Tapwave T2907US Zodiac 2 Multimedia Handheld

Other products by Tapwave

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• ASIN: B0002DOXKI
• Item model number: 2
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 4, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
The Motorola i.MX1 ARM9 processor provides uncompromised performance in a very power-efficient design. What's more, the i.MX1 processor is optimized for multimedia and Bluetooth functions, making it the ideal engine for Zodiac.

The ATI Imageon graphics accelerator delivers advanced 2D hardware graphics performance. And the FatHammer X-Forge 3D graphics engine expands on that performance to deliver advanced console-quality 3D games and other rich 3D content.

Between these smart power-saving technologies and high-capacity batteries, you'll be able to go, do and play longer between charges. It all adds up to a potent platform for mobile entertainment.

Serious Gaming
Basically, it's a game console that fits in your pocket. True analog controller and a full complement of ergonomically placed triggers and action buttons let you stay in control of game play. Yamaha audio component, stereo speakers, and earbud-style headphones produce rich sound. Vibration effects complete the sensory experience. Premiere titles from the industry's leading publishers increase the fun. And automated, web-based high-score reporting enables you to participate in tournaments and community competition on select games.

True Analog Control
Pressure-sensitive joystick provides total control.

Listen to Music, View Photos, Watch Videos
Full-featured digital music player makes it easy to organize and play all your favorite MP3s. Play music in the background while doing just about anything with your Zodiac console. Carry your favorite photos with you and create slide shows to share with your friends and family. Use the Kinoma full-screen, full-motion video player.

Connect to Microsoft Outlook
Seamlessly sync your organizer data with Palm Desktop or Microsoft Outlook. Store names, phone numbers, addresses and more in the Address Book. Manage and view your schedule using the Date Book. Track commitments and assignment with the To Do List and keep up with the notes using the Memo Pad. Create Microsoft Word-compatible documents using the word processing application with an integrated dictionary, thesaurus and spell checkers.

Connect Wirelessly
Press the Bluetooth button on your Zodiac and you're ready to challenge up to 7 other worthy opponents to some spirited wireless, multiplayer gaming. Pair the Zodiac with a supported Bluetooth-equipped mobile phone or Bluetooth hub and enjoy wireless connectivity almost anywhere in the world. Send messages, images and more to your friends. (Number of players supported determined by game.)

Feel Fit and Function With a Slick, Ergo-centric Design
At just 6.3 ounces, Zodiac doesn't weigh you down. It's brilliantly smart design supports both landscape or portrait orientation.

Superior Expandability
Two easily accessible expansion slots let you add anything from memory to content to SDIO cards. Double the fun. Double the expandability. Pump up your memory to 1GB with the latest cards. Drop an SD card into one slot and view a video or a photo album. Use the other to switch between your favorite games. Or maybe add a digital camera. The options are nearly endless.

And because Zodiac was built on the Palm OS, you've got your choice of thousands of applications, right out of the chute.

Product Description
Take the fun of a gaming console, cross it with the power of a high-end PDA, integrate with MP3 player, photo viewer and videos and you've got Zodiac. It's the perfect combination of functionality, technology and portability in a sleek package you'll want to take everywhere. The charcoal gray Zodiac2 mobile entertainment console comes with 128MB of RAM, a USB/power cable, earbuds, wrist strap and a flip cover. Also included is a CD containing Palm Desktop Software, applications for Personal Information Management, MP3 playback, video playback, image viewing, word processing, graphing calculator and web browsing (requires compatible mobile phone with data service). And, of course, games. Stunt Car Extreme and AcidSolitaire are included to get you started.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best PDA bar none!, July 1, 2004

By	Mary Jo Sminkey "author of cfwebstore" (Carlisle, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm a long time Palm (and Pocket PC) user and have never really been 100% happy with any device I've gotten. Some came close...my wonderful Sony Clie 710C was awesome in its day. I've enjoyed the Sony Clie line for its superb color screens and cutting-edge features. But they are expensive and more recently, seemed to be falling behind. I was darn tired of having to upgrade the RAM in order to have something useable so when I heard about the Tapwave Zodiac 2 which offered an unbelievable 128 Meg of RAM I was immediately interested. After checking the specs I determined to be one of the first to get one of these devices. Gaming is secondary to it being a good Palm device, but definitely a HUGE plus for me.

My first reaction when I got it was how awesome the screen was! It definitely rivaled any other Palm device out there, and people always comment on it when I show them. The huge amount of RAM is just a joy to have. You can even load MP3s on it, although certainly using a good size SD card works even better. Don't miss the double card slots! Another feature you won't find on any other Palm device.

Video playback is great using MMPlayer (ditch the crappy Kinoma it comes with) and MP3 music is quite excellent. Battery life is excellent compared to other Palm color devices, and landscape and portrait options make things like reading ebooks and viewing photos even better. Bluetooth works great, I have no trouble downloading email over my cellphone.

So, how is it as a gaming device? Compared to other Palm devices, this device blows them out of the water! The number of available games specifically for the Zodiac is still fairly small (although there are some excellent games out there now) but having access to the full library of Palm games means I have more games loaded on it then I ever will have time to play. The included game, Stunt Car Extreme, is excellent and shows great potential for this device.

Overall, as a gaming device alone, I probably would not recommend the Zodiac, simply because there are better, cheaper options out there. But if you need or want a PDA that does multimedia and gaming, you won't find a better choice, and at a very reasonable price.

February 2005 Followup - Well, I've had this Zodiac for sometime now and it's still going strong. I've never had any analog button issues like some of the first models (like I have) commonly had, and with a screen protector, it still looks pretty good. I have the new WiFi card which makes it great for quick email checks and browsing the web. I do also use the bluetooth with my cell phone for email when Wifi is not available, so pretty much can do email anywhere. Still haven't managed to fill up the memory. I do sometimes have problems with it getting locked up and draining power, seems to be some issues with Preferences, and changing the auto-off will usually clear the issue for a time. Also the shoulder buttons are getting a bit loose. A bit of a design flaw, IMO, due to the flimsy plastic they are made with. Overall though, I still love my Zodiac and have kept it longer than most PDAs I've had.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you need a PDA? Get a Zodiac!!!!, September 12, 2004

By	Scott A. Wilkins "Scott" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

It seems all the worth while PDA's are going for about $400 these days. So, I decided to check out the Zodiac 2 from Tapwave (that and I do have a bit of a gaming streak in me). I was worried that the Zodiac gaming aspect would overshadow the PDA functionality of the device. I was wrong. This has got to be the perfect PDA, and definately the best on the market right now. All palm applications I have from my Sony Clie' ownership have transfered over with out any difficulty (other than some OS5 limits, that would affect any OS5 based unit) And more stuff I'm finding on the Internet is installing and running with zero problems. It's just amazing to find a new platform with "out of the box" community support like the Zodiac.

The screen is georgous. The sound is top rate (though, get a better set of head phones that the included ones to get the real impact of the Yamaha sound chip.) And with 128 Meg memory (Z2 only), it's the best packed Palm platform currently available. Not to mention blue tooth and 2 memory card slots. The Tapwave folks didn't miss a thing with the Zodiac.

Some things I hope to see in the future are more support from software of the well weighted analog thumbstick, and more support of the high res screen. Some support is already out there with the Sony units being in the high res areana already, and Palm getting there. But, missing out on this full 480x360 resolution makes some older palm based tasks on the Zodiac really miss out.

Finally, if you worried about games, don't. This baby plays all the great Palm/Sony platform games already available. 1000's of them. While the Tapwave specific games really shine, they are not all that's available. This handheld has the most games available for it than any other currently on the market or in the future. Plus, you can get emulators to play older handheld games. Like the Firestorm emulator http://www.crimsonfire.com/firestorm/ that plays all GB and GB Color games, and soon GBA. That alone makes this the best handheld unit available. Sony's PSP won't ever do that. Though in it's defense, it will do some other things the Zodiac won't. (yep, looks like I'll have to get both :) ).

Bottom line. Need a PDA get a Zodiac.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3D gaming, MP3 player, 128Mbs memory, best PDA on the block, July 23, 2004

By	D. L Winski (Whiting, ME USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

The Zodiac is the solution for anyone who's sick carrying around both their PDA and gameboy at the same time. The Zodiac offers the best of both worlds, (much better than the gameboy actually) whether you what some real 3D gaming or, as Tapwave puts it, want to organize your life. Indeed both of those things will happen, the Zodiac is an uber cool device that works just as advertised, maybe even better.
I spent about 2 months doing research on PDA's trying to find one that would best suit my needs, at first I looked at the Zire 71 (before the 72 had come out), and it seemed pretty cool, so I then naturally decided to check out what Palm"s game selection was like knowing all too well that I'd be spending much of my time with games. After about 5 minutes I came to the conclusion that judging by the game selection (quality not quantity-wise mind you) that palm simply couldn't deliver what I yearned for in gaming.
Having remembered a small review of the zodiac (...for those of us too old for a gameboy...) I decided to check out what it really was like first hand. Shortly after my visit to Tapwave's snazzy site I realized that this was the PDA for me, it was a true miniture game console, somewhere around as good as the PS1(heck it's only about 100MHz shy of the PS2) but not quite as good as the N64 (though the graphics look sharper on a LCD than a TV).
Several weeks later, after I'd earned the money I recieved my zodiac 2 ($100 more for 4x the memory of the Zodiac 1, can't knock that) and almost started drooling over the gorgeous screen. This really is the PDA of choice for those who must have quality 3D gaming but can't wait for the PSP, want a fully functional PDA and concider gaming an added bonus, or just want to have the coolest gaget on the block, no matter what your reason you'll almost certainly love your zodiac.
Also note: Mac users, you have every right to the zodiac as someone running Windows, so it really does seem like an outrage that the zodiac is not directly Mac compatable, but don't fear any longer if you buy The Missing Sinc for Tapwave you can use your Zodiac just like you had a Windows machine for $40 (see MacCentral for a link).