PalmOne Zire 71 Handheld by Palm
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Digital camera reviews of PalmOne Zire 71 Handheld
Digital camera Review: A Few Minor flaws...but lots of fun too!
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall, I really enjoy my Zire 71. It's got so many fun functions and the Palm OS makes everything pretty simple. It's very cool to be able to watch little movies on the very bright and clear color screen. I'm very impressed with the display. Also, the way the camera is hidden in the PDA is pretty clever...that always gets "oooohs" and "aaaahs" when I show people. The hot synching always works great, and I've never had technical troubles with it at all. Three flaws, in my opinion:
1) THE BIGGEST...the darn thing turns on VERY, VERY easily. Often, I take it out only to find that I've drained the battery. I know I put it away off, but just slipping it into the included soft case apparently is enough to turn it on sometimes. I'm very careful now, but it still happens.
2) The audio and video set up takes a little work. Nothing earth-shattering,but basically, you're installing several different pieces of software to make it all work. But they do work easily and simply once done.
3) I wish I hadn't been required to buy a Secure Digital card right off the bat in order to listen to mp3s. After dropping $300, who wants to drop $20 more for an SD card?
Also, I wish there were more colors and a beefier speaker, but that's nit-picking.
You'll be impressed with this sucker. Not only does it provide all the features of a good PDA, its very nice screen and multi-media add-ons make this fun for killing some time. Mine goes with me everywhere. Yours will too.
Digital camera Review: A Great Upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
The Palm Zire 71 is a great upgrade from previous models. I have owned the Palm IIIxe and Palm M505 and decided that I liked the additional, improved features that the Zire 71 had to offer. The digital camera is one of the nicest additions to the device. No, the camera is not for those of you who require near perfect quality photography but Yes, it is for those of you who like to capture images on the spur of the moment and e-mail them off to family and friends. The most noticeable improvement is with the screen clarity and color images. They actually look like colored items now which I could not really tell with my M505. The processor is significantly faster then the others aforementioned and hot syncing seems to move along a lot faster. The new grafiti2 takes a little adjusting to if you are a long time Palm user but is a minor distraction. If you use the original fold out keyboard, you will need to remove the old driver from your old Palm before upgrading the desktop software otherwise it will install on your new Palm and not work. There is an updated driver for the keyboard at Palm.com which corrects this problem. If you don't remove the previous keyboard driver, you will need to perform a hard reset in order to remove it from the Palm as using the delete feature does not work. The accompanying case is something to be desired and its design is pathetic. Whenever you put the Palm into the case, the power or an application comes on and remains on until the auto shut off kicks in. I was surprised to see such a poorly designed case from an otherwise great device.Digital camera Review: A Great Upgrade and a Great Buy
Summary: 4 Stars
Losing my Palm m105 was upsetting, but having read about the Palm Zire 71 I decided it was a good excuse to upgrade. The built in digital camera and the ability to expand it to play MP3's, plus the color display, convinced me it was time to make the jump. I'm glad I did.I was a little thrown that there was a new version of Graffiti to contend with, but Graffiti II is somewhat easier to use than its predecessor, so that wasn't a problem. The larger display area is a plus too.
The digital camera is decent enough quality for taking quick pictures and emailing them or sharing them online. To do more than that you'll need to have the ability to do some tweaking in PhotoShop or another graphics program, but you can't beatthe convenience of the combination.
The package I brought came with all the necessary software, including a Palm version of RealPlayer so that all I needed for MP3 play was an expansion card and a pair of earphones. Putting songs on the expansion card couldn't be easier. My only complaint is the volume. Maximum volume on this player isn't quite loud enough for me, but that's just a matter of personal preference.
Mine came with a carrying case that is a bit of a tight fit, and just serves it's purpose. If you want a better carrying case, get the Zire 71 Essentials package, which has a case that you can also wear on your belt for carrying your Palm around.
So, a few minor complaints aside, the Palm Zire 71 is more than worth the price. If you're upgrading from an older Palm, you won't be sorry you got the Zire 71.
Digital camera Review: A Poor Purchase
Summary: 1 Stars
The joystick on/off button has been a nightmare. Whenever I store the PDA in my briefcase (even when the PDA is in its case) the jostling of briefcase contents eventually depresses the joystick (or possibly the top on/off switch, which protrudes above the top of the PDA) and turns on the Palm--which then STAYS ON due to the pressure of the PDA case against the joystick. Within a short period of time the battery runs out and all of my data is wiped out of the PDA memory. As a result, I cannot use the PDA again until I have taken it to work and re-loaded all of the data from my pc (a relatively time-consuming and annoying process). Needless to say, this is a major inconvenience, especially over the weekend or when I am away from the office for a few days (vacations, seminars). For example, I was stranded in New York recently without any of my business phone numbers--so much for getting work done while at the seminar!
Less troubling but still annoying is the thickness of the PDA. I didn't think the bulkiness would annoy me as much as it has--the PDA is just too thick to comfortably fit in a ladies' suit coat pocket.
Finally, it seems to me the screen on which you use your stylus is not as responsive as the older screens--I definitely make mistakes in entering letters more often than I did with my old PDA. Although that could be a function of the new Graffitti program, not the PDA.Digital camera Review: A Short Life...
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased my Zire 71 in July. I have had several pda's... the Palm Professional (remember that one?), the Palm V, the Sony Clie, and most recently, the Zire. The resolution was great, nice functionality, etc. Unfortunately, 2 months shy of its 1st birthday, it locked up & died.... This is my second Palm product where the system has just locked up and stopped working. A very serious design flaw. Too bad....