PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld
by Palm
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld
Customer Review: Palm Zire 72 Fan
Summary: 5 Stars
Love it - mine works great...sorry to hear that the rest of these folks seem to have so many problems!Customer Review: It's no iPhone but its great for first-time handheld users, teachers, and ADDers
Summary: 4 Stars
Not willing to drop hundreds of dollars and be tied with yearly cell-phone bill contracts by getting an iPhone or Blackberry? Can't say I blame you. Did you realize that cell phone companies can change your plan without notifying you and that this practice is legal?
Although Palm no longer makes the Zire 72, it is very useful. (note: this review applies to the silver Zire 72).
I've had the Zire for a couple of years now and I like it.
Other reviews here have listed the pros and cons of the Zire 72 in great detail. I don't have the WiFi card so I can't review that part of the 72. You can use it to:
take so-so pictures
read Ebooks
listen to music and audio-books
record video and audio
play games
draw
keep track of your finances
sync to Microsoft Outlook
create and edit Office documents
use as a TV remote control (software is separate)
and--supposedly--watch DVDs.
Other uses:
**This is great for teachers--there are all kinds of software for grades, lesson plans, attendance and more.**
**The Zire is also good for ADDers--there's a great software program called "Bug Me!" that lets you personalize reminder notes and attach neat-sounding alarms to them. The Voice Memo feature is useful for recording spur of the moment thoughts, especially on the road.**
BLUETOOTH: I don't have any "bluetooth-enabled" devices so this aspect of the device was completely useless to me.
INTERNET ACCESS: There is not a separate WiFi card slot so you'll have to take out your media SD card to put in the Wifi card. I don't know if you can use one card for both; I doubt it! I also don't know how effective the card is or if it is worth getting (they run about $30-$50 on eBay).
HELPFUL HINTS:
1. You'll have to buy a separate SD card [$15-25 dep on size] in order to take pictures or listen to music, so factor in that cost when deciding how much you want to spend.
2. To listen to music you'll have to download Real Player to your computer and the Palm. Warning: not all music can be downloaded directly to your Palm because of conflicting formats. There were times when I purchased songs especially for the Palm only to find out that they couldn't be downloaded. In some cases you can burn them to a CD and then transfer them, but it's a hassle.
3. When adding software, always add it to the SD card as the handheld itself doesn't have much room.
4. KEEP IT AWAY FROM WATER. This sounds obvious but is easy to forget if you're an "on the go" type who never eats a meal without doing 2 other things at the same time.
5. Keep the installation CD in a safe place. You may need it later--I've re-used it several times.
6. Palm support isn't great. Any help I've gotten has been through various message boards on the Internet.
7. The battery life is less than spectacular.
8. Don't get this if you run with a "techie" crowd. Next to their iPhones and Blackberrys, you'll quickly feel like a Neanderthal. At least you'll be a Neanderthal who isn't spending $100+ per month on their cell phone and data bill.
9. If you take advantage of Audible.com, don't forget to cancel your subscription BEFORE the annual renewal date --otherwise it gets renewed automatically. I was really enthusiastic about Audible.com for a month or so but stopped using it after that.
10. Costs can add up. I got mine wet (DUH) and spent a lot of money to get it fixed. It was cheaper than buying a new unit--and I didn't want the contractual obligations and headaches that come with smartphones (the new AT&T my big fat foot). I bought this for $299 when it was new, plus the metal case, plus some software, the repairs, a replacement charger, yada yada yada. But this type of situation can probably be avoided by more careful types.
11. Don't give it as a gift to someone who isn't willing to put in some time to install software and experiment with the camera, video recorder, etc. or to someone who isn't comfortable with "gadgets" (Hi Dad!).
12. If you're a woman, keeping this handy can be a pain. Most women's clothes don't have pockets (God forbid our clothes become more functional than ornamental) and even if they do, this won't fit comfortably into them, especially with the case. You can keep it in your purse but then you're constantly taking it out and putting it back in if you use it often. When I was teaching, I compromised by keeping my regular purse locked up (it was that kind of place) and getting a very small, cute purse which slung across my torso to keep the Palm in during the day,
13. GET THE METAL PROTECTIVE CASE. Trust me on this one. They're about $20-$30.
In conclusion, the Palm Zire 72 is suitable for:
first-time handheld users
anyone who wants to avoid contractual obligations
teachers
ADD-ers
people who want to be organized but who don't want a cell phone
and NOT for people who are constantly calling and IMing others or those who need to be "connected" at all times.
Suggested software:
Bug Me! $20
Splash Money, $30 for handheld alone. Compatible with Quicken and Microsoft Money.
Microsoft Outlook sync software, $30. {$70 if you want the top-notch Key Suite.!!!)
Plus the case,$20-$30, and an SD card--$20. Don't forget tax and shipping.
Customer Review: Palm sized power
Summary: 4 Stars
I had a Palm III followed by a Palm V and I was pretty pleased with both these older model PDAs. After some study, I opted for a Palm Zire 72 and I am very pleased with the features.
Important to me, the Zire 72 has Palm's suite of information management applications and the ability to edit Word- and Excel-compatible files and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook (Windows only). This is one reason I got the Palm; my Blackberry is not good as a PDA and I love the easy-to-use and fast PalmOS.
The Zire 72 features:
1-megapixel image resolution (1280 x 960 pixels
32 MB of memory --64 MB in the special edition
Video capture with sound
Digital
Voice recording capability.
Wireless Bluetooth connectivity to connect to the PC or your Bluetooth-enabled phone
4.8 ounces wieght
Palm OS 5.2.8 Operating System
Software
USB cable for linking to PC
Slot for SDI memory card
16-bit 320x320 TFT screen capable of 65,000 colors.
Capabilities Rundown:
PIM and software:
Zire 72 features Palm's suite of information management applications for expenses and note, and it has the ability to edit Word- and Excel-compatible files and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook in Windows. Our own company email system will support the Palm and Pocket PC while it will not be supporting the Blackberry Enterprise System anytime soon. So the Outlook support is very important.
Bluetooth:
The Bluetooth seems designed for devices to enable mobiles, LAN and PC connections to give web capability. It would be clunky, in my view, to connect via a cell phone, so I'd love to see WiFi. But this feature can be added with a $99 card put into the SDI slot. Bluetooth is not as easy to configure; the set-up wizard seemed to be a bit difficult and there are only a few cell phone models included in the preset configurations. If you can get the 72 connected, you can use it to dial numbers, send SMS, MMS and e-mail, and browse the web using the Web Pro 3.5. Or you can opt for a WiFi card and surf at MacDonalds and Starbucks. Phones that are listed:
Sony-E T68i
Sony-E T610
Nokia 6310i
Nokia 3650
Siemens S56
Not a super list.
For PC interfacing or Palm-to-Palm there still is an infrared port.
Egonomics:
Complaints were made about the blue paint on the regular edition flaking off. There is available a special edition with the silver body that seems to be less prone to this complaint.
The control is a rectangular navigating button. The screen has the familiar Palm division between screen and stylus pad below. The Graffiti 2 was easy to use--the letters are almost exactly like written print, as long as you know where to begin the the letter, but that's practically intuitive. The sensitivity and accuracy of the stylus-pointing is a huge improvement over the very early Palms like the PalmV.
My system came with a Cordura nylon case, very nice quality and a huge improvement from the old flimsy leatherette flaps of early days. Without a case, you have to get something to cover the screen. The stylus is the same type of rod that attaches to the side by sliding into a slot.
MP3:
You need a SDI card (Secure Digital card) to load MP3 songs with RealPlayer onto the system for playing back with MP3. These are not hard to find, you may even have one floating around the house (we did.) Drag-and-drop songs onto the card on your PC, put card in Palm and go. There is a headphone jack.
There are "speakers" (tiny) and a voice recorder. Great for memos.
Camera:
The 1.2 megapixel camera has onboard adjustments for contrast and light (I needed to take down the exposure for a shot of my deck at dawn.) Digital zoom. No cover for the camera lens. The resolution was ok. The memory will hold about 85 shots, and you can move them to the SDI (optional) card. No flash.
Software:
The installation CD comes with Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm, plus a calculator, a reader-- Documents To Go which allows you to read Microsoft Word and Excel. It's recommended to download AvantGo to add internet features. Sites such as www.palmsource.com, www.freewarepalm.com, www.palmgear.com, www.download.com have many free or inexpensive applications for the PalmOS.
There is no manual, it's on the CD.
Summary:
For a PDA, this is about perfect. To be perfect, they'd have to include WiFi and or a better phone setup list for the Bluetooth. I am quite thrilled with the Zire 72--it does what I want it to do, mainly be a PDA and keep my appointments and handle some data. The camera and MP3 are nice for travel.
Customer Review: Generally well-designed, though a few flaws.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had the Zire 72 for close to a year now and, considering it was priced in the mid-range, I'm quite satisfied with its performance. Surprising how many functions they managed to fit into a relatively cheap device. In contrast with more expensive devices like the iPod, which does a minimum number of tasks very well, the Zire 72 performs a host of functions reasonably well.
The photos are adequate at maximum resolution (I never take anything less than that), as long as there's enough light. Video quality is barely acceptable, but enough to capture a moment and send it to friends and family by email.
The sound recorder is low quality, but enough to pick up voice, and the speaker is actually quite loud. I placed it face down on my guitar at maximum volume and was surprised by how loud the music was. Obviously, it's better to listen to music with earphones. (If they had a remote control for the mp3 player on it, I might even consider leaving my iPod at home)
Pretty much every program I've run on it has run well, though some have been a little slow. I've never found the Palm OS to be very intuitive, but that's not specific to the Zire 72, that's universal for all of their PDAs.
There are a few things to watch out for which can be annoying. Perhaps 25% of the time I turn on my Zire, about half the screen is covered with lines. I have to immediately turn it off and on again so they'll disappear. It's annoying when I'm trying to catch something important, like a potentially funny video or sound.
Also, occasionally, it will hang after pushing "save" after filming a video. The only way to get out of this is to push the "reset" button, losing the video. You can't even turn it off. I tried circumventing this once because I was ticked off at having to erase some footage of my nephew riding in a bumper car with his grandad. I decided to just let the power run out and see what would happen. Well, it erased all the contacts and calendar events and screwed up various other things. So I wouldn't suggest doing that.
I'm also discovering the wonders of synching the Zire 72 with my new iMac. For some reason, certain photos and videos are omitted from the sync, and voice memos stored on the card are completely ignored as far as I can tell. Only the ones on the handheld itself are moved over, so if you want them on your computer you have to transfer them to your handheld first, then sync with the Mac. I'm going to get a card reader soon and see if that doesn't make it easier.
I tried setting up the bluetooth connection, but, even with online instructions and a number of attempts on different days, I still haven't gotten it to work properly. The Mac does detect the Palm, just can't seem to transfer any information.
Some people complain about the blue paint coming off, but mine's in perfect condition. I bought a different case for it and carry it with me in my backpack pretty much everywhere.
Though it does have glitches, I'd have to say I'm very satisfied with my Zire 72 so far. As long as it lasts maybe another 2 years I'll be happy. Then I might not be so sad when it enters the land of chipdom on high so I can start checking out all the new toys that will have been invented by then.
Customer Review: Had for almost two months now....
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading many reviews here at Amazon and at other opinion sites, I went ahead and gambled with the 72, considering most of the reviews were negative.
My reasoning for going ahead with the purchase was simply because for the money, no other Palm device came close to offering everything that the 72 did. Plus, most of the negative reviews were for cosmetic issues. And I have had two Palms in the past (an original Palm Pilot Pro and a Palm IIIx) and had great service from both.
For my job, the 72 has been better than I expected it could be. I can open, edit,even create Excel spreadsheets in native .xls format. I have purchased an app called Note Studio that is incredible at organizing notes and text files. I can take pictures and listen to mp3's along with using the traditional Palm apps (the agenda view for the calendar is great).
I have since added a WiFi card and when in the presence of a wireless network or a T-Mobile hotspot, I can browse the web, check my corporate email, etc. Like I said, it has exceeded my expectations.
A couple of notes... I notice that one reviewer said his never held a charge, even after the 3+ hours initial charging.
The recomended initial charging is at least 12 hours, not 3. And the intructions are emphatic on this point, saying that any less than a 12 hour initial charge willeffect the future performance and life of the battery. Mine could use better battery life, but I use it extensivley daily (3 - 4 hours) and I charge mine nightly and have never "run out" of charge. I think the average user using the 72 for contacts, reminders, planning, etc., will have no problem going three or four days on a charge.
I have had the device for almost two months now and I have had it freeze twice. Both times required a reset. Once I was editing a spreadsheets using the Documents to Go application while playing an MP3 in the background, and once I was setting up my WiFi card.
The reason for four stars and not five? The blue finish. This is supposedly some sort of new DuPont coating. It appears to be either too soft or simply doesn't adhere as needed to the smooth plastic underneath. I don't have a serious issue with it as I have been very careful, but i can see with even average use with no case, you would have an ugly Palm rather quickly. I have a piece of the blue coating around where the stylus goes in where mine has peeled.
The reason I didn't count off more for this is because you can virtualy solve it... buy the hard case from Palm. 29 bucks and the 72 fits perfectly and snuggly in foam supports and protects the looks. It still fits in a shirt pocket and even has a sliding cover on the rear that protects the camera lens. All ports and card slots are exposed so that you really never have to take it out of the case (I don't).
Don't be scared of the Palm Zire 72. Two suggestions...
Follow the instructions following battery charging EXACTLY and,
BUY THE HARD CASE. You won't regret your purchase.
Just opinions from an owner.