nicely with Palm Desktop. The next step was to use iSync. You have to download the iSync Conduit from apple, install that, and then try running iSync. Using the USB cable, I was able to sync with iCal. Finally, I turned my attention to Bluetooth, and after playing with settings (which admittedly I had changed before) I was finally able to get it to work. This maybe took one hour or more. I might have even forgotten a step, so don't take this as the definitave guide.
After all this, using bluetooth is beautiful. I press sync on my zire 72, and it starts talking with my powerbook. 30 seconds later everything is updated. I particularly like how the apple Address Book is flexible enough to let me have 3 mobile phone numbers for a contact. When I tried syncing my palm with yahoo's online address book last year, all of a sudden one mobile was a work number, the other mobile was a fax number, it was a mess.
Also, one thing that REALLY surprised me is that the palm can be charged in UK, Europe, the US right out of the box, no additional hardware needed. The power adapter includes 4 little interchangeable clips that let me put on the international adapters. For people traveling, (like myself) the zire 72 is amazing. I can power ANYWHERE, using just one power cable, and sync without a cable at all. If you prefer the typical cradle that was on the 71, m50x and tungsten, you might not care for this, but I think its great.
In brief: fairly complicated to setup, but well worth it.
Customer Review: I love it!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought a Zire 72 from PalmOne and it arrived November 30. The first thing I want to say about it is that the paint problem has been solved, or at least mine doesn't have it. You can identify the new ones because the color is not actually bright blue, it's more like a purplish blue and if you put it under direct light it will look purple.
I'm also very pleased with the screen, it's bright and sharp. Totally beautiful. Some people talk about the recessed power button and SD card slot but, for me, they work perfectly, also if they made the power button so easy to press you are risking that your palm may turn on accidentaly and drain your battery. The battery life could be longer, but it's not a tragedy. I use my palm to keep track of my tasks and calendar, to view adobe acrobat files in my biology class and to show my friends the pictures I carry on it and at the end of the day I have used less than half the battery. You also have to take into account that I don't use it for mp3's and also hasn't used bluetooth yet, but I'm sure that if you charge it every night you'll be just fine.
The camera is a nice add-on that I like, but definitely doesn't replace a stand-alone digital camera. You can take pictures indoors but obviously not in the night because even if you have the lights on.. they come out hideous. I have also found useful to adjust the saturation of the camera to it's higher level, otherwise the pictures come out a little colorless and gray.
In conclusion, I have to say that the Zire 72 hasn't dissapointed me not even a bit and I find myself using it for everything. It definitely keeps myself organized and with all need right at hand when I need it. The only flaw that I find in it is that it doesn't have integrated Wi-Fi, but I will be adding a Wi-Fi card soon and my Zire will be just perfect.
Customer Review: Great Buy and Great function PDA
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a civil building engineer; PDA for me is a very important tool for me to record all the construction material. Thousand of the data I have to enter each day and fulfill my need particular during meeting. For small, easy to use, fast processor and lightweight is a major issue for me.Sony Th55 is a really good choice for me, come with 480*320 and large screen. However, the major weakness is without director key (navigator button), this will bring me a great problem for searching and highlight the data I need as I always tab the wrong information in front of my client. Second, when proceed mora than 1mb excel file it take among two to three mins, third, the turn off power button is small and hard to figure out.
And i return it back to the computer shop and try T3, TH37 and z72, eventually i pick z72.
1) Th37 is good PDA but processor is very slow and lack of multimedia package
2) T3, very powerful processor, but the slide flip for the screen is terrible and no reliable (i have no time for doing this during meeting). Size is big and bulk.
Well,,,i am finaly go to z72, this is a good pda for me light weight, powerful processor and addition bonus for multimedia include video capture. For my standard test, playing mp3 and loading 1,2mb excel file run together, it take 1mins 30 second, satisfy for my need.
Come with a lot of reviews claim that poor camera results, for me camara for PDA is an addition function. The main function PDA for me is business and organize my daily work. For my test, out door photo produce excellent quality compare to TH55 and TJ37. In door will be less particular close range, it getting vague particular still from article.
MP3, voice memo and video sound is great and wide use.
For expand memory, personal advise 256 mb would be very sweet.