Customer Reviews

PalmOne Zire Handheld

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

If you need a handheld for basic PIM tasks such as phone numbers adresses and e-mail this is the one for you, read on. If on the other hand you need a powerful handheld computer able to do multimedia I recommend you look at the Sony Clie line of Palm OS handhelds.

The Zire provides all you need to substitute your paper based agenda out of the box.

About the OS:

Palm OS is actually the standard OS on handhelds (most like Windows on the desktop). This handheld includes a desktop PIM(personal information managers) as well as software to sync with Microsoft Outlook.

There are thousand of programs available for the palm OS add such as enhanced PIM , Personal finance program to syncronize with MS Money and Quicken as well as office suites and games.

Hardware:

Zire has a very stilish design it is almost as small as a Palm M515 or clie T 665. Also this handheld as all Palm branded handhelds is build to last with a tought elegant casing.

It is compatible with Windows and Machintos desktops. The only limitations I find in this computer are that it only has 2 MB of memory (but I am a power user), for most peple 2 MB is plenty to store thousand of addresses as well as and office suite and other programs. Another minor limitation for gammers it that there are only four buttons.

Sumarry:

The zire is arguably the best possible solution for someone just entering the world of handhelds. This is the best entry level handheld computer for the money

I have just finished reading all 37 reviews of this product (at least, as of this date ;-)

I feel that about half of those reviews are relatively worthless and are debating points that are significantly NOT REVELANT to the target market for this product. Personally, I am not a member of the target market ... as I purchased the original PalmPilot (for $400 and containing 512Kb of RAM) and later "upgraded" it to 1Mb RAM.

I presently own and use a Palm IIIe and a Palm IIIxe. If I decided to "upgrade" my Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) it is certain that I will NOT purchase a Zire. The reason why: the Zire has been specifically designed for the first-time "novice" user.

At a Retail Price of $99 one would NOT expect all (or any) of the bells-and-whistles associated with the higher-end models. The first-time adult Palm PDA user does NOT initially need to have the memory capacity to support tons of games, or expansion slots (with the additional expense of the things that plug into those slots), etc.

Think of the Palm Zire as your first bicycle with training wheels included. You don't buy a moped or a motorcycle (more expensive PDA's) until AFTER you have learned the basics. A "soccer mom" or your grandmother doesn't need all of that high-tech confusion.

If you keep it simple, it is more likely to be used. If you keep it small in size, it is more likely to be carried around. There is ALWAYS a trade-off between power and features ... and the battery life required to support them. The Palm Zire attempts to strike a balance with respect to the needs of the Novice first-time user.

The Zire is a unit designed for the novice ADULT (it is NOT designed to be a game machine for kids). It is the modern version of that original PalmPilot, with four times the memory and half the weight and a much better screen. Here is a comment from one of these 37 reviews that completely hits the target at the bull's-eye with respect to the Zire:

"Currently I have 645 entries in the Address Book, 1050 entries in my Date Book, 400 records in my Memo Pad, as well as 2 blackjack games, a poker game, and a chess game. With all of this loaded in the Zire, I still have 1.3 megs of memory available. Really a great little box."

I hardly EVER use the backlight in my Palm III units. The target market for the Zire is the people who will mostly be using the included applications (Address Book, Date Book, Memo Pad, Note Pad, etc.) -- as the use of these applications by the first-time novice user will be a BIG STEP forward for them. When they get to the point where they can ride the bicycle easily without the training wheels, THEN they can make the decision to spend the additional money to buy a higher-end model.

For most folks in this target market, THIS may be all the functionality they ever need. I have been using my Palm IIIxe for many years now ... and would only consider upgrading to a cell phone/PDA combo unit. I do not have (or feel the overwhelming need for) the expansion slots, color screen, or the many extra bells-and-whistles touted by other reviewers appearing here. If THAT is your focus, then you should choose another product. The Palm Zire performs the basics and does it at the lowest price on the market.

Note that this is a "new" product (October) and the supply & demand curves have not yet balanced out. The full Zire retail price of $99 will (after Xmas) come down to a "street price" of around eighty-something dollars. Yes, you can spend more money to buy a higher-end product, but THAT is the fact of life for every product on the market.

Beware of the nerd reviewers (like me) who have already owned previous PDA models, and are trying to compare bicycles to mopeds to motorcycles ... as they are not comparing apples to apples, and these products have significantly different target markets. The Palm Zire is designed for the first-time user, and the reviews that I have read here from those first-time users have been favorable.

I hope this provides a useful frame of reference with respect to your purchasing decisions.

Although I rush to buy new tech stuff and have a lot of it, I hadn't really wanted to pay the going rate for a PDA...especially since I'm retired and don't need anything to keep me organized. But when Palm intro'd the Palm Zire for [$], I couldn't resist. The main reason I bought it, besides the price, is that I wanted to be able to carry my address book with me. This works great for that, and it was very easy to transfer my main Windows address book to the Palm. It's also very easy to use. I can stick it in my pocket for notetaking, etc. Consequently, I find I'm using it more and more for errands, memos and 'to do' lists.

The only drawback is that the screen is not backlit, and while the contrast is adjustable and the screen easily visible in bright light, it's hard to see under regular lamplight. As I become more dependent on this, I can see I will probably want to upgrade...exactly the marketing strategy Palm had in mind.

Oh, and don't waste your money on Palm's PDA carrying case. It's made of a heavy, soft, kind of smelly plastic that takes away all the lightweight advantages of the small Palm Zire. You can find much nicer ones for much less online at places like eBags.com.

The new Zire Palm is essentially an updated version of the Palm m100, with the following changes:
* An even !Smaller! screen.
* A new, stylish form factor.
* A rechargeable battery.
* A funky new name.

All of the other limitations of the m100 still exist. The memory is not upgradeable, and 2MB is pathetically small, allowing for only the most basic address and scheduling functions. The three PALM programs that I consider essential would overwhelm this puppy. They are: Mapopolis (a mapping program from Mapopopolis.com with keyword-searchable street maps), Avantgo (an online news service that downloads articles to your palm) and Vindigo (a restaurant, movie and city guide).

The lack of memory is riduculous, especially considering that the m105 model that this also replaces has 8 MB and a slightly larger screen!
Believe me, screen size matters when you are pointing and clicking on a tiny keyboard on your Palm. And this has to be the smallest screen yet.

To me, this model is only for those misguided and poor folks who would have bought the now-discontinued m100 model but want a rechargeable battery. There are far better models out there for only a few more bucks. You can still find some of the excellent Handspring Visor leftover models around for about the same price, which feature the large screens and 8 MB. And Sony's CLIE line of Palm OS handhelds basically now own the middle of the PALM product line.

Here's a basic PALM product guide:

Zire/Palm m100: Bottom of the line. Designed to suck you in but leave you wanting more. Think of this as the Chevy Chevette of Palms. Plagued by small screens.
Palm m105: The 8MB version of the m100. Fine, except needs batteries and plagued by small screen.
Palm 125: Ooh, expansion slot that you will probably never use. Still plagued by small screen.
Palm 130: Adds color, lithium battery to m125. Not bad, but screen still small, low res.
Palm m500: Still the standard for monochrome Palms. Lightweight, with a clear, large screen and a classic form-factor that gave the company its name. 8MB, expandable, lithium-polymer battery. Triple-Aces.
Palm m505: Discontinued color model features horrible washed out color screen. AVOID.
Palm m515: Soon to be discontinued Color PALM. Very good, but no Palm TUNGSTEN T.
Palm TUNGSTEN T: The top of the line. Finally, Palm builds a PALM that can compete with a Pocket PC. Too bad they priced it like one too. Triple Aces design, with fabulous ergonomics, fantastic high-res active screen, battery, bluetooth, and drop-down graffiti pad.

For competitors, check out the new Handspring Treo models, which feature thumbpads and a small form factor (some with phones), and the Sony CLIE line. The CLIE models, which start at just over a hundred clams, have a nice form factor, and upper-level models feature the best high-res color screens for generally less than what you'd pay for a similar PALM-branded model. CLIE's feature memory-stick slots and lithium batteries. But I've heard Sony's customer service is weak compared to Palm's easy-as-pie returns. These things do break from time to time, so keep that in mind.

Enjoy!

Absolutely a first rate basic pda. No, there are no fancy color screens and no, you can't expand it. But, the basics are all there and work perfectly. Date Book, Addresses, To Do list, Memo Pad are the basic functions and all work flawlessly with the Palm desktop software which keeps the Zire and your computer in sync. Info entered directly into your pda gets updated to your computer and vice versa. The Zire has a USB to mini USB cable to hook up to your computer as well as a built in rechargeable battery, which I prefer to constantly replacing batteries. The coolest feature has to be the ability to "beam" info from one pda to another. You have to be close to the other pda, but it really works. If you want to add games or other functions to your Zire, you will find numerous websites with available freeware and shareware. The big question...is 2 megs of memory enough. Currently I have 645 entries in the Address Book, 1050 entries in my Date Book, 400 records in my Memo Pad as well as 2 blackjack games, a poker game, and a chess game. With all of this loaded in the Zire, I still have 1.3 megs of memory available. Really a great little box.

Our 4 year old dropped a hammer on my Palm V, so I had to get a replacement. Although other models have many more features, I bought the Zire.

Why? It's a bare-bones organizer with a rechargable battery. It's exactly what a Palm was meant to be, and why Palm was so successful in the first place several years ago. I now have the latest Palm software in a clean rechargable package for a dirt cheap price.

If you want gazillions of contacts, buy something else. I've never used more than 500. If you want wireless, or color, or music, or video, buy something else. But if you want what the Palm originally set out to be, an intuitive shirt-pocket organizer, with a rechargable battery to boot, get a Zire.

Palm has always made great PDAs and this is no exception. Its small size and great price makes it affordable. Simple USB connection to your computer to synchronize data and no batteries required are a plus! If a backlight were added, it would drain the built-in rechargeable battery too quickly. The 2MB capacity is enough for most users (except power users that require lots of applications, etc.) The included rubber flip-top cover protects the writing surface. For its price and the intended market (students, everyday users, and those that want to stay organized), the Zire is a great Palm.

Last year I asked my wife for a PDA for Christmas which I received. She bought a good brand, a top seller, but I was totally frustrated with learning how it works. It shouldn't be that complicated. Maybe the Yippees and the Yuppies are smarter than I am or just determined to overcome any tough challenge. Not me! I bought a Palm Zire and fell in love. It has everything and does everything I need and I learned it in three minutes. The front cover is a soft, plastic flap which seems to be a pain to some but is easy to cope with and who needs backlighting? The battery is rechargable so I don't replace batteries. My calendar stretches on for years, my address book has about 250 entries and I've only just begun, my to do list is brilliantly simply, my note pad goes on forever with ideas, reminders, shopping list, etc. and I can switch from one category to the next with a simple touch of the handy stylus and back again. It is a delight to work with and anyone who slams it is an idiot! You want a stylish Cadillac with a phone and color TV screen, fine, go buy one, but for the price and simplicity you just can't beat it! In the world of sophisticated electronics, this little, light-weight, shirtpocket pal goes the distance for me . . . and probably for you. Simplify your life, get it all done and relax. Anything you need is right there in the Palm of your hand. Zire!

I am a 13 year old kid who bought this pda with my mowing money for school. This is a very good PDA for its price. It has a nice B&W touch screen and looks cool. It has an Adress book, date book, memo pad, note pad (you can draw stuff on the screen with this), 13 digit calculator, clock & alarm, expense, to do list, and security. A cd comes in the package that has palm desktop software (synchronising stuff), and mine hunt, giraffe, hardball (like pong), and puzzle 15 (theese are all games that you put on the pda through the desktop software). This is a very good pda for anyone who wants one thats cheap in price, but not in quality.

Palm's latest offering is aimed squarely at the first-time, non-power user. The Zire is a nifty looking device with a chromed case that is not much bigger than the m105 device that was the previous offering to the entry level market. This is easily the nicest looking handheld Palm has come out with in recent memory.

So what's different? Apparently, Palm has decided that less is more for this device and got rid of the buttons for the To Do and Memo applications. The applications are still included, the buttons on the front of the unit aren't. Is this a big deal? Probably not...you may have to tap around a little to get to those two, but most entry level people will use Contacts and Calendar more often than not. There is also less memory in the Zire than the m105 (2 megs vs. 8), which won't matter for the basic functions but will limit you in terms of adding some of the thousands of third-party applications that make the Palm OS so attractive and functional. On the plus side for some people, the Zire comes with a rechargeable lithium ion battery instead of using two AAA batteries. While it costs less money to have the rechargeable battery, there were times with my old IIIxe and VIIx that I was glad to be able to stop in a store and get batteries instead of madly looking for an outlet to plug into before the device lost all power (and data). It also appears from looking at the cables that you cannot synch it and charge it at the same time which may prove mildly annoying once in a great while.

What really makes the Zire attractive to entry level users are the price and the gentle learning curve and overall ease of use of the Palm OS and Graffiti characters. Palm OS devices are far easier to deal with than Pocket PC's and getting one for [this price]is a good deal. The Palm Desktop software is also easy to use and understand and if you currently use Outlook to manage your info, there is a third party program (Chapura PocketMirror) that synchs with the Zire flawlessly. If you are looking for a gentle introduction to PDA's or are looking to get someone else started on using one, this is a great way to go.

However, be warned that if you expect you may want to download extra software or otherwise expand the device beyond the basic Calendar/Contact/To Do functions, you may want to look into a different device. Only having 2 megs of memory (memory can't be added to the Zire) is not enough to fully take advantage of the all the great software out there for Palm's. Also, the 160 x 160 monochrome display is a touch on the small side for some people and those people may want to look at a color device instead.